Patagonia pulls out of Utah outdoor show amid Bears Ears National Monument battle
The maker of Patagonia has a message for Utah government officials: If you want big outdoor business, act like it.
Patagonia announced this week it will not attend a major outdoor trade show in Utah in response to a resolution passed last week advising President Trump to overturn the newly-designated Bears Ears National Monument in the state.
The resolution, which was signed by Utah Gov. Gary Herbert on Friday, made it clear to Patagonia that the company could not partake in the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City, Rose Marcario, President and CEO, Patagonia, Inc., said in a statement.
“Because of the hostile environment they have created, and their blatant disregard for Bears Ears National Monument and other public lands, the backbone of our business, Patagonia will no longer attend the Outdoor Retailer show in Utah," Marcario said in a statement. "We are confident other outdoor manufacturers and retailers will join us in moving our investment to a state that values our industry and promotes public lands conservation."
In December, former President Obama designated 1.35 million acres in the Four Corners region as the Bears Ears National Monument. The designation was seen as a major victory for Native American tribes, conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts, though seen as a blow to many Republicans and rural groups that worry it will deter energy development.
The twice-yearly Outdoor Retailer has been held in Utah since 1996 and brings the state $45 million in annual direct spending, but that may not be the case for long. The Outdoor Industry Association, which organizes Outdoor Retailer, announced earlier this week it's looking for a new host city that may align more directly with the values of public land conservation held by many in the industry.
“Outdoor Retailer has always been about ‘Right time, right place, right stuff,’” Marisa Nicholson, show director for Outdoor Retailer, said in a press release. “We’ve been listening to the concerns from the industry and agree that it’s time to explore our options.
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Patagonia and Black Diamond Equipment founder Peter Metcalf pointed to several examples of the hostile environment in Utah against public lands, including the Bears Ears National Monument designation and a rule proposed in Congress by Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, which would make it easier to transfer federal land to local governments to potentially sell them.
Last month, Patagonia founder and CEO Yvon Chouinard penned an op-ed titled The outdoor industry loves Utah; Does Utah love the outdoor industry?
In the blog post, he pointed to the $12 billion in consumer spending and 122,000 jobs that outdoor recreation creates for the state of Utah each year.
“The outdoor industry creates three times the amount of jobs than the fossil fuels industry, yet the Governor has spent most of his time in office trying to rip taxpayer-owned lands out from under us and hand them over to drilling and mining companies,” Yvon Chouinard said.
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