A Colorado group has taken out half-page ads in Utah newspapers trying to lure the Outdoor Retailers show away from Utah.
Conservation Colorado launched the ads in the Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News that say, “A message to our outdoor retailers from your friends in Colorado: We have stronger beer. We have taller peaks. We have higher recreation. But most of all, we love our public lands”
The ads are in response to the latest row over public lands policy in the state. Utah lawmakers rushed through a resolution calling on President Trump to reverse the national monument designation for Bears Ears. in response, some outdoor recreation companies said they would no longer attend the Outdoor Retailers Show in Utah because of the fight over Bears Ears.
On Tuesday, 30 outdoor recreation companies sent a letter to Gov. Gary Herbert saying they would call on organizers of the Outdoor Retailers show to move out of Colorado if state leaders did not do more to protect public lands.
A press release from Conservation Colorado said:
“There’s no better place than Colorado when it comes to protection and stewardship of our public lands,” said Pete Maysmith, Executive Director of Conservation Colorado. “From embracing our newest national monuments, to being the first state to establish a holiday to celebrate our lands, to soundly defeating eight bills in our state legislature that would have turned our lands over to private interests, we fully recognize the myriad benefits that public lands bring to our state and to the nation.”
The Outdoor Retailers show brings $45 million annually to Utah’s economy. Last week, the organizers of the show said they were exploring other possible host cities for the event.
