Description

Approximately 28% of the United States consists of Public Lands; that's equivalent to Germany 7 times over. " T]his 'public land' ... is available for all to use--to observe wildlife, camp, hunt, hike, fish, or bike on. "Public lands ... are each managed with slightly different goals and priorities--some are primarily for recreation (ATV riding, climbing, biking, hunting, and hiking) and wildlife conservation, and some are for use by ranchers and miners. The key factor linking them together is that they are all available for public use now, while also being managed for the long term so they can be experienced by unborn generations." There are more visits to national parks every year than there are people in this country. Of course, the same can likely be said of trips to McDonald's, but those are less healthy.

From businessmen to politicians to the radical fringe (think Clive Bundy), there are those who have felt public lands should be sold off and become private property. These land-transfer ideas have become sadly quite common.

It is from opposition to these ideas that this book was born: "I decided I needed to do something. I couldn't single-handedly stop a politician from writing a bill, or convince a president to stand up for our parks and forests, but I could at least try to make sense of how we got here and share what I'd learned. ... I wasn't sure I was the most apt mouthpiece. ... My fresh eyes and outsider perspective might help bring the issue to the larger world in a relatable way. ... M]y stance on public lands was clear. I was happy to stand side by side with anyone fighting on behalf of our public lands, no matter what other differences we might have."

Part memoir, part history of public lands, at all times a cry to preserve the wilderness. Plenty of fun animal encounters. A consistently interesting intelligent read.