More companies have joined Patagonia in boycotting a twice-yearly outdoor-gear trade show in Salt Lake City as a protest against the public-lands positions of Utah’s leaders.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Arc’teryx, Polartec, Kokopelli Packraft, Metolius Climbing and Bedrock Sandals all say they won’t attend future Outdoor Retailer shows held in Utah. The state legislature recently passed resolutions calling for Bears Ears National Monument to be rescinded and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to be shrunk. But not everyone is on board with the boycott. The Tribune reports The North Face and REI say they fear it will harm smaller companies. However, they and others support seeking another venue for the shows, which reportedly bring in $40 million annually. In an op-ed piece in the Tribune, Governor Gary Herbert wrote that the state’s leaders appreciate public lands, but federal management practices “too often ignore meaningful local input.”
