Includes bibliographical references (pages 603-687) and index.
Contents:
Part one: Public Lands in the Formative Era, 1776-1789. The Nation's Founding and the Public Lands ; Public Lands and the Ordinances of 1784, 1785, and 1787 ; The U.S. Constitution and the Public Lands -- Part two: The Public Lands and Nation Building, 1790-1861. Admitting New States and Acquiring New Territory ; Exploration, Science, and the Appreciation of Nature ; Divesting Public Lands to Build a Nation ; Reservations and Acquisitions of Public Lands ; Public Land Policy in Confusion in the Period Before the Civil War -- Part three: Plunder and Backlash Feed a Movement for Reserves, 1862-1889. New Divestment Policies Sow Seeds of a Backlash ; More Giveaways Sow More Seeds of Discontent ; Protecting Public Lands for Inspiration: Yosemite and Yellowstone ; Pillaging Public Lands for Wood, Grass, and Minerals ; Efforts Launched to Protect Public Forest Land ; Moving Beyond "Paper Parks" ; Wildlife Protection Enters the Policy Universe ; The Campaign for Forest Reservations Gains Momentum ; Congress Closes In on Major Reforms -- Part four: The Great Transition, Phase One, 1890-1901. Congress Guts Powell's Irrigation Survey and Establishes New National Parks ; Congress Gives the President Broad Authority to Reserve Public Lands ; The First Forest Reserves ; The General Land Office Struggles and Cleveland Spurs Congress into Action ; An Organic Act for the Forest Reserves ; Parks, Forests, and Public Land Policy in the McKinley Administration ; National Authority over Public Lands Expanded and Confirmed -- Part five: The Great Transition, Phase Two, 1902-1913. Theodore Roosevelt, Public Lands, and the Reclamation Act ; Forest Reserves Expand in Roosevelt's First Term ; The Forest Service Takes Control of the Forest Reserves ; Roosevelt and Congress Use Public Lands to Protect Wildlife Habitat ; Public Lands, Science, and History: The Antiquities Act ; Roosevelt and National Parks ; Making New Forest Reserves: Congress Challenges the President ; Roosevelt, Public Lands, and Energy Development ; Public Lands in the Handoff from Roosevelt to Taft ; Taft's Undervalued Record on Public Land Conservation ; National Forests Become National with Enactment of the Weeks Act ; Public Lands at the End of the Age of Theodore Roosevelt -- Part six: Public Land Policy Between the Roosevelts, 1913-1933. National Parks Take Center Stage ; The National Park System's Early Years ; The National Forest System Matures and Evolves ; The Forest and Park Services Compete and Cooperate ; Ranchers, Homesteaders, and Energy Developers Compete for Primacy ; The End of the Progressive Era ; Debating the Future of Unreserved Public Lands ; Wildlife Protection Gains Prominence ; Public Lands and Multipurpose Water Development -- Part seven: Filling in the Gaps in Public Land Policy, 1933-1960. The Taylor Grazing Act ; National Parks in the New Deal ; A System of Wildlife Refuges Begins to Emerge ; Other New Deal Public Land Policies ; Grazing and Logging the Public Lands in the Postwar Era ; Mineral Policy Developments Onshore and Offshore -- Part eight: Public Lands in Modern Times, 1961-Present. The Wilderness Act Reshapes Public Land Policy ; New Labels and New Means of Protecting Public Values in Public Lands ; Making the Modern Bureau of Land Management ; Making the Modern Forest Service ; Charting the Future of Public Lands in Alaska ; Making the Modern U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ; Making the Modern National Park Service ; Mineral and Energy Development in the Modern Era ; Public Lands and Native Americans in the Modern Era ; The Politics of Public Lands in the Modern Era: Change or Continuity? ; Public Lands Today ; Public Lands and the Future.
Summary:
"The U.S. government holds nearly one-third of the nation's land-more than 600 million acres of forests, plains, mountains, wetlands, deserts, and shorelines found in every part of the country. In this book, John Leshy, a leading expert in public lands policy, discusses the key political decisions that led to this result, beginning at the very founding of the nation. He traces the emergence of a bipartisan political consensus in favor of the national government managing vast areas of land primarily for recreation, education, science, and conservation of biodiversity and cultural resources. That consensus remains strong and continues to shape American identity. Such a success story of the political system is a bright spot in an era when many doubt whether government can ever produce good results. This book is essential reading for anyone who cares about public lands, and it is particularly timely as the world grapples with the challenges of climate change."--Jacket flap.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.