A Watershed Moment: The American West in the Age of Limits

The American West is often portrayed as a place of rugged, unending landscapes presenting us with boundless opportunities. But the land is more fragile and resources more finite than popular perceptions acknowledge. This collection of essays, A Watershed Moment, reveals tensions between a culture of economic growth and personal freedom and the ecological, economic, and social constraints set by community values and the land itself. As Westerners and their communities come up against these limits, the volume editors highlight issues of sustainability endemic to the region and to the nation as a whole.

The volume presents practical approaches to land use, land management, and community planning that are motivated by philosophical views on justice, quality of life, and sustainability in the American West. The contributors are policymakers, government employees, land and water managers, urban planners, biologists, tribal members, writers, and academics from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives. The result is a compelling vision of place-based, policy-oriented sustainability across the West.

Robert Frodeman writes on environmental philosophy, science and technology policy, and the future of the university.

Evelyn Brister is a professor of philosophy at Rochester Institute of Technology and works on environmental justice and conservation policy.

Luther Propst is an elected county commissioner in Teton County, Wyoming. He founded the Sonoran Institute in 1991 and served as executive director until 2012.