Discovering the Unknown Landscape Quotes

“If "balance" was truly sought, it would take a much deeper swing in the direction of conservation to offset the dominant vision of converting wetlands that had guided centuries of land use in America.”
― Ann Vileisis, Discovering the Unknown Landscape: A History Of America's Wetlands

“By virtue of their very nature, wetlands once again challenged traditional concepts of property. Because the "wet" part of wetlands offered public benefits, the government had become involved to protect common values. Yet the "land" part had traditionally accorded owners the rights to do what they wanted. Sooner or later Americans would have to address the apparent conflict between safeguarding environmental quality for society at large and preserving landowners' rights. The wetlands were part land and part water, part private and part public. The future of this enigmatic physical and cultural landscape lay in the delicately shifting balance of public opinion and in the stark exposure of raw political power.”
― Ann Vileisis, Discovering the Unknown Landscape: A History Of America's Wetlands