National Parks Forever
Fifty Years of Fighting and a Case for Independence
9780226819082
9780226819099
9780226819105
9780226831701
National Parks Forever
Fifty Years of Fighting and a Case for Independence
Two leaders of the National Park Service provide a front-row seat to the disastrous impact of partisan politics over the past fifty years—and offer a bold vision for the parks’ future.
The US National Parks, what environmentalist and historian Wallace Stegner called America’s “best idea,” are under siege. Since 1972, partisan political appointees in the Department of the Interior have offered two conflicting views of the National Park Service (NPS): one vision emphasizes preservation and science-based decision-making, and another prioritizes economic benefits and privatization. These politically driven shifts represent a pernicious, existential threat to the very future of our parks.
For the past fifty years, brothers Jonathan B. and T. Destry Jarvis have worked both within and outside NPS as leaders and advocates. National Parks Forever interweaves their two voices to show how our parks must be protected from those who would open them to economic exploitation, while still allowing generations to explore and learn in them. Their history also details how Congress and administration appointees have used budget and staffing cuts to sabotage NPS’s ability to manage the parks and even threatened their existence. Drawing on their experience, Jarvis and Jarvis make a bold and compelling proposal: that it is time for NPS to be removed from the Department of the Interior and made an independent agency, similar to the Smithsonian Institution, giving NPS leaders the ability to manage park resources and plan our parks’ protection, priorities, and future.
The US National Parks, what environmentalist and historian Wallace Stegner called America’s “best idea,” are under siege. Since 1972, partisan political appointees in the Department of the Interior have offered two conflicting views of the National Park Service (NPS): one vision emphasizes preservation and science-based decision-making, and another prioritizes economic benefits and privatization. These politically driven shifts represent a pernicious, existential threat to the very future of our parks.
For the past fifty years, brothers Jonathan B. and T. Destry Jarvis have worked both within and outside NPS as leaders and advocates. National Parks Forever interweaves their two voices to show how our parks must be protected from those who would open them to economic exploitation, while still allowing generations to explore and learn in them. Their history also details how Congress and administration appointees have used budget and staffing cuts to sabotage NPS’s ability to manage the parks and even threatened their existence. Drawing on their experience, Jarvis and Jarvis make a bold and compelling proposal: that it is time for NPS to be removed from the Department of the Interior and made an independent agency, similar to the Smithsonian Institution, giving NPS leaders the ability to manage park resources and plan our parks’ protection, priorities, and future.
Reviews
Table of Contents
Foreword by Chris Johns
Preface
Introduction and a Brief History of the National Parks: 1872–1972
One. Growing the System and Telling a More Complete Story
Two. Alaska: Doing It Right the First Time
Three. The Politics of Park Policy
Four. Using the Best Available Science
Five. Ecosystem Thinking Requires Collaboration
Six. Interference in the Mission
Seven. Independence: Finding a Sustainable Future for a Perpetuity Agency
Notes
Bibliography and Further Reading
Index of People and Places
Preface
Introduction and a Brief History of the National Parks: 1872–1972
One. Growing the System and Telling a More Complete Story
Two. Alaska: Doing It Right the First Time
Three. The Politics of Park Policy
Four. Using the Best Available Science
Five. Ecosystem Thinking Requires Collaboration
Six. Interference in the Mission
Seven. Independence: Finding a Sustainable Future for a Perpetuity Agency
Notes
Bibliography and Further Reading
Index of People and Places
Be the first to know
Get the latest updates on new releases, special offers, and media highlights when you subscribe to our email lists!