Westward in Eden

Westward in Eden: The Public Lands and the Conservation Movement traces the contested history of America’s vast federal lands and the political, cultural, and legal battles that have shaped their fate. Written against the backdrop of the late 1970s and early 1980s, the book situates public land policy at the heart of the nation’s environmental movement, highlighting how the United States alternately wasted, preserved, and reimagined its natural heritage. With sharp attention to the myths of frontier abundance, hostility to federal authority, and the sanctity of private property rights, the narrative shows how deeply rooted attitudes both enabled economic growth and left a legacy of ecological loss. From Jefferson’s pastoral vision to the Sagebrush Rebellion, the volume explores how questions of ownership, stewardship, and national versus local interest became central to debates over conservation.

The book charts a turning point in the 1970s, when shrinking resources and growing populations made laissez-faire land use untenable. Landmark legislation such as the National Environmental Policy Act signaled a federal mandate for environmental review, while failed initiatives like the National Land Use Policy Act exposed enduring resistance to federal oversight. Presidents Nixon, Carter, and Reagan appear as pivotal figures, reflecting shifting national moods—from tentative reform to conservationist optimism to deregulatory backlash. By weaving together courtroom struggles, grassroots activism, and policy debates, Westward in Eden demonstrates how the public lands became a testing ground for American democracy’s ability to balance private rights with the collective good. Both a history of environmental politics and a meditation on national character, the book illuminates the enduring struggle to conserve landscapes that remain central to the American imagination.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1982.