GO AZ Press Release: Arizona Outdoors Business Coalition Forms to Help Protect Public Lands
Small business owners establish Get Outdoors Arizona (GOAZ) to protect and grow the state’s outdoor recreation economy, promote state and federal conservation policies
(Phoenix, Arizona – July 2020) – Amid a crippling pandemic that has driven thousands of new Arizonans outdoors, a group of small business owners from across the state have come together to promote the growth of the outdoor recreation industry and promote the protection of parks and public lands.
The creation of the group, known as Get Outdoors Arizona (GOAZ), was spearheaded by the Arizona Wildlife Federation, which recognized the need for Arizona outdoor business leaders to come together to collectively ask lawmakers to support policies and actions that promote the state’s outdoor assets while protecting some of the state’s most important public landscapes.
“Arizona is the envy of the West, having world-class outdoor recreation opportunities ranging from Sonoran desert mountain biking, hunting, to backpacking through the Grand Canyon. The reality is that our state depends heavily on outdoor recreation tourism, and if we don’t stand up to protect this important economic asset, we could stand to lose access to these places from threats such as development, mining and underfunding,” said Scott Garlid, executive director of the Arizona Wildlife Federation.
One of GOAZ’s main priorities has been the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), bipartisan federal legislation recently passed in the U.S. Senate with support from U.S. Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally. GOAZ business members say the economic benefits of this outdoor stimulus bill will have long-lasting impacts in Arizona, if passed by the House this month and eventually signed by the president, who signaled his support for the bill earlier this year. In the short and long term, the bill will put tens of thousands of people back to work while boosting outdoor recreation and tourism and strengthening local economies.
“We named our brand after the iconic Grand Canyon because of the recreational opportunities of the area and the life-giving water of the Colorado River. We see our beer as a celebration of the land and our connection to it. We want our conservation message carried forward by our consumers,” said Grand Canyon Brewing.
The outdoor recreation industry in Arizona contributes more than $21.2 billion in annual consumer spending, 201,000 direct jobs, and $5.7 billion in wages and salaries, according to the Outdoor Industry Association.
“The outdoor recreation industry is and has been incredibly significant to tourism in Arizona for decades. It’s important that we continue to help promote and protect this important asset to our state,” said Debbie Johnson, director of the Arizona Office of Tourism.
The group, with more than 30 business members, is growing quickly and plans to add a roster of more than hundred members under its banner by 2021. Key policy issues the business group will continue to advocate for include protecting the greater Grand Canyon landscape from uranium mining, restoring the state’s Heritage fund, and supporting the federal MAPLand Act.
“Tourism to the Grand Canyon and beautiful public lands of the Southwest is vital to my business. It’s important that state and federal leaders recognize the power of the outdoor recreation industry and act in the best interest of the natural resources and the communities in their districts. We can’t have an outdoor recreation industry without protected federal public lands, and that’s the bottom line,” said Ash Patel, CEO of Southwest Hospitality Management.
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