Wild Nevada: Testimonies On Behalf Of The Desert [Paperback]

Roberta Moore (Author), Scott Slovic (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2005

For many people beyond Nevada’s borders, the state is no more than the nation’s desert dumping ground for the storage of horrible things. Others know it only for its hedonistic centers of gambling and entertainment. This scandal belies the extraordinary beauty and wonder of the state’s wilderness areas and the precious natural, aesthetic, and cultural resources to be found there.

In Wild Nevada, editors Roberta Moore and Scott Slovic have assembled twenty-nine writers who know and love the Nevada wilderness to testify on its behalf. Contributors range from literary artists and scholars to environmental and community activists, from leading politicians to ranchers, scientists, and park rangers. Some essays offer observations on the political and philosophical discussions of wilderness that heat up the halls of academia and Congress; others recount moving personal encounters with wild places within Nevada; and still others comment on the ambiguities of preserving wild places through wilderness designation. But despite the eclectic backgrounds of the writers and their varied perspectives on public policy, they are all united in their devotion to the ecological and aesthetic values of Nevada’s threatened wilderness areas. The debate about the fate and value of wild places rages the world over as populations grow and economic development advances into remote areas. The voices here speak for Nevada, but they also speak for the importance of wilderness everywhere and the role that wild places play in enhancing our human lives and spirit. For those who love Nevada, for those who love the world beyond the concrete pavement, Wild Nevada will be thought-provoking and vital reading.

Contributors: Brian Beffort . Peter Bradley . U.S. Senator Richard Bryan . Jon Christensen . Michael P. Cohen . Brent Eldridge . Dave Foreman . Michael Frome . Cheryll Glotfelty . Shaun Griffin . Lilace Mellin Guignard . Corbin Harney . Linda Hussa . Corey Lee Lewis . Robert McGinty . Rebecca Mills . Roberta Moore. Steven Nightingale . K. Alden Peterson . Laura Rainey-Carpenter . U.S. Senator Harry Reid . Robert Leonard Reid . Ann Ronald . Gary Short . Marge Sill . Scott Slovic . Gary Snyder . Patricia Swain . Stephen Trimble . Terry Tempest Williams. Ann Haymond Zwinger

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

"This diverse, and sometimes contradictory, assemblage of perspectives on wilderness in the contemporary American West is appropriate for a state like Nevada that prides itself as a haven for free-thinking and individuality, for urban revelry and utter wilderness solitude. The contributions to this collection were solicited as personal statements—precise viewpoints and topics were not dictated to authors. These lively statements offer readers a glimpse of how contemporary citizens of the American West feel about the idea of wilderness in one of the wildest regions of the lower forty-eight states. Wild Nevada is a significant contribution to public debates and discussions of such current issues of urban sprawl, biodiversity, the ecological impact of mining, the siting of a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, multiple uses of natural resources, the ecological viability of ranching, and indigenous perspectives on wilderness. It is also a demonstration of how literary expression can contribute to public policy formation." Scott Slovic

About the Author

Roberta Moore is an interpretive park ranger at Great Basin National Park in eastern Nevada. She sits on the Eastern Nevada Landscape Coalition Board of Trustees, which is working to restore damaged areas of the eastern Nevada landscape to their natural state.

Scott Slovic is professor of literature and environment at the University of Nevada, Reno. He has published widely on nature writing and ecocriticism and served as founding president of the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment.

Product Details

• Paperback: 172 pages
• Publisher: University of Nevada Press (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874176131
• ISBN-13: 978-0874176131
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,430,938 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A celebration of and a case made for wilderness in Nevada, March 1, 2010

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The Delite Rancher (Phoenix, Arizona) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wild Nevada: Testimonies On Behalf Of The Desert (Paperback)

"Wild Nevada: Testimonies On Behalf Of The Desert" is a collection of essays that promote the expansion of legally protected wilderness areas in the Silver State. The title follows in the footsteps of similarly-minded publications such as "Testimony: Writers of the West Speak on Behalf of Utah Wilderness" and "Arctic Refuge: A Circle of Testimony." As Roberta Moore and Scott Slovic explain, 'wilderness' isn't a notion that most Americans associate with Nevada. This is unfortunate since Nevada is one of the most beautifully wild states in the country. At the same time, she has been slammed with nuclear testing, heavy mining, extensive grazing and designation as the nation's nuclear waste depository. As resident populations grow and resources become scarcer, the editors propose to protect what's left with the creation of wilderness areas. The thirty testimonies come from a broad range of writers including academics, ranchers, politicians and rangers. Naturally, some of the selections resonate more than others. Jon Christensen's 'Nevada: Wilderness or Wasteland' is especially interesting in that it offers the assessments of John Muir. US Senator Richard Bryan shares insights he gained when taking a trip into the Black Rock Desert. The book features many persuasive writings on Yucca Mountain. US Senator Harry Reid once more advocates his home state's natural wonders while touting his accomplishments in wilderness expansion. As an artistically written yet fact filled essay, Reid's 'Blank Spot on the Map' is deeply satisfying. As with Snyder's 'Finding Space in the Heart,' the testimonies actually extend beyond essays to occasionally include poetry. The contributors section offers a useful write-up on each author, illuminating the life experiences that influenced the angle in each essay or poem. Early in "Wild Nevada," many of the writers appeal to the reader's spirituality. This reviewer has always found an appeal to the reader's belief in the supernatural to be a weak argument to get anybody to do anything let alone protect the environment. For the most part, the short essays (most are only a few pages) are informative and interesting opinion pieces. Some essays directly advocate a legal change in land status. Most essays offer bucolic vignettes and personal experiences in Nevada's outback. Those who think of Nevada as a landlock of dead-looking yuckiness should walk away from this book with a better sense of appreciation for the Sagebrush State's flora, fauna and geography. This is after all the goal of the book. There's always the hope that enough little books like "Wild Nevada" will eventually convince people that Nevada is not a wasteland.