Mountains Without Handrails: Reflections on the National Parks / Edition 15

by Joseph L. Sax

Overview

Focusing on the long-standing and bitter battles over recreational use of our national parklands, Joseph L. Sax proposes a novel scheme for the protection and management of America's national parks. Drawing upon the most controversial disputes of recent years—-Yosemite National Park, the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, and the Disney plan for California's Mineral King Valley—-Sax boldly unites the rich and diverse tradition of nature writing into a coherent thesis that speaks directly to the dilemma of the parks.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780472063246
Publisher:	University of Michigan Press
Publication date:	10/17/1980
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.38(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Joseph L. Sax was a Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. Previously, he was the counselor to the Secretary of the Interior and Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law School.
 
Holly Doremus is Professor of Environmental Regulation and Co-faculty Director of the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Foreword Holly Doremus xi

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 Quiet Genesis 5

Chapter 2 An Ideal in Search of Itself 17

Chapter 3 The Ideal in Practice 29

Chapter 4 Making a Choice 53

Chapter 5 The Compromise Called For 69

Chapter 6 The Parks as They Ought to Be 87

Chapter 7 "At the Core of All This Wilderness and Luxury" 101

Chapter 8 Conclusion 113

Appendix: A Policy Statement: The Meaning of National Parks Today 121

Notes 125

Bibliography 149

Index 159

Editorial Reviews

An American classic. For eight years this book informed and guided my oversight of our National Park system.”
—Bruce Babbitt, United States Secretary of the Interior, 1993-2001

“Over my 40 years with the National Park Service rising from ranger to director, Mountains Without Handrails had a reserved space on my bookshelf. Faced daily with the dilemma and decisions of the dual mandate, I often thought what would Joe do? As our nation’s parks face new challenges, his counsel remains relevant and wise.”
—Jonathan B. Jarvis, National Parks Service Director, 2009-2017

From the Publisher