Bozeman is growing rapidly — no surprise there. This both excites and concerns residents. I grew up here, and like many others, want Bozeman to handle growth successfully. I am now in Oregon for college. Portland has some of the nation’s most aggressive “smart growth” policies. Among other things, these aim to increase housing density […]
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Many of my friends express concern at the rapid economic growth of China and India (9.9 and 8.4 percent annually, respectively). They fear the environment will suffer greatly if all these people adopt an American lifestyle. Since the Earth’s natural resources (e.g., timber, fossil fuels, and minerals) are limited, aren’t there natural limits to growth? […]
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Fundamentalists are people who believe they are God’s chosen people with a monopoly on Truth. Fundamentalism has attracted millions of adherents for centuries. Relying on revelations from God, it elevates, it comforts, and it offers meaning and direction to those lost when uncertainty and ambiguity reign. However, lives are lost when fundamentalists seek the coercive […]
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Here’s a key to understanding national politics. Politicians are rewarded when they advance policies with immediate benefits and distant costs. Under current arrangements, oil exploration and development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) fails this test. Yet, last week a page one feature in the Wall Street Journal, “Influence Market”, lead with the statement […]
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Ecology is the study of the relationship between an organism and its environment, for example beaver in aspen meadows. One underlying question is “how does it earn its living”. There is also an ecology of organizations and the question is the same: How does an organization relate to and gain sustenance from its environment? Let’s […]
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With prices of oil near $35 per barrel and natural gas above $5 per million BTU, the debate over development versus the preservation of natural landscapes has re-erupted. Think of the oil lying under Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as a huge electromagnet energized as the price of crude goes up. A year ago, […]
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Last month around Montana the U.S. Forest Service held public meetings on their proposal to prohibit road construction in the remaining unroaded areas of the national forests. Many rural westerners are highly critical of the proposal. Their protests echo the Indians Ghost Dance ceremonies of the late 1800s which attempted to bring back the buffalo. […]
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The fire which burned out of control from Bandelier National Monument and destroyed 260 homes near and in Los Alamos, New Mexico is a story of virtue leading to monstrous vice. A conjunction of ecological and economic understanding explains the tragic connections among humans, nature, and wildfires. With a thin snow pack, low soil moisture, […]
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“People have come to understand that water is like gold in Montana – better, really, because gold runs out and streams flow forever, if you treat them right.” Datus Proper “Space,” from Writers on the Range, A book from Gallatin Writers, 1998 Each summer I switch from moving pixels on computer screens to moving pipes […]
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Picture a map of the U.S. Identify those places with bountiful natural amenities, e.g., great views with expanses of open space, easily accessible waters, mountains, forests, and wildlife. Next consider recreational opportunities including hiking trails, ski areas, parks, and blue-ribbon fisheries. Eliminate from your map those places with high pollution, congestion, and crime. Likewise, scratch […]
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