Western Resource Advocates Announces Coalition of Business Partners for its ‘Protect the West’ Campaign

June 17, 2019

Effort will leverage CEOs’ influence to confront climate change and protect the West’s land, air, and water

Boulder, Colo. (June 17, 2019) Western Resource Advocates (WRA) today announced that it has partnered with some of the outdoor industry’s most respected brands to take action on climate change and address the pressing conservation issues facing the West.

The effort is part of WRA’s ‘Protect the West’ campaign and comes as the conservation group celebrates its 30^th year of working in seven intermountain Western states to address the region’s most significant environmental challenges. WRA will leverage influential corporate voices from the outdoor industry – companies with the will and foresight to strategically engage on WRA’s land, air, and water priorities across the West – to mobilize their communities and help drive outcomes that protect our way of life in the West.

To coincide with the announcement, WRA launched a video featuring Fishpond founder and CEO Johnny Le Coq, DPS Skis founder Stephan Drake, and SCARPA CEO Kim Miller. It can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/z8t7RoCxb4o.

To date, the Protect the West coalition includes: DPS Skis, Fishpond, Mountain Standard, Niche Snowboards, SCARPA, Upslope, Weston Backcountry, and Yakoda Supply. These forward-thinking companies represent a cross-section of the $887 billion outdoor industry. The coalition intimately understands the impacts that climate change and rapid growth are having on our resources and ecosystems, our cherished outdoor recreation experiences, and the future of the entire outdoor industry. The Protect the West coalition is committed to working with WRA and elevating the powerful voice of the outdoor industry to help address these challenges.

“It is incumbent upon business leaders who have a powerful voice on environmental issues to start working as a collective force,” said Johnny Le Coq, founder and CEO Fishpond, Inc. “The outdoor industry, along with many other sectors in the West that rely on our natural resources, need to embrace and support the Protect The West campaign with WRA to safeguard the places, rivers, and species we love.”

“As Westerners, we have a responsibility to protect the region we are fortunate to call home,” said Jon Goldin-Dubois, president of Western Resource Advocates. “Our partners in this effort are passionate leaders who care deeply about the future of the West, and their influential voices are critical to WRA’s advocacy efforts. We’re honored that they have joined us to help protect the West and we look forward to continued collaboration.”

Westerners across the region are already experiencing the impacts of climate change, including declining snowpack and water resources, more frequent and intense wildfires, and unhealthy air quality. The Protect the West coalition will pursue and promote solutions that leave a healthy, livable climate for future generations.

For more information about the initiative or to become involved as a coalition partner, please visit protecthewest.org or contact Chris Steinkamp at chris@baselayergroup.com

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About Western Resource Advocates

Western Resource Advocates works to protect the West’s land, air, and water so that our communities thrive in balance with nature. WRA’s team of scientists, lawyers, and economists craft and implement innovative solutions to the most complex natural resource challenges in the region. For more information, visit: www.westernresourceadvocates.org and follow us on Twitter @wradv and #ProtectTheWest.