Tony and the Cows: A True Story from the Range Wars [Paperback]

Will Baker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2001

In 1995 Will Baker traveled to California�s Trinity River to write a magazine piece on the annual Earth First! Rendezvous. There he met activists, students, mystics, freaks, witches, troubadours, guerrilla poets, and visionaries�among them a passionate defender of the Southwest desert named Tony Merten, a former officer in the Rio Grande chapter of the Sierra Club. The two struck up a friendship and debated vigorously their views on matters environmental. One issue in particular roused them: the increasingly hot controversy over the century-old practice of allowing ranchers to graze livestock on public lands for a nominal fee.

Seven months later Tony Merten, who made his New Mexico ranch a habitat for wildlife, shot himself to death while under suspicion in the criminal investigation of the wanton shooting of thirty-four cows and calves. The tale of Tony and the cows leads us�inevitably, in Baker�s account�to a reassessment of the roots of contemporary eco-philosophy in all its manifestations: the Animal Rights movement, Deep Ecology, technophobia, and the fashionable tributaries of Native American and Eastern thought. Baker�s implication is obvious and urgent: we cannot preserve �Nature� until we understand, accept, and deal with human nature.

This book delivers a jolt of that truth, and it invites readers to begin a tough reassessment of our environmental crisis.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Former Sierra Club officer Tony Merten, who made his New Mexico ranch a habitat for wildlife, shot himself to death without explanation in 1996 while under suspicion in the criminal investigation of the wanton shooting of 34 cows and calves. Baker, essayist and novelist, wrests from this unsolved case a crackling mystery, a jolting ecoparable and an extended meditation on humanity's relationship to the planet. He uses the case as a springboard to examine the long-running controversy over whether Western ranchers should continue to receive grazing permits on public lands. Baker attempts to steer a middle course between grassroots activists who advocate a sweeping ban on such permits and ranchers who regard long-term leasing of public rangelands as a permanent, indispensable base for their livelihoods and lifestyle. Much of the book is a pointed critique of what Baker calls the radical wing of the environmental movement, which he accuses of dubious thinking, apocalyptic sermonizing and romantic clinging to a fantasy of reborn humanity living in harmony with wild nature. Taking aim broadly at EarthFirst!ers, green activists, deep ecologists, Theodor Roszak, Jeremy Rifkin and others, he draws disturbing (some would say outrageous) parallels between their demonization of technocivilization and Unabomber Ted Kaczynski's yearning for close-knit rural tribal community. Baker's recognition that we face an eco-crisis makes his tough-minded, philosophically grounded critique worthwhile; it will challenge environmentally minded readers to rethink and fortify their positions.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Publisher

It's a pleasure to recommend writing as good as Will Baker's. Of the writers whose work I have personally had a chance to publish, I rank him right up there with Norman Maclean, William Stafford, and Wallace Stegner. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: University of New Mexico Press (August 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826323308
• ISBN-13: 978-0826323309
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,139,663 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Henry David Thoreau---Read this Book!, May 15, 2001

By 

Pamela C. Ronald (davis, ca USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tony and the Cows: A True Story from the Range Wars (Hardcover)

This book explores what happens if you take envrionmental zeal to the extreme, while also laying out the reasons why caring for the earth is a critical concern. The author is looking for a middle way between thoughtless corporate resource extraction and armed assaults by protectors of nature. His story is about a local Sierra Club president and loner, who, based on the evidence available, decides to shoot 32 cows grazing on public land in New Mexico in an effort to rid the landscape of exotic species. Mr. Baker explores the literary and societal roots of environmental activism and the development of the view of "nature" prevalent in our society. There are so many actions being taken today that reflect the conflict between our consumer culture and the preservation of the natural world. Deciding how resources are to be used is essential to our survivial and this book looks very closely and very critically at the issue. It is a mind opener, and could certainly offend true believers on both sides. A must read for our times.