From the man many consider to be the preeminent expert on the law of the American West comes an indispensable and passionate exploration of the crucial questions the West faces. In "The Eagle Bird," Charles Wilkinson assesses the battles being fought over the region’s resources and how the conflict between conservationists and developers—once a black-and-white issue—now enmeshes a startling array of interest and constituencies. Wilkinson addresses the controversies over water rights, mining rights, Native American land claims, public land use, and shows how the law, itself the tool of the vested interests of the past, should house our highest ideals and allow us to implement a farsighted and far-reaching vision. The West, Wilkinson writes, "is the true soul of the country, the place that cries out loudest to the human spirit." In "The Eagle Bird," he articulates an ethic of place with all the passion and immediacy of a manifesto.