The Battle for Yellowstone

Justin Farrell is assistant professor of sociology in the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University.

List of Illustrations ix List of Tables xiii Acknowledgments xv Introduction: Bringing Moral Culture into the Fray 1 Introducing the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem 5 Toward a Theory of Morality and Environment 8 Human Believers, Narrative Structure, and Enacting Moral Orders 12 Theoretical Contributions 17 A Roadmap 29 1.Believing in Yellowstone: The Moralization of Nature and the Creation of America's Eden 34 Early Utilitarian Use and the Formation of Yellowstone National Park 40 A Spiritual Moral Vision 52 A Biocentric Moral Vision 56 Social Change and the "Greater" Yellowstone Ecosystem 60 Conclusion 65 2.The New (Wild) West: Social Upheaval, Moral Devaluation, and the Rise of Conflict 66 The Old West, and Roots of the New 70 The Rise of the New-West 75 The Moral Effects of New-West Change 89 Environmental Conflict 96 Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Stakeholder Arena 100 The Rise of Conflict, 1870-2012 108 Conclusion 118 3.Buffalo Crusaders: The Sacred Struggle for America's LastWild and Pure Herd 119 Overview of the Issue 122 The Buffalo Field Campaign 125 The Moral Logic of a Movement: Purity, Wildness, Virtue 132 Successes of Moral-Spiritual Protest 146 Concluding Puzzle: Religious and Moral "Muting" 159 Conclusion 166 4.Between Good and Evil: The Science, Culture, and Polarization of Wolf Conflict 168 Uncovering the Anti-Wolf Moral Order 172 Rugged American Individualism 174 Human Dominionism 180 Simple and Sacred Heritage 188 Uncovering the Pro-Wolf Moral Order 196 Features of the Pro-Wolf Moral Order 198 The Primary Role of Morality and Spirituality 203 Multiple Meanings: Co-Occurrence of Spirituality and Rationality 208 Conclusion 213 5.Drilling Our Soul: Moral Boundary Work in an Unlikely Old-West Fight against Fracking 217 A State of Mining 221 Drilling in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem 225 Considering Alternative Explanations 233 "Too Special to Drill": Place Attachment and Drawing Moral Boundaries 238 Three Profiles of Old-West Environmentalists 243 Moral Boundary Work and the Meaning of Activism 252 Conclusion 256 Conclusion 258 Appendix: Methodological Notes 263 Bibliography 271 Index 283