Business Endorsement
Give a Business Endorsement to GORP
Why endorse the GORP?
As a business owner or representative, your voice is critical in letting our elected officials know that protecting public lands makes good economic sense.
Business owners and representatives have unique insights into what creates jobs and makes our economy flourish. Your voice is critical in letting our elected officials know that protecting public lands in Gunnison County is essential to the health of our tourism, recreation, and ranching-driven economy. By signing the GPLI’s business endorsement, you are supporting the protection of the public lands that bring thousands of tourists to the Gunnison Valley to spend money in our stores, hotels, and restaurants; the backcountry recreation that attracts a high-quality workforce to our valley; and the scenic beauty, clean water, and healthy wildlife that provide a high quality of life for residents in Gunnison County.
More than 100 businesses have endorsed GORP.
Did you know...
Western, non-metro counties with more than 30% of their federal lands protected saw the economy grow by 345% from 1970-2010, while the economy of similar counties with no protected federal lands only grew by 83%? Headwaters Economics 2012
Tourism generates more than $10.9 billion annually for Colorado’s economy and supports more than 140,000 jobs. More than 65% of tourists come to Colorado primarily for activities that involve the natural environment. Sonoran Institute 2011
In 2010, per capita income in western non-metropolitan counties with 100,000 acres of protected public lands is on average $4,360 higher than per capita income in similar counties with no protected public lands. Headwaters Economics 2012
Protected public lands help draw in and retain talented workers, entrepreneurs, and companies who choose to live and work in places with outdoor recreation and natural landscapes. Headwaters Economics 2012
GPLI's Business Endorsement
As a business owner or representative, I recognize the crucial role that protected public lands play in the vibrancy of our economy. Colorado’s tourism-based economy is dependent upon our high-quality surrounding public lands that provide some of the best hunting, angling, motorized recreation, skiing, mountain biking, as well as wildlife and wildflower viewing in the country. Our ease of access to healthy rivers, pristine mountains, large networks of backcountry trails, and diverse wildlife habitats are why many people choose to visit, live and work in Gunnison County.
According to a recent study in The Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy, more protected public lands in a county correlates directly to higher employment rates, population growth, and per capita income. In addition, 15 percent of the per capita income in the United States is attributed to protected public lands [1]. Protected public lands also increase the ability to recruit entrepreneurs, attract skilled workforces across a range of industries, and retain higher rates of job growth by attracting well-educated, skilled workers who want the high quality of life that comes from being surrounded by healthy public lands [2].
As business owners or representatives with a diverse range of interests, we sincerely thank Senator Bennet for working with the community at large to explore long-term lands protection for Gunnison County and urging Rep. Boebert and Senator Hickenlooper to support the effort. We appreciate your foresight and recognition of the undeniable connection between a healthy environment and a healthy economy. When the time comes, we will work to support the passage of legislation that will help conserve land, preserve our communities’ character and quality of life and thus ensure a flourishing, rural-mountain economy.