ATV Riders, Bundy Son Protest Feds in Utah

The showdown between citizens and feds over federally administered lands spread yesterday to Utah, where about 50 people took to their ATVs in a protest that sought to reclaim access to a canyon that had been closed to vehicles since 2007. "It’s a county road," says the county supervisor, who organized the ride as a private citizen. "We claim it. Just because (Bureau of Land Management) owns the property, that doesn’t mean they own the right-of-way that exists." It wasn't just locals who showed up for the rally and ride, notes the Salt Lake Tribune: Out-of-town supporters included Ryan Bundy, son of Cliven Bundy. "I came here to re-open a road," he told the crowd.

Nobody was arrested, though BLM officials said feds recorded the ride and intend to prosecute. The road was originally closed to protect archaeological sites in Recapture Canyon; protesters say that decision amounts to caving to special interests, while a spokesman for the Colorado Plateau Archaeological Alliance laments "that irreplaceable treasures of importance to all Americans would be sacrificed on the altar of anti-government fervor." (More Utah stories.)