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Federal Land, Western Anger: The Sagebrush Rebellion and Environmental Politics
In 1979 the Nevada state legislature passed a bill providing for state control of certain lands within the state boundaries under the administration of the Bureau of Land Management. Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming immediately followed suit. Public land users reacted swiftly and the Sagebrush Rebellion was on.
Westerners, driven by the sheer size of the federal estate (99 percent of BLM lands are located in twelve western states) and angered by what they perceived as undue influence by the environmental movement on federal policies, sought to protect and control the resource and recreational use of public lands that they deemed essential to their state economies.
In this book, R. McGreggor Cawley objectively investigates the Rebellion, looking at the driving force behind the movement, the strategies used by the Rebels, and the consequences of the controversy. He examines how the definitions of key federal land management concepts, such as conservation, influenced policymaking and explores tensions that pitted the West against other regions and the federal government.
In the process, he analyzes James Watt's beleaguered tenure as secretary of the interior and the Reagan administration's proposal to sell federal lands and shows how the conflict created an unexpected division within the environmental movement.
Going beyond the Rebellion, Cawley offers provocative interpretation of events in federal land policy from the 1960s to the 1990s and establishes a framework for assessing future developments in federal land policy.
Westerners, driven by the sheer size of the federal estate (99 percent of BLM lands are located in twelve western states) and angered by what they perceived as undue influence by the environmental movement on federal policies, sought to protect and control the resource and recreational use of public lands that they deemed essential to their state economies.
In this book, R. McGreggor Cawley objectively investigates the Rebellion, looking at the driving force behind the movement, the strategies used by the Rebels, and the consequences of the controversy. He examines how the definitions of key federal land management concepts, such as conservation, influenced policymaking and explores tensions that pitted the West against other regions and the federal government.
In the process, he analyzes James Watt's beleaguered tenure as secretary of the interior and the Reagan administration's proposal to sell federal lands and shows how the conflict created an unexpected division within the environmental movement.
Going beyond the Rebellion, Cawley offers provocative interpretation of events in federal land policy from the 1960s to the 1990s and establishes a framework for assessing future developments in federal land policy.
208 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 14, 2025
Holy moly. Super dense book but super thoroughly researched and seemingly unbiased in my relatively little knowledge of the Sagebrush Rebellion.
Every part of this book is informative and helps develop a narrative of a relatively obscure “rebellion” (to this northeasterner) which had long lasting impacts on the interpretation of public land policy, ideas of conservation, and the evolution of environmental interest groups. Read it if you’re into federal lands and environmental politics or just if you want to know more about changing notions in environmental advocacy. Read it if you need to learn how disruptive Reagan was to the old environmental political system. Wow
Every part of this book is informative and helps develop a narrative of a relatively obscure “rebellion” (to this northeasterner) which had long lasting impacts on the interpretation of public land policy, ideas of conservation, and the evolution of environmental interest groups. Read it if you’re into federal lands and environmental politics or just if you want to know more about changing notions in environmental advocacy. Read it if you need to learn how disruptive Reagan was to the old environmental political system. Wow
April 1, 2014
This is an absolutely fantastic book - insightful, full of details and yet concise - a very difficult combination. Definitely read this if you are interested in public land policy and/or the Sagebrush Rebellion. It's packed full of information.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews