Review by Choice Review
Rewilding the West is about converting northern Montana cattle ranches into a prairie wildlife reserve, but it is also remarkably more. Environmental journalist/author Manning (Against the Grain, CH, Sep'04, 42-0292; Grassland, CH, Mar'96, 33-3902), who lives in Montana, draws upon his own interviews, a land evaluation by ecologists, and historical literature to connect 3.5 million prairie acres to the environmental history of lands between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains, in order to explain all the land use mistakes of the past and to envision a sustainable future. Faced with the Depression and the Dust Bowl, President Franklin Roosevelt had his administration try bold experiments, both social and environmental. Some of those experiments met short-term needs (jobs) but later evolved into environmental liabilities. Two examples include building a large dam and developing a permit system to allow ranchers to graze cattle on federal land at token fees. Not all mistakes can be rectified (the dam is not being torn down), but a historical perspective enables Manning to envision a future for the land that includes not only more tourism but also commercial hunting of wild buffalo. A provocative book well suited to public policy seminars. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All collections. F. N. Egerton emeritus, University of Wisconsin--Parkside
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
