Two decades of negotiations, lawsuits, court orders, and injunctions have transformed the northern spotted owl issue from a regional land management problem into a national controversy of immense proportions. Despite the best efforts of scientists, land managers, politicians, and citizen activists - spanning, in some cases, entire careers - the dilemma remains unresolved.

The controversy over the management of national forests in the Pacific Northwest vividly demonstrates the shortcomings of existing management institutions and natural resource policies. The wisdom of the Spotted explores the American policymaking process through the case of the spotted owl - a case that offers a striking illustration of the failure of our society to cope with long-term, science-intensive issues requiring collective choices.

Steven Lewis Yaffee analyzes the political and organizational dynamics from which the controversy emerged and the factors that led to our stunning inability to solve it. He examines the state of resource management agencies and policy processes, providing insight into questions such as:. What caused the extreme polarization of opinion and lack of communication throughout the 1980s and early 1990s?

How can the inadequate response of government agencies and the failure of the decisionmaking process he explained? What kinds of changes must be made to enable our resource policy institutions to better deal with critical environmental issues of the 1990s and beyond?

By outlining a set of needed reforms, the book will assist those who are involved in recreating natural resource agencies and public policy processes for the challenges of the next century The Wisdom of the Spotted Owl provides a framework for understanding policies and institutions, and presents a prescription for change to allow for more effective handling of current and future environmental problems.