University Press of Colorado, 1998, John A. Baden, contributing author and editor (with Karl Hess, Jr.).Available through Amazon Books.

Second Edition, Indiana University Press, 1998, John A. Baden, contributing author and editor (with Douglas S. Noonan). This is a new edition of a pioneering work on the origins, developments, and recent innovations in the debate on managing commonly-owned lands and resources. It includes both new and updated essays which focus on alternate institutional approaches […]

The Christmas decorations adorning our streets and shops give multiple messages. All are intended to be cheerful but they cause some minor anguish by reminding us of the necessity of gifts. We all have friends and relatives for whom it’s hard to buy. What can I get someone who has everything or the ability to […]

The recent budget deal and mid-term elections show why Republicans continue to take a beating. Despite their purported ideology of limited government, Republicans kowtow to special interests favoring crass exploitation of public resources. They are silent when profitable private acts have negative public consequences, for example former Senator Lauch Faircloth’s hog farms in North Carolina. […]

It’s time for some good news about America. By historical standards, the vast majority of Americans are exceedingly well off. This is important because richer is healthier, safer – and more environmentally sensitive. We have greatly improved environmental quality since the first Earth Day. However, the easy problems have been solved. More complex issues of […]

The West has long considered natural resource industries – logging, mining, and ranching – as economic keystones. Westerners have relied upon the federal “landlord” for substantial economic benefits. The world’s largest system of water diversions and network of forest access roads (eight times the mileage of the U.S. interstate highway system) testify to their success. […]

“The data is overwhelming,” said University of Montana professor Paul Polzin. “There is no correlation between growth and amenities.” Economist Myles Watts of Montana State University laments that mining, factory, and timber jobs are “the sort of jobs that will lift the standard of living for a county or even an entire state.” These comments […]

Island Press, June, 1997, John A. Baden, contributing author and editor (with Donald Snow).  Contact FREE to purchase.

Forest conservationists have a love-hate relationship with the Forest Service. Created to protect Western forests from the dangers of irresponsible private sector management, the Forest Service promised an efficient, responsive, and scientific approach. But things didn’t turn out that way. Despite the rhetoric of “multiple use”, political planning prevailed. That process encouraged, and often forced, […]

Forest conservationists have a love-hate relationship with the Forest Service. Created to protect Western forests from the dangers of irresponsible private sector management, the Forest Service promised an efficient, responsive, and scientific approach. But things didn’t turn out that way. Despite the rhetoric of “multiple use”, political planning prevailed. That process encouraged, and often forced, […]