Amy Roberts, executive director of the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) in an open letter said the organization opposes the Trump administration’s expected move to “severely” reduce the overall size of Bears Ears National Monument in Utah and urged its members to “continue to make our voices heard.”

The full letter follows:

Hello, 

According to reports, on Monday, December 4, President Trump will travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, to announce that he will severely reduce and fracture the overall size of Bears Ears National Monument more than 84 percent, from 1.35 million acres to 201,397 acres, and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by 50 percent, from nearly 1.9 million acres to 997,490 acres. In total, more than two million acres of public lands will lose protection, the largest attack on public lands in American history.

Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) opposes this action and released the following statement:

“Outdoor Industry Association and the outdoor industry view the announcement by President Trump as detrimental to the $887 billion outdoor recreation economy and the 7.6 million American jobs it supports. This decision is part of a long pattern of attacks against public lands and will harm hundreds of local Utah communities and businesses, will stifle millions of dollars in annual economic activity and threatens thousands of jobs in the region. 

“Outdoor Industry Association will continue to educate the industry and all Americans about President Trump’s assault on our industry and our nation’s public lands, and we will continue to support the members of Congress who defend both and who understand the importance of the outdoor recreation economy to local communities.”

This decision ignores the support of monuments by the American people and the outdoor industry and includes the following facts:

  • Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument has a clearly demonstrable and proven recreation economy that developed because of its national monument status.
  • More than 360 executives who lead outdoor recreation companies which create jobs in communities across America, including in rural communities that President Trump promised to support during his campaign, oppose this action. 
  • Over 3 million Americans wrote the administration in support of the preservation of America’s public lands.

It is important that we continue to make our voices heard. Here’s what you can do:

Thank you,

Amy Roberts