The wisdom of the spotted owl : policy lessons for a new century

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Yaffee, Steven Lewis, Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Spotted owl--Environmental aspects--Northwest, Pacific.

Spotted owl.

Forest management--Government policy--Northwest, Pacific.

Forest management.

Forest policy--Government policy--United States.

Forest policy.

Wildlife conservation--United States.

Wildlife conservation.

Habitat conservation--United States.

Habitat conservation.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (462 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

[Place of publication not identified] Island Press 1994

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The controversy over the managemof national forests in the Pacific Northwest vividly demonstrates the shortcomings of existing manageminstitutions and natural resource policies. The Wisdom of the Spotted Owl explores the American policymaking process through the case of the spotted owl -- a case that offers a striking illustration of the failure of our society to cope with long-term, science-intensive issues requiring collective choices.Steven Lewis Yaffee analyzes the political and organizational dynamics from which the controversy emerged and the factors that led to our stunning inability to solve it. He examines the state of resource managemagencies and policy processes, providing insight into questions such as: What caused the extreme polarization of opinion and lack of communication throughout the 1980s and early 1990s? How can the inadequate response of governmagencies and the failure of the decisionmaking process be explained? What kinds of changes must be made to enable our resource policy institutions to better deal with critical environmental issues of the 1990s and beyond? By outlining a set of needed reforms, the book will assist those who are involved in re-creating natural resource agencies and public policy processes for the challenges of the next century. In explaining the policymaking process -- its realities and idiosyncrasies -- The Wisdom of the Spotted Owl provides a framework for understanding policies and institutions, and presents a prescription for change to allow for more effective handling of currand future environmental problems.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Part I The Evolution of the Spotted Owl Controversy

1 The Birth of a Controversy: 1945-1977

2 Muddling Through: 1978-1981

3 New Science, New Directives, More Muddling: 1981-1984

4 The Forest Service's Last Stand: 1985-1989

5 All Hell Breaks Loose: 1989-1993

Part II Learning from History

6 Tough Choices: A Difficult Issue under Any Circumstances

7 Avoiding Tough Choices: American Decisionmaking Processes

8 Influencing Tough Choices: Actors in American Decisionmaking Processes

9 Insufficient Policies and Misleading Politics

10 Grounded in the Past: Agency Values and Management Approaches

Part III Policy Implications for the 1990s and Beyond

11 The Context for Change

12 Building More Effective Agencies and Decisionmaking Processes

13 Building Better Policies

Notes

Glossary of Acronyms

Index

About the Author.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9781610913430

1610913434

OCLC:

1244627127