2.27.17 Update: Outdoor Retailer is leaving Salt Lake City. Leaders from the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA)—along with tradeshow operator Emerald Expositions and executives from The North Face, REI, and Patagonia—requested the following of Utah Governor Gary Herbert in a February 16 conference call: Abandon state and national efforts to overturn the Antiquities Act and remove protections from Bears Ears National Monument, and transfer federal lands to the state. After Herbert made no positive progress on the matter—and after he went on to sign a resolution urging President Trump to shrink the boundaries of southern Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument—OIA announced that Summer Market 2018 would mark Outdoor Retailer's final show in Salt Lake City, its home for the past two decades. According to a written OIA statement, "It is clear that the governor indeed has a different perspective on the protections of public lands from that of our members and the majority of Western state voters, both Republicans and Democrats—that's bad for our American heritage, and it's bad for our businesses. We are therefore continuing our search for a new home as soon as possible."

2.8.17 Update: Since publication of this article, Patagonia has pulled out of the Outdoor Retailer show in Utah. On February 7, Patagonia president and CEO Rose Marcario stated in a press release, "Utah Gov. Gary Herbert signed a resolution on Friday urging the Trump administration to rescind the Bears Ears National Monument, making it clear that he and other Utah elected officials do not support public lands conservation nor do they value the economic benefits—$12 billion in consumer spending and 122,000 jobs—that the outdoor recreation industry brings to their state. Because of the hostile environment they have created and their blatant disregard for Bears Ears National Monument and other public lands, the backbone of our business, Patagonia will no longer attend the Outdoor Retailer show in Utah and we are confident other outdoor manufacturers and retailers will join us in moving our investment to a state that values our industry and promotes public lands conservation.“

Last week, thousands of outdoor adventure enthusiasts, athletes, and brands descended on Salt Lake City for Outdoor Retailer (OR). Over the past two decades, the outdoor industry’s largest trade show has brought about $40 million to Utah’s economy during its winter and summer markets.

Many OR exhibitors and attendees cheered when, in December, Obama designated 1.35 million craggy red acres in Utah, including sacred tribal lands, as Bears Ears National Monument. But much of Utah’s political establishment is operating on a different wavelength. Utah attorney general Sean Reyes vowed to sue the White House over the conservation victory, denouncing the move as a federal land grab. Utah’s Republican governor and lawmakers have pledged to reverse the designation after Obama leaves office. And Utah members of Congress such as Senator Orrin Hatch and Representative Rob Bishop are at the forefront of efforts to rewrite or repeal the Antiquities Act, which gives the president the ability to declare national monuments.

Naturally, such efforts threaten the foundation of the $646 billion outdoor recreation industry. It’s why key outdoor leaders have issued a call urging the Outdoor Industry Association to leave the state in protest, and find a more like-minded location for future Outdoor Retail summits.

Utahan Peter Metcalf, founder and chief executive of gear giant Black Diamond Equipment—darling of backcountry skiers, climbers, and hikers—on Tuesday published an op-ed in the Salt Lake Tribune to coincide with OR’s kickoff. “Over the past several months, Utah's political leadership has unleashed an all-out assault against Utah's protected public lands and Utah's newest monument. It's time for Outdoor Retailer to leave the state in disgust,” he wrote, “to again find its voice, speak truth and power to power while making it clear to the governor and the state's political leadership that this trade show will depart with the expiration of the current contract in 2018 unless the leadership ceases its assault on America's best idea.”

The next day, Yvon Chouinard, the activist and founder of the coveted-by-conservationists outdoor apparel giant Patagonia, put forth an open letter letter. Titled "The outdoor industry loves Utah; does Utah love the outdoor industry?" the letter points out that “American people own these [public] lands—and Utah reaps the rewards.” Chouinard points out that the outdoor industry generates three times more jobs than the fossil fuels industry, and ends with a not-so-veiled threat: “We love Utah, but Patagonia’s choice to return for future shows will depend on the governor’s actions. I’m sure other states will happily compete for the show by promoting public lands conservation."

Stay tuned for updates from the Outdoor Industry Association, and to find out whether other outdoor adventure brands jump on board the no-more-Utah cause.