Uncertain Path: A Search for the Future of National Parks

by William C. Tweed, Jonathan B. Jarvis (Foreword by)

Overview

In this provocative walking meditation, writer and former park ranger William Tweed takes us to California’s spectacular High Sierra to discover a new vision for our national parks as they approach their 100th anniversary. Tweed, who worked among the Sierra Nevada’s big peaks and big trees for more than thirty years, has now hiked more than 200 miles along California’s John Muir Trail in a personal search for answers: How do we address the climate change we are seeing even now—in melting glaciers in Glacier National Park, changing rainy seasons on Mt Rainer, and more fire in the West’s iconic parks. Should we intervene where we can to preserve biodiversity? Should the parks merely become ecosystem museums that exhibit famous landscapes and species? Asking how we can make these magnificent parks relevant for the next generation, Tweed, through his journey, ultimately shows why we must do just that.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520271388
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	10/06/2010
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

William Tweed, Chief Park Naturalist at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks before he retired in 2006, is the author, with Lauren Davis, of Death Valley and the Northern Mojave, A Visitor’s Guide and, with Lary M. Dilsaver, of Challenge of the Big Trees: A Resource History of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Introduction

1. South from Yosemite
2. Kings Canyon National Park
3. Sequoia National Park
4. National Parks in the Twenty-first Century

Notes
References
Acknowledgments
Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Elegant and thoughtful . . .. A welcome — and long overdue — call for a fundamental redefinition of the National Park Service's core mission and management goals."—High Country News

"This is a must-read for anyone who loves national parks."—Fresno Bee

"Tweed plays the role of tour guide perfectly. . . exercising his considerable knowledge about wilderness and its remarkable role in park history."—National Parks Traveler

"Anyone who has an interest in the physical future and relevancy of our National Park System to our changing society should read this book. "—A Park Ranger's Life Blog

Editorial Reviews

This is a must-read for anyone who loves national parks.

Fresno Bee

Anyone who has an interest in the physical future and relevancy of our National Park System to our changing society should read this book. “

A Park Ranger’s Life Blog

"I strongly encourage this interested in the future of parks and wilderness to add this jewel of a book to their libraries."

George Wright Journal

Tweed plays the role of tour guide perfectly. . . exercising his considerable knowledge about wilderness and its remarkable role in park history.

National Parks Traveler

Elegant and thoughtful . . .. A welcome — and long overdue — call for a fundamental redefinition of the National Park Service's core mission and management goals.

High Country News

Anyone who has an interest in the physical future and relevancy of our National Park System to our changing society should read this book. “

A Park Ranger’s Life Blog

Anyone who has an interest in the physical future and relevancy of our National Park System to our changing society should read this book. “

A Park Ranger's Life Blog