Utah: outdoor capital?

Walker said she doesn't have a specific time frame in mind for the task force but wants members to come up with the best recommendations they can. But with the research and analysis the team will be doing, she expects that work to extend at least through her administration.

Such action could go a long way to building trust with the Outdoor Industry Association, said Riley Cutler, shop owner of Wasatch Touring, who welcomed Leavitt to his shop.

"I think they'll look at it as a step in the right direction," Cutler told the Associated Press. "There's been a lot of talk — until something was on paper, there was no commitment. They want to see the proposal in writing."

Last Sunday, the Outdoor Industry Association, the exclusive endorser behind the biggest retail shows in Utah, sent a letter to Leavitt expressing disappointment that nothing has been done since their last talks in August when Leavitt promised to promote recreation and protect wilderness.

In May, the association threatened to move its semiannual trade shows to another state in anger over Leavitt's surprise deal with the Bush administration to cut back on wilderness protection in Utah. At the summer Outdoor Retailer show in August, retailers met with Leavitt and the association board agreed to renew its contract for another year.

The twice-yearly trade shows pump $24 million a year into Utah's economy.

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Contributing: Associated Press

E-mail: terickson@desnews.com

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