The Changing Face of Outdoor Participation & A Call to Action on Public Lands

Eoin Comerford breaks down the Trump administration's proclamations that effectively erased Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments — including what the termination of the tribal co-management agreement with the Hopi, Navajo, Ute Indian, Ute Mountain, and Zuni tribes actually means for the industry — then clarifies the record on the Backcountry Garage accelerator program with responses from Backcountry executives.

Plus, Kelly Davis, Director of Research for the Outdoor Industry Association, walks through the OIA's 2026 Outdoor Participation Trends Report: 60% of Americans are now participating in outdoor recreation, 30 million new participants since 2019 stuck around post-COVID, but frequency is declining and the 18-to-34 age group is the canary in the coal mine.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 — Introduction: Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Backcountry Garage follow-up, and OIA research with Kelly Davis

0:52 — The Trump administration signs proclamations cutting Bears Ears National Monument by 91% and Grand Staircase-Escalante by 90%, eliminating nearly 3 million acres of protected public land.

4:19 — The proclamations disband the Bears Ears tribal co-management commission, ending a landmark cooperative stewardship framework built by the Hopi, Navajo, Ute Indian, Ute Mountain, and Zuni tribes.

4:20 — Why this is a business issue: public lands are the engine of the outdoor industry, and polling shows 91% of western voters support keeping existing monument designations in place.

4:21 — How sustained pressure works: the Conservation Alliance's CRA fight and the 2017 litigation precedent with Patagonia show that cumulative noise from the industry buys time and wins.

6:03 — Call to action: four steps from The Conservation Alliance — make a public statement, sign the business sign-on letter by July 22nd, activate your audience via the Monuments for All petition, and donate to the Land and Water Defense Fund.

9:03 — Backcountry Garage follow-up: clarifications from Backcountry executives on Amazon exclusivity, SKU-level online advertising terms, and margin expectations versus what brands were hearing in negotiations.

12:54 — Introduction: Kelly Davis, Director of Research for the Outdoor Industry Association, and the methodology behind the OIA's annual Outdoor Participation Trends Report.

13:50 — How the OIA participation study was built in 2007 alongside SIA, Sports & Fitness Industries Association, and other trade associations, and why 18,000 annual interviews across 117 activities gives it a sub-1% margin of error.