R.S. 2477
in the News
A wrong road: Norton policy
would open up lands to overuse
The Salt Lake Tribune April 27, 2006. As
she departed her post as secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior last
month, Gale Norton left behind a new policy for deciding what constitutes a
road on public lands.
No-bid hiring for
cushy job draws fire
The Salt Lake
Tribune November 26, 2005. Utah's
public lands coordinator says he needs more help preparing for a series
of
legal clashes over roads through federal land. And Lynn Stevens knows
just the
man for the job. He has offered a no-bid
$175,000 one-year contract to former Assistant Attorney General John
Boyden,
who is also the brother of Stephen Boyden, the state's deputy public
lands
coordinator. (Page:A1 Words:767)
Kane road resolution
will include the public's input
The Salt Lake
Tribune November 22, 2005. Interior
Secretary Gale Norton has agreed to a public process to resolve a
battle in
Kane County over ownership of a series of roads across federal land,
including
tracking the impacts of travel on the disputed roads. Norton's
commitment
satisfied Sen. Richard Durbin, prompting the Illinois Democrat to allow
the
Senate confirmation last Friday of the department's No. 2 official,
Lynn Scarlett,
which he had been blocking. (Page:B6
Words:468)
Feud
over monument signs just keeps heating up
The Salt Lake
Tribune November 15, 2005.
A Democratic
senator continues to pressure the Interior Department to take legal
action
against Kane County over its posting of unauthorized road signs on
federal
land, including the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. But
the
department said last week that its standoff with the county over
ownership of
the roads is in limbo following a recent appeals court decision, and it
is now
seeking to negotiate instead of litigate. (Page:D1 Words:802)
Common ground found at
off-road forum
Deseret News
October 30, 2005. The debate over public
lands in Utah these days days is largely a debate about wheels, as
wilderness
advocates and off-road vehicle owners fight over who has access to how
much of
the state's vast open spaces. (Page:B02
Words:615 )
Norton says BLM revamping
its policies on rights of way
The Salt Lake
Tribune Oct 20, 2005.
Interior
Department Secretary Gale Norton said
Wednesday that the Bureau of Land Management is revamping its
right-of-way
policies following a recent appeals court ruling that gives deference
to the
state's definition of what constitutes a county road as it crosses
federal
land. Norton, who was in Utah County to present grants to Utah and
Idaho water
districts and companies as part of her "Water 2025" initiative, said
that because the appeals process is still... (Page:B8)
Road ruling affirmed
counties' rights
The Salt Lake
Tribune Oct 9, 2005.
The 10th
Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled
against Southern Utah Wildreness Alliance and the Bureau of Land
Management in
overturning a lower federal court's decision. SUWA and the BLM's
arguments and
the lower court's decision, based on those arguments, were clearly
inconsistent
with existing law as it applies to R.S. 2477 rights of way. The 10th
Circuit
agreed with San Juan, Garfield and Kane counties that Congress granted
rights
of way across federal... (Page:AA8 )
The correct rule
The Salt Lake
Tribune
October
5, 2005. I have to
agree with your editorial stating that the decision of the 10th U.S.
Circuit
Court of Appeals ruling that "[N]o government act was required to
accept a
right of way, which could be manifested simply by continuous public use
for 10
years . . . does not look like a road to fewer lawsuits" ("Road
war," Sept. 24). But when has The Tribune ever thought that fewer
lawsuits
should be a goal of environmental policy? The holding has been the... (Page: A14 Words: 223)
R.S. 2477 means excess,
not access, for Utah's public lands
The Salt Lake
Tribune Oct 2, 2005.
On Sept. 8, a
federal appeals court overturned a
Utah federal judge's decision that had, for four years, reined in a
secretive,
abusive and overreaching effort by Utah and county officials to claim
that
long-ignored dirt trails and other paths across federal public lands
are
actually "highways" under an 1866 law known as R.S. 2477. The new
rule is that an R.S. 2477 claim is valid if the claimant can show 10
years of
continuous use. (Page:AA4)
State and counties
identifying public roads
Deseret News September
25, 2005. The state and counties are
working to create a list of roads qualifying as public roads across
public
lands under a plan hoped to end controversies over most roads in Utah,
the
governor's office announced. (Page:B07
Words:281)
No easy out
The Salt Lake
Tribune Sep 24, 2005.
The
governor's office announced the other day
that the state and counties will record a list of roads in each county
that
cross public lands. The purpose is to identify rights of way across
federal
lands granted under an 1866 law commonly known as R.S. 2477. The
announcement
by Lynn Stevens, the state's public lands policy coordinator, suggested
that
recording these lists, coupled with an agreement now in the works with
the
federal Bureau of Land Management about how... (Page:A10)
State launches road
claims
The Salt Lake
Tribune Sep 22, 2005.
The long
battle over the ownership of Utah's
rural back roads either took a giant step toward a conclusion, or was
plunged
even deeper into the murk on Wednesday. Armed with an appeals court
decision
loosening the definition of what constitutes a public right of way, the
Governor's Office unveiled an ambitious, aggressive plan to claim old
Jeep and
mining roads across federal land in every county of the state.
(Page:B1)
Road decision a huge
victory for the public
The Salt Lake
Tribune Sep 18, 2005.
