'The Eagle Bird: Mapping a New West'
by Charles F. Wilkinson
Pantheon, $20
The spotted owl is only the most recent and prominent symbol of the conflict between man and nature, development and preservation. In "The Eagle Bird," University of Colorado law professor Charles Wilkinson explores the range of legal and political conflicts in the West: water rights, mining rights, Native American land claims and public land use.
Wilkinson writes beautifully, and he explores the nuances of issues often lost in the heat of the struggle. He succeeds in avoiding what has come to characterize much current writing on environmental issues: pejorative labels for opponents ("darker greens," etc.) and strident and emotional mischaracterization of simple facts.
"The Eagle Bird" is a book that should be read by anyone interested in preserving the distinct character of the West. As Wilkinson writes, "By making the right choices now, we can promise (our children and grandchildren) steamy geysers and bright streams and lasting forests and great yellow bears and shadowy wolves and rewarding employment and welcoming communities." And that is a goal on which both loggers and environmentalists can agree.
