"The outdoor economy is an important way that we create economic benefit from public land—there's that oft-quoted $1 in every park creates $10 for local communities—but these places aren't just money-makers. They're also part of the fabric of what it means to be an American. They're a real gold mine both culturally and economically," says Lown-Hecht. "There's definitely a lot of really compelling policy arguments for why we should keep public land public, but I think another thing the [outdoor] industry doesn't always look at right away is that these places are our heritage as a country. We own them collectively. You own them. I own them. Why would you give that up?"

