Books+ Search Results
Our Common Ground : A History of America's Public Lands
Author
Title
Our Common Ground : A History of America's Public Lands / John D. Leshy.
ISBN
9780300262841
Publication
New Haven, CT : Yale University Press, [2022]
Copyright Notice Date
©2021
Physical Description
1 online resource (640 p.)
Local Notes
Access is available to the Yale community.
Notes
In English.
Access and use
Access restricted by licensing agreement.
Summary
The little-known story of how the U.S. government came to hold nearly one-third of the nation's land and manage it primarily for recreation, education and conservation. "A much-needed chronicle of how the American people decided--wisely and democratically--that nearly a third of the nation's land surface should remain in our collective ownership and be managed for our common good."-Dayton Duncan, author of The National Parks: America's Best Idea America's public lands include more than 600 million acres of forests, plains, mountains, wetlands, deserts, and shorelines. In this book, John Leshy, a leading expert in public lands policy, discusses the key political decisions that led to this, beginning at the very founding of the nation. He traces the emergence of a bipartisan political consensus in favor of the national government holding these vast land areas primarily for recreation, education, 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 of cynicism about government. 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 and biodiversity loss.
Variant and related titles
De Gruyter University Press eBook pilot project 2021.
Format
Books / Online
Language
English
Added to Catalog
March 07, 2022
Contents
Frontmatter
Contents
Preface
Part One: Public Lands in the Formative Era, 1776-1789
1. The Nation's Founding and the Public Lands
2. Public Lands and the Ordinances of 1784, 1785, and 1787
3. The U.S. Constitution and the Public Lands
Part Two: The Public Lands and Nation Building, 1790-1861
4. Admitting New States and Acquiring New Territory
5. Exploration, Science, and the Appreciation of Nature
6. Divesting Public Lands to Build a
7. Reservations and Acquisitions of Public Lands
8. Public Land Policy in Confusion in the Period Before the Civil War
Part Three: Plunder and Backlash Feed a Movement for Reserves, 1862-1889
9. New Divestment Policies Sow Seeds of a Backlash
10. More Giveaways Sow More Seeds of Discontent
11. Protecting Public Lands for Inspiration: Yosemite and Yellowstone
12. Pillaging Public Lands for Wood, Grass, and Minerals
13. Efforts Launched to Protect Public Forest Land
14. Moving Beyond "Paper Parks"
15. Wildlife Protection Enters the Policy Universe
16. The Campaign for Forest Reservations Gains Momentum
17. Congress Closes In on Major Reforms
Part Four: The Great Transition, Phase One, 1890-1901
18. Congress Guts Powell's Irrigation Survey and Establishes New National Parks
19. Congress Gives the President Broad Authority to Reserve Public Lands
20. The First Forest Reserves
21. The General Land Office Struggles and Cleveland Spurs Congress into Action
22. An Organic Act for the Forest Reserves
23. Parks, Forests, and Public Land Policy in the McKinley Administration
24. National Authority over Public Lands Expanded and Confirmed
Part Five: The Great Transition, Phase Two, 1902-1913
25. Theodore Roosevelt, Public Lands, and the Reclamation Act
26. Forest Reserves Expand in Roosevelt's First Term
27. The Forest Service Takes Control of the Forest Reserves
28. Roosevelt and Congress Use Public Lands to Protect Wildlife Habitat
29. Public Lands, Science, and History: The Antiquities Act
30. Roosevelt and National Parks
31. Making New Forest Reserves: Congress Challenges the President
32. Roosevelt, Public Lands, and Energy Development
33. Public Lands in the Handoff from Roosevelt to Taft
34. Taft's Undervalued Record on Public Land Conservation
35. National Forests Become National with Enactment of the Weeks Act
36. Public Lands at the End of the Age of Theodore Roosevelt
Part Six: Public Land Policy Between the Roosevelts, 1913-1933
37. National Parks Take Center Stage
38. The National Park System's Early Ye
39. The National Forest System Matures and Evolves
40. The Forest and Park Services Compete and Cooperate
41. Ranchers, Homesteaders, and Energy Developers Compete for Primacy
42. The End of the Progressive Era
43. Debating the Future of Unreserved Public Lands
44. Wildlife Protection Gains Prominence
45. Public Lands and Multipurpose Water Development
Part Seven: Filling in the Gaps in Public Land Policy, 1933-1960
46. The Taylor Grazing Act
47. National Parks in the New Deal
48. A System of Wildlife Refuges Begins to Emerge
49. Other New Deal Public Land Policies
50. Grazing and Logging the Public Lands in the Postwar Era
51. Mineral Policy Developments Onshore and Offshore
Part Eight: Public Lands in Modern Times, 1961-Present
52. The Wilderness Act Reshapes Public Land Policy
53. New Labels and New Means of Protecting Public Values in Public Lands
54. Making the Modern Bureau of Land Management
55. Making the Modern Forest Service
56. Charting the Future of Public Lands in Alaska
57. Making the Modern U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
58. Making the Modern National Park Service
59. Mineral and Energy Development in the Modern Era
60. Public Lands and Native Americans in the Modern Era
61. The Politics of Public Lands in the Modern Era: Change or Continuity?
62. Public Lands Today
63. Public Lands and the Future
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Subjects
Bookmark As
Citation
