Op-ed: The 'New West's' big lie

In 1998, environmentalists from across the country gathered in Arizona for a "Wilderness Mentoring Conference" to consider new strategies. One prominently displayed quote established the meeting's tone and direction:“Car companies and makers of sports drinks use wilderness to sell their products. We have to market wilderness as a product people want to have.”It was a seminal moment. Subsequently, mainstream environmentalists formed lucrative alliances with the outdoor recreation indu