The showdown between citizens and feds over federally administered lands spread yesterday to Utah, where about 50 people took to their ATVs in a protest that sought to reclaim access to a canyon that had been closed to vehicles since 2007. "It’s a county road," says the county supervisor, who organized the ride as a private citizen. "We claim it. Just because (Bureau of Land Management) owns the property, that doesn’t mean they own the right-of-way that exists." It wasn't just locals who showed up for the rally and ride, notes the Salt Lake Tribune: Out-of-town supporters included Ryan Bundy, son of Cliven Bundy. "I came here to re-open a road," he told the crowd.
Nobody was arrested, though BLM officials said feds recorded the ride and intend to prosecute. The road was originally closed to protect archaeological sites in Recapture Canyon; protesters say that decision amounts to caving to special interests, while a spokesman for the Colorado Plateau Archaeological Alliance laments "that irreplaceable treasures of importance to all Americans would be sacrificed on the altar of anti-government fervor." (Read more Utah stories.)
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