The evolution of an idea.(The Great Buffalo Commons Debate)

A geographer describes how an idea of his from 1985 on saving the Midwest, later grew into the buffalo commons idea of the Poppers. He had envisioned great land preserves bought by the US for public use. Private dude ranches had not been his idea. He critiques the buffalo commons idea.

In 1985 I published a short article in a journal called Landscape. The article was called "The Return of the Prairie," and in it I argued that our problem of crop surpluses - I was thinking particularly of wheat - would grow increasingly severe until we cut back on our plantings. My rationale, a