
Focusing on the long-standing and bitter battles over recreational use of our national parklands, Joseph L. Sax proposes a novel scheme for the protection and management of America's national parks. Drawing upon the most controversial disputes of recent years—Yosemite National Park, the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, and the Disney plan for California's Mineral King Valley—Sax boldly unites the rich and diverse tradition of nature writing into a coherent thesis that speaks directly to the dilemma of the parks.
Contents
Introduction 1
1. Quiet Genesis 5
2. An Ideal in Search of Itself 17
3. The Ideal in Practice 27
4. Making a Choice 47
5. The Compromise Called For 61
6. The Parks as They Ought to Be 79
7. "At the Core of All This Wilderness and Luxury" 91
8. Conclusion 103
Appendix: A Policy Statement: The Meaning of National Parks Today 111
Notes 115
Bibliographic Notes 139
Index 149