The promise of wilderness : American environmental politics since 1964 / James Morton Turner ; foreword by William Cronon.

"From Denali's majestic slopes to the Great Swamp of central New Jersey, protected wilderness areas make up nearly 20 percent of the parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and other public lands that cover a full fourth of the nation's territory. But wilderness is not only a place. It is also one of the most powerful and troublesome ideas in American environmental thought, representing everything from sublime beauty and patriotic inspiration to a countercultural ideal and an overextension of government authority. The Promise of Wilderness examines how the idea of wilderness has shaped the management of public lands since the passage of the Wilderness Act in 1964. Wilderness preservation has engaged diverse groups of citizens, from hunters and ranchers to wildlife enthusiasts and hikers, as political advocates who have leveraged the resources of local and national groups toward a common goal. Turner demonstrates how these efforts have contributed to major shifts in modern American environmental politics, which have emerged not just in reaction to a new generation of environmental concerns, such as environmental justice and climate change, but also in response to changed debates over old conservation issues, such as public lands management. He also shows how battles over wilderness protection have influenced American politics more broadly, fueling disputes over the proper role of government, individual rights, and the interests of rural communities; giving rise to radical environmentalism; and playing an important role in the resurgence of the conservative movement, especially in the American West. "James Turner's insightful book demonstrates the continued vitality and centrality of wilderness within American environmentalism."--Mark Harvey, author of Wilderness Forever: Howard Zahniser and the Path to the Wilderness Act "A superb study of the implementation of the Wilderness Act, and a springboard for a new period in wilderness thought and advocacy."--Paul Sutter, author of Driven Wild: How the Fight Against Automobiles Launched the Modern Wilderness Movement "The most deeply researched, analytically rigorous, and elegantly written study of American wilderness politics since the 1960s yet produced."--the Foreword by William Cronon James Morton Turner is assistant professor of environmental studies at Wellesley College"--Provided by publisher

"Analysis of the Wilderness Act of 1964, since its passage to the late 1990s, including the rationale for the act, dissenters, activists, the role of the Wilderness Society and other advocacy organizations"--Provided by publisher

1. Wilderness and the origins of modern environmentalism, 1967-1976 -- Why a wilderness act? -- Speaking for wilderness -- The popular politics of wilderness -- New environmental tools for an old conservation issue -- 2. The polarization of American environmental politics, 1977-1994 -- Alaska: "The last chance to do it right the first time" -- National forests: the polarization of environmental politics -- The public domain: environmental politics and the rise of the new right -- 3. Wilderness and a new agenda for the public lands, 1987-2009 -- From wilderness to public lands reform -- The new prophets of wilderness -- The paths to public lands reform.

Print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

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