The Tribune
(Our View, "Rights of
way," Sept. 14) characterizes the recent 10th Circuit Court decision on
county roads in rural Utah as a "limited victory" for Utah counties,
the state and public-access defenders, while, in fact, this decision
emphatically corrects the myths, misrepresentations, misinterpretations
and
wishful thinking about these R.S. 2477 roads that some, including The
Tribune
and environmental activists, have been spinning for... (Page:AA8)
Roads issue becomes even
more tangled
Deseret News
September 16, 2005. Untangling the
status of roads claimed by Utah counties under a Civil War-era law is
about as
difficult as driving a Jeep on a trail across slick bentonite. (Page:B02 Words:833)
Rights of way
The Salt Lake
Tribune
September
14, 2005.
Last week, a federal appeals court changed the rules of the road
for
determining whether county claims to old rights of way across federal
land are
valid. Utah's counties, backed by the state, won a limited victory in
their
long battle with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and the Sierra
Club over
disputed county roads on federal lands. If this victory helps the
counties to
establish clear title to roads that no reasonable person would dispute,
that
would be good. If, however,… (Page: A14 Words: 404)
State lauds ruling on
access to old roads
Deseret News
September 10, 2005. State officials are
calling a ruling from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals a victory for
the
rights of the public to access old road rights of way that cut through
federal
land in three counties. But one environmental group says the ruling
will only
throw things into confusion and lead to yet more lawsuits.
(Page:A01 Words:645)
Warning: Bumps ahead in
dispute over rural roads
The Salt Lake
Tribune
September 10, 2005. The 10th Circuit
Court of Appeals this week loosened the standards for what Utah and its
counties can claim as their roads in the state's outback. But even with
that
clarification, don't expect the ongoing disputes over road ownership in
the
Beehive State to end anytime soon. Utah and county officials hailed
Thursday's
decision overturning a lower court ruling as an endorsement of what
they
believed all along -- that state law, not Bureau of Land Management... (Page: B1Words: 763)
Wilderness in limbo as
'roads' are redefined
The Salt Lake
Tribune Sep 9, 2005.
p. B1
BLM asks Utah about its
road claims
The Salt Lake
Tribune
September
8, 2005.
The Bureau of Land Management has asked the state for more
information
on Utah's claims to six rural roads and requested it answer questions
raised by
environmental groups over the disputed paths. In a letter to the state,
the BLM
requested additional evidence that the state's claims to roads in
Daggett,
Beaver, Iron and Millard counties fit the criteria of roads that the
federal
government can transfer to the state.
Assistant Utah Attorney General... (Page:
B2 Words: 447)
BLM queries Utah about 6
roads
Deseret News
September 8, 2005. The Bureau of Land
Management wants the state of Utah to answer several "substantive"
questions about six roads on public land that the state wants to
control. (Page:B07 Words:418)
Tribune editorial gets it
wrong on RS 2477
The Salt Lake
Tribune Sep 4, 2005.
p. AA4
Utah sues BLM over
15-year-old road closures
The Salt Lake
Tribune
August 26, 2005. The Attorney General's
Office filed suit Thursday against the Department of the Interior over
three
roads in Juab County, as the state of Utah continues to aggressively
pursue
road claims in rural counties. The roads in question range from 6.5 to
9 miles
long, and are located in the western, largely uninhabited part of the
county.
They were closed by the Bureau of Land Management in the late 1980s
because,
according to BLM officials, they extended into a designated wilderness
study... (Page: A12 Words: 532)
This land is your land,
this land is our land
The Salt Lake
Tribune
August 7, 2005. All Utahns have a stake
in Utah's future and a say in how our public lands are managed. Shame
on us if
we accept Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, and Utah Assistant Attorney General
Mark
Ward as spokesmen for our public lands in their rage against the
federal
government, spouting their ideological rhetoric. To portray the Kane
County
commissioners' decision to place off-road vehicle (ORV) signs on public
lands
throughout Kane County in defiance of the Bureau of Land Management... (Page: AA5 Words: 684)
Huntsman is right to
support counties in road dispute
The Salt Lake
Tribune July 24,
2005. p. AA6
BLM must follow the law
The Salt Lake
Tribune Jul 13, 2005.
p. A14
Access for all
The Salt Lake
Tribune
July 11, 2005. Upon reading a number of
articles and opinions as of late in your so-called newspaper bashing
Gov. Jon
Huntsman, Emery and Wayne counties and organizations like USA-ALL for
trying to
assert RS 2477 and other rights of way for the citizens of this state
and
country to access our public lands, I felt I must weigh in. As a
wheelchair-bound resident of Utah, it seems ironic to me that recently
the U.S.
Supreme Court ruled that foreign cruise ships docking in a U.S. port
must
comply with the... (Page: A6 Words: 228)
BLM ignored Emery roads
Deseret News
July 7, 2005. Regarding the lawsuit of
Emery County and the state of Utah to quiet title to seven roads in the
San
Rafael Swell, BLM spokesman Don Banks claims the county agreed to the
BLM plan
that resulted in closure of the roads. However, what Banks did not say
was that
the BLM's planning process deliberately ignored Emery County's R.S.
2477 roads
and refused to address the issue. (Page:AA02
Words:171)
Time to act
The Salt Lake
Tribune
July 5, 2005. A request for legal action
against Kane County has languished in the office of U.S. Attorney for
Utah Paul
Warner long enough. It's time for an accounting. Kane County officials,
fighting for greater access to public lands, defied federal law in 2003
when
they posted signs directing off-highway vehicles to trails that are
off-limits
inside the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and tore down
signs that
closed roads on federal lands to OHV use.
Kane County Commissioner... (Page:
A8 Words: 403)
Utah mired in road issues
Deseret News
July 3, 2005. The state of Utah and
Emery County are taking on the federal government, including the Bureau
of Land
Management, over some unpaved roads in central Utah.
