Finding Common Ground: Governance and Natural Resources in the American West

This is a nice discussion of community based initiatives (stakeholder groups) for solving intractable environmental problems. The case of the Quincy Library Group is particularly fascinating, but I haven't read all four cases yet. The intro and closing chapters by Ron Brunner present a theoratical discussion of what we can and need to learn from community-based efforts to come to grips with environmental problems in the western United States, where environmental politics is often polarized. These groups seem to have been successful at bringing together opposing interests in communities throughout the west; and movign away froma desire to exploit or protect everything to a discussion of sustainable management strategies. Yet they have also been criticized by environmentalists for their susceptibility to parochial interests of communities in affected areas; and to influence by resource extractors. The environmental NGO's, for their part, seem too often willing to oppsoe everything without ever really addressing management questions (shall we simply export all our environmentally destrcutive industries?). Corporations, on the other hand, are too often willing to come to the table and act reasonably when they see no other choice. Can local stakeholder groups bridge the gap? Science aids understanding, but is both uncertain and unable to answer questions of what we value. Worth reading.