Divergent Perspectives and Contested Ecologies: Three Cases of Land-Use Change in Calaveras County, California

Abstract

Amenity migration and associated exurbanization are changing the ways that rural areas are viewed, used, and managed, shifting the landscapes and social norms of places along the rural–urban interface. As such, exurbia, that particular form of growth or development that occupies the edges and borders between rural and urban spaces and places, is significant not just for its spatial patterns, but also for its characteristic social, cultural, and political dynamics. The functional shifts to land and society occurring in exurbia make understanding environmental management regimes both challenging and critical as the implications for land-use change in the exurban context are multiple and profound. In an effort to guide and frame these ongoing analyses, I develop and apply the concept of contested ecologies, wherein disagreements over the meaning, values, and/or function of land or resources lead to contrasting perspectives of a particular place, environment, or landscape. In this paper, I present three cases of land-use change in Calaveras County, California, and their contested ecologies, focusing, in particular, on the policy and political dimensions of the case of the Trinitas golf course. The cases serve to demonstrate the ecological consequences of various land-use debates. I conclude with an evaluation of the significance of divergent environmental and ideological perspectives for land-use decision-making and environmental management in the context of contested ecologies along the rural–urban edge.