Outdoor industry rallies for public lands protections

Hundreds of outdoor recreation industry representatives rallied at the Utah state capitol to show their support for preserving public lands in an event that sends one final reminder why they’re moving their lucrative trade show next year to Denver. They wore hats and held signs that read, “This is land is our land” in the Thursday event. The final Outdoor Retailer show is going on this week in Salt Lake City, which has hosted the twice-yearly show since 1996. Show organizers announced earlier this year that they would leave Utah over Republican opposition to the designation a new national monument in Utah and the ongoing push to take more control of federal public lands Gov. Gary Herbert, a Republican, defended the state’s record of conserving and protecting public lands Thursday in his televised news conference on KUED.