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Show Public access secured for River An eight mile area of the Strawberry River in Duchesne County was dedicated last week to finally ensure public access to one of the best fishing rivers in Utah. The Division of Wildlife Resources and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation jointly acquired 700 acres as partial mitigation for the Central Utah Project. Earlier this year, the Nature Conservancy purchased 1,730 acres and then another 640, bringing the total acres to 3,070, all oi which will be turned over to DWR for wildlife management. The state has been trying to acquire access to the Strawberry River for more than 20 years, says Director William H. Geer. "It's an extremely important pice of river and riparian habitat within a 2Vz hour drive of the Wasatch Front. Because of land closures, acquiring public access to streams is a priority for the division." Statewide, only 14 to 15 percent of the streams are closed to public access. But within driving distance of the Wasatch Front, our most populated area, the public has lost access to about 37 percent of the streams, and it's increasing rapidly. Geer said the wildlife agency and the public cannot give enough credit and appreciation to the Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for years of effort and negotiations for access to this portion of the Strawberry River. |