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We kicked off the camping season in style at our 5th annual HESTIVAL at Big B’s Delicious Orchards in Hotchkiss, Colorado where we dedicated the entire weekend to public lands in partnership with The Conservation Alliance and Western Slope Conservation Center.
If you want to dive deeper into all the advocacy, education, fundraising and awarness-building that took place at HESTIVAL, check out our recent blog post about how HESTIVAL showed up for public lands.
Thanks to the support of our incredible brand partners- including Pact Outdoors, Miir, DM Vans, KÜHL, ZipFit, Radica, Highcamp Flasks and Bivouac Coffee - we raised more than $27,000 to support public lands. Those funds will help our nonprofit partners continue their critical work both locally through Western Slope Conservation Center and nationally through The Conservation Alliance.
Following HESTIVAL, our team headed to Overland Expo West, where we teamed up with Backcountry Hunters & Anglers to share a booth and help spread awareness around the incredible conservation work they’re doing in the hunting and angling communities.
Then, immediately after Overland Expo, I flew to Washington D.C. for The Conservation Alliance’s annual Fly-In meetings.
Over the course of three days, conservation leaders, nonprofit organizations, professional athletes and outdoor industry brands came together for policy education, lobby training, and meetings with members of Congress and Senate. Since I was there representing HEST, a Washington-based company with customers and employees deeply connected to the American West, I had the opportunity to advocate directly for the protection of public lands and waters that are essential to both our business and our way of life.
To be honest, I arrived in D.C. with a lot of despair. Like many people right now, I felt overwhelmed watching the constant attacks on public lands protections, environmental policy, and conservation funding. Walking into rooms filled with larger, more established brands was intimidating, too. As a small ( but mighty!) emerging brand, I wondered if our voice would really matter.
But by the end of the week, I left with a lot more hope.
What I realized is that advocacy is ultimately about human connection, just like the HESTIVAL experience. It’s about showing up, sharing your brand + personal story, and building bridges around shared values. It didn’t matter that HEST is smaller than some of the other brands in the room. What mattered was authentically communicating why public lands matter to our business, our community, and our customers.
America is built on small businesses, just like HEST. The outdoor industry alone contributes more than $1.3 trillion to the U.S. economy, and businesses of all sizes have a responsibility to speak up for the places that make our work possible.
At HEST, we would not exist without our customers having access to public lands.
Access to well-managed public lands and waters matters deeply to us because wild places provide something increasingly rare today: space to slow down. In an overstimulated and disconnected world, nature gives people the opportunity to reconnect, restore their nervous systems, gain perspective, and experience peace.
That’s not just good for the outdoor industry - it’s good for society, and it’s something worth protecting for future generations.
One of many major topics we discussed throughout the week was the importance of protecting the Roadless Rule, which safeguards more than 45 million acres of national forest lands across the United States. These intact wild landscapes are critical for protecting watersheds, wildlife habitat, cultural and historical heritage, recreation access, and the character of the American West itself.
Another major takeaway: elections matter.
Primaries matter. Midterms matter. Local elections matter.
If public lands matter to you, do your research and show up to the polls. More than 85% of Americans support protecting public lands. It’s a deeply shared American value. We are the majority.
And our voices matter.
As a brand, we believe business can be a force for good. We believe companies should stand up for the landscapes that sustain their communities, their customers, and their industries. In between helping people find more comfort outdoors and a better night’s sleep outside, HEST will continue doing our best to keep our community informed on these issues.
May reminded me that advocacy doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful. You just have to show up. And at HEST, we’ll continue showing up for public lands.
We are eternally grateful for the nonprofit organizations in the conservation space who keep us informed on all the latest issues, shout out to The Conservation Alliance, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and Protect Our Winters.
May reminded me that advocacy doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful. You just have to show up. And at HEST, we’ll continue showing up for public lands.
