RANGE Magazine, Summer 2013--No Hat, No Cattle

SU13 4.16.q_RANGE template.q 4/16/13 2:34 PM Page 16

NoHat,NoCattle Sally Jewell, Interior’s weekend warrior. By Dave Skinner

ith Ken Salazar, secretary of the Interior Department, resigning from the Obama administration, attention has turned to his suc- Wcessor. Radical environmentalists attempted to petition the selec- tion of their dream candidate, Congressman Raul Grijalva, a Tucson Democrat who recently joined the board of the lawsuit-obsessed Center for Biological Diversity. Cooler heads apparently prevailed. On February 6, the White House announced that Sally Jewell of Seattle was the nominee to be Interior’s next secretary, not the openly extremist Grijalva. British-born Sally Jewell is currently chief executive officer of REI

16 • RANGE MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2013 SU13 4.16.q_RANGE template.q 4/17/13 8:55 AM Page 17

U.S. President Barack Obama announces the book guilt-free “carbon neutral” trips to all In short, natural spaces where customers can nomination of Sally Jewell, CEO of Recreational seven continents. wear out the gear they buy at REI—then buy Equipment Inc., to Interior secretary at the more. White House in Washington on Feb. 6, 2013. Photo © REUTERS/Yuri Gripas The Environmentalist Not surprisingly, after reaching the top at Jewell is as green as REI. Besides being on the REI in 2005, Jewell became politically active, board of regents of her alma mater, the Uni- supporting causes and politicians who could (Recreational Equipment Incorporated), a versity of Washington, Jewell helped found help REI’s bottom line. Among her state- noted outdoor-sports retail chain. Raised in and is immediate past president of the level contributions, mostly small, is $1,000 the eastern Seattle suburb of Renton, she Mountains to Sound Greenway, a 1.5-mil- against the same 2006 property-rights initia- graduated in 1978 from the University of lion-acre greenbelt program on the Interstate tive opposed by cow-hating cardboard- Washington with a degree in mechanical 90 corridor across Snoqualmie Pass. baron Gordon Younger. Federal Elections engineering. After three years in Oklahoma In 2009, Jewell won the Rachel Carson Commission’s records show $42,300 in fed- with Mobil, Jewell returned home to the award from Audubon. Audubon, of course, eral political gifts, all since 2006. Recipients Northwest and a banking position specializ- was Pew Charitable Trusts’ fiscal pass- tend to be green Democrats, including “Wild ing in petroleum finance. In 1996, she was appointed to the board of directors of REI, leaving Washington Not surprisingly, after reaching the top Mutual in 2000 to become REI chief operat- at REI in 2005, Jewell became politically ing officer, then CEO in 2005. Married to Warren Jewell, also an engineer, with two active, supporting causes and politicians grown children, she has climbed Mount who could help REI’s bottom line. Rainier and last year, the 16,000-foot, always bitterly cold Vinson Massif in Antarctica. through for $14 million to gin up “hunter Olympics” supporter Norm Dicks, and new What policies might Jewell emphasize at and angler” support for the Clinton Roadless Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. Jewell also Interior if confirmed as secretary? Initiative. And National Journal reporter maxed out for Obama in 2008, but not in Catherine Hollander speculated in February 2012. The Businesswoman that Jewell might “unite environmentalists But the largest single recipient of Jewell’s REI was founded in 1938 as a buyers’ club and sportsmen.” political money has been the Outdoor for Seattle-area mountaineering enthusiasts, Jewell is also vice chairman of the Industry Association PAC: $11,500. Jewell is basically a hiker’s Sam’s Club. According to National Parks and Conservation Associa- OIAPAC’s biggest individual contributor the Seattle Times, Jewell’s father, a British tion (NPCA), joining its board the same year besides OIA president, Frank Hugelmeyer. anesthesiologist, is REI member #17249. (2005) she became CEO of REI. NPCA, of OIAPAC, of course, is the political arm of the Today, REI claims 4.7 million members who course, has been a primary plaintiff in Boulder, Colo.-based Outdoor Industry pay $20 for a lifetime membership that enti- “regional haze” litigation to regulate (or Association. OIA, in turn, is best known for tles them to a 10 percent dividend (actually a close) coal power plants hundreds of miles its biannual, winter/summer outdoor retail discount) on full-priced items, but in recent from any national park. shows, held in Salt Lake City since 1996, and years, REI has generalized, moved upscale, for biannual threats to Utah Govs. Mike and “greened.” The Political Engineer Leavitt and Gary Herbert to take OIA’s show Jewell currently pulls in about a million But Jewell’s environmentalism has a self- elsewhere—if Utah doesn’t support more dollars a year running the “country’s largest interested and smart business aspect: In a wilderness. consumer cooperative,” a 9,500-employee 2005 article about Jewell’s taking REI’s helm, retailer with revenues of $1.8 billion for Seattle Times reporter Monica Ouchi noted: The Weekend Warrior 2011, clearing $116 million of operating “REI also wants to move the meter on the Both OIA and NPCA have produced profit enabling $99 million in member divi- number of kids who participate in the out- numerous “studies” promoting the econom- dends. REI’s revenues in 2005 were $880 mil- doors. ‘Our competitors are TV, video games, ic importance of outdoor recreation and lion, with $72 million in operating profit. and kids who are overscheduled,’ Jewell said.” tourism. The goal is land policies that would Significantly, REI’s 130-plus stores are In other words, engineer Jewell crunched the exclude other uses that might intrude on the located in large urban markets. For example, spreadsheets available to her as REI’s COO, “outdoor experience” that REI sells. Trouble all 10 of its Washington stores except showing not just profit and loss, but also is, during the five days of the week that REI’s Spokane are safely behind the Cascade Cur- demographic trends of REI’s consumer customers are back in their urban cubicles, tain that protects liberal Seattle from Ameri- base—and her response to those trends those other uses contribute many billions ca. REI’s Nevada outlets are in Reno, helps explain why she is now Obama’s nomi- more overall to rural economies. Henderson and Vegas. Wyoming has no REI nee for secretary of the Interior. But there’s more: REI Foundation was store, nor do most of the plains states. In terms of moving the meter, in 2011 granted $500,000 in 2011 by REI the com- REI helped pioneer “ecotourism.” Since REI reported that it “invested $4.48 million pany. Importantly, $150,000 of that grant 1987, REI has offered “outdoor adventure” [in 330 grants] in national and community- money went to the Outdoor Foundation, travel packages of varying challenge and based nonprofits focused on engaging vol- established by the Outdoor Industry Asso- service levels. For an extra fee, one can even unteers in conserving local natural spaces.” ciation to “be a driving force behind a mas-

SUMMER 2013 • RANGE MAGAZINE • 17 SU13 4.16.q_RANGE template.q 4/16/13 2:34 PM Page 18

sive increase in active outdoor recreation in America.” The politically correct kind, of Some Sour Gas From the Past course. Everest Plus donors to Outdoor Foundation include clothing supplier Captain of lockout, Bruce Babbitt. By Dave Skinner North Face, REI, and the Conservation Fund, which “saves” land by flipping it to ust one day before President Obama codified Babbitt’s last-days bureaucratic the government. nominated Sally Jewell to replace Ken National Landscape Conservation System Coincidence? No...a plan. In 2011, Sally JSalazar as secretary of the Interior, 12- lockout. Jewell had the honor of introducing President years-gone former Secretary Bruce Babbitt But the makeup of Congress shifted in Obama at the White House America’s Great gave a 45-minute policy speech at the 2010, leaving Babbitt to express his unhappi- Outdoors (AGO) conference. As RANGE has National Press Club in Washington, D.C. ness that 30 bills designating another five reported, AGO was created to respond to the Babbitt’s presentation, clearly timed and million wilderness acres failed to pass the problems environmental organizations are aimed for Sally Jewell’s ears, was classic Bab- next Congress—as he put it, the first Con- having recruiting youth. Furthermore, the environmental education entities that pro- vide alternative recruitment pathways are seeing fewer students as schools necessarily focus on the three-R basics. AGO is not about getting young Americans to play out- side. It is targeted more toward recruiting new environmentalists with government

funding. Those so recruited will go either BARDWELL JOHN © into activist groups, or into bringing “suit- able”—meaning urban and preservation- ist—new workers into environmentally corrected federal land-management agencies. But outdoor retailers also stand to bene- fit directly from AGO. REI’s active urban customer base is wealthy, but inevitably aging. Is there any more cost-effective way to ensure a long-term customer base for REI and other outdoor retailers than through a government-funded “Great Outdoors” mar- keting effort? Babbitt was the beauty who brought wolves back to Yellowstone. It cost us all plenty—and still does. No matter what, Sally Jewell is a skilled navigator of corporate bureaucracy, and bitt, the same extreme and imperialistic gress since World War II that did not desig- pretty darn savvy at political engineering, approach that characterized his tenure serv- nate “a single new acre” for parks, too. But her history of involvement with ing President Clinton: 17 million acres of monuments, or wilderness. public-lands issues is primarily that of urban Bureau of Land Management public lands Babbitt was also unhappy that Obama recreational users, who view public lands became national monuments under Antiq- had not used the Antiquities Act to protect strictly as weekend playgrounds. She has uities Act executive orders; and Babbitt him- the subject lands in the failed bills, plus spent all but seven years of her life in the self unilaterally locked up another 10 million another 3.5 million acres listed as possible Puget Sound area, where her father raised acres of BLM land into pseudo-park Nation- monuments in the secret-then-controversial her on weekend escapes to Seattle’s moun- al Landscape Conservation System units— Interior Department “Our Vision, Our Val- tains and salt water. 27 million acres in eight years, most in the ues” memo. Unlike Raul Grijalva, Sally Jewell has no final four. So, what is the former secretary’s solution personal history of being directly or overtly Babbitt, who today enjoys a board seat to all this? First and foremost, he called on hostile to the traditional economic multiple with World Wildlife Fund in his spare time, President Obama to “make vigorous use of uses that sometimes burst the bubble of demanded that “conservation be placed on his executive powers beginning with the weekend escapists. However, she’s never equal ground with energy development.” To Antiquities Act.” Second, Babbitt demanded shown any friendship or interest, either, make his case, Babbitt expressed his angst that Congress and Obama approve full, per- which leaves the question: How will a week- that during Obama’s first term, six million manent funding of the Land & Water Con- end warrior like Sally Jewell manage the rest acres of public lands’ energy leases were servation Fund. Finally, from this point of the week on America’s public lands? matched by only 2.6 million acres “perma- forward he called on the administration to We’ll all find out soon. ■ nently protected.” The protection, of course, declare a policy that for every acre of new came in the 2009 omnibus public-lands bill energy leases on federal lands, an acre of Dave Skinner is waiting for spring to show the that not only designated 2.7 million acres of new, permanent wilderness, park or monu- heck up in fabulous Kalispell, Mont. new wilderness areas, but also legalized and ment be designated. ■

18 • RANGE MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2013