350 OUTDOOR BUSINESS LEADERS URGE ZINKE TO LEAVE MONUMENTS INTACT

In one of the strongest displays of solidarity in the outdoor industry, more than 350 American outdoor businesses — large and small — have sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke urging him to keep the country’s national monuments unchanged and intact.

The fight to protect public lands has galvanized the outdoor industry, which employs 7.6 million Americans and stirs $887 billion in annual spending, generating $125 billion in local, state and federal taxes.

The industry has rallied around the push to keep public lands public. The fight has grown as the Trump administration directs Zinke’s review of 27 national monuments. Zinke’s interim report issued in June supported the downsizing of Utah’s Bear Ears National Monument, riling outdoor entrepreneurs and innovators.

“These places and experiences can’t be exported or commoditized. They are a national competitive advantage. We ask you to not erode that potential but create certainty for our businesses and for the communities that often need it most,” reads the letter, which was signed by executives from the largest and most influential outdoor recreation companies in the country, including REI, Burton, Columbia, Patagonia, The North Face and more than two dozen Colorado-based recreation companies. — Jason Blevins, The Denver Post