Publisher Description

Published to coincide with the centennial of the founding of the USA's National Park Service, A Thinking Person's Guide to America's National Parks is a book for people interested in broadening and deepening their understanding of the full range of, and challenges facing, the national parks. This magnificent system includes the iconic western national parks like Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon; urban parks such as Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco and Gateway National Recreation Area in New York City; historic sites, including the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Gettysburg National Military Park; and cultural sites like New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park. The reader will learn about the vast array of programs offered by the National Park Service and affiliated organisations to educate the public about conservation and restoration. Containing twenty-three essays, with more than 300 colour illustrations, from contributing authors with deep personal and professional connections to the national parks, 'A Thinking Person's Guide' informs readers as to places in many parks where: Responses to climate change are being conceived and undertaken; Ideas such as "freedom," "civil rights" and "conservation" were borne and public memory of historic events is honoured; The balance between recreation and conservation, population pressure and preservation of nature is tested; Biodiversity is being preserved and the geological history can be seen; Partnerships between park managers and indigenous peoples are leading to more complete presentations of historical events; and Monuments and artefacts bearing witness to the US's economic, technological, and military history are on display. AUTHOR: The book is edited by Robert Manning, a professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Vermont; Rolf Diamant and Nora Mitchell, who spent careers with the National Park Service and are now adjunct professors at the University of Vermont; and David Harmon, executive director of the George Wright Society. 300 colour

Author Biography

Robert E. Manning, Ph.D., is Steven Rubenstein Professor of Environment and Natural Resources at
University of Vermont Rolf Diamant is a former national park superintendent and is now adjunct associate professor at the University of Vermont Nora J. Mitchell, Ph.D. is former Director, National Park Service Stewardship Institute and is now adjunct associate professor at the University of Vermont David Harmon is executive director of the George
Wright Society.

Review

"... this book brings together ecologists, historians, naturalists, landscape architects, and other specialists who have worked for or studied the National Park Service and the national park system to offer an engaging mix of history and personal reflection." -- Forest History Today "[A Thinking Person's Guide to America's National Parks] is a welcome, insightful, and richly varied contribution to the literature on the national parks." -- Environmental History Review "This volume, and the issues raised by the some two dozen contributors,provide an important jumping-off point fora number of significant inquiries into the nature,meaning, and future of national parks. The book has an overall celebratory tone, but is very clear in its message that the national park system still has a ways to go before it can live up to its potential as "our great public commons".... This is a book designed for repeated use and exploration, for readers who want to understand particular issues and questions about the system as a whole more deeply." -- Open Rivers "... an excellent armchair roadmap to the Park Service's more than 400 sites and its many priorities and pursuits..." -- Brad Tyer - High Country News "...provides considerable historical detail and a look at the parks as treasure of the American spirit." -- Library Journal (Starred Review) "[A] provocative, seductively illustrated anthology of 23 essays... entries-covering communities and partnerships, new park resources, and the next 100 years-soar with thought-provoking content." -- Publishers Weekly "This centenary year of the National Park Service is the perfect moment for A Thinking Person's Guide to America's National Parks.... the essays and often breathtaking photographs in this volume expertly examine the more than 400 sites of natural beauty and historic importance that make up the national park system." -- The Wall Street Journal

Review Quote

"This volume, and the issues raised by the some two dozen contributors,provide an important jumping-off point fora number of significant inquiries into the nature,meaning, and future of national parks. The book has an overall celebratory tone, but is very clear in its message that the national park system still has a ways to go before it can live up to its potential as "our great public commons".... This is a book designed for repeated use and exploration, for readers who want to understand particular issues and questions about the system as a whole more deeply."

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