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Show New Bills effect Hunters-Wildlife According to Ed Rawley, wildlife planner with the Division of Wildlife Resources, several bills presently before the Utah legislature will be of interest to the State's recreationists. One, he says, could have far-reaching far-reaching effects on access to land-private and public-across public-across the state. On another front, a bill (SB 56) to remove the bobcat from the jurisdiction of the State Department of Agriculture passed the Senate unanimously. Another bill (SB 130) names the bobcat to the jurisdiction of the Division of Wildlife Resources as a protected species. The. bobcat has been classed a predator under the Agricultural and Wildlife Damage Prevention Act of 1975, but a three year moratorium has been in effect on the animal due to low numbers and very high prices being paid for pelts. For the fourth time in recent legislative sessions a trespass bill has been introduced in-troduced which would change the circumstances under which trespass occurs. oc-curs. In effect, says Rawley, this bill (HB 114, introduced by Garth Jones-R, Cedar City) would close all private land to access unless permission per-mission were explicitly given or the landowner posted the land open to access. "We see problems with the situation, especially in a state with such a large percentage of public land," says Rawley, "And most of this public land is open range and forest land.". Rawley adds, "Since an vacationer or outdoor recreationist would find himself in the position of not knowing when he was in violation, the bill appears impractical, especially in the light of Utah's large tourist industry." The job in posting these lands "open", he adds, would be a considerable expense-both in time and money. ' |