Trail Ride to Challenge Federal Control of Utah Land. [View all]
Source: nyt/reuters
Activists seeking to directly challenge federal control of swathes of territory in the U.S. West plan to embark on an all-terrain vehicle ride on Saturday across protected land in Utah that is home to Native American artifacts and where such journeys are banned.
The ride into Recapture Canyon, which comes amid heightened political tensions, is aimed to protest against indecision by federal land managers on whether to reopen canyon trails to recreational vehicle use after more than seven years of study.
The dispute is the latest squabble between conservative state's rights advocates in Utah and across the West, who want to take back millions of acres of public land over which federal agencies have authority. In Utah, more than 60 percent of all public land is under federal control.
"After seven years, it's become apparent that they are not earnest in doing what they said they were going to do," San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman, who is organizing the ride, told Reuters, adding he was aware he could be arrested or cited for encroaching closed areas in violation of federal rules.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2014/05/10/us/10reuters-usa-utah-showdown.html?hp
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