Book ID: CBB540717050

Preserving the Desert: A History of Joshua Tree National Park (2017)

unapi

Dilsaver, Lary M. (Author)


George F. Thompson Publishing


Publication Date: 2017
Physical Details: 448
Language: English

National parks are different from other federal lands in the United States. Beginning in 1872 with the establishment of Yellowstone, they were largely set aside to preserve for future generations the most spectacular and inspirational features of the country, seeking the best representative examples of major ecosystems such as Yosemite, geologic forms such as the Grand Canyon, archaeological sites such as Mesa Verde, and scenes of human events such as Gettysburg. But one type of habitat―the desert―fell short of that goal in American eyes until travel writers and the Automobile Age began to change that perception. As the Park Service began to explore the better-known Mojave and Colorado deserts of southern California during the 1920s for a possible desert park, many agency leaders still carried the same negative image of arid lands shared by many Americans―that they are hostile and largely useless. But one wealthy woman―Minerva Hamilton Hoyt, from Pasadena―came forward, believing in the value of the desert, and convinced President Franklin D. Roosevelt to establish a national monument that would protect the unique and iconic Joshua trees and other desert flora and fauna. Thus was Joshua Tree National Monument officially established in 1936, with the area later expanded in 1994 when it became Joshua Tree National Park. Since 1936, the National Park Service and a growing cadre of environmentalists and recreationalists have fought to block ongoing proposals from miners, ranchers, private landowners, and real estate developers who historically have refused to accept the idea that any desert is suitable for anything other than their consumptive activities. To their dismay, Joshua Tree National Park, even with its often-conflicting land uses, is more popular today than ever, serving more than one million visitors per year who find the desert to be a place worthy of respect and preservation.Distributed for George Thompson Publishing

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Review Andrew Kirk (January 2019) Review of "Preserving the Desert: A History of Joshua Tree National Park". Environmental History (pp. 181-182). unapi

Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB540717050/

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Authors & Contributors
Turner, Raymond M.
Rodriguez-Buritica, Susana
Raichle, Helen
Webb, Robert H.
Casado de Otaola, Santos
Jacob S. T. Dlamini
Concepts
Deserts
Wildlife conservation
National parks and reserves
Environmental sciences
Environmental history
Nature and its relationship to culture; human-nature relationships
Time Periods
20th century
19th century
21st century
20th century, early
20th century, late
Places
United States
Australia
Arizona (U.S.)
Spain
California (U.S.)
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Institutions
Carnegie Institution of Washington
Kruger National Park (South Africa)
United States. National Park Service
United States Air Force (USAF)
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