(Page:B01 Words:497)
Land assault
The Salt Lake
Tribune Jul 3, 2005.
p. AA1
Utah sues feds over Emery
County road closures
The Salt Lake
Tribune Jun 30, 2005.
p. B3
New data challenges road
titles
The Salt Lake
Tribune
June 28, 2005. WASHINGTON -- The state
has failed to prove its ownership of four roads in rural Utah,
according to
several environmental groups, which uncovered aerial photographs, maps
and
records disputing the state's claims. The state has asked the federal
Bureau of
Land Management to grant the state ownership of two roads in Daggett
County,
one in Beaver County and another that starts in Beaver and runs into
Iron
County.
But the coalition of environmental groups, which previously
unearthed... (Page: C1 Words: 644)
Senate Democrat weighs in
on fight over Kane signs
The Salt Lake
Tribune
June 8, 2005. WASHINGTON -- A leading
Democratic senator is pressing the Interior Department on its plan to
deal with
Kane County's defiant posting of road signs on federal lands around the
Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and he could block a nominee to
a top Interior
post if he doesn't get answers. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said in a
recent
letter to Interior Secretary Gale Norton that Kane County officials who
posted
road signs across federal lands are openly defying...
(Page: C1 Words: 720)
Counties, BLM ease
tensions over monument signs
The Salt Lake
Tribune
June 2, 2005. The basic conflicts have
not gone away. Nor will they any time soon. But it appears that a
lengthy
meeting Wednesday morning at the Utah Capitol complex has, at least for
the
moment, reduced tensions between Kane County and the U.S. Bureau of
Land
Management in their escalating battle over rights-of-way issues in and
around
the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
At the behest of Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert, a group of BLM officials,
Kane and
Garfield County commissioners, and members of... (Page:
B3 Words: 541)
Kane sign deadline comes,
goes
The Salt Lake
Tribune
May 17, 2005. The deadline set by the
Bureau of Land Management for Kane County to remove its road signs from
BLM-administered lands came and went on Monday. In response, BLM State
Director
Sally Wisely sent a letter to the Interior Department's regional
solicitor
requesting that it take legal action to compel Kane County to remove
the signs
and put back any BLM signs that it has taken out.
"We're looking for a solution, not a confrontation. We consider
local
county... (Page: A4 Words:
449)
A tilt in land-use
'balance'?
The Salt Lake
Tribune
May 9, 2005. Jon Huntsman Jr. pitched
himself as an environmental and public lands moderate during his
campaign for
governor, pledging to protect Utah's most precious natural treasures
while at
the same time promising to fight for access to forest, mining and
energy
resources on federal land. "We need balance in our approach to public
lands,"
the Republican said before and after defeating Democrat Scott Matheson
Jr. last
November.
But balance depends on the vantage...
(Page: A1 Words: 1298)
BLM is at fault
The Salt Lake
Tribune May 3, 2005.
p. A12
Unhappy trails
The Salt Lake
Tribune
May 3, 2005. Kane County officials might
have a better chance of getting their way about what's a road and what
isn't if
the roads in question didn't have names such as Lower Podunk or
Hole-in-the-Rock. They might have an even better chance of staking
claims to
roads that run through land that belongs to all of the American people
if they
made any pretense that those trails were highways that went from
anywhere to
anywhere.
But what those county officials are doing is...
(Page: A12 Words: 391)
Kane County, BLM land
dispute heats up
The Salt Lake
Tribune
April 27, 2005. The Bureau of Land
Management on Tuesday gave Kane County two weeks to take down signs it
has
posted designating roads through federal lands or face legal action,
marking an
escalating response to the county's continued defiance. Kane County
began
posting signs in February designating off-road-vehicle (OHV) routes
across
BLM-administered land, and last month designated a new route through an
area
northeast of Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park that is being studied for
potential... (Page: A1 Words: 714)
Rural roads -- a county
perspective
The Salt Lake
Tribune Apr 17, 2005.
p. AA5
Environmentalists lose
appeal over documents in roads suit
The Salt Lake
Tribune
April 15, 2005. The Utah Records
Committee on Thursday rejected an appeal by two environmental groups to
force
the state to release documents related to its threatened lawsuit over
claims to
roads on federal lands in the San Rafael Swell. The Southern Utah
Wilderness
Alliance and Western Resources Advocates appealed to the Records
Committee
after being rejected twice by the Attorney General's Office and the
state's
Geographic Reference Center in a bid to gain access to maps and other... (Page: A6 Words: 298)
Judge rules state can
join Salt Creek lawsuit
The Salt Lake
Tribune
April 12, 2005. A U.S. District Court
judge has ruled that the state can intervene in a lawsuit filed by San
Juan
County against the federal government over ownership of an overgrown
road that
runs several miles into Canyonlands National Park. Judge Bruce Jenkins
last
week ruled that the state could become a party in a suit in which the
county is
claiming the road under RS 2477, a Civil War-era federal statute that
grants
broad rights-of-way across unreserved federal lands.
The trail in question, known as... (Page:
C6 Words: 285)
Kane County ups ante in
road feud with feds
The Salt Lake
Tribune Mar 19, 2005.
p. B1
State may join suit
claiming park road
The Salt Lake
Tribune Mar 5, 2005.
p. A1
County is again raising
Kane over roads
The Salt Lake
Tribune
February 16, 2005. KANAB -- First they
took signs down, now they are putting signs up. Almost two years after
Kane
County officials removed 31 signs delineating federally mandated
trails, roads
and travel restrictions on the Grand Staircase-Escalante National
Monument, the
County Commission has put up signs on some roads that cut across
federal land
-- signifying they are open to motorized use.
