Utah ATV protest gathering steam

A protest ride by all-terrain vehicle users set for Saturday in Recapture Canyon east of Blanding, Utah, is capturing national attention. Federal officials have warned that participants may be prosecuted. The canyon, about three miles east of Blanding’s main drag, has been off-limits to motorized use since a Bureau of Land Management decree in September 2007. The BLM is in the process of considering San Juan County’s application for a right of way for an ATV trail in the canyon. Phil Lyman, the San Juan County, Utah, county commissioner who is organizing the ride, said Thursday that earlier this week, he went into the canyon with federal archaeologists to scout areas where there are ancient Native American sites that should be avoided during the protest ride. He said he has “huge respect” for local BLM employees. “The frustration is Washington-style politics and policies that come down and affect us here in the West,” Lyman said in a phone interview. The issue has ballooned on the heels of the recent incident involving Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and the BLM rounding up his cattle. In fact, Bundy’s ranch is urging its Facebook followers to go to Blanding and protest the BLM’s actions. The BLM’s canyon country district manager, Lance Porter, cautioned Lyman in an April 28 letter about possible violations. “I strongly urge you to cancel the proposed ride in the closed portion of the canyon,” Porter wrote. “To the extent that you or anyone else uses a motorized vehicle within the closed area, BLM will seek all appropriate civil and criminal penalties.” San Juan County Sheriff Rick Eldredge told the San Juan Record, based in Monticello, that his department will merely provide crowd control for the event. “We have no idea on the number (of protestors),” Eldredge told the Record for a Wednesday story. “My job is to keep the peace.” Several national media members as well as regional TV and newspapers have said they plan to cover the event, Megan Crandall, BLM Utah spokeswoman, said Thursday. Crandall said the BLM has a couple of law-enforcement rangers in southeastern Utah, but wasn’t certain if they will be at Saturday’s gathering. She said the BLM will not be sending in “re-enforcements.”...more