Take Action !
Friday, February 19, 2010 at 12:03AM 
The first call to action concerns two competing pieces of proposed Utah legislation which are scheduled to come to a vote next Monday or Tuesday. You may remember the battle that was waged to keep access rights on Utah's rivers and streams? Well that fight continues and the outcome could effect access rights in other states as well.
The GOOD!
House Bill 80 (Rep. Lorie Fowlke) upholds the Utah Supreme Court’s ruling(Conatser 2008)which recognized the public’s right to access the streambeds of public waters on private property for lawful recreational activities. In the spirit of cooperation, Rep. Fowlke held a series of public meetings that included landowners, farmers, ranchers, fishermen, rafters, kayakers and hunters to develop a compromise bill that addressed the concerns of all parties involved.
The BAD!
House Bill 141 (Rep. Kay McIff) seeks to overturn the Utah Supreme Court’s ruling(Conatser 2008) which recognized the public’s right to access the streambeds of public waters on private property for lawful recreational activities.
Both these bills are scheduled to come to a vote early next week, take some time this weekend and go to the Utah Water Guardians web site where you will find e-mail links to members of the Utah House Judiciary Committe. Send every member an e-mail asking them to support HB-80.There are also e-mail links to members of the House Natural Resorces Committee, send them e-mails asking them to oppose HB- 141.
The second call to action comes via the Trout Underground.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is preparing to introduce a legislative rider that would dramatically reduce Endangered Species Act protection for salmon and other fish in California. The amendment would lift restrictions on the amount of water that farmers can pump from the Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta for the next two years. But it could also scuttle a delicately negotiated effort to balance protections for endangered fish with the water needs of farms and residents of Southern California.
Please take some time and click through to the post on the Underground. Tom has provided a draft e-mail in oppostition to the plan and a link so you can forward to Senator Feinstein's office.
take action 
Reader Comments (16)
Maybe you should tell them that you know joseph smith.
Tell me again how fly fishing isn't a dying sport??
I wouldn't want a bunch of noisy, littering assholes walking all over my property either. I love to fish, I love property rights more.
Ludlow? Is that you?
"I wouldn't want a bunch of noisy, littering assholes walking all over my property either. I love to fish, I love property rights more." Jonathan
Check out his blog for more well thought out political gems and other nature loving articles. Dude, remember what www means? As in World Wide web? Think about it.
Oh yeah, his blog url. A must read for dull times:
http://bluegillonthefly.blogspot.com/
If I were a queer, dumb ass little bitch, from texas (yes lil’ t) , & fished for only lil’ bluegills, I might make absolutely retarded comments about something I knew nothing about too. Because I am not, let me enlighten the rest of the readers. The bill at hand was written & designed to provide protections to both anglers & landowners. It identifies what is trespassing with regards to the easement & establishes anyone that violates said easement is guilty of a class B misdemeanor. It states that the public may not damage private property (including littering) or harass landowners or livestock. It also states that access to public waters must be obtained via public property access points only, i.e. anglers are not allowed to otherwise trespass across private land to access public waters. In other words no one would be coming in to fish your private farm pond. Finally it absolves landowners from liability from injuries that recreationist might incur while therein. Furthermore, I will have you know that the state’s supreme court has ruled in favor of people’s right to river & steam access multiple times & the point of this legislation is to just further define where & what is private property from that of public waters. Constitutionally speaking the existing rights to the use of any of the waters in this state for any useful or beneficial purpose, are hereby recognized and confirmed. That should mean everything everyone else. However being from texas & you may not understand that. BTW, How is that Gov. Perry plan to secede working for you? Good Luck with that.
"littering assholes walking all over my property"? Seriously, Where the hell do you get off… douchbag?
I pooped in a Utah river once.
They don't call 'em utahrded utahrdes for nothing. Say good bye to river fishing in utahrdia.
The Utard's are sticking ti the man.......... Thanks for all your support.
It just doesn't make sense
But stay the fuck out of Idaho this summer. I'm DEC and I'll be HAMMERING you for a valid license
Water belongs to everyone. It should never be private property.
DDG,
My water is not your water D.A. It can be for a fee :)
Thanks Chum for bringing awareness to these intense issues.
Utah Water Guardians
Ya know what I love just as much as property rights? MY property rights being finally being upheld through just and fair interpretation of the Utah State Constitution by the Utah Supreme Court. As far as 'Noisy, littering assholes' goes, you would not beileve the amount of river degradation and agricultural pollution that is being discovered on ranching land adjacent to rivers that were formally sequestered as private water. Also, given the Supreme Court ruling, HB 80 offers much to protect land owners from noisy littering assholes. With HB 80 passed, Utah ranchers will be able to continue to utilize their vast tracts of land for ranching purposes as they always have. I won't bitch and moan about the stench of cow shit or the whine of their ATV's. As far as the people who thought they could cash in by developing uber-rich, Reese Jones designed golf course, second home only, membership fee charging, 6 miles of Blue RIbbon trout river hoarding fancy developments, you can can fuck yourselves. Pardon my language, but I hope you go belly up, floundering and destitute.
Papi,
Your water is my water P.A. Keep your fee :)
Fuck the MORMONS. Who wants to go to Utah any way.