Patagonia wants to flood Utah Governor with phone calls

Patagonia has partnered with Phone2Action to encourage public lands supporters to call Utah Governor Gary Herbert.

Patagonia has started a phone call campaign to “Defend Utah’s Public Lands,” using Phone2Action, which will connect people directly to Utah Gov. Gary Herbert’s office.

The campaign stems from a call with Herbert last week, in which representatives from Outdoor Retailer, the Outdoor Industry Association, Patagonia, The North Face, and REI demanded that Herbert immediately abandon efforts to rescind recent federal protection of Bears Ears National Monument, among other requests. Herbert was steadfast in his stance, according to OIA and a press conference his office held after the call. Emerald Expositions, which owns OR, quickly announced it would not consider the state for future Outdoor Retailer or Interbike shows, given its stance.

“After our call with Gov. Herbert in which he displayed no sign of reversing his derisive positions on America’s public lands, it’s not surprising he would double down by seeing to lift longstanding protections on Grand Escalante National Monument,” Patagonia President and CEO Rose Marcario said in a statement. “But it sure is disappointing–and not just for the outdoor companies driving an enormous economy in Utah based on protected public lands, but for the 122,000 Utahns whose jobs largely depend on the very places Herbert denigrates. We’re proud that our industry has united in seeking a new home for our biggest trade show, but that doesn’t mean we’ll stop fighting for places like Bears Ears and Grand Escalante in Utah and across the country.”

Patagonia is likely to launch similar campaigns in the near future, but would not say which government officials or specific issues those campaigns may target.

Phone2Action allows people to put in their phone number in order to receive a phone call with guidance on what to say, before patching them directly through to the Governor’s office. After putting in a phone number, a script pops up on the caller’s screen to with talking points callers can use.

“Once again, the Governor and Utah State Legislature have clearly demonstrated they don’t represent the Citizens of Utah who care about the protection of public lands,” Lisa Pike, VP of environmental activism for Patagonia, says in the recording callers hear before being patched through to Herbert’s office. “Their actions show beyond a doubt they represent the private interests of a few individuals and corporations above the citizens of Utah. Call Governor Herbert and demand that he keep our public lands in public hands and preserve Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.”