Take Back Utah holds rally at state Capitol

Land-use advocates from across Utah gathered Saturday for the Take Back Utah parade and rally. The event, which started at the Utah Fairpark and made its way to the state Capitol, was held to promote resistance to the federal government's control of public lands in Utah. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, and Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, addressed the crowd, drawing cheers as they spoke of the fight for state's rights going on in Washington. "We have, unfortunately, an administration right now that doesn't have quite the same vision for public lands that we do," Bishop said. Bishop said that 1 out of every 3 acres in the U.S. is owned by the federal government. In the west the numbers are even more severe, he said, where the federal government owns half the acreage. Glen Olsen of Roy said Saturday's event was intended to let state officials know of constituent support on the issue of land use and to get the word out to other areas in the west. He said public lands are key to Utah's prosperity and while many Take Back Utah advocates are jeep and ATV owners, the issue of land ownership goes beyond recreational use. "What Take Back Utah is trying to do and is working for is to bring all these organizations under one umbrella, so we have everyone together and fighting the same battle," Olsen said...more