Glenn Beck may have drawn more people to Washington D.C., but Utah recreationists also enjoyed a healthy turnout last Saturday. In a gathering that moved toward the Utah State Capitol, about 5,000 activists urged the federal government to stay off Utah's lands.
Many of those at the rally fear that the feds will restrict motorized recreational access to federal lands. "If we do nothing, we get nothing," said Mike Arbon, a member of the Northern Utah ATV Trail Riders club.
U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, and Utah Republican Gov. Gary Herbert attended and spoke at the rally. The crowd -- as well as the rhetoric -- was very conservative. One speaker railed against the so-called "environmental mafia."
In our opinion, there's a middle ground to be found in this debate. There should always be lots of trail access for hikers, bikers and ATV enthusiasts to enjoy the natural beauty of our state. However, there needs to be a level of federal regulation to make sure that the natural wilds and wildlife is protected from the adverse effects of development. Unfortunately, the crowd at Saturday's rally and environmental activists who stayed away are unlikely to find common ground. We hope they do meet. Exchanging ideas is the first step to compromise.
We want to note one observation of the rally that perhaps both sides could agree on. It was alarming to see so many ATV riders without any helmets. Where were the helmets, ralliers? Enjoy your off-road ATV activities -- many of us enjoy the sport as well -- but please don't burden society with increased insurance, EMT and other medical costs because you failed to protect your brain with a helmet. That's just plain common sense.
So, keep on rallying, keep on debating and keep on using the ATVs; just send in the helmets as well.
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