Ecoterrorism in the Intermountain West

5 Locations | Curated by Emily Roth, Northern Arizona University

The American West has long been romanticized for its diverse natural beauty. Environmentalists sought to protect the natural spaces of the West from the threat of capitalist development and ecological destruction. In the 1980s, radical environmentalist groups began to emerge with the idea of taking action into their own hands. Earth First!, founded in 1980, was among the first of these organizations. Inspired by the fictional ecosaboteurs in The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey, Earth First! promoted “direct action” and individual sabotage to ensure environmental protection. As membership grew, internal divisions splintered the group into radical factions. Promotion of relatively harmless sabotage shifted to overt acts of domestic terrorism, prompting an era of government surveillance and investigation into environmental protection organizations. By the late 1990s, the FBI categorized “ecoterrorist” groups as a leading domestic terrorist threat.

In 1981, Earth First! staged a demonstration at Glen Canyon Dam, giving the appearance of an attack. The incident placed the group on the national radar, with some calling this the birth of the radical environmental movement.
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In the early hours of the morning on October 19, 1998, agents of the notorious eco-terrorist cell known as “the Family” ignited seven separate fires across the Vail Ski Resort in Colorado. They had traveled to Colorado from their homes in Oregon to orchestrate an attack that would send a message.…
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