Retailers and outdoor companies sent a strong message to President Donald Trump on Monday night: He’s in for an uphill climb.
The corporate contingency, led at first by Patagonia, railed against the Trump administration’s changes to the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante monuments in Utah.
“Bears Ears is at the forefront of a national debate about the Antiquities Act, landscape scale protection, preservation of American history, and Native American rights,” The North Face posted on Twitter. “Today we witnessed the largest elimination of protected areas in U.S. history. National monument protections were removed for 2 million acres in Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante in Utah. Lawsuits have already been filed in federal courts protesting the changes.”
What’s more, the VF Corp.-owned brand said it would donate $100,000 to the development of an education center for Bears Ears.
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Similarly, REI called the administration’s decision to reduce federal land protection “the largest rollback” in American history. “The decision also undermines the integrity of the Antiquities Act, which 16 presidents from both parties have used to designate and protect national monuments over the last 111 years.”
To support its efforts, Washington-based REI urged consumers to change their social profile photos to a “We Love Our Public Lands” photo.
The moves from both companies followed Patagonia, which on Monday used an image on the homepage of its website that said “The President Stole Your Land.”
This isn’t the first time outdoor-focused companies have stood up to President Trump. In May, a number of businesses made a last-minute push urging the president to keep the U.S. in the Paris climate agreement.
