The book's central thesis is that the settlement of the West was largely a mistake, creating a "beachhead" civilization that is ecologically unsustainable.
Reisner argues that the West's hydroclimate is inherently incapable of supporting the vast cities and industrial agriculture established there.
Water development was driven less by necessity and more by political capital, bureaucratic rivalry (specifically between the Bureau of Reclamation and the Army Corps of Engineers ), and class interests.
The book's central thesis is that the settlement of the West was largely a mistake, creating a "beachhead" civilization that is ecologically unsustainable.
Reisner argues that the West's hydroclimate is inherently incapable of supporting the vast cities and industrial agriculture established there. Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disa...
Water development was driven less by necessity and more by political capital, bureaucratic rivalry (specifically between the Bureau of Reclamation and the Army Corps of Engineers ), and class interests. The book's central thesis is that the settlement