Utah House Bill 187, a recent bill that would have made it illegal to paddle all but a short list of rivers, was voted down last week in the Utah Legislature, reintroduced, and then voted down again.  The bill would have inappropriately taken away the rights of the public to paddle rivers and streams that are part of the public trust.  The bill also went far beyond asserting new property rights and attempted to create privacy rights for people that build homes along rivers.  This would be similar to stating that people cannot drive on public roads that pass in sight of houses because doing so would infringe on the homeowners' privacy rights. It is absurd, it was almost law, and it may yet be.  

The angling, paddling, and river conservation community rallied against the bill.  The bill was defeated this week by a close vote of 41-34 against the bill, and was quickly reintroduced. Subsequently it failed by an even larger margin.  We strongly encourage paddlers to remain engaged in this important public debate.  Letters to the editor of your local paper and to your state representative could really help.  It is likely that the bill will resurface.

Read the recent newspaper article in the Salt Lake Tribune.

Find your legislator in the House here.