Daniel Kemmis - September 17, 2004
by Lindsey Case

     Semester in the West met with author and former Mayor of Missoula, Montana, Daniel Kemmis on September 17, 2004. A man deeply affected by a sense of place and its inherent politics, Kemmis addresses these politics in his most recent book This Sovereign Land.

     Notebooks in hand, clean clothes on our backs and Kemmis' book in mind, the Westies descended upon our meeting point -- a warm, tidy room within the Center for the Rocky Mountain West in downtown Missoula. Daniel Kemmis greeted us with a kind smile and a gentle voice, and then began to explain the culture of the West, its frustrations, its problems, its needs as a cultural as well as a political identity. The message gleaned from Kemmis involved the West as an identity desiring sovereign control over public lands. In a region traditionally financed by the extractive industries and now filled with a mixture of outdoor enthusiasts and industry-based locals, it is no wonder the debate over local versus national control has become a hot issue.

     Born from rebels, adventurers, homesteaders and the like, the West developed a culture of fierce independence as rugged as the landscape. In many ways, these untamed lands bore into the soul of the people, infusing the western culture with a sense of place as well as a unique spirit. Today that spirit lies in the heart of every logger and rancher who works the public yet federally managed (Bureau of Land Management or Forest Service) lands. Yet do the men who work, log and ranch the land truly know what is best for it?

     A Forest Service Agent with years of schooling in the methods of ecology and healthy forests may distrust the knowledge of the local rancher. An environmentalist concerned about healthy ecosystems and clear cutting may distrust both the local logger and the Forest Service Agent. Who in this equation knows what is right for the land?

     Obviously the sovereign rule over Western public lands is a complicated issue, yet ironically Kemmis seems to have a simple answer. Each person in this equation deeply cares about the health of the land. Through this shared interest perhaps a new form of political control can come into fruition. In fact, according to Kemmis, the West needs a new political control in the form of collaboration.

     Many small communities have united environmentalist and logger alike in collaborative processes. Kemmis notes that the reason collaboration works centers around the fact that throughout the community everyone has specialized knowledge of the land, culture, economy, etc. When these specializations are brought to the collaborative table, a truly holistic view of the land and its needs can be seen. The goal for the West then is to collaborate between the local communities and the nation. Such a large-scale collaboration seem a long way off, especially when considering the infancy of small-scale, local collaborations. How can we implement such a large national shift into collaboration with the local districts of the West?

     With that question, I invite you to embark on your own intellectual journey through Western politics and to share with us Kemmis` final questions:

     "What is the potential for the West to evolve a new form of Western politics? How can our current generation create a true democracy in the West? How can you personally be a democrat and a Westerner at the same time? Finally, is there a democratic platform for this process currently in the West?"