Utah rally targets federal land management

SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- A Republican Utah lawmaker said at a rally in Salt Lake City that demonstrators were adamant that federal land management efforts need to be changed.

State Rep. Mike Noel, who organized Saturday's Take Back Utah rally, said he hoped the protest would energize Utah residents to support access to public lands for members of the general public, The Salt Lake Tribune reported Sunday.

"This is more than about recreation, it's about farming and mining and keeping revenues generated by the lands of Utah," Noel said. "This is a beginning. We have got to be extreme in the way we take back these public lands."

Also on hand was Cherilyn Eagar, who, like Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, is seeking to unseat U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, in the 2010 Republican primary election.

Eagar called federal government's ownership of 67 percent of all public land in Utah unconstitutional.

"Washington, we don't need your help," Eagar told the nearly 3,000 recreational enthusiasts at the rally. "We can take care of ourselves."

The Tribune said Bennett also spoke at the demonstration, along with U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.