Business Notes REAL ESTATE

Cattle ranchers and environmentalists are usually as much at odds as the Hatfields and the McCoys. Yet in America's West, everyone from cowboys to tree huggers is suddenly joining forces against a common foe: the Pentagon. The Defense Department is seeking to add 4.6 million acres of wilderness to the 25 million acres of public land reserved for such military uses as war games and bombing ranges. Claiming a need for more space to create realistic battle simulations, the military covets parcels in eight states, including California, Nevada and Montana.

Angry conservationists are predicting that tanks, planes and infantrymen will wreak havoc with the environment. Ranchers fear the destruction of prime grazing land. But because only two of the 19 proposed land acquisitions require congressional approval, the Pentagon is likely to prevail. Declares Minnesota Congressman Bruce Vento: "They're going to listen to the public, but in the end they'll do what they want."