The Brief #4: What Industry Cuts Mean for the Wild

For decades, the USDA Forest Service , National Park Service , and Bureau of Land Management have quietly held the line, managing hundreds of millions of acres, maintaining trails, responding to wildfires, and ensuring that public lands remain accessible. But this week, massive staff cuts have gutted their ranks, raising a critical question: Who will take care of these lands when the agencies designed to protect them are being stripped down?

It’s easy to see public lands as an untouchable constant… always there, always funded, always maintained. But that’s far from reality. The backbone of outdoor recreation and conservation is human infrastructure — and that infrastructure is disappearing.

Action Center

Like us, you may be wondering how you can take immediate action to mitigate some of the recent harmful actions to public lands and their defenders:

• Sign the petition. Ensure funding for the National Park Service and advocate for the U.S. Forest Service so it remains intact.
• Shift the narrative. If you’re in marketing, think beyond your own products or services: How can brands lead protections for wild spaces in new ways?
• Join the conversation. Should outdoor brands adopt a National Park or Forest? Comment on this newsletter to let us know your thoughts.

Hot Take

The Outdoor Industry’s Layoff Crisis Is Bigger Than You Think

Major staff cuts that support public lands is a move that threatens not only the livelihoods of rangers, firefighters and conservationists, but also the very future of the outdoor industry. The ripple effects will be felt immediately…

• Fewer rangers mean longer emergency response times, less enforcement of conservation laws, and less educational interpretation.
• Fewer fire crews mean higher wildfire risks with fewer resources to contain them.
• Fewer trail crews mean more washed-out paths, neglected campsites, and a slow decline in the accessibility of public lands.

And yet, visitation keeps rising.

In 2023, National Parks saw more than 325 million visitors. That’s millions of people relying on systems that are being quietly dismantled. Congress continues to shrink public land budgets while expecting these agencies to keep up.

The outdoor industry has historically helped fill the gap, but now, with its own financial struggles, that support is drying up too.

This is a crisis with new threats and urgency, and our former models will no longer work to solve all the challenges. We will only be able to overcome these new systemic headwalls with creative thinking. While we don’t have the answers, we have a few bold (and, honestly, maybe unpopular) ideas.

3 Ideas to Bridge the Funding Gap

1. Treat Public Lands Like Essential Infrastructure We invest billions into roads and bridges, public transportation, and healthcare — so why not the wild spaces that are a public health benefit and generate billions in tourism and outdoor recreation revenue? Imagine a world with a more permanent endowment or funding (think Medicare or Social Security, though those are at risk, too) for public lands as a human right.?
2. Decentralize Funding: State & Local Support Let us be clear: we believe in a rich tapestry of national lands managed by well-funded national agencies. However, if federal budgets become unreliable, or even non-existent, finding a new model may become necessary. Could state-led public land management and funding create more stability, at least in certain places? States like Colorado and California already have conservation-focused tax initiatives, and Colorado's lottery has generated $3.7 billion for public lands. Could more states lead in similar fashions to ensure these treasures are taken care of??
3. Outdoor Brands Step Up: National Park Sponsorships Imagine if leading outdoor brands and/or non-profits adopted National Parks, committing a percentage of sales directly to the parks that need it most. What if each major company sponsored a National Park this summer, funding staffing, maintenance, and conservation work? Would consumers rally behind that?

The outdoor industry relies on public lands. Without them, there’s no hiking, no climbing, no fishing, no camping, no skiing. While these ideas may seem improbable and idealistic, we may soon require new approaches to how we ensure the safety and success of these places. We’d love to hear your ideas, too.

From the Inside

The Bonfire Bookshelf: What's Keeping Us Up Late

• The Monk of Mohka by Dave Eggers - "A true story of coffee, adventure, and sheer grit, as a Yemeni-American hustles from San Francisco’s streets to war-torn Yemen in pursuit of the perfect bean. Think "Narcos," but with caffeine. ;)" - Julie
• God of the Woods by Liz Moore - "A generational mystery about two lost children, set in the Adirondacks. The author intertwines perspectives from multiple characters, a page turning 'who done it!'" - Diana
• House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune - "Escape from reality! A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret." - Amy
• Life Lived Wild: Adventures at the Edge of the Map by Rick Ridgeway - "Ridgeway's memoir recounts some of his major expeditions including summiting Everest and K2, joining the original Seven Summits expeditions, and traversing Borneo from coast to coast, telling stories about his close friends (including Yvon Chouinard, Doug Tompkins, Conrad Anker, and Jimmy Chin) along the way. It will leave you inspired and challenged 'to distinguish matters of consequence from matters of inconsequence.'" - Jeannie
• Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins - "This is my fourth time re-reading this book because it simply warms my heart and reminds me that a well-written fiction book can provide a much needed mental reset. I'll leave you with one, simple quote: 'Breathe properly. Stay curious. And eat your beets.'" - Ti

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?? Keep stoking the fire around these hot topics — we'll catch you in the next one! ??