Beginning in the 1970s, members of Native and rural white communities unexpectedly came together to protect the same natural resources from a perceived outside threat. Environmental alliances began to bring together Native Americans and rural white resource users in areas of the country where no one would have predicted or even imagined them. In an evolution that has continued into the 2000s, some Native and rural white communities formed grassroots alliances that have become a key element in the protection of natural resources. By comparing case studies of these "unlikely alliances" in the states of Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Montana, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, the author hoped to find reasons why these communities turned from conflict to cooperation. (Contains 83 notes.)