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r <br />Colorado Struggles to Define Rules for Recreational Water Use <br />Page 3 of 3 <br />"Every river in the state flows through private property at some point," said NYTimes. <br />John Nichols of Cannibal Outdoors in Lake City, Colo., the company that is <br />being sued for trespassing by the rancher, Yosi Lutwak. h <br />"This could essentially cripple the entire river industry in the state if we don't Search <br />win," Mr. Nichols said. Classif <br />Autorr <br />He added that the cost of litigation could put him out of business. Brows( <br />John Hill, a lawyer for Mr. Lutwak, said the issue was property rights, not Photo; <br />water rights. <br />May th <br />"There is a popular misconception that there is a right to do this," Mr. Hill cross" <br />online <br />said. "My client wants to protect his resource from overuse." <br />In other rivers the steps to curb floating have been more extreme. Landowners <br />who run a fishing business along the South Platte River recently lowered a <br />gate along the river to prevent boaters from passing. Kayakers were arrested <br />and ticketed for trespassing. <br />In a more peaceful protest, Mr. Nichols staged a "float -in" last month along <br />the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River. <br />"This could open a Pandora's box of litigation throughout the state if <br />landowners have the right to close rivers," Mr. Nichols said. <br />Robert C. Ward, director of the Colorado Water Resources Research Institute <br />in Fort Collins, said water rights were continuously developing. <br />"How do you define a human use when the water doesn't leave the stream ?" <br />Mr. Ward asked. "Historically, water rights are a constant evolution, and <br />recreation is just now beginning to find its way into our water law." <br />Home I Back to National I Search I Help <br />E: -Mail This Article <br />Most E- Mailed Articles <br />P rint e r- F r i endly Fo <br />Back to Ton <br />. 42 ° � Click Here to Receive 50% Off Home Delivery of The <br />New York Times Newspaper. <br />file: //C : \WINDOWS\ Temporary %20Internet %20Files\ Colorado %20Struggles %20to %20Defin... 7/6/01 <br />Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company I Privacy Information <br />