The Natural West offers essays reflecting the natural history of the American West as written by one of its most respected environmental historians. Developing a provocative theme, Dan Flores asserts that Western environmental history cannot be explained by examining place, culture, or policy alone, but should be understood within the context of a universal human nature.Gracefully moving between the personal and the objective, Flores intersperses his writings with literature, scientific theory, and personal reflection. The topics cover a wide range -- from historical human nature regarding animals and exploration, to the environmental histories of particular Western bioregions, and, finally, to Western restoration as the great environmental theme of the twenty-first century.