BOOK REVIEW | BILLIONAIRE WILDERNESS: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West

BOOK AUTHOR/ JUSTIN FARRELL

Book Review by SARAH

SARAH KEAR is a dual Master’s student in the Department of City and Regional Planning at UNC-Chapel Hill and in the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in political science, gender & women’s studies, and Chicanx & Latinx studies. In her free time, Sarah enjoys reading and collecting pottery.

The gap between the ultra-wealthy, the middle-class, and the working poor continues to increase in the United States. In Billionaire Wilderness, Justin Farrell highlights this gap by analyzing an ultra-wealthy community located in Teton County, Wyoming. In the last thirty years, Teton County has become one of the richest counties in the United States due to the migration of one percenters. Instead of analyzing the wealth gap through the lens of the working class, Farrell takes a unique approach by intentionally spotlighting the ideas and thoughts of Teton County’s ultra-wealthy. Through interviews with the ultra-wealthy, Farrell evaluates their behaviors towards environmentalism and philanthropy, their assumptions about how the working poor and locals perceive them, and how they perceive themselves. Ferrell determines that the ultra-wealthy in Teton County use environmental philanthropy as a vehicle to protect their wealth, further exacerbating the wealth gap in Teton County.

Teton County is a fascinating setting for Farrell’s analysis. Only three percent of Teton County’s land is available for development while the remaining land is restricted and owned by the Federal Government. It draws vacationers and residents alike as the area has one of the largest intact natural ecosystems with astonishing landscapes. Additionally, Wyoming is a haven for the wealthy as the state lacks an individual state income tax. These compounding factors of income inequality and surging demand for nature-based recreation led to the disappearance of Teton County’s middle class. The working poor are increasingly housing insecure and live along the fringes of the county, often working multiple jobs to survive.

Farrell coins the term “Connoisseur Conservation” to describe how the ultra-wealthy relate to and use nature in Teton County. Connoisseur Conservation has three aspects: land conservation as a way to protect nature is a selfless act; nature conservation assists in preserving nature’s therapeutic benefits for hard-working professionals; and lastly, environmental science for the benefit of the ultra-wealthy’s initiatives. An example of Connoisseur Conservation that often impacts local and working poor communities is wealthy homeowners restricting development through private conservation easements. Private conservation easements are long-term legal agreements that conserve the natural resources of privately owned, designated land. These easements offset income tax and preserve wealth through tax deductions while preserving land for its environmental and therapeutic benefits. Although a noble goal, private conservation easements only increase Teton’s County housing scarcity, including affordable housing, by limiting the already limited developable land and by increasing real estate prices.

The Tetons also cast a long shadow in Farrell’s narrative with their inspiring landscapes vividly illustrating rural gentrification. Ironically, many of the ultra-wealthy cling to the Western tropes evoked by these mountains. Farrell repeatedly notes that his wealthy interviewees try to blend in by donning Wrangler jeans and cowboy boots, driving pick-up trucks, and are unlikely to disclose their elite status among locals. Some interviewees are quick to point out that they consider service workers and other locals they employ (primarily the working poor) as friends and colleagues. Although these actions seem harmless on the surface, they are used as “vehicles for personal transformation” allowing the ultra-wealthy to create more “authentic” and “virtuous” versions of themselves. These versions of the ultra-wealthy are modeled on an idealist perception of the rural working class in the West: ski bums with modest careers, more focused on community in nature than striving for success and material comfort. Farrell argues that this romanticized version of the rural West is harmful as it is used to justify natural resource consumption and exacerbate inequalities by the ultra-wealthy.

In the last section of Billionaire Wilderness, Ferrell extends the analysis by interviewing the working poor about their experiences living and working in Teton County. Here, Ferrell reveals how extreme the wealth gap is in Teton County. Many of the working poor are undocumented immigrant families from South America. Family units often live together along the edge of the county, driving narrow, windy roads to reach their service jobs in the Tetons. While there is high demand in the service industry, the jobs are low-paying and allow workers minimal time to enjoy the precious natural environment nearby. With the increase in ultra-wealthy landowners, conservation- and art-related organizational funding has boomed, whereas organizations focused on human services do not receive similar financial support, despite surging needs among the working poor. Additionally, the locals and working poor interviewed were readily able to identify the ultra-wealthy, even in their Western disguises, and did not view them as friends, especially because they are often their employers.

Billionaire Wilderness provides a thorough overview of the expansive wealth gap in Teton County, Wyoming, and shows how too often, the beliefs, values, and opinions of the ultra-wealthy overrule those of the middle and working classes. Farrell amplified the voices of local and working poor community members, working with local organizations to conduct interviews. He is cognizant of this and seeks to maintain objectivity while also remaining critical of the ultra-wealthy. Overall, it was fascinating to see how rural gentrifiers view themselves, their actions, and their relationships with others in their community. Billionaire Wilderness shines a light on rural gentrification under the guise of nature conservation, opening the door for more in-depth investigation.