So they don't kill each other, in case you were wondering. Bit of a shame really... but they do drive each other nuts and take jabs at each other at every opportunity. In the end, then men agree that rivers are gorgeous, but Dominy thinks that their beauty and ecological function (no small thing) should be sacrificed for the use of the water by humans (providing electricity, controlling flooding and/or drought, providing a lake for people to run their boats on). The Archdruid, obviously disagrees on this point, claiming that humans were getting along fine before the damming of all of these grand rivers and shouldn't consistently place their needs above those of the surrounding ecosystem. And so, these men have to agree to disagree -or rather, agree that the other man is simply wrong and quite pigheaded.
The book ends on a sad note. Brower, the grand Archdruid, is ousted as Sierra Club president. Though he has many admirers, and though members of the club appreciate the work that he has done and continues to do, the majority feel that he is too belligerent, too unwilling to compromise, too focused on his crusade to take into account the opinion of the club majority. And it's always about money too. Brower's been using Sierra Club funds to do whatever he deems necessary to protect wilderness, without regards to the opinions of the members -an essential as an elected president to a club made up of such members.
Though in the end Brower is forced to relinquish his title, I think that the end of the book, though not exactly happy, as it depicts the downfall of this man, shows an important truth. The druids of the world have noble intentions and sometimes dams have to be fought off, but in order to really accomplish anything in the long run, they have to be willing to work with all the other people of the world. Excluding the opinions of the rest of human kind -no matter how ridiculous these opinions may be- is a surefire way to make enemies. And one must remember that we share this world. It's the conservationist's planet, but also the preservationist's planet, and it belongs as much to the Sierra Club member as it does to the dam builder. Concessions will inevitably have to be made, and the negotiations will never cease and never fail to be frustrating, but this has to be accepted by those who care. Dams will be built, but forests will be saved. It's all a matter of priority and diplomatically sharing yours.
