Our Common Ground: A History of America's Public Lands

by John D. Leshy

The little-known story of how the U.S. government came to hold nearly one-third of the nation’s land and manage it primarily for recreation, education, and conservation
 
“A much-needed chronicle of how the American people decided—wisely and democratically—that nearly a third of the nation’s land surface should remain in our collective ownership and be managed for our common good.”—Dayton Duncan, author of The National America’s Best Idea
 
America’s public lands include more than 600 million acres of forests, plains, mountains, wetlands, deserts, and shorelines. In this book, John Leshy, a leading expert in public lands policy, discusses the key political decisions that led to this, beginning at the very founding of the nation. He traces the emergence of a bipartisan political consensus in favor of the national government holding these vast land areas primarily for recreation, education, and conservation of biodiversity and cultural resources.
 
That consensus remains strong and continues to shape American identity. Such a success story is a bright spot in an era of cynicism about government. This book is essential reading for anyone who cares about public lands, and it is particularly timely as the world grapples with the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Genres: Environment, History, Nonfiction, Nature, Politics

736 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2022

Reviews

[Anneliese · Rating 2 out of 5]

Our Common Ground has some incredibly helpful nuance on entirely too many topics to be an enjoyable read. The few times he talked about a campaign that interested me I was enthralled but the level of detail on every little thing drove me up the wall. It is better used as a reference for particular questions than to be read in its entirety.

[Johnsie Wilkinson]

A much-needed account of the history of the US public lands.

[Mathieu]

Very detailed and long book about our public lands. I just skimmed parts. Lots of good information is in here, I am sure.