The move is the latest attempt by the southern Utah county to
assert what
it believes is its right to control local...
(Page: B4 Words: 878)
Road suit may define
claims on feds' land
The Salt Lake
Tribune Feb 12, 2005.
p. B1
Suit over backcountry
roads returns to court
The Salt Lake
Tribune Feb 11, 2005.
p. B2
State, 6 counties sue
federal government
The Salt Lake
Tribune Feb 10, 2005.
p. B3
Audit reveals council's
errors
The Salt Lake
Tribune Oct 21, 2004.
p. A14
An environmental
battleground
The Salt Lake
Tribune Oct 10, 2004.
p. A1
State backs off its claim
to disputed Juab road
The Salt Lake
Tribune
September 17, 2004. WASHINGTON -- Utah
attorneys have abandoned their bid to gain ownership of a disputed road
in Juab
County after evidence showed the state's claim was riddled with errors.
At the
same time the state withdrew its claim to the Weiss Highway on Tuesday,
it
asked the Bureau of Land Management to consider granting the state
title to two
other roads crossing a total of 4 1/3 miles in the northeast corner of
Daggett
County, used primarily to access a Questar natural gas storage... (Page: B2 Words: 826)
Kane County, feds in
stalemate over monument access
The Salt Lake
Tribune
August 12, 2004. One year after Kane
County officials uprooted nearly three dozen signs in a national
monument,
neither side in the dispute is budging. The county and the U.S.
Attorney's
Office remain in a stalemate over how to settle differences over who
controls
public access in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
"We need to either negotiate or admit we're unable to negotiate it
and
move on," said Kane County Commissioner Mark Habbeshaw, who... (Page: B3 Words: 591)
Critics fault road
dispute memo
The Salt Lake
Tribune Jun 29, 2004.
p. C4
Testimony will be taken
on road disputes
The Salt Lake
Tribune Jun 28, 2004.
p. B2
BLM strives to care for
wilderness study areas
The Salt Lake
Tribune
June 27, 2004. As state director of the
Bureau of Land Management in Utah, I was gratified to see the Supreme
Court
rule to curtail unnecessary litigation and unanimously reject the
Southern Utah
Wilderness Alliance's off-road vehicle lawsuit. I was disappointed,
however, as
I read various follow-up media accounts and felt compelled to provide
additional information and background. I have three main points I'd
like to
focus on: 1) The court's decision addressed a specific...
(Page: AA4 Words: 1154)
Grant of highway rights
cannot be revoked
The Salt Lake
Tribune
June 20, 2004. Rep. Richard Pombo,
R-Calif., has scheduled a June 28 hearing in St. George on the issue of
rural
roads crossing public lands, otherwise known as the R.S. 2477 road
issue.
Revised Statute 2477 was adopted by Congress in 1866. It provides that
"the right of way for construction of highways over public lands not
reserved for public uses is hereby granted." In 1976, Congress presumed
to
revoke this granted right. Subsequently, federal land managers and
self-appointed public... (Page: AA4
Words: 714)
Jeep ride in canyon may
lead to court
The Salt Lake
Tribune
June 18, 2004. The U.S. Bureau of Land
Management
has completed an investigation into an unauthorized Jeep ride during
the
weekend of April 30 in Arch Canyon in southeastern Utah. A top BLM
law-enforcement official in Washington said BLM rangers are now
discussing the
matter with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Utah.
"We're serious about this," said Keith Aller, the BLM's deputy
director of law enforcement. "We don't like... (Page:
C2 Words: 628)
San Juan County contests
park road closure
The Salt Lake
Tribune
June 17, 2004. A popular backcountry
route through a streambed in Canyonlands National Park will remain
closed to
motor vehicles -- unless a rural Utah county can convince a federal
judge it
owns the route. The National Park Service on Monday finalized a rule
that bans
motor vehicles in Salt Creek Canyon above the Peekaboo Campsite.
That same day, San Juan County, which as recently as last month
threatened
to remove the park's barricade to the canyon, formally challenged the
closure
of the... (Page: B2 Words: 769)
OHV group drops suit over
roads
The Salt Lake
Tribune Jun 8, 2004.
p. C3
Activists win right to
view records in rural road claims
The Salt Lake
Tribune May 21, 2004.
p. C4
Road ownership test case
hits a bump
The Salt Lake
Tribune May 10, 2004.
p. D1
Suit would open San
Rafael roads
The Salt Lake
Tribune May 10, 2004.
p. D2
Road dispute won't stop
Jeep Jamboree
The Salt Lake
Tribune Apr 29, 2004.
p. A14
Bogus roads
The Salt Lake
Tribune
March 2, 2004. U. S. District Judge Tena
Campbell began shining some needed light on the murky issue of road
claims in
Utah with her ruling last week. The judge held that three rural Utah
counties
do not have legitimate claims on 15 of 16 disputed routes the counties
illegally carved on lands administered by the Bureau of Land
Management. The 16
roads at issue in Judge Campbell's court were bladed by Kane, Garfield
and San
Juan counties within the boundaries of the Grand Staircase-Escalante... (Page: A8 Words: 606)
BLM, greens win round in
route dispute
The Salt Lake
Tribune Feb 25, 2004.
p. B2
Auditors say Interior's
deal with Utah illegal
The Salt Lake
Tribune
February 13, 2004. WASHINGTON -- A legal
opinion by government auditors says the Interior Department's agreement
with
Utah for the state to take control of miles of rural roads is illegal,
but
Congressman Chris Cannon says the state and federal agency "should
proceed
as agreed." The 3rd District Republican dismissed the General
Accounting
Office's report this week that the landmark pact violates a 1997
moratorium on
any new rules regarding ownership of undeveloped...
(Page: C7 Words: 599)
GAO says roads deal
illegal
The Salt Lake
Tribune
February 11, 2004. A state-federal deal
intended to facilitate Utah's quest to own dirt roads across public
lands is
illegal, according to a government watchdog agency. The U.S. General
Accounting
Office says a "memorandum of understanding," or MOU, forged between
former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt and U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton
in April
violates the 1997 Interior Appropriations Act.
But the GAO, in a letter to Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., gave its
blessing
to a related... (Page: B1 Words: 1083)
Trails, roads erased from
list of byways
The Salt Lake
Tribune Jan 7, 2004.
p. B5
Workman abandons claims to
eight roads
The Salt Lake
Tribune December
31, 2003. Salt Lake County Mayor Nancy Workman
renounces--for
now--RS 2477 claims to 8 trails in Big Cottonwood Canyon, originally
submitted
in secret to the Utah AG's office; the move follows news of leaks on
planned
claims by a County official to a local developer, while 15 publicly
disclosed
claims remain on the Mayor's list.
SLC
denies landowners motor access
The Salt Lake
Tribune December
24, 2003. Salt Lake City says "easement denied" to permit
seekers on Cardiff Fork access road, following US Forest Service permit
approvals; cites clean water protections for which property was
purchased.
Treading On Utah
Salt Lake City
Weekly
December 11, 2003. Odd doings surround Utah State and Salt
Lake
County's policy of government by secrecy; how secret RS 2477 road
claims
revealed to a developer are withheld from citizen requests citing the
Freedom
of Information Act (FOIA); County surveyor may have profited from
insider
knowledge.
Lieberman seeks surveys of
disputed Utah roads
The Salt Lake
Tribune December
5, 2003. US presidential candidate/US Senator Joseph
Lieberman asks
Interior Secretary Norton to disclose all potential and existing Utah
RS 2477
road claims on Federal lands; 1993 report to Congress indicates 5,000
RS 2477
road claims may potentially be made.
Government
secrecy about road claims has to stop
(Op-Ed, Gale
Dick, Save
Our Canyons)
The Salt Lake
Tribune November
16, 2003. Salt Lake County sets its sights on Wasatch RS
2477 road
claims in Forest Service protected areas--forestalling and even
reversing
public land protections; the President of Save Our Canyons discusses
the
State's refusal to disclose planned claims to public inquiry, while the
County
freely shares its claim plans with commercial developers behind the
scenes.
Road-claim disclosure riles
Big Cottonwood
The Salt Lake
Tribune November
11, 2003. Federal and Salt Lake City officials as well as
concerned
citizens were shocked to discover that a Salt Lake County Deputy DA has
shared
20 secret RS 2477 County road claims with a resort developer, but the
County
has not shared the claims with local and Federal government after
repeated
requests through channels; Save Our Canyons public records request
brings the chronyism
by government to light.
Utah: outdoor capital?
Deseret News
November 2,
2003. New Leavitt "recreation economy" task force
announced that includes State, county, outdoor gear industry reps;
Leavitt
requests that State planning coordinator find ways to protect
contiguous
roadless areas of more than 5,000 acres; out-of-doors merchant applauds
slow-coming action as "a step in the right direction".
Leavitt reverses, creates
task force to protect wild lands
The Salt Lake
Tribune November
2, 2003. Outgoing Utah Guv Leavitt announces a new task
force to
designate Utah wild lands for protection, though no deadlines for
designations
have been set.
Utah roads fight among
gripes of Interior bill foes
The Salt Lake
Tribune October
30, 2003. As time pressures militate against resubmission of
Interior funding bill to recover an amendment protecting public lands
against
incredible RS 2477 road claims, US Congressional Utah delegation
members say
they wanted Alaska to go first on land grabs; meanwhile bipartisan
amendment
sponsors urge rejection and reformulation of the bill, which now stands
for
floor approval in the House.
Motorized access to Cardiff
Fork property under review
The Salt Lake
Tribune October
29, 2003. Motorized vehicle access applications in Cardiff
Fork now
in public domain for comments to US Forest Service; access proposal may
impact
a Salt Lake City watershed conservation area; convicted trail vandal
and
current access permittee Cyle Buxton, a road access applicant, stands
to
prevail regardless of public concensus if a future RS 2477 road claim
is
granted against past USFS protections.
3 fined for canyon trail
work
The Salt Lake
Tribune October
29, 2003. Cyle Buxton, Scott Mackintosh, John Anderson found
guilty
and fined by US District Judge over bulldozer vandalism of the Days
Fork Canyon
trail.
Interior bill stripped of
wilds section
Deseret News
October 29,
2003. In the wake of the removal of public land protections
in the
US Interior funding bill, US Republican Congressmen insist that the
amendment
"was not needed" because the Interior/State of Utah memorandum
explicitly exempts processing claims on roads in "national parks, fish
and
wildlife refuges, wilderness areas, and wilderness study areas";
environmentalists are naturally skeptical, questioning why then the
bipartisan
amendment was removed; Leavitt is poised to announce first batch of RS
2477
claims.
Rural roads compromise
killed
The Salt Lake
Tribune October
29, 2003. Republican-controlled House-Senate committee
aborts a
bipartisan amendment to protect public lands against RS 2477 claims in
the
final version of the 2004 Interior Department funding bill, due largely
to
behind-the-scenes maneuvering by Utah Senators and Representatives
(excluding
US Rep Jim Matheson) and marshalled by Utah counties; action clears the
way for
implementation of giveaway deal on public lands struck by Utah's
Leavitt and
Interior's Norton.
Roads compact is at risk
The Salt Lake
Tribune October
28, 2003. Strong bipartisan US Congress protection against
RS 2477
claims in sensitive public monuments and proposed wilderness areas may
be
ripped from a pending Interior Department funding bill, should a
blocking
amendment by Utah Reps Cannon and Bishop survive.
Outdoor retailers nag
Leavitt
The Salt Lake
Tribune October
27, 2003. Outdoor Industry Association, impatient with Utah
Guv
Leavitt's lack of action on wilderness promises, are again talking
about moving
their annual trade show out of Utah, on the eve of his potential
confirmation
as EPA Chief in Congress; doubts echo Congressional Dems' questions
about
Leavitt's conservation commitment.
Interior defends roads deal
to Congress
The Salt Lake
Tribune October 6,
2003. Department of Interior bulls forward with surrender of
claimed
Utah roads and plans to expand program to 6 other states, despite
Congressional
opposition as an illegal commitment under a 1997 appropriations law;
General
Accounting Office and Interior Inspector General investigate the deal.
ATV impact
Deseret News
October 1,
2003. Forest Service swamped as ATV (all-terrain vehicle)
use--and damage--skyrockets,
causing massive erosion and turning roads and trails into spiderweb
scars.
Removal of signs reignites
road war
The Salt Lake
Tribune August 20,
2003. Bureau of Land Management launches a criminal
investigation
against 2 County officials involved in yet another act of roadway
vandalism;
State officials condemn "timing" of the action.
San Juan County
plans 'ATV
Safari'
The Salt Lake
Tribune August l8,
2003. San Juan County officials are organizing their first
"San
Juan ATV Safari" in hopes of bringing in visitors to boost a sagging
economy. Environmental groups, worried about damage to
archeological
sites and the ecology of the region--areas of which were formerly
granted
interim wilderness protection--see the event as a blow to wilderness
designation hopes using RS 2477 as a wedge, with BLM approval.
Parts of
the precedent-setting noise-maker are routed through the Forest
Service-administered Manti-LaSalle National Forest.
Outdoor retailers bend a bit
Deseret News
August 15,
2003. Saying a "recreational economy is not good enough",
$18B outdoor industry Association Board's probationary decision to stay
still
rests on wilderness protection; 6M-acre interim wilderness protection
not
addressed by the Guv in agreement; SLC rival Denver remains an OIA
alternative
trade show venue.
Outdoor retailers agree to
stay put
The Salt Lake
Tribune August 15,
2003. "Cautiously encouraged", OIA officials agree to keep
$24M per year Outdoor Retailer shows in Utah, but will watch
developments to
see if the State will follow Guv's assurances on wilderness protection
under RS
2477; otherwise, will move shows after 2005.
Will trade shows leave S.L.?
Deseret News
August 14,
2003. Dutch-owned conglomerate VNU's child company VNU
Expositions
Inc. says Outdoor Retail show is not the OIA's to move out of Utah, but
says
OIA is a favored client with weight; an Association announcement is
pending.
(Opinion)
No longer the place?
The Salt Lake
Tribune August 14,
2003. As Utah faces the loss of OIA convention business over
RS
2477-based wilderness caps, should we wonder if the OIA's stand is the
only way
to protect the future of wilderness in Utah given the State's attitude
of
secrecy and subversion, in the face of citizen concerns?
Rec
show eyes 'new' Leavitt
The Salt Lake
Tribune August 13,
2003. As Leavitt vies for Environmental Protection Agency
post, an
Outdoors Industry Association representative says spotlight on the
Guv's
outdoor record--in particular, his RS 2477 claims involvement--may help
the
State retain OIA convention business; Leavitt has yet to respond to
OIA's
concerns.
Leavitt says outdoor
industry should help him get what wilderness he can
The Salt Lake
Tribune August 10,
2003. Claiming a compromise stance, Governor Leavitt
explains his
views in an interview, as he seeks to persuade the outdoor recreation
gear
industry that he is no spoiler; Utah environmental groups say
name-calling and
actions do not portray a friend to the wilds.
Leavitt fights to keep rec
shows
The Salt Lake
Tribune August 10,
2003. Utah Governor Leavitt will meet again with a skeptical
Outdoor
Industry Association in the wake of RS 2477 Interior deal, in an
attempt to
keep $24M convention business; as a trade show opens, OIA leading
lights
promise an announcement on the issue, characterize industrial
development
ventures and destructive land use as bad for outdoor business.
(Opinion)
A shoe drops in the forest
The Salt Lake
Tribune August 9,
2003. Why is the State of Utah seeking another agreement
with the US
Dept of Agriculture's Forest Service similar to the deal struck with
the US
Dept of the Interior's Gale Norton, affecting current roadless and
watershed
lands in the Wasatch, and will the State use RS 2477 loophole claims to
pre-empt new wilderness? The State refuses to say. But the
process
must remain open so that citizens still retain some power to influence
their
government.
County to wait on road
claims
Deseret News
August 6,
2003. Despite dissensions, Salt Lake County joins 28 other
County
governments and the State of Utah in supporting a proposed State deal
with US
Agriculture's Forest Service, squaring off against citizen groups and
City's
water concerns; County will wait on the outcome of an impending lawsuit
contesting the State/US Interior pact before informing the public of
secret RS
2477 claims.
Leavitt asks for moderation
in debate over roads on wild lands
The Salt Lake
Tribune August 7,
2003. As Governor Leavitt's RS 2477 claims control pact with
US
Interior's Norton awaits Congressional ratification, the Gov calls for
involvement at the political center from Utah factions in address to
control-hungry County reps and Federal land managers in a bid to build
an
"outdoor economic ecosystem"; says current protected lands, unused
pre-1976 and impassible trails will be excluded from State's claim
evaluation
criteria.
Leavitt says wilds 'extremists'
twist facts
Deseret News
August 7,
2003. Utah Governor Leavitt takes to the road to declare
anti-RS
2477 environmental media campaigns insincere; claiming the "moderate"
high ground while courting outdoor retailers, he declares a target of 6
million
wilderness acres off-limits, but says wilderness designation is solely
up to
Congress while anti-wilderness road designation is up to the State.
State considers forging
Forest Service roads deal
The Salt Lake
Tribune August 6,
2003. The State of Utah may attempt to strike a deal with
the US
Forest Service (US Agriculture) similar to the Leavitt/Norton deal made
with
the US Dept of the Interior, if the latter holds up under challenge,
says
State's Randy Johnson to Salt Lake County Council; claims that current
wilderness will not be part of the State's deal; County land grabs will
not be
precluded under deal.
(Opinion) Unhappy trails
The Salt Lake
Tribune August 3,
2003. Is there really a need for secrecy in disclosing
County RS
2477 claims in the Utah Attorney General's Office?
Could trails become roads?
Deseret News
August 1,
2003. Utah's Attorney General pooh-poohs City concerns about
paving
road claims in Wilderness watersheds but will not disclose 22 County
claims
made since 2000; the State Assistant AG states that County claims on
trails in
non-Wilderness areas including the new Willow Heights preserve, cannot
lead to
paving and development under the terms of the Norton/Leavitt agreement.
SLC worries road fight could
affect watershed
The Salt Lake
Tribune July 31,
2003. Salt Lake City's Public Utilities Director worries
that Salt
Lake County RS 2477 road claims on 7 more trails in hitherto
undeveloped areas
may open the way to tainted water in Wasatch watersheds; the County
admits that
further canyon trail claims have been submitted to Utah's Attorney
General.
Road rules face long ride
The Salt Lake
Tribune July 28,
2003. While an amendment targeting RS 2477 claims offered by
Rep.
Jim Matheson fails, a Congressional trio backs a compromise amendment
between
environmental and Utah counties forces on Dept. of Interior funding
measure--limiting future wilderness designation but preserving current
protected set-asides intact.
Utah road deal survives in
House
Deseret News
July 18,
2003. Among general setbacks for wilderness conservation in
the
Western states included in Interior budget bill riders, Utah's US
Congressional
Representatives Cannon and Bishop succeed in blocking Colorado Rep.
Mark
Udall's, Utah Rep. Matheson's budgetary amendments to water down Utah
State and
County RS 2477 claims control.
Leavitt-Norton rural roads
deal clears the House
The Salt Lake
Tribune July 18,
2003. Foreshadowing wilderness protection shortfalls across
the US
West, US House's funding of Utah RS 2477 claims control process is a
qualified
victory for the State of Utah and Utah counties; process spawned by
Utah-Interior deal could become a model for anti-conservation local
governments
in Western states.
Private
property rights
The Salt Lake
Tribune June 30,
2003. (Letter to the Editor) A retired couple in Helena,
Montana,
describes an RS 2477-based San Juan County seizure, involving
bulldozing a
right-of-way across their land; highlights property owners' lack of
constitutional due-process remedies against County bullying under
Utah's deal
memorandum with the US Department of the Interior.
Beware
the consequences of RS 2477 right-of-way claims
The Salt Lake
Tribune June 21,
2003. (Op-Ed) Ranch owners Jana and Ron Smith recount the
impacts of
a Kane County RS 2477 claim on their property, and explore potential
threats
under the statute to private land owners and to public lands.
There's
a Way to End the RS 2477 Road Mess
The Salt Lake
Tribune June 15,
2003. (Op-Ed) Colorado Congressman Mark Udall describes his
proposed
bill, HR 1639, to limit RS 2477 claims, which may threaten private as
well as
public lands, to those made within another 4 years.
Salt Lake County won't ID
its road claims
Deseret News
May 5,
2003. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff denies Salt Lake
County
Council's request to publicly announce RS 2477 claims on 15 roadways,
and turns
down The Deseret News GRAMA request for access to claims information,
invoking
lawsuit work product.
A
Secret Wilderness
Salt Lake City
Weekly
May 1, 2003. A new era of secrecy and exclusion of the
public from
decision-making is inaugurated, exemplified by Federal, state, county
governments' closed-door deals under the auspices of RS 2477, as
activists and
the public are routinely denied government information.
Assaulting
Wilderness
The Salt Lake
Tribune April 20,
2003. (Editorial) US DOI Secretary Gale Norton and Utah
Governor
Mike Leavitt cut 2 deals that attack wilderness designation.
Activist
Says Governor's Process Is Flawed, Unfair
The Salt Lake
Tribune April 20,
2003. (Op-Ed) SUWA activist Heidi McIntosh discusses R.S.
2477 right-of-way
claims--is this really all about roads?
Environmentalists scrambling
to counter Utah wilds lawsuit
Deseret News
April 11,
2003. State wants to kill efforts to identify new sites in
West.
Deal Struck on Control of
Roads on Public Land
The Salt Lake
Tribune April 10,
2003. US DOI Secretary Gale Norton and Utah Governor Leavitt
sign an
agreement to end Federal/State contention over control of features on
public
land.
Roads Issue Is Pressed
by Leavitt
The Salt Lake
Tribune Apr 5, 2003.
p. B1
Open Road Talks
The Salt Lake
Tribune Jun 6, 2002.
p. A20
Road Claims Put Demands
On Budget
The Salt Lake
Tribune Jun 6, 2002.
p. C2
Claims To Roads Discussed
The Salt Lake
Tribune Jan 11, 2002.
p. C1
Activists Seek Data on
Roads Suit
The Salt Lake
Tribune Oct 26, 2001.
p. B5
Norton Supports Talks on
Roads
The Salt Lake
Tribune Jun 17, 2001.
p. B1
SUWA Sues San Juan County
Over Road Opening
The Salt Lake
Tribune Dec 21, 2000.
p. B2
Burr Case Crucial to Road
War
The Salt Lake
Tribune Oct 30, 2000.
p. B1
Feds Win Dispute Over
Burr Trail
The Salt Lake
Tribune Oct 26, 2000.
p. B1
Asserting Legal Rights
The Salt Lake
Tribune Apr 22, 2000.
p. A10
Pernicious Litigation
The Salt Lake
Tribune Mar 29, 2000.
p. A10
Time to Settle Road
Claims
The Salt Lake
Tribune Mar 26, 2000.
p. AA1
Wasteful Spending
The Salt Lake
Tribune Mar 18, 1999.
p. A14
New Bump Jars Effort to
Smooth Burr Trail Feud; Burr Trail Trial Query:
Whose Road Is It?
The Salt Lake
Tribune Feb 7, 1999.
p. C1
The Road to Conciliation
The Salt Lake
Tribune Dec 30, 1998.
p. A10
Rural Funds: Legislators
in Favor
The Salt Lake
Tribune Nov 19, 1998.
p. E4
Judge Rejects Claim
Garfield Has Right Of Way on Burr Trail; Judge
Rejects Garfield's Claim to Right of Way:[1]
The Salt Lake
Tribune Apr 30, 1998.
p. B1
Judge Rejects Claim
Garfield Has Right Of Way on Burr Trail; Judge
Rejects Garfield's Claim to Right of Way
The Salt Lake
Tribune Apr 30, 1998.
p. B1
The R.S. 2477 Facts
The Salt Lake
Tribune May 15, 1997.
p. A.16
BLM Offering Counties
Other Method to Claim Road Rights; Law Avoids
Federal Fight But for High-Use Routes Only
The Salt Lake
Tribune Mar 16, 1997.
p. C.3
Federal Road Law Anything
But Smooth; Road Law Is Anything But Smooth
The Salt Lake
Tribune Oct 27, 1996.
p. A.1
Utah Wilderness Not Lost
to Road Maintenance by Counties
The Salt Lake
Tribune Oct 6, 1996.
p. AA.8
Garfield County Wants
Judge to Toss Park Service's Burr Trail Lawsuit
The Salt Lake
Tribune Sep 24, 1996.
p. C.3
Road-Building as
Vandalism
The Salt Lake
Tribune Sep 18, 1996.
p. A.10
R.S. 2477
Misunderstandings Conveyed in Editorial
The Salt Lake
Tribune Sep 7, 1996.
p. A.11
The Burr Trail Redux
The Salt Lake
Tribune May 29, 1996.
p. A.8
Hansen's Road Bill
Represents Another Taking
The Salt Lake
Tribune Aug 20, 1995.
p. D.2
Readers Deserve Balanced
Information on Rural Rights-of-Way
The Salt Lake
Tribune Aug 19, 1995.
p. A.10
GLOVES COMING OFF IN 3RD
DISTRICT THOMPSON HOPING TO LIVE LONG AND PROSPER WITHOUT PAC
MONEY THOMPSON HOPES TO WIN WITHOUT PACS
The Salt Lake
Tribune Oct 16, 1994.
p. A1
COUNTIES WANT RIGHTS OF
WAY HONORED
The Salt Lake
Tribune Jul 30, 1994.
p. D2
RANCHERS, DEVELOPERS,
POLITICIANS GREET BABBITT IN CEDAR CITY WITH COMPLAINTS
The Salt Lake
Tribune Dec 18, 1993.
p. C3
COUNTIES SEEK PUBLIC LAND
GRAB IN RS 2477 ISSUE
The Salt Lake
Tribune Oct 10, 1993.
p. A21
LEAVITT MAPS OUT STATE'S
RESOLVE TO KEEP CONTROL OF ROADS ON FEDERAL LAND
The Salt Lake
Tribune Sep 30, 1993.
p. D1
ROAD RULES PUT UTAH, FEDS
ON COLLISION COURSE STATE CALLS NEW
RIGHT-OF-WAY REGULATIONS UNFAIR, DISHONEST
The Salt Lake
Tribune Sep 27, 1993.
p. A1
RURAL COUNTIES USE ROAD
STATUTE TO FIGHT ENVIRONMENTALISTS
The Salt Lake
Tribune Apr 6, 1993.
p. B8
CIVIL WAR LAW ADDS FUEL
TO WILDERNESS DEBATE
The Salt Lake
Tribune Jul 14, 1992.
p. B3