To the Reader
Public lands are used for countless purposes. They provide recreation to hikers, skