In the wake of funding cuts and mass staff firings at national parks in 2025, over 60 major businesses joined together to rebuke Congressional rollbacks and prevent the large-scale sale of public lands.
In an address to Congress, the Brands for Public Lands coalition reminded lawmakers that their businesses “contribute to the $1.2 trillion outdoor economy” and that they had a vested interest in keeping public lands “publicly owned and accessible for generations to come.”
“A priceless and irreplaceable resource that can’t be reduced to a line item on a balance sheet, our public lands are intrinsically tied to the life-defining pursuits of climbing, skiing, and mountain sports that our company was built to serve,” Neil Fiske, the CEO of Black Diamond Equipment, expressed in a shared statement. “We are proud to stand with brands and public lands users of all types in opposition to these short-sighted proposals.”
In the end, their plea successfully pressured Congress to remove a provision from the 2025 Senate Reconciliation Bill that would have sold millions of acres of federal land.
The business coalition was formed by The Conservation Alliance, which is a collection of outdoor industry giants that give a portion of their profits back to nonprofits and conservation efforts. Since 1989, they have safeguarded over 124 million acres of land and 4,964 miles of rivers from industrialization.
“Threats to public lands are threats to the natural and cultural resources they protect, the millions of jobs and thousands of businesses they support, and the myriad communities they sustain,” said Paul Hendricks, the executive director of The Conservation Alliance.
“Together, our coalition of businesses can demonstrate why public lands matter for our communities and our economy.”
Businesses in the Brands for Public Lands
- Alpenglowsports - Tahoma, California
- American Outdoor Products - Boulder, Colorado
- Backbone Media - Carbondale, Colorado
- Backcountry Essentials - Bellingham, Washington
- Backcountry North - Traverse City, Michigan
- Bedrock Sandals LLC - Missoula, Montana
- Big Agnes, Inc. - Steamboat Springs, Colorado
- Black Diamond Equipment - Salt Lake City, Utah
- Burton - Burlington, Vermont
- CGPR - Marblehead, Massachusetts
- Cocona, Inc = Boulder, Colorado
- D.D. Bullwinkel’s Outdoors - Brevard, North Carolina
- Duct Tape Then Beer - Seattle, Washington
- Emerger Strategies - Charleston, South Carolina
- Engaged Coaching - Bend, Oregon
- Fjällräven North America - Louisville, Colorado
- Grassroots Outdoor Alliance - Cody, Wyoming
- GRAYL Inc. - Seattle, Washington
- Great Outdoor Store - Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- GU Energy Labs - Berkeley, California
- J&H Outdoors - Lexington, Kentucky
- Kavu, Inc - Seattle, Washington
- Klean Kanteen - Chico, California
- La Sportiva N.A., Inc. - Boulder, Colorado
- MeatEater - Bozeman, Montana
- NEMO Equipment, Inc. - Dover, New Hampshire
- Nester Hosiery LLC - Mount Airy, North Carolina
- Oboz Footwear - Bozeman, Montana
- Osprey Packs - Cortez, Colorado
- Outdoor Industry Association - Boulder, Colorado
- Outsize Consulting - Wolverine Lake, Michigan
- Pack Rat Outdoor Center - Fayetteville, Arkansas
- Patagonia - Ventura, California
- Peak Design - San Francisco, California
- Protect Our Winters - Boulder, Colorado
- Prima Terra - Ogden, Utah
- Puddle Creative - Portland, Oregon
- Ramsey Outdoor - Succasunna, New Jersey
- REI Co-op - Sumner, Washington
- Revolution House Media - Big Sky, Montana
- Roads Rivers and Trails - Milford, Ohio
- Rock and Snow, Inc. - New Paltz, New York
- Sanitas Sales Group - Lakewood, Colorado
- Saratoga Outdoors - Saratoga Springs, New York
- Shār Snacks - Austin, Texas
- SRAM, LLC - Chicago, Illinois
- Swen Products/Sven-Saw - Minneapolis, Minnesota
- The Base Camp - Billings, Montana
- The Forest Group - Lotus, California
- Toad&Co - Santa Barbara, California
- TripOutside - Durango, Colorado
- Verde Brand Communications - Durango, Colorado
- Walkabout Outfitter - Lexington, Virgina
- Zephyr Adventures - Red Lodge, Montana
Header image via Anne McCarthy / Pexels
