Many of you probably noticed a few street closings and a lot more traffic downtown this weekend. That’s because twice a year the Outdoor Industry Association holds their tradeshow where stores like Salty Peaks get to see and buy the latest and greatest goods. This tradeshow is a big deal, bringing 46,000 visitors to SLC and generating $42,000,000 for our local economy. Why am I telling you this? Well, the O.I.A. is threatening to stop holding their bi-annual tradeshow here because of policies brought forth by Governor Gary Herbert. If you want to know more about Herbert’s policies read this article from Thinkprogress.org. Personally, I find it weird that such a beautiful state full of so many natural resources has such terrible pollution and land management that sometimes you can’t see anything a mile away and most of the lakes in SLC are contaminated by industry where no one wants to swim or fish in them. It’s such an odd juxtaposition but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised when our basketball stadium is named after a toxic waste dump. This is a topic that should easily unite all political parties. For those of you who care about money and jobs this affects you. For those of you who care about public lands and the environment…this affects you. So what can you do about it? It’s simple. Flood the Governor’s office with phone calls demanding that he works for you and your interests. Governor Gary Herbert’s phone number is 801-538-1000.
