As of early Wednesday morning, it appeared increasingly that their answer was no. With 54 percent of precincts reporting, Initiative 1 was trailing 56-44 statewide. It trailed badly in rural Utah counties, and was doing no better than even in Salt Lake County, its strongest bastion.

The initiative's sponsors, Utahns for Clean Water, Clean Air and Quality Growth were not prepared to concede, pointing to exit polls that pointed to a victory, and the fact that many polling stations along the Wasatch Front had yet to report.

"We'll keep waiting. We feel good about the projections in the exit polls," said Maura Carabello, vice president of Utahns for Clean Water.

Nor were initiative opponents willing to claim victory - but they liked the way the trend was moving.

"I'm surprised, and I'm very encouraged," said Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, whose Utah Taxpayers Association has led the fight against Initiative 1. "If this holds, it proves that Utah voters can see through the nice-sounding words and slick advertising. It couldn't hide the fact that this was a huge tax increase."

Frustrated by what they called years of indifference by the Legislature, supporters mounted a well-financed campaign calling for the statewide passage of a $150 million bond to be used for open space purchases and preservation. The proposed one-twentieth of a cent sales tax increase, to be paid off over 13 years, would cost the average family about $14 a year.

Sponsors amassed over $1 million in contributions from a wide range of supporters, although less well-heeled (less than $25,000), was fierce. The Utah Taxpayers Association and Utah Farm Bureau have been the most vocal foes.