The Daily - January 31, 2019 - 22

The Pulse

B I G

P I C T U R E

Jared Polis

Colorado's new governor tours the Show
floor and talks about the state's leading
role in the outdoor recreation economy.
By Doug Schnitzspahn
"I THINK I NEED A NEW PAIR OF

skis," said Colorado Governor Jared Polis when he took a tour of the
Show floor yesterday. That certainly makes the former representative
who took over as the state's top
elected official last month a man of
the people here. Colorado Outdoor
Recreation Department director
Luis Benitez led Polis through the
aisles, stopping at the booths of
local brands that help drive the
state's economy, including Hestra,
La Sportiva, Liberty, and Icelantic.
A strong supporter of environmental protection and public lands,
Polis is the first openly gay governor in U.S. history and he won by
a large margin in November in a
state that has placed a premium on
the benefits of outdoor recreation.
He took the time to talk to us
about the Show and the industry.
Why is the outdoor industry so
important to Colorado?

It's why I love this state-whether
it's fishing with my son or skiing.
It's also an economic powerhouse
in our state. It's responsible for
over half a million jobs and 10
percent of our GDP. It's an enormous part of the quality of our
lifestyle. It puts food on the table.
It brings people together, and of
course we are thrilled to highlight
the Outdoor Retailer Snow Show
in our state.

22

/ SNOW SHOW 2019

Why do you think it is important
to have the Show here in
Denver?

It really brings top industry leaders
from across the world to Denver,
and Denver is the gateway to
world-renowned winter recreation
opportunities: skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, and many other
forms of outdoor recreation. We
have a strong and ongoing commitment to protect our public lands in
Colorado. Our values align with the
recreational and economic value of
our public lands. We have a longterm approach. We think that our
public lands are there for ourselves
and for future generations to enjoy,
not for short-term exploitation at
great future costs.

who are carrying the torch on
protecting our lands that are administered by the Department of
Agriculture or the Bureau of Land
Management.

a holistic inventory and access
plan to better spread recreational opportunities and economic
opportunities to areas of the state
that have that potential.

What challenges do you see
moving forward to protect public lands, especially as Colorado
continues to grow?

Do you see Colorado getting
more diverse people in the
outdoors as we grow?

As we continue to grow, my goal as
governor of the state is to provide
access to additional public lands.
We have lands that are highly
traveled, and yet we have others
that if we could improve access
would provide as great or greater
recreational opportunities. So we
are very excited and kind of doing

Absolutely. We have a lot of great
programs. Denver Public Schools
and Aurora Public Schools are
getting kids from our cities to
the mountains. This is also a
priority for everyone in our state.
It really is a focus of "Colorado
for All," and I really believe that
outdoor recreation for everybody
is a critical part of that.

How do you see Colorado
being a leader in the national
discussion on protecting and
managing public lands?

I was thrilled to lend my support
to Sen. Bennet and Rep. Neguse's
effort to permanently preserve
over 400,000 acres of wilderness and other designations that
permanently protects some of our
most treasured public lands. We
also have our state park system
and Great Outdoors Colorado,
funded through our lottery. The
state's commitment is coupled
with strong federal representation
like Sen. Bennet and Rep. Neguse,

Photograph by

Lauren Danilek
The Daily - January 31, 2019

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