Abstract

In 1995, as the World Wide Web began to gain sudden attention and popularity, a small group of academic and government environmentalists in Missoula, Montana believed this new medium of information dissemination could be the right sort of amplifier for their message. The so-called Missoula Movement drew its troops from a University of Montana environmental institute and from two federal wilderness research and training centers. They were jointly associated with a vision and definition of wilderness that sought to emphasize research and preservation over recreation.

This case, which takes both text and Web-based form--describes the efforts of the Missoula Movement to establish a web site that would be the chief public face--or "portal"--for internet users seeking information about wilderness areas from the US government. It details the resulting inter-agency conflicts--with such entities as the National Park Service, with its own assumptions about the idea of wilderness and its uses. It allows for discussion to explore the ways in which disputes which appear to involve logistical/technical questions and intertwined with issues of policy and philosophy.

This case can be used by those interested in questions of inter-agency cooperation and rivalry and those interested in the impact and utility of new technologies.

Harvard University > John F. Kennedy School of Government > Case Program

CREDITS:

This case was written by David Eddy Spicer for Associate Professor Jane Fountain, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

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This file was last updated on 03-June-99.

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