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In terms of size and diversity, America's publicly-owned wildlands have few worldwide rivals. Americans have come to value these places for a diversity of reasons, not the least of which is outdoor
recreation and its host of closely linked outcomes such as health, inspiration, aesthetics, challenge, risk, relaxation, exploration, and learning. To protect these places and provide for human uses, we have
created a complicated network of management agencies, which operate in a "free fire zone" of often conflicting values articulated by numerous citizen and business groups. $IWildland Recreation Policy$I
is not only about how our system of wildlands came to be, but also about the political process through which we decide how these places should and should not be used. Building on the historic origins of the
National Park Service and USDA Forest Service, the authors show how the policy process affects current outdoor recreation management issues. The book's intent is to create awareness of the policy process and a
knowledge structure for understanding how agencies can respond constructively to the myriad conflicts they face. |
