You are holding the first issue of a new magazine. I hope you are excited. I certainly am. You may also be shaking your head and muttering, “a new magazine? In 2020? What are they thinking?” This is a fair question. At the Western Landowners Alliance, believe me, we’ve been thinking hard about that question as well. Publishing today is risky business. We believe, however, that the importance of the stories On Land will tell, the community it can build, and the messages it has to share far outweigh the risk. We believe wise stewardship of our lands and natural resources is the fundamental challenge of our time.
If we are to restore the American West to health and abundance we need a new story about our relationship to land, rooted in an ethic of stewardship. Starting with our inaugural issue, On Land calls forth that story clearly and beautifully, in the voices of the people who are living it on the edge of a future that puts people and nature together again for the benefit of both. Without a place for these stories and voices, and without people working hard to find and share them, the conversation in the American West will remain woefully and dangerously incomplete.
Because On Land will explore the political, cultural and social ideas that shape the West and beyond, you are quite likely to encounter voices with which you disagree. On Land will tell stories that deepen our understanding of each other and of the complex challenges we must face together.
You will find in these pages, for instance, a set of four intensely personal essays on ranchers’ experiences caring for livestock in the newly reclaimed habitat of wolves (p. 44). These four ranchers are not in lockstep on this issue. In fact, four perspectives is not enough to do this nuanced and complex issue true justice – we will continue this conversation with additional essays in On Land online. We invite your submission as well.
We also dive into the contentious issue of stream access, with a story of the fallout from an ongoing court case in New Mexico (p. 28). The topic has only grown increasingly fraught recently but Lesli Allison’s article demonstrates that there are more than two sides to every story in the West.
On Land is not all thorny quagmires though. There is plenty of fun to be had in the West, and we will have some here too. Turn to Eating On Land(p. 86) for stories and recipes from around the campfire or Western Words (p. 14) for observations of owlets and a round of happy haikus for isolation.
If you’re looking for inspiration, the sensitive and striking photography of Louise Johns captures small town life in the heart of Montana (p. 74) , and the personal words and photos of Becca Skinner and Laura Nelson chart a journey to friendship and understanding we could all use these days (p. 64).
Welcome to On Land. Enjoy!
Louis Wertz
Editor-in-Chief
Louis Wertz 