“No Compromise in Defense of Mother Earth”: Earth First!, the Round River Rendezvous, and the Culture of Monkeywrenching

Frustrated with the sluggish pace and conciliatory tactics of mainstream environmental lobbying and activism in the late 1970s, Dave Foreman, Mike Roselle, and several others formed Earth First! and pledged to employ direct action to defend wilderness areas. Borrowing terminology and strategies from Edward Abbey’s novel, The Monkey Wrench Gang, Earth First! employed  “monkeywrenching” actions to slow down or stop logging operations, industrial development, factory farming, and suburban sprawl.

This paper focuses on the culture of Earth First! in the late twentieth century. I examine how EF! members defined themselves in relation to other environmental groups and also in relation to mainstream society. Through analysis of the Earth First! Journal, correspondences, “monkeywrenching” handbooks, oral histories, and artwork from the EF! artist cooperative, I explore individuals’ as well as the group’s changing views on tree-spiking, road spiking, arson, and other “extreme” or violent tactics. In particular, I investigate the changing composition, agenda, and meaning of Earth First!’s annual gathering, the Round River Rendezvous (RRR). How did these rallies help to define what it meant to be an EF!er? To what extent did the RRR reinforce identification as “extreme?” What kind of discourse did RRR workshops, campfire sing-a-longs, and training sessions cultivate? Ultimately, I analyze how the Round River Rendezvous served to disseminate practical information on “monkeywrenching” techniques and helped to forge group identity.