At almost the same time, a growing number of elected officials from communities with strong outdoor-oriented economies have begun speaking out against the administration's assault on public lands and the environment.

In a letter delivered at a press event in Oregon City, OR, leaders of companies such as Columbia Sportswear, Cascade Designs and Vibram warned that "President Bush has promoted policies that...endanger the future sustainability of our national parks." [1]

"We are here today because the Great American Outdoors is in serious jeopardy and if we fail at protecting the outdoors then our businesses will fail, our health will fail and we will leave future generations with air they can't breathe and water they can't drink," said Lee Fromson, president of Seattle-based Cascade Designs, Inc., a leading manufacturer of outdoor equipment.

"Protecting our parks and open space is essential to the health of my business, the outdoor industry at large and to the many states whose economies depend upon tourism and recreation, not to mention the millions upon millions of Americans who enjoy the Great American Outdoors each year," added Peter Bragdon, vice president and general counsel of Columbia Sportswear. [2]

Industry leaders decried the impacts of every component of Bush's environmental agenda. They cited the weakening the Clean Air Act, the elimination of protections for public lands such as the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, and severe budget cuts to the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

The outdoor industry has become a major player in the national economy in recent years, generating over $18 billion in direct annual revenue and billions more through related tourism, travel, lodging, and other economic activity.

States with large expanses of public lands and forests are enjoying the benefits of the surge in outdoor sports and recreation. A recent study by the Sonoran Institute found that western communities with the highest proportion of protected public lands also enjoy the most diverse economies, greatest job and income growth and best standards of living in the region. [3]

Because of this, the Bush administration's weakening of public lands protection in the West has brought about an angry backlash from elected officials in areas close to these lands. Efforts to open roadless areas of national forests in Colorado to oil and gas drilling have upset local governments, who say the administration is ignoring their pleas to protect public lands.

The oil and gas industries, working through its former employees who now occupy top posts in the administration, have sought permission to drill in the HD Mountains and Thompson Creek roadless areas in the southern and western parts of Colorado. Local communities, whose economies no longer rely on extractive industries, are opposing the move.

In a recent exchange with Forest Service officials at a public hearing, James Harrmann, mayor of the southern Colorado town of Bayfield, asked why the Forest Service was ignoring the concerns of local governments. He ended by quipping, "What do I have to do, run for Congress?"

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SOURCES:
[1] Outdoor Industry letter, Sept. 14, 2004.
[2] Business Wire, Sept. 14, 2004.
[3] Sonoran Institute study.