He challenged me to look at the speakers scheduled during this weekend's events and examine their subjects.
Leafing through the Outdoor Retailer event guide, I counted 19 seminars relating to the business of selling the outdoors and seven that had something to do with protecting or educating about the environment. Because this event is about manufacturers selling to retailers, that ratio seems reasonable. But Perkins questions whether the industry should be doing more to preserve the places where its products are used.
"We're selling stuff, but we're not doing a good job educating people how to take care of the environment or to use products safely," said Perkins, who wants to run for the Outdoor Industry Association's board to push his ideas.
Perkins would be an interesting choice. For one thing, he's a hunter. It's not that most of the manufacturers at the show are anti-hunting. Many just don't understand hunting or recognize the important role anglers and hunters play in preserving the environment.
"I'm not the mainstream guy," he admits. "They see themselves as nonconsumptive users of the outdoors and wildlife. . . . If you are a hunter, you are a consumptive user when you shoot something."
When Perkins tries to enjoy public lands and sees areas closed because of abuse - some are trashed and others are so overused there is little but dust as ground cover - he worries the outdoor industry is not doing enough to educate those who use its gear.
He has similar concerns about product safety. For example, a climbing company might advertise a new ice climbing crampon but not include warnings about safety or detailed instructions on how to use it properly, he said.
What Camp Chef tries to do with most of its products' instructions and tags is include a Leave No Trace message with encouragement to clean up outdoor areas where the company's products are used.
Perkins would like to see every manufacturer include similar message tags. Some might offer safety tips to consider while enjoying the product for the activity for which it was designed. Others might suggest ways to save the environment or to protect a special area. Some could encourage donations to nonprofits with specific outdoor missions.
"We're busy getting products built and on the market," he said. "But we need to teach people how to use products well and tell people how to take care of lands and to get along. If we don't, the public land user is going to get locked out by the BLM or the Forest Service. And where will that leave everybody at Outdoor Retailer?"
wharton@ sltrib.com
