Preserve our wilderness, open space

By Peter Metcalf
Standard-Examiner Guest Commentary

As a leader in the outdoor-equipment industry, and the person most responsible for relocating the Outdoor Retailer Show to Salt Lake from Reno in the mid-'90s, I've been following with great interest Ogden's recent efforts to attract outdoor-related companies.

The outdoor industry is a natural economic engine for Utah. We have iconic landscapes where our customers and our employees go to participate in the sports that we design, manufacture and market products for. These landscapes, from the Uinta Mountains to the redrock country, are our industry's source of inspiration and Utah's competitive advantage. Nobody in China or Bangladesh can take this away from us or reproduce it more cheaply.

Ogden's particular assets include its proximity to three ski areas, some of the best mountain biking, climbing and bouldering in the state, and a nationally acclaimed foothill trail system that provides immediate access to the mountains. These are the same reasons why 16 years ago, I relocated the fledgling Black Diamond Equipment company to the foot of the Wasatch in Salt Lake City.

Given these assets, it is no surprise that Ogden has successfully recruited several outdoor equipment companies in the past few years. The recent decision by Amer Sports to move to Ogden leaves no doubt about this success.

The potential benefits to Ogden and the state from the outdoor industry are substantial. According to our industry's recent study, the active outdoor recreation industry contributes $5.8 billion annually to Utah's economy.

The growing importance of active outdoor recreation in Utah's economy is also effecting a change in Utah's attitudes toward the outdoors. The outdoor industry's customers, employees and executives are people who care about their outdoor environment. Our core values are access to, preservation of and stewardship of our public land, air and water.

Yet, generalizing, Utah's political leaders have not been known for their strong conservation records, and the prospect of losing our natural resources can be a barrier to attracting, let alone retaining, outdoor companies. In recent years, our industry has become more effective at communicating the integral economic importance of environmental protection to Utah's leaders.

At the state level, we have worked especially hard to protect roadless areas and wilderness. These are the assets that brought Black Diamond, our employees and other companies to Utah, so it is critical to preserve them.

In Ogden, as a former resident in the 1970s and business owner in the 1990s, I'm pleased to read about the city's new initiatives to use renewable energy and improve air quality. The city has appropriately tied these initiatives to its efforts to achieve international recognition as a high adventure recreation capital. I would urge all Ogden residents to participate in these initiatives for the benefit of both the environment and the economy.

Yet I've also read some more troubling news from Ogden: The city is proposing to sell a large tract of public open space in its foothills, including a significant portion of its trail system, for private development. To me this proposal seems short-sighted, to say the least. Just look at the expense that other Utah cities are incurring to preserve what is left of their foothills and open space. Look at those mountain towns that are economically successful and considered the best places in America to live -- most have immediate access, at the city's edge, to undeveloped open space, pristine forests and wildlands. This is the draw.

Above the foothills, Ogden is bounded by two National Forest roadless areas, on the west faces of Mt. Ogden and Lewis Peak. Yet unlike most of the Wasatch Front, none of Ogden's mountains are protected as wilderness. In fact, a glance at a map of Utah reveals that Ogden is the largest city in the state that lies more than 20 miles from the nearest federally protected wilderness area. This suggests that Ogden has not yet made a commitment to protect its most valuable natural assets. And this is ironic for a city that wants to become a high adventure recreation capital. The most authentic adventures, after all, take place in wilderness.

Former Sen. Jake Garn has shared with me that two of his proudest achievements as senator were creating the wilderness protection for the mountains above Salt Lake and Provo, as well as the blue-line that limited building on the hills above Salt Lake. That legacy, preserved in perpetuity, is foundational to the presence of companies like Black Diamond or the Outdoor Retailer show. Go into the mountains above town on any summer evening or weekend and you realize they are one of the most utilized and coveted assets of the community.

If we're going to continue to see the outdoor and ski industries relocate to Ogden, and to see more well-educated professional people make their homes in Ogden, it will be because of the quality of life. And part of what defines quality of life is preservation of open spaces and wilderness -- especially those at the edge of town. It is as simple as just preserving the integrity of our God-given iconic wildlands immediately above town. I wish my former home of Ogden well and look forward to a long and fruitful relationship between Ogden city and the outdoor and ski industry.

Metcalf is co-founder and CEO of Salt Lake City-based Black Diamond Equipment, vice chair of the Outdoor Industry Association and serves on Gov. Huntsman's Task Force on Outdoor Recreation.