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[ acknowledgments ] Iowefirstthankstothosemenandwomenwhoallowedmetointerviewthem for this study. They shared their time, their words, and often their homes with me; they welcomed me into their world of concerns and ideas and hopes; and they allowed me to be a student learning about qualitative research, about rhetoric, and about Arizona. I additionally thank Nicole Fyffe from the Pima County Administrator’s Office, who generously pointed me in the right direction for Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan documents and who supplied me with web archives on disk for easier access. Though now significantly revised, this project began as a dissertation funded by two Dean Charles Tatum Awards and a Patrick Dissertation Award. I am grateful for this financial support as well as for the more general support of the University of Arizona’s English Department. I especially thank the faculty and graduate students in the University of Arizona’s program in Rhetoric, Composition, and the Teaching of English, from whom I learned the intellectual tools necessary for this book. Special thanks go to Tilly Warnock, who encouraged and inspired me as a dissertation director and a friend;toTomMiller,whocommentedtirelesslyonmydissertationchapters, pushing me to develop my intellectual rigor and to clarify and humanize my prose style; to Roxanne Mountford, who first mentored me in qualitative methods; and to Ed White, who generously gave advice. Jen Croissant also served on my dissertation committee, generously contributing her enthusiasm , her useful critique, and her understanding of science studies. I also thank Sarah Soule, who introduced me to social movement studies, which have shaped my approach to this field site more than may be evident from the final product. Still others, including Paul Anderson and Joan Fujimura, have givenmekeyassistanceatconferences.JasonThompson,JillianToomey,and McKenzie have helped with my approach to Kenneth Burke’s work. In the process of this work, I have found several people invaluable for a combination of intellectual stimulation and holistic support. Chief among these is my husband, Phil Stevens, who argued grazing politics with me, pointed me in the right direction for more information, fixed my computer, web-designed my first images of stasis and skew for conference presentations , gave me advice on word choice, comforted and prodded me, married me in the midst of it all, changed diapers, cooked, allowed me to publicly characterize him, made me stop for Tucson sunsets, and assisted in a million other ways to keep me writing and to keep me enjoying my writing. To my parents, who have cheered (and sometimes funded) me as I studied, I am also grateful. Thanks are due to Patty Malesh, Kat McLellan, and Leslie Dupont, among others, for intelligent companionship. And, just by making life that much better, my young daughter, Rain, has also helped me write. Throughout the creation of this book, the editors and staff of the University of Iowa Press have been consistently helpful, including Arnold Friedman, Allison Thomas, and Charlotte Wright. In particular, Wayne Franklin and Holly Carver have been as supportive as any writer could hope for. Thank you. xiv ] Acknowledgments [ a place for dialogue ] ...

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