SALT LAKE CITY -- A crowd of frustrated Utahns took to the roads of downtown Salt Lake City to protest access to backcountry roads. They worry the federal government has too much say when it comes to the state's public lands.

On four-wheelers and dirt bikes, hundreds trekked from the City County Building to the state Capitol Saturday afternoon during the "Take Back Utah" rally. They hoped to send a message to those in high levels of government: keep public lands public, open to everyone and every vehicle.

The frustration protesters felt was evident -- frustration that motorized vehicles are not allowed on all lands, mandated by the federal -- not state -- government. They also fear what lies ahead with the Obama administration.

Senators Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Bob Bennett, R-Utah, spoke at the rally, vowing to continue their work to open lands.

If Senator Bob Bennet is working so hard to keep our lands open then why is SUWA thanking him for leadership on the recently passed Washington County Wilderness Bill ?

SUWA thanks Sen. Bennett and his staff for their great effort and leadership on this legislation. We’d also like to thank Senator Bingaman and the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee staff for their work to improve this bill. And, of course, thanks to our Redrock champions -- including Representative Hinchey and Senators Durbin, Cantwell, and Feingold, and their staffs -- who made this success possible.


Why did both Utah Senators vote in favor of restricting our access to public lands?

Please visit this site
http://www.suwa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=WashingtonCountyBill_2009FinalVote

This is who your Utah republican senators are aligned with.

California
Boxer
Feinstein

Connecticut
Dodd
Lieberman

Massachusetts
Kerry


Nevada
Reid

New York
Gillibrand
Schumer

Utah
Bennett
Hatch

Vermont
Leahy
Sanders

Wisconsin
Feingold
Kohl

Let's Remember this at the polls!

Utah
Matheson, Jim also voted yea for this bill.