Trail Ride to Challenge Federal Control of Utah Land.

[struggle4progress]

18. Cliven Bundy II? Utah protesters prepare for new face-off with feds

John M. Glionna
8:00 a.m. CDT, May 10, 2014

... The ride, organized by San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman, is a gambit to assert county sovereignty over Recapture Canyon, known for its archaeological ruins, that BLM officials say has been jeopardized from overuse. The canyon was closed to motor vehicles in 2007, the agency said, after two men forged an illegal seven-mile trail. Hikers and those on horseback are still allowed there ...

Lyman says he has a right to represent his local constituency against outside agitators, including the federal government. And he enjoys widespread support here ...

This week, BLM officials notified Lyman that any illegal foray in the area would bring consequences such as citations and arrest. “I strongly urge you to cancel the proposed ride in the closed portion of the canyon,” Lance Porter, the agency’s local district manager in Moab, wrote in a hand-delivered letter. “BLM will seek all appropriate civil and criminal penalties against anyone who participates in the proposed ride.”

Lyman quickly responded with a letter saying that the ride was still on and that local resentment of federal officials here had not cooled: “I do not consider my protest, or the protest of those who choose to participate on May 10, to be in violation of the law” ...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/la-na-utah-blm-militia-bundy-20140509,0,7685032.story