Introduction : why public lands? -- Building the national commons -- Disposing the public domain : from commons to commodity -- A public land system emerges -- National parks -- National forests -- National wildlife refuges -- Bureau of Land Management lands -- National Wilderness Preservation System : wild and scenic rivers and national scenic trails -- Parting thoughts -- Appendix A : major U.S. public land laws and other key turning points -- Appendix B : units within the National Park System.
Note
Print version record.
Summary
How is it that the United States-the country that cherishes the ideal of private property more than any other in the world-has chosen to set aside nearly one-third of its territory as public lands? Considering this intriguing question, Randall K. Wilson traces the often-forgotten ideas of nature that have shaped the evolution of America's public land system. The result is a fresh, compelling, and comprehensive account of the most pressing policy and management challenges facing national parks, forests, rangelands, and wildlife refuges today.