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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A lawmaker wants to close many of the state's riverbeds to anglers and boaters.
House Bill 187, sponsored by Rep. Ben Ferry, R-Corinne, was released Wednesday. The bill would designate the beds of sections of 14 Utah rivers as open to recreational use by anglers and boaters but would close all others.
Last year the Utah Supreme Court ruled that anglers and boaters are allowed to walk on any stream and riverbed, even those on private land.
The bill's opponents say it undoes the court ruling and puts rivers out of reach.
Ted Wilson, executive director of the Utah Rivers Council, says recreational river users will seek to change or kill the bill.
The bill also would create a seven-member board to make recommendations on adding to the list of open riverbeds.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
