Review of Ranching West of the IOOth Meridian: Culture, Ecology, and Economics Edited by Richard L. Knight, Wendell C. Gilgert, and Ed Marston

Authors

Ann Hild, University of Wyoming

Date of this Version

Spring 2004

Comments

Published in Great Plains Research Vol. 14, No. 1, 2004. Copyright © 2004 The Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Used by permission.

Abstract

Ranching West of the l00th Meridian provides a diverse array of perceptions of ranching in western states. The authors of its seventeen essays describe ranching culture, ecology, and economics, while omitting extremist approaches to western land management. Intentionally absent are the preservationists who suggest removing ranching from western rangelands and those who would remove all land from the public domain. This selection attempts to unite concerned users of western lands and to present in a fair way less vocal western land stewards, the "radical center." What remains is a refreshing variety of authors committed to sustainable rangeland use that includes ranching. The volume should have great appeal to natural resource managers, conservationists, and anyone who has considered the changing face of wildland use. Its honesty reveals the heartfelt tie of western residents to land, animals, and the environment.