Utah House votes to curb stream access

The Utah House has voted to restrict public access to streams that cross private property except where anglers and others can prove a continuous use has existed for at least 10 years. The bill, a substitute version of HB141, responds to a 2008 Utah Supreme Court ruling that said state law gives access to public waters. Representatives who supported it Tuesday said the bill reasserts constitutional protections for private property as the nation's and state's founders intended. "The pilgrims came here not to go fishing, but to own land," said Rep. Steve Mascaro, R-West Jordan. Recreationists who lost this legislative round viewed the issue very differently, saying the bill cuts into public rights to public waterways...read more

COMMENT: State Rep. Mascaro certainly wins our quote of the day with:

"The pilgrims came here not to go fishing, but to own land"

Besides, the King owned all the fish where they came from, and if we're not careful we'll revert back to that system here. And if that happens, who knows where Vilsack will allocate the fish?