We told you last week that Utah is shaking in its hiking boots that Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper is trying to lure away the twice annual Outdoor Retailer trade show from Utah. Now Conservation Colorado has his back.

It seems some of the industry titans who produce outdoor gear aren’t crazy about the way some of the politicians from the Beehive State see public lands, with a tilt toward local management and economic development.

Today Colorado’s chief public lands advocacy organization, Conservation Colorado is joining the fray to wrest away the trade show each January and July.

The show’s Salt Lake City contract is up next year, and the show’s director, Marisa Nicholson, said organizers are looking around.

“Key criteria that we will evaluate include facilities, hotels, transportation, labor costs and the degree to which the host city aligns with our industry’s core values,” she said, meaning a commitment to outdoor recreation.

“We’d like to stress we have not made a decision to leave Salt Lake City. This said, we believe it is important to evaluate our location options to ensure Outdoor Retailer is hosted in the best city and venue that will serve our customers’ unique culture and diverse business needs across multiple market segments.”

Conservation Colorado’s campaign to woo away the show starts with ads in the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News pitching Colorado’s “stronger beer, taller peaks, ‘higher’ recreation, and, most importantly, a deep commitment to public lands.”

“Higher,” get it? You can bet the energy bar and Patagonia crowd get it.

“There’s no better place than Colorado when it comes to protection and stewardship of our public lands,” Pete Maysmith, Conservation Colorado’s executive director, said in a statement.

“From embracing our newest national monuments, to being the first state to establish a holiday to celebrate our lands, to soundly defeating eight bills in our state legislature that would have turned our lands over to private interests, we fully recognize the myriad benefits that public lands bring to our state and to the nation.”

Conservation Colorado said the trade show generates about $45 million in direct spending each year.

Beyond newspaper ads and digital efforts, Conservation Colorado’s said it would work enlist the state’s outdoor businesses and tourism associations to help make the case for Colorado.