From Booklist
Where interest in the environment and the West are strong, this collection of 18 essays from two symposia at the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources, and the Environment of the University of Utah's School of Law will appeal to readers. Contributors are federal and state government technicians; academics in history, law, and science; activists; and writers (Stegner's son Page opens the book, and essays by two of his literary heirs--William Kittredge and Terry Tempest Williams--close it). Essay subjects include the search for an effective "ethic of place" for the West; recognizing the need to integrate people and ecosystems; restoration (rather than conservation or preservation) of land and wildlife; sustainability on the Colorado plateau; efforts to restore wolves and grizzly bears in the northern Rockies; and livestock raising in the Great Basin. Because the West contains most of the U.S.' open land, it is inevitably the center of conflict on critical environmental issues; these essays hint some westerners are moving beyond stale ideological dichotomies to seek new forms of environmental consensus. Mary Carroll
From the Author
This volume represents an edited compilation of symposium presentations and reflects the Stegner Center's commitment to promoting better understanding and dialogue among those concerned with the West's future. Drawing upon Wallace Stegner's writings for inspiration and insight, the essays [in this collection] explore critical issues that confront Westerners today. Stegner's timeless observations on community, place, geography, and wildness provide the unifying themes, which are examined from a contemporary perspective. While the West is clearly experiencing significant change, Stegner's work affords a firm basis for comprehending the past and anticipating the future. Representing such diverse disciplines as literature, history, science, economics, law, and policy, the authors bring their talent and personal experience to bear on today's West. Through this interdisciplinary exploration, the volume presents thought-provoking ideas on how to surmount the West's persistent conflicts to achieve the unitary society that Stegner envisioned--one that matches its scenery. The hope is that the collective ideas will serve as a catalyst in stimulating public dialogue and understanding of the complex issues now confronting the West.
