Nature’s Bottom Line

There is a new lobbying force in the environmental wars, one that combines the instincts of the Sierra Club with the solid business credentials that open doors these days in Washington. It’s the $18-billion-a-year outdoor recreation industry, from apparel makers such as Patagonia and North Face to manufacturers of climbing gear and backcountry ski equipment such as Black Diamond. These aren’t hippie “tree huggers” or environmental radicals, says Black Diamond Chief Executive Peter Metcalf. They are successful, practical businesspeople whose interests coincide with a strong environmental ethic.

In the past, the industry wasn’t politically oriented or organized. That changed with a bang in early June. The Outdoor Industry Assn., responding to the state of Utah’s deal with the Interior Department to end protection for 6 million acres of roadless wilderness, threatened to pull its annual fall trade show out of Salt Lake City. That would have left a $24-million dent in the local economy.

For the last seven years the show has been a twice-a-year staple in Salt Lake, jumping-off point to the Wasatch Mountains and their hiking, climbing, biking and snow sports wealth. The show was lured to Utah by Black Diamond’s Metcalf, whose firm was founded by pioneer Yosemite climber Yvon Chouinard in the 1960s. Chouinard, a generous supporter of environmental causes, later sold the firm to his employees to concentrate on his Ventura-based Patagonia. Black Diamond moved from Ventura to Utah in 1991.

The industry’s threat got Gov. Mike Leavitt’s attention. Within days, he held a two-hour meeting with industry representatives to discuss the potential for creating new wilderness areas in Utah, something the state’s Republicans have routinely opposed.

“This has fine-tuned our focus on outdoor recreation,” said Natalie Gochnour, a spokeswoman for the governor. An association official called it “a good first step” and canceled the boycott threat.

The Utah action should encourage California manufacturers and retailers to be more assertive on behalf of the environment. Certainly they will have the support of the population they serve -- hikers, campers, kayakers, cross-country skiers and others who enjoy nonmotorized outdoor activities. This industry indirectly profits from public resources, but alone among the users, its income depends on protecting those resources.

Now that the industry has flexed its political muscle, the Bush administration might want to get ahead of the next punch and restore the ban on snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park. After all, outdoor recreation’s contribution to the economy is more than double that of the snowmobilers. That’s real money.