2015
More Than a Job Patagonia ambassadors take their personal concerns public
Forrest Shearer
Dylan Tomine
For snowboarder and Patagonia Ambassador Forrest
Fighting for wild fish with words was never part of the plan
Shearer the equation is simple: “The more time I spend
for writer, fly fisherman and Patagonia ambassador Dylan
in the mountains, the more I want to protect them as places
Tomine. “I’m a reluctant conservationist. Prior to the year
I love.” He discovered this fundamental theorem through
2000, it had never occurred to me to spend one second
the physical intuition of split-boarding—using a snowboard
of my life trying to save anything.” Unless, of course, you count saving money to chase wild
that can physically be split lengthwise, worn like cross-country skis to move on snow under human power, then reassembled
steelhead. For that, he spent every spare second—and every
for a fixed-stance snowboard descent. “I think it comes
cent in his pocket—traveling up and down the West Coast
naturally; having an open mind and rethinking the way you
and everywhere else that steelhead live. Dylan got the wake-up call in 2000, when his beloved
do things, having less of an impact on your surroundings.” Concerned by both the short- and long-term conse
March/April fishery on Puget Sound rivers near his home
quences of global climate change, Forrest uses the
in Seattle was shut down, a result of declining wild steelhead
immediately observable consequence of diminished
numbers. Having a shot at a 20-pound steelhead after work,
snowpack as a focal point for rallying the snow sports
he says, “was a luxury I took for granted.” Out of that visceral
community both at home in Salt Lake City, Utah, and around
loss arose the necessity of doing something. A writer by trade, he now speaks out in print and in
the world. “Right now I’m supporting The POW (Protect Our Winters) Rider’s Alliance—a community of professional
person against short-sighted hatchery programs and other
athletes committed to environmental leadership and helping
issues that prevent wild fish populations from recovering.
inspire and motivate others to make a difference.” Using
With wild steelhead in Puget Sound now at about 2 percent
sport to reach the next-generation activist is nothing new
of their historic numbers, and the negative influence of
to Forrest, who is involved with a variety of outreach efforts,
hatcheries and development continuing, Dylan sometimes
including Surfers for Cetaceans (inspired by his roots in
feels like “this lonely guy in the middle of nowhere, shouting
coastal Southern California surf and skate culture), 1% for
into the wind.” Yet he remains in the fight, because, as he
the Planet and The Wilderness Society.
says, “there’s really no other choice.”
Climate change is hurting his sport and the mountains he loves, so snowboarder Forrest Shearer is speaking up. photo: Andrew Miller
Author/angler Dylan Tomine says he sometimes feels like “this lonely guy in the middle of nowhere, shouting into the wind,” on behalf of native fish. photo: Tim Pask
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