A quick note: there have been some weird bot subscribes to this newsletter using hijacked email addresses. While I think everyone, even bots, would likely fall in love with what we've got here, please note it's easy to unsubscribe.
You may have noticed the lack of a true Summer Newsletter. There's a reason for that: life/work balance. When you're retired, life generally trumps work. I've had a great summer visiting family, having family visit, and touristing about New Zealand and Australia.
Speaking of, there are big Climate Action marches worldwide planned for Saturday 9/8. Locate one near you. Bay Area folks, here are the details. As you can see, the Bay Area one has its own particular Berkeley-ish flavor. If you're going, let's meet up. More resources on climate and public lands below.
Next: Catalogs. A working group has formed to get outdoor biz catalogs scanned and posted as a general resource. If you've got old treasured catalogs, here's a way to share and preserve them. Ultimately we need pdfs and can help you convert your catalogs. We're particularly interested in catalogs from the 50's, 60's & 70's and any catalogs from the first 5 years of a company's existence regardless of decade.
That's all for now. Remember, If you don't like the news, go out and make some of your own. Al
We need the backcountry. The backcountry needs us.
Stories
Catalogs:
We gear nerds know that every piece of equipment tells a story...a story of where you've been; a story of where you might go.
Story-telling in marketing is the rage. We've known all along that the point of the gear in the first place is to give us better stories. Our marketing has always reflected that.
Action:
It is a matter of record that the Outdoor Industry has taken a stand in defense of public lands and the backcountry. Our industry trade show moved from Utah in protest of the actions of Utah's Governor and Congressional representatives. (There are some resources and history here.)
The Outdoor Industry Association's advocacy landing page is a good ongoing resource as is their newsletter. They've tried to be strictly non-partisan, but the unfortunate capture of the the Republican party by the oil, gas, and coal folks has strained that over the last few years. Climate and Public Lands historically were non-partisan! To help you, OIA provides a scorecard tracking the voting record of Congress Critters as well as information about the beneficial impact of outdoor recreation state by state.
A few other articles I found of particular interest lately:
