Environmentalists contend that counties have since claimed everything from cow paths to streambeds as old R.S. 2477 roads to try to block proposed wilderness areas, which are supposed to be roadless.

Leavitt, who will soon take the oath of office to become the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, is expected to announce today the first of 20 roads the state is claiming as R.S. 2477.

"This is the first batch of roads," said spokeswoman Natalie Gochnour. "The real intent is to make the information completely accessible."

It will do so by applying to the Bureau of Land Management for a "recordable disclaimer of interest," which essentially says the federal government does not own a particular road.

It's all part of the deal Leavitt worked out with Norton.

In January, Norton approved a new regulation to allow her department to disclaim federal ownership of any R.S. 2477 right-of-way claim that it deems justified. In April, Utah became the first state to sign an agreement with Interior outlining a process to determine which such roads should be quickly cleared for local ownership.

In it, the state agreed to not claim any routes inside national parks, wildlife refuges and wilderness areas. In turn, the Interior Department agreed to recognize roads traveled by trucks and cars that existed in Utah prior to 1976.

But conservation groups and other critics aren't convinced. They say rural counties in Utah have been trying to claim ownership of roads in national parks. For instance, Angel's Landing, the famous hiking trail in Zion National Park, has shown up on a map of proposed county road claims even though the rocky, steep path is for foot traffic.

In 2000, the Salt Lake County Commission submitted to the state 15 roads, such as the Mill Creek and Big and Little Cottonwood canyon roads, and others reportedly located in the Willow Park area of Big Cottonwood Canyon, a significant watershed.

However, Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said, "The committee action affirms congressional support for the state of Utah to freely pursue its agreement with the Department of Interior and demonstrates that Congress is comfortable with the limitations already imposed by the state."

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Contributing: Donna Kemp Spangler

E-mail: lee@desnews.com