A Wallace Stegner Center Green Bag

The American West has long been seen as a place of rugged landscapes presenting endless opportunities. But the land is more fragile and resources more finite than popular perceptions admit.

We are presenting a volume of essays, A Watershed Moment, that explores tensions between a culture of economic growth and personal freedom and the ecological, economic, and social constraints set by community values and the land itself. The book examines practical approaches to land use, land management, and community planning rooted in philosophical views on justice, quality of life, and sustainability in the American West. The result is a compelling vision of place-based, policy-oriented sustainability across the West.

Our presentations focus on what the management of water resources demonstrates about how communities and environmental systems are dealing with the implications of growth, development, and climate change