The good folks at the Utah Stream Access Coalition have put in motion a stellar fund raiser as they continue preparations for a protracted legal battle in Utah – they’ve called it the Gourmet on the Green.
The back story on this is pretty interesting; here’s an ‘off the record’ summary from a friend in SLC –
A couple of USAC members, one who happens to be a Green River guide, another who was on Season 12 of Top Chef are putting together a fundraiser for USAC this summer, called Gourmet on the Green.
They have gathered a total of 10 guides to offer their boats up for a day (at $1,000 per boat) to float the green during prime cicada season. Chef Katie is then going to prepare a multi-course riverside lunch, before afternoon fishing. There’s going to be an after party in Dutch John, too. The goal is to raise $10k for the stream access fight.
Not only is this a unique opportunity – but it represents exactly the kind of grassroots involvement that the Utah Stream Access Coalition is built on. They came up with the idea, organized everything, and basically just asked USAC for their stamp of approval.
And here’s something else: the Green is a federally declared navigable river, meaning that it’s effectively immune to this stream access debacle. However, rather than ignoring the stream access issue and happily existing within the navigability bubble, these guides are stepping up and making the statement that statewide stream access matters to everyone, including them. That statement, right there, I find pretty cool…
We say hot damn and well done.
Visit the USAC site here.
Visit the Gourmet on the Green FB event page here.
