Take Back Utah event set for Saturday at fairpark

SALT LAKE CITY — This year's rally promoting multi-use of Utah's public lands is changing parade routes — this time from the Utah State Fairpark to the Capitol — but the theme is the same: Take Back Utah.

Born out of grassroots resistance to the federal government's control of public land in Utah, Take Back Utah has staged annual rallies and parades featuring a lineup of conservative lawmakers advocating multi-use of government-owned lands.

This year's event is Saturday, with staging for the parade beginning at 6 a.m., and a rally that begins about 9:30 a.m.

Gov. Gary Herbert, Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, will be among the speakers, said co-founder Mike Swenson. A few speakers will kick things off at the fairpark, followed by a larger rally at the Capitol.

"This is grassroots politics 101 at its best," said Swenson, who is executive director of the Utah Shared Access Alliance.

"This is how things get done in our country," he said. "People gather peaceably and speak their minds. It is one of the beautiful things about America."

Swenson and Sen. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, held a series of meetings in 2009, reaching out to like-minded individuals and groups that believe federally-owned lands have value beyond recreation — and should diversely support grazing, resource extraction and other uses in appropriate circumstances.

Out of those meetings grew Take Back Utah and the first rally and parade from downtown Salt Lake City to the state Capitol.

Swenson said he believes the rallying event reaffirms that beyond the calls for more wilderness by environmental groups is the sentiment that public lands need to be accessible to a wide variety of interests.

"It's critical for people to unite and get together. It is empowering when you see fellow citizens who think like you. Sometimes you can feel like you are all alone when there are huge forces out there trying to close public lands."

The "push back" against those environmental groups on Saturday is estimated to draw as many as 5,000 participants — 4-wheel groups, the Utah Cattlemen's Association, coal trucks, equestrians and others.

"Every year this thing is growing," Noel said. "We think we have the momentum to win a lot of these battles and take back some of these public lands and use them like they should be used."