Last Refuge: The Environmental Showdown in Yellowstone and the American West

How can the miners, loggers and ranchers of the Old West come to terms with the New West's tourists, real-estate agents and environmentalists? Robbins, a journalist who writes for the New York Times and Smithsonian magazine, examines critical issues in this conflict. He notes that land use, from mining to building sites to grazing, is regulated by antiquated laws and policies. Robbins's focus is on Yellowstone Park and its surroundings (the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem), but he also addresses problems in other Western states. He discusses water use and the trend to favor cities' needs over farmers'. Robbins looks at ``greenlock'' in our national parks, where overcrowding has excessively burdened facilities and begun to damage the environment. He discusses the social and environmental costs of the growth of Western cities and towns, citing Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Jackson and Dubois, in Wyoming. Urban sprawl is impinging on choice wildlife habitat, yet local officials resist planning and zoning. This is a penetrating analysis of the Western problem, a companion volume to Charles Wilkinson's Crossing the Next Meridian . (Aug.)