Western Public Lands and Environmental Politics
"A very comprehensive, readable, and informed survey that provides readers with a thorough understanding of the major Western public land policies and their environmental implications. The analysis of the environmental issues is thorough and balanced, with sensitivity to conflicting viewpoints and to the historical development of the issues. This is an excellent book for classroom use and a valuable addition to any library concerned with Western land policy and related environmental issues." --Walter Rosenbaum, University of Florida"Americans are struggling over how to manage the public legacy of parks, forests, and rangelands, and even whether to divest themselves of these lands. This collection offers much-needed theoretical perspectives on the politics of federal lands, analyzing the struggle in terms of interest group dynamics, bureaucratic models, and political history. The contributors give us an up-to-date look at several federal land issues. The volume is both encouraging and sobering. It shows that political scientists have a good grasp of the enduring social forces affecting public land policy, but the reader can reasonably conclude that political tensions over federal land issues will remain unresolved well into the next century. Federal land managers, often stuck between local interests and national goals, will appreciate its insights on governance. I look forward to using it in my classes." --William E. Riebsame, University of Colorado at Boulder"The politics associated with the development of public lands in the American West has always made for a fascinating story laced with intrigue, unique personalities, and battles between institutions. Recent changes in the demography of the West, interest group organization, concepts of federalism, and fiscal possibilities suggest that this story will evolve through significant changes in politics and policy. It is important to have a thorough understanding of the forces opposing and promoting change. In focusing on the last thirty years of this history, Western Public Lands and Environmental Politics presents a readable and thorough program-by-program review of federal policy and politics and provides both students and decisionmakers an ability to understand the context of the current debate." --Steven L. Yaffee, University of Michigan