This Sovereign Land
Subtitle: A New Vision For Governing The West
Edition: 1 edition
Publisher: Island Press
Published: June 1, 2001
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 224
ISBN-13: 9781559638425
Subjects: American studies; Management of land & natural resources; POLITICS & GOVERNMENT; West (U.S.); Nature/Ecology; Land use, Rural; Political Science; Politics / Current Events; Public lands; USA; Western & Pacific Coast states; History & Theory - General; Natural Resources; Public Policy - Regional Planning; Political Science / Public Policy; Land Use; Environmental aspects; Management
First sentence: Mandated by the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to increase the number of grizzly bears in the northern Rocky Mountains, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the 1980s identified the Selway-Bitterroot region of Idaho and Montana as one of the few remaining areas big enough and wild enough to sustain a viable population of the wide-ranging, civilization-averse animals.
Description: "In This Sovereign Land, Daniel Kemmis offers a radical new proposal for keeping public lands public but shifting their jurisdiction from nation to region. Kemmis, a leading western Democrat and committed environmentalist, argues against those who wish to privatize the public lands. He offers a regional approach that takes into account natural topographical and ecological features, directed by local residents with a vested interest in ensuring the sustainability of their communities.

In effect, Kemmis carries John Wesley Powell's recommendations to their logical conclusion." "Throughout, Kemmis argues that the West no longer needs to be protected against itself by a paternalistic system and makes a compelling case that the time has come for the region to claim sovereignty over its own landscape. This Sovereign Land provides a provocative opening to a discussion about how democracy and ecological sustainability can go hand in hand."--BOOK JACKET.