Dr. Sara Dant is a Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor of history at Weber State University, and she’s the author of one of my most-often recommended books, Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West. She is also one of the featured historians in Ken Burns’ newest documentary, The American Buffalo, which you can watch for free on the PBS website. Sara’s work focuses on environmental politics in the United States with a particular emphasis on the creation and development of consensus and bipartisanism, and she is especially skilled at presenting complex, sometimes controversial topics in an engaging and fun-to-learn manner.
In June of 2023, Sara updated and republished her book Losing Eden– she added some chapters, revised some of the content, and added lots of maps, photos, and additional resources. She somehow managed to make one of my favorite books even better. For anyone who is looking for a thorough yet fun-to-read overview of this complex region known as the American West, I can’t recommend it enough. From the migration of the first humans into North America to modern-day controversies around energy development, the book provides a solid foundation and acts as a launching point to dig into whatever specific time period you may find interesting.
Longtime listeners will remember my first conversation with Sara back in 2018, in which we discussed the early phases of North American environmental history, the tragedy of the commons, conservation vs preservation, and more. In this conversation, we focus on mostly recent environmental history, including the historic environmental legislation of the 1960s and 70s, legendary senator Frank Church, and the backlash to environmental regulation that led to movements such as the Sagebrush Rebellion. We also discuss Sara’s perspective-shifting Alaska adventure, the value of wild places, her experience working with Ken Burns, book recommendations, and much, much more.
I always enjoy my visits with Sara, and I can’t thank her enough for how generous she is with sharing her time, wisdom, and expertise. I’d encourage you to pick up a copy of the new Losing Eden, but in the meantime, enjoy this conversation with Dr. Sara Dant.
Photos courtesy of Sara Dant.
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RESOURCES:
Topics Discussed:
- 3:30 – Why Sara decided to republish Losing Eden
- 7:00 – The guiding idea of “At what cost?”
- 10:00 – The myth of “right or wrong,” “good or bad”
- 16:15 – Using history to understand our current political situation
- 19:30 – Optimistic examples of positive political environmental bipartisanship
- 23:30 – The legendary Idaho senator, Frank Church
- 28:00 – James Watt and the backlash to environmental regulation
- 34:00 – Divisiveness as a power-grabbing tool
- 43:00 – Sara’s 2019 life-changing trip to Alaska
- 46:30 – What is the value of wild places?
- 54:15 – Participating in the new Ken Burns documentary
- 56:30 – Something new that Sara has recently learned
- 1:02:30 – Book recommendations and further reading
- 1:10:30 – Parting words of wisdom
Information Referenced:
- Dr. Sara Dant
- Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West
- Sara’s first M&P episode
- Weber State University
- Spotted Owl controversy
- Frank Chuch
- Sierra Club
- Grangeville, Idaho
- Gospel Hump Wilderness
- The Wilderness Act
- Endangered Species Act
- Great Salt Lake dry-up threat
- College of Eastern Utah
- Fighting the Odds: The Life of Senator Frank Church by LeRoy Ashby and Rod Gramer
- Wild and Scenic Rivers
- James Watt
- James Watt obituary
- Ronald Reagan
- Sagebrush Rebellion
- Bears Ears National Monument
- Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
- Hula Hula River
- William Cronon’s The Trouble with Wilderness
- Aldo Leopold
- Mo Udall
- Stewart Udall
- Frank Church – River of No Return Wilderness
- Hells Canyon
- Echo Park
- Doug Peacock
- The American Buffalo by Ken Burns
- Wild New World by Dan Flores
- Invisible Reality: Storytellers, Storytakers, and the Supernatural World of the Blackfeet by Rosalyn R. LaPier
- Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
- Silent Spring Revolution by Douglas Brinkley
- Overshootday.org
Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:
- Douglas Brinkley – Exploring the Past to Find Inspiration for the Future
- Lorelei Cloud – Solving Modern-Day Challenges with Ancient Tribal Wisdom
- Rebecca Clarren – “The Cost of Free Land”
- Corissa Busse – Tribal-Led Buffalo Restoration in the American West and Beyond
- David Gessner Returns – “A Traveler’s Guide to the End of the World”
- Doug Peacock – 50 Years of Fighting for the Grizzlies
- Taylor Hawes – Innovative Conservation in the Colorado River Basin
Visit the podcast page for a full, searchable list of episodes
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