Using Western Landscapes - Mountains and Plains: The Ecology of Wyoming Landscapes - page 314

Fig. 18.9. Monitoring water
quality provides an indication
of how successfully ecosystem
services on the watershed are
being maintained. Photo of
the Sweetwater River by tony
Ferlisi.

to contemplate, some changes could lead to an economy
that is more stable than the region has experienced since
the late 1800s. ecosystem management is an approach
that motivates willing participants to explore their
options more broadly than may have been done before.

by native plants and that provide various amenities
and much of the West's character—are now being
fragmented . 14 Some residents are convinced that such
trends are not good for the West's economy. For exam-
ple, Montana State University ecologist Andrew Hansen
and his associates wrote, “local communities may best
be able to promote economic growth by maintaining
the natural amenities that are so attractive to new resi-
dents and businesses. if this is true, policies that favor
timber harvesting over scenery, mining over water qual-
ity, or intensive livestock grazing over wildlife habitat
might actually inhibit rather than expand economic
growth. ” 15
ecosystem services are also becoming more highly
valued, as discussed in previous chapters. the costs of
replacing them with new technology, where that is pos-
sible, can be high. Herb Bormann, long-time ecologist
at Yale University, wrote in 1976 that, to the degree eco-
system services are lost,

Amenities and Ecosystem Services

A dollar value easily can be placed on water, meat,
wood, oil, gas, coal, and other commodities on which
the livelihoods of many residents depend. in the new
West, however, both old-timers and newcomers are
placing considerable value on open space, clean air,
free-flowing streams with clear water, and abundant
wildlife—including nongame species (figs. 18.9 and
18.10). For many years there seemed to be little con-
flict. Roads and ranches here and there contributed to
the pastoral scene that many enjoy; industrial develop-
ments and rural subdivisions were viewed as progress.
now such developments are becoming progressively
closer to each other. opportunities to appreciate open
space decline with too many wind energy projects, oil
and gas wells, pumping stations, ranchettes, power
plants, and power lines extending to the horizon.
Widespread protective landscapes—those dominated

they must be replaced. . . . We must find replace-
ments for wood products, build erosion control
works, enlarge reservoirs, upgrade air pollution con-
trol technology, install flood control works, improve
water purification plants, increase air conditioning,
and provide new recreational facilities. . . . these