Public Lands, Public Debates: A Century of Controversy

by Char Miller

The subject of historic struggle and contemporary dispute, public lands in the United States are treasured spaces. In Public Lands, Public Debates, environmental historian Char Miller explores the history of conservation thinking and the development of a government agency with stewardship at its mission.

 

Owned in common, our national forests, monuments, parks, and preserves are funded through federal tax receipts, making these public lands national in scope and significance. Their controversial histories demonstrate their vulnerability to shifting tides of public opinion, alterations in fiscal support, and overlapping authorities for their management—including federal, state, and local mandates, as well as critical tribal prerogatives and military claims.

 

Miller takes the Forest Service as a gauge of the broader debates in which Americans have engaged since the late nineteenth century. In nineteen essays,he examines critical moments of public and private negotiation to help explain the particular, and occasionally peculiar, tensions that have shaped the administration of public lands in the United States.

 

 “Watching democracy at work can be bewildering, even frustrating, but the only way individuals and organizations can sift through the often messy business of public deliberation is to deliberate...”
—Char Miller, from the introduction

Genres: Environment

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2012

Reviews

[Brad Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I found the book to be an enjoyable read, I think overall it is a bit uneven in focus. The editing left a little to be desired due to missing words. The meaning is still understandable, it just has the feel of reading lecture notes during which the speaker would know to insert them instinctively.

["Cyril' (David · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting look at the development of the mission of the US Forestry Service, among other things.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Books that house collections of essays are difficult to rate as some essays hit home and some just aren't reflective of the author's best work. There are some thoughtful reflections in this book, though there is a lot of repetition as well given the nature of sometimes serialized work.

A very easy read though about the Forest Service, its history, present and future.

[Mills College Library]

333.73097 M6474 2012