Yesterday, 40 Utah businesses joined 60 national outdoor brands in calling for the creation of “Greater Canyonlands,” a 1.4-million acre federal wildland surrounding Canyonlands National Park. This was no idle call to action: They put dollar signs behind their request to the White House. Not only do these companies add $42.5 million to the twice-annual Outdoor Retailer trade show in Salt Lake each year, but their letter cites data from the Western Governors’ Association showing that outdoor recreation in the West equals almost $256 billion annually and supports 2.3 million jobs. Ashley Korenblat, president of Western Spirit Cycling in Moab, joined a chorus of voices fighting for the tourism and outdoor businesses in the Beehive State: “The outdoor industry can’t just sit back and hope the conservation community will take care of it all. This is about jobs. If we start taking away pieces of the world-class setting around Moab, it will impact our economy…this whole thing is based on the assumption that the public lands are going to be worth visiting.” This latest salvo is part of a larger push to draw attention to Utah Governor Gary Herbert’s attempts to reclaim more than 30 million acres of federally controlled public lands. The list of signers includes nationally known brands including Patagonia, Camelbak, Eastern Mountain Sports, and prAna, plus Utah-owned businesses such as Black Diamond, Backcountry.com, Petzl, Rim Tours, Moab Cliffs and Canyons, and Canyon Voyages Adventure Co. Via Salt Lake Tribune.

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Tags: National Parks

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