Utah Judge Restores Stream Access to Sportmen and Public

Hawkeye

Long Time Member
Messages
3,013
LAST EDITED ON Nov-05-15 AT 08:34AM (MST)[p]Yesterday afternoon, Judge Derek Pullan of Utah's 4th District Court ruled in favor the public's right to lawfully access and recreate on ALL of Utah's public rivers and streams. You can read the 61-page decision here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/vxuqcu8vrrprff9/Case 100500558 Ruling Order and Final Judgment.pdf?dl=0

This decision will almost certainly be appealed to the Utah Supreme Court, but for the time being, this is the law of the land.

We all owe a huge debt a gratitude to the Utah Stream Access Coalition and the lawyers who volunteered their time to challenge that ridiculous and unconstitutional law that was forced upon us by the legislature, a handful of landowners, and unfortunately was even supported by one of our sportman groups. If you are not a member of the Utah Stream Access Coalition, please considering joining or contributing to the cause. This battle is not over yet. https://www.facebook.com/utahstreamaccesscoalition/

-Hawkeye-
 
One additional thought . . . as we head out and recreate on Utah rivers and streams, please be respectful to others, especially surrounding landowners. That will hopefully go a long way towards avoiding problems and future legislation/litigation.

-Hawkeye-
 
This is a HUGE win for the public sportsman!

While it will be appealed to the Utah Supreme Court, keep in mind the Supreme Court had already ruled in favor of public rights to access public water. This case was to undo what our crony legislature/landowners tried to put in place to undo what the Supreme Court had already ruled on several years ago.

While it's not over and not a slam dunk, there is strong precedence in our favor. Like Hawkeye said, thank the USAC by giving a donation. I just did, again. Lawyers, working for you and your posterity, don't work for free. It's an easy donation. You really should help out, even if it's just a little. They are securing rights for your kids, grandkids and beyond. The fight is not over, funding is still needed.

This is also setting case law precedence where Idaho, Montana and New Mexico are in similar battles for public rights trying to be taken by wealthy landowners.

Go here, donate!
http://utahstreamaccess.org/access-restored/

3053usac.jpg


6518usac2.jpg
 
And just because I think it needs to be said again, Don Peay and the SFW leaders were on board, even lobbied, for the legislation that took away YOUR rights to access YOUR public waterways.

Glad to have guys (USAC) fighting for us instead of against us(SFW)!

Glad to have the Supreme Court and this new ruling that can see through this crony money grab political garbage legislation!
 
It's not just the lawyers for USAC that are owed a thanks, even though they have done a great work, spent countless hours on their own dime, and helped restore these rights. There are two other attorneys that represented the Conatsers in their original case that gave us the 5-0 Utah Supreme Court ruling in Conatser v Johnson. Without that case, this ruling isn't possible.

There are people working for you and your rights, and there are those working against you and your rights. I choose to support those that uphold my rights.

Funny story about D Peay on this issue. I'll never forget the time he told me to my face, while trying to convince a legislator to take away our rights, that if these rights weren't stripped, as soon as he turned on his sprinklers that anyone could have the right to go walk in his garden since there would then be water there. I laughed. The legislator rolled her eyes. She voted in our favor, even though her and Don knew each other personally. I knew at that point how little he cared about the truth in his quest to phase out normal sportsmen.
 
Tyson-

I have have seen you relate that experience with Don Peay before. As far as I am concerned, the stream access issue is a black and white issue for sportsman's groups. If you fight against public access for sportsmen then you should not hold yourself out as a sportsman's group. Call yourself the Farm Bureau or the Utah Association of Realtors. I am guessing that Don was trying to cozy up with some powerful landowners and legislators who supported the bill, and in the process, sold the average sportsman down the river (poor analogy). I don't understand why the SFW Board and membership did not reel him in on this issue (another poor analogy)?

-Hawkeye-
 
cue in the tards who are going to jump public land checkers via streams in 3....2...1...
4abc76ff29b26fc1.jpg
 

Click-a-Pic ... Details & Bigger Photos
Back
Top Bottom