Why read Preserving Nature in the National Parks?

Book cover of Preserving Nature in the National Parks: A History

Book description

This book traces the epic clash of values between traditional scenery-and-tourism management and emerging ecological concepts in the national parks, America's most treasured landscapes. It spans the period from the creation of Yellowstone National Park in 1872 to near the present, analyzing the management of fires, predators, elk, bear, and…

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National Parks

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Why read it?

1 author picked Preserving Nature in the National Parks as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Megan Kate Nelson

Author

Sellars’ book is a detailed history of national park management, which you might think would be dry and boring. But this fast-paced account of the evolving tension between aesthetic/touristic development and ecological preservation in the park system is fascinating. Along the way, Preserving Nature in the National Parks makes a ground-breaking argument about how declining interest in biological science shaped the Park Service’s long-term approach to administration. This book, like Muir’s, had an impact on the park system itself. Since its publication, the Park Service has been reevaluating its attention to science and ecological preservation and working to change its…

From Megan's list on The best books on America’s National Parks.