Washington, DC (May 2008) - The newspapers are full of stories of environmental problems, whether it is oil, global warming or sprawling development. All too often these issues are marked by opposition, resentment, and anger. Now comes a story from the American West, where cowboys and environmentalists-two sides seemingly fated to fight-crossed enemy lines to work together and save the land they love. It is a lesson for anyone who hopes to truly solve environmental problems.

Courtney White tells this story in the powerful new book, Revolution on the Range: The Rise of a New Ranch in the American West. It is a heartening tale of people and the West.

A decade ago the West was home to a fierce dispute over cattle ranching. Few conflicts have stoked so much anger. Environmentalists demanded changes in policy to protect our public lands, rallying to the slogan “Cattle-Free by ‘93!” Ranchers fought just as passionately to preserve their way of life, replying with “Cattle Galore by ‘94!” Behind the sloganeering came heated accusations, lost tempers, lawsuits and eventually arson, bombs, and more.

Into that conflict stepped White and some insurgent peacemakers. They found a shared love of the land and opposition to sprawling development. The ranchers learned new ways to graze cattle in harmony with nature and still turn a profit. The environmentalists learned that a well-managed ranch can contribute as much to nature as protected land. And they committed to stop fighting and start spreading their vision of the “New Ranch.”

A former archaeologist and Sierra Club activist, White heralds the promise of this new American West where cattle and conservation can work together. He shows that the real conflict in the West wasn’t over ethics, but approaches.

In Revolution on the Range, he tells the story of:

• How hostility gave way to consensus, and the people who risked so much to look beyond their differences to find their shared love of the American West.
• James Ranch, which employs the science of timing, intensity, and frequency to ranch in harmony with wildlife.
• What the mythical cowboys of John Wayne might think of the successful modern ranch, which is gentle on the cattle and runs a bed & breakfast.
• Dan Daggett, an environmentalist, who brokers peace between the two sides by illustrating the need for a descriptive approach rather than a prescriptive one.
• Sid Goodloe, who works the Carrizo Valley Ranch in New Mexico and whose goal is to make the operation fit the land, rather than make the land fit his operation.
• Rick Knight, a biologist, who contends that the recreational use of public land may in fact not be better for the land.

This is a story of compromise triumphing where conflict most often rules. Revolution on the Range is a heartening vision of the new American West and the people building it.