Shaping the Sierra

Shaping the Sierra documents the consequences of rapid population growth, under way since the late 1960s, to the social, economic, and ecological characteristics of the Sierra Nevada. Timothy Duane shows how further unfettered population growth threatens the very values that have made the region a desirable place to live and work. He recommends innovative policies for mitigating the negative impacts of future population growth in the Sierra Nevada and other rural regions throughout the west.

Duane demonstrates that a new approach to land-use planning, resource management, and local economic development - one that recognizes the value of the rural landscape - is necessary in order to achieve sustainable development. Such an approach must explicitly recognize the importance of an environmental land ethic to future development in the west.