Olympic National Park

A Perspective on Controversy

On one hand there are those who speak of the demise of the world through the mistreatment of the environment, and on the other, those who speak of the collapse of the economy through an overprotection of resources. The environmentalists vs. the economists. Pro-jobs vs. pro-forests. Spotted owls vs. the loggers. They have been exchanging blows since the advent of public property—at last count I'm not sure who is ahead. It looks like the pro-jobs group will need to switch tactics, however, because the public has begun to take note of the ephemeral nature of money made from the permanent elimination of wilderness. As wilderness has become rare, it has recently dawned on the environmentalists that land with timber might be more valuable now than timber removed from the land. Not having as many economists on their side, it took them a little longer to catch on to the law of supply and demand, but now that they have it, they can't stop producing economic reports. Where their statements used to be filled with inspiring poetry about the soul and solitude, they now have slick charts and tabulations. The economists (not to be confused with the new economically-savvy environmentalists) finding the wind stolen from their sails, have tacked in the direction of national security.

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