Book excerpt: PUBLIC LANDS RANCHING: Is it a harmless, romantic, remnant of the Old West? Or is it the rural West's most destructive influence? Controversy rages & continues to spread. Some are saying this will be the next major environmental struggle in the Western United States. WASTE OF THE WEST is-- & probably will remain--the most complete account of public lands ranching ever assembled. With easy-reading text & more than 1000 photos, drawings, cartoons, graphs, & charts on 600 (8 1/2" x 11") pages, Lynn Jacobs explores every facet of this obscure yet vitally important issue. Chapters: introduce public lands ranching & describe its historic & present situations; detail its economic ("welfare ranching"), political, social/cultural, & (especially) environmental impacts; discuss livestock abuse; take a global livestock-production tour; discredit the many excuses stockmen use to justify their 100-year reign over the rural West; predict the future; present alternatives; & provide many ideas on what people can do to help end this destructive & unjust situation. Final pages offer ideas for activism, contacts, public lands ranching statistics, inspirational quotations, a 500-source bibliography, & a thorough index. WASTE OF THE WEST is for people who care about Nature. As much as an eye-opening educational tool, it is a call to action.