Wildland Recreation Policy: An Introduction

In terms of size and diversity, America's publicly-owned wildlands have few worldwide rivals. 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. Wildland Recreation Policy 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. This second edition expands representation of those whose interests have been overlooked a! nd whose voices have been silent, including the role of women in recreation policy. This completely updated edition also incorporates the effects of recent world events, including the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, the Iraq War, and the differing environmental positions of the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush presidential administrations.