Designed to assist in the reframing of natural resource disputes and the strategies for resolving them. The authors trace the principles of natural resource governance across the history of western US settlement and reveal how they have now issued in a turbid confluence of laws, regulations and policies. Ultimately, the authors argue, fully integrating the values of interest-based negotiation into the briar patch of existing public decision-making strategies is the best way to foster liveable communities, vibrant economies and healthy landscapes in the West.