Patagonia isn鈥檛 done in its fight with聽Utah politicians. The company led the charge to leverage the economic impact of the Outdoor Retailer trade show, which has long been held in Salt Lake City, to try to change the stance of Utah politicians towards public lands in general, and the newly-designated Bears Ears National Monument in particular. That effort failed, and the organizers of the trade show are pulling up stakes in Utah after this summer.
But OR's departure doesn't mean聽that Patagonia聽is ready to leave Utah politicians alone. This morning they are launching a聽 in favor of Bears Ears National Monument. The company is using , a site that allows organizations to connect聽supporters with elected officials. The company will use Facebook and Twitter to share a Phone2Action link which will supply followers with a聽brief set of talking points and then patch聽their phone call directly into the governor鈥檚 office. Patagonia hopes to generate thousands of calls from Utah citizens with the effort. (Though it also hopes non-Utahns will voice their support as well.)
It鈥檚 not just Bears Ears that鈥檚 in jeopardy from Utah politicians, notes Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario. On Friday, February 17, just days after speaking with representatives from the Outdoor Industry Association in an attempt to keep OR in Utah, Governor Herbert that聽urges President Trump to shrink the boundaries of 20-year old聽. “It's not surprising that he would double down by聽trying to lift longstanding protections on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument,”聽says Marcario. “It sure is disappointing, and not just for the outdoor companies driving an enormous economy in Utah based on protected public lands, but for the on the very places Herbert denigrates.”
Patagonia has been involved with the effort to establish Bears Ears National Monument for four years鈥攊n no small part because it includes the popular Indian Creek climbing area. They have donated more than $750,000 to groups working for monument designation, says Patagonia spokesperson Corley Kenna, including the and . It even produced a 2015 film, “” as part of the effort.
“We鈥檝e seen that the best way to get the attention of politicians is to show up to their meetings in person, or to call them directly,” says Kenna. “That鈥檚 why this platform drives phone calls rather than emails.”