The New West in the context of extractive commodity theory: the case of bison-brucellosis in Yellowstone National Park

Extractive commodity theory suggests that rural communities' transformation from "Old West" to "New West" economies should produce populations that are supportive of environmental initiatives and trusting of environmental groups. Using the Yellowstone-area bison-brucellosis conflict as a case, we explore this possibility as well as the influence of age, sex, percent of life lived in the community and perception of Montana's economic composition on the New West's support for environmental initiatives and trust of information sources. Surveys were sent to two New West communities in Montana that were embroiled in the 1996-1997 bison controversy. One hundred and twenty-four of 225 surveys were returned (55%). The results indicate that respondents were supportive of protecting bison, trusting of information sources associated with the ranching industry, and that only perception of the economic composition of Montana was consistently related to these variables. The theoretical implications of this study are explored. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.