Legislature vs. Supreme Court: Utah’s Complicated Battle Over Stream Beds and Fishing Access

In 2008, for the third time, the Utah Supreme Court ruled in favor of the public’s rights to use the rivers and streams of Utah, so long as they participate in legal activities. The ruling in Conatser v. Johnson set off a firestorm of rhetoric and sky-is-falling bravado by property rights groups and developers of exclusive “trout ranches.” Their claim: With this decision, the very foundation of our state constitution had been eroded.In fact, just the opposite was true. The Conatser court, ...