This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It is claimed by a San Juan County commissioner that the May 10 ATV ride into Recapture Canyon was to assert local control and jurisdiction over the canyon. Send that county commissioner back to school to learn a little history.
First, that land belonged to the Native Americans, then to Spain and then to the United States. The land has never been titled in the name of the state of Utah (it did not exist) or any sub-jurisdiction thereof. Claiming jurisdiction over some land you never owned is naked theft.
It has been stated that this land is land no one wanted. What about the Native Americans? Are they nobodies?
Those charged with enforcing the law have no stomach to enforce the law. The governor and the BLM should be ashamed of themselves. What a great example for our children and grandchildren, saying that it is O.K. to violate the laws as long as you are an organized gang of rabble rousers.
After all is said and done, that land and all federal land is our land, it is your land and it is my land. Our rights to our land should be protected, not sacrificed to a gang of ATV-riding hoodlums. We all have a right to enjoy our land.
Bruce Cohne
Salt Lake City