406LIFE
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2016
- Messages
- 3,112
This is a great little book for anyone wanting to know the history of how we preserved/conserved places in Montana, details in the process, and what it will take to do more.
Along the way if you listen to the conversations of the old timers you will hear pieces of the battles fought for wild spaces in Montana. This book gives you the play by play from those that were there in the trenches. There was significant political wrangling that shows just how difficult it can be to achieve conservation through the political system. The authors don't leave out names or redact reactions when sharing interactions with senators and politicians. When we see how others carried the burdens for us, recreating in wild spaces holds a deeper significance.
The first section is first hand accounts of what it took save places like the Bob, AB, and the Scapegoat. Frankly, you could buy the book just for this section if you wanted and it would be worth the price. Jim Posewitz, of The Dam That Never Was fame, recounts the conservation history of Montana prior to our territory and statehood all the way into his personal battles. Unsung conservation heroes finally get a mention in our state's history.
The rest of the book, not a small thing with over 300 pages, has personal accounts of being in certain places or the impacts they have had.
One of the best reasons to pick up the book is is published locally in Stevensville by Stoneydale Press. You can pick it up on Amazon, but get it for the same price directly from them. The owner is the editor of Wild Land Ethic and a contributor as well.
