Mountain Pursuit Criticizes Sen. Barrasso for Helping Public Land "Self Promoters" with his FILM Act

By Mountain Pursuit

"We're not sure you understand the incredible negative effects on caused by overcrowding on communities, recreational activities, wildlife, and the natural places caused when social media "influencers," multi-media companies, bloggers and other self promoters post locational information on social media websites and the internet," wrote Mountain Pursuit Founder, Rob Shaul, to Wyoming Senator John Barrasso last week. 

Sen. Barrasso has introduced the "Federal Interior Land Media (FILM)" Act in the US Senate. Barrasso's FILM act would eliminate federal permit requirements for film crews under 10 people.

In comments to the Jackson Hole Daily, Barrasso said he wanted to help people "share their adventures" with the legislation. 

"We're not sure you understand that many of the social media influencers and self promoters don't post film and photos to social media to "share their adventures" as you told the Jackson Hole Daily. 

"Rather, these self-promoters are filming this content with the specific intent to monetize it via subscriptions, product sales, sponsorships, etc. These are sophisticated media manipulators will- ing to over-promote and ruin special places and unique outdoor activities to make a buck. In every sense of the word they are commercial enterprises filming on federal land and should pay for commercial filming permits accordingly," wrote Shaul. 

"Multiple locally-known hunting places in Wyoming have been publicized by hunting self-promotors and their YouTube channels, leading to overcrowding, ruining the good hunting and causing to resource destruction from overuse," Shaul continued. 

"Hunting isn't alone in being negatively affected by self-promoters and social media posts. Members of Mountain Pursuit are multi-sport mountain athletes, and we've seen overcrowding in mountain biking, backpacking, backcountry skiing and lift-assisted skiing all driven by the self- promoting, social media influencers your bill would benefit."

Shaul and Mountain Pursuit urged Sen. Barrasso, rather than making it easier for self-promoters to ruin natural place, "make it harder." 

Copied below is the text of the letter Mountain Pursuit sent to Sen. Barrasso:

*******************

June 15, 2021
To: Senator John Barasso 

Fm: Rob Shaul, President, Mountain Pursuit, Inc. (501)(c)(3) 

Subj: Our Opposition to the Federal Interior Land Media (FILM) Act 

Dear Sen. Barasso, 

My name is Rob Shaul, I'm a fifth generation Wyomingite and founder of Mountain Pursuit, a western-state hunting advocacy 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Jackson. 

We were disappointed to read about your introduction of the Federal Interior Land Media Act (FILM Act) in the May 29th edition of the Jackson Hole Daily. 

We're not sure you understand the incredible negative effects on caused by overcrowding on communities, recreational activities, wildlife, and the natural places caused when social media "influencers," multi-media companies, bloggers and other self promoters post locational informa- tion on social media websites and the internet. 

Also, we're not sure you understand that many of the social media influencers and self promoters don't post film and photos to social media to "share their adventures" as you told the Jackson Hole Daily. 

Rather, these self-promoters are filming this content with the specific intent to monetize it via subscriptions, product sales, sponsorships, etc. These are sophisticated media manipulators will- ing to over-promote and ruin special places and unique outdoor activities to make a buck. In every sense of the word they are commercial enterprises filming on federal land and should pay for commercial filming permits accordingly. 

We work primarily in the hunting space, and the over-promoters in this space via their YouTube videos, podcasts, photos, etc. have over-promoted and over-glorified western-state hunting lead- ing to a backlash west-wide, including Wyoming, from resident hunters. Multiple locally-known hunting places in Wyoming have been publicized by hunting self-promotors and their YouTube channels, leading to overcrowding, ruining the good hunting and causing to resource destruction from overuse. 

Earlier this year we published a list of the Top 25 Western Hunting Self-Promoters and are work- ing to expose these individuals not as hunters, but rather as social-media savvy opportunists working hard hard to monetize their Instagram and other posts. 

Self-promoting celebrity hunters and social media "influencers" glorify western big game hunt- ing to increase hype and boost sales. This results in increased hunting pressure on western-state public lands. They value money from nonresident hunters over maintaining uncrowded, quality hunting experiences for western-state resident hunters. 

Hunting at its core is about seeing, not about being seen. Cameras, microphones and film crews violate this true spirit of hunting, increase hunting pressure, turn non-hunters into anti-hunters, and threaten the future of western-state hunting. 

Your proposed FILM Act would benefit many of these individuals. 

Hunting isn't alone in being negatively affected by self-promoters and social media posts. Mem- bers of Mountain Pursuit are multi-sport mountain athletes, and we've seen overcrowding in mountain biking, backpacking, backcountry skiing and lift-assisted skiing all driven by the self- promoting, social media influencers your bill would benefit. 

In 2019, The New Republic published a story, "How Instagram Ruined the Great Outdoors: So- cial media influencers have helped turn public lands into tourist-infested swamps." This story gets at the heart of the issue, which is only exacerbated by YouTube videos of "adventures." The Jackson Hole News & Guide has run similar stories of the negative impact of influencers and so- cial media on nearby public lands because of overcrowding. Many locals in Jackson now won't ski at the resort or backcountry ski from Teton Pass because of the crowds of the people led to these places by social media influencers. 

Rather than making it easier for these self-promotors to film on public lands, we strongly suggest you do the opposite to protect these public lands and the Wyomingites who use them - and make it harder. 

Increase the permitting fees, and add in language which prevents film makers from filming any- thing which will identify the exact backcountry location in the footage. 

To be clear, these self-promoters are doing it for the money they hope to earn from subscriptions, product sales or sponsorships - they are not innocently "filming their adventures." Many are large, commercial, sophisticated, multi-media companies or savvy social media-influencers out to monetize their video. Make them pay for it.  

Respectfully, 

Rob Shaul, Founder
rob@mtnpursuit.org