The Center for Jackson Hole will host the third annual Shift Festival on November 1-3 in Jackson Hole, WY. Tickets go on sale today at shiftjh.org.

Shift galvanizes stakeholders from the outdoor recreation, cultural relevancy, conservation and land-management communities around a common passion: protecting America’s public lands. The 2017 Shift Festival’s theme is “The Business Case for Public Lands.“

“The current political landscape requires powerful strategies to protect our public lands,” said Christian Beckwith, executive director of Shift. “Outdoor recreation and public lands enjoy bi-partisan support because they provide economic benefits to urban and rural America alike. That’s an argument the conservation community hasn’t made often enough – and one we will make strongly at this year’s Shift.”

The 2017 Shift Festival will highlight the value of investments in outdoor recreation and the conservation of public lands with case studies from around the country that underscore the following:

  • According to the Outdoor Industry Association, outdoor recreation generates $887 billion in consumer spending and 7.6 million jobs each year.
  • The American Planning Association and The Trust for Public Lands have found that parks, trails, and open spaces enhance property values, attract knowledge workers, generate health care cost savings, and support opportunities for economic development.
  • Headwaters Economics’ research indicates that “rural counties in the West with more federal lands or protected federal lands perform better on average than their peers with less federal lands or protected federal lands in key economic measures.”

The 2017 Shift Festival will feature three major topics focused on the business case for land protection, each with a core question for discussion:

  • Closing the Nature Gap: How does access to public lands in urban areas support economic prosperity, healthy citizens and the next generation of stewards?
  • Community Futures: How do we use investments in outdoor recreation and conservation of public lands to create vibrant, resilient communities?
  • The Economic Case: How do we use the economic power of outdoor recreation and public lands to influence federal, state and local decisions?

Photo courtesy Shift Festival