ABSTRACT
The natural capital of the New World—plants, animals, soil, and water—seemed abundant. The goal of the conversion of natural capital to financial capital motivated the US government to finance such expeditions as Meriwether Lewis and William Clark's Corps of Discovery and other westward exploration. The transformation of natural capital into financial capital controlled by absentee-owned companies drained both forms of capital from rural communities. Conflicts over land use have increased, and local governments often attempt to protect the natural capital in their area and, thus, their human capital. Urban sprawl and the development of remote high-amenity areas are often a result of the use of political capital. In the western United States water has always been a scarce commodity. Map of the United Stated showing cumulative groundwater depletion, 1900 through 2008, in 40 assessed aquifer systems or subareas. Legal doctrines govern appropriate or fair use of surface water.
