Islands under Siege National Parks and the Politics of External Threats John C. Freemuth 200 pages, 6 photographs, 5 maps, 6 x 9 Development of Western Resources Paper ISBN 978-0-7006-0627-6, $14.95 Increasingly, national parks have come under environmental attack from sources outside the parks, beyond the jurisdiction of the Park Service. Smog from neighboring cities now obscures famous vistas. Noise and water pollution from nearby industries spills across park boundaries. Acid rain eats away at old-growth forests. John Freemuth sees these new external assaults as political problems. In this volume he examines the questions they raise, traces the shifts in government action that have accompanied waves of citizen activism, and uncovers evidence of ineffective legislation, inept implementation, and the potent political power of pro-development forces. He finds the Park Service hamstrung by unclear, conflicting priorities and bureaucratic inertia imposed from above. Finally, he analyzes a diverse set of political strategies that have been and are being used to deal with the threats to our national parks, evaluating each in terms of environmental effectiveness and political feasibility. "Freemuth shows how the 'crown jewels' of the parks system have become islands assaulted by urbanization and economic development pressures. This volume ought to be in every library collection on national parks in America."--Choice "This well-written, perceptive work is notable for its insights into the shifting, high-stakes contests in which irreversible damage to parks is often only a political appointee away."--National Parks "Freemuth creates a uniquely rich picture that does justice to the complicated challenge of managing external threats. . . . His insightful examination is relevant to anyone interested in park management."--Environment "An important study that deserves the attention of both scholars and public officials."--History: Reviews of New Books "A nicely written, timely study of one of the major problem areas in national park protection and management today. This book will be valuable to conservation historians, political scientists, and friends of national parks."--Roderick Nash, author of Wilderness and the American Mind JOHN C. FREEMUTH is associate professor of political science and public affairs at Boise State University. He has served on advisory panels for the National Park Service.   Home | About the Press | Recent Awards | Contact Us | Order New Books: | By Author | By Subject | By Title | By Series Books in Print: | By Author | By Subject | By Title | By Series ©2007 University Press of Kansas 2502 Westbrooke Circle, Lawrence, KS 66045-4444 Phone (785) 864-4155; Fax (785) 864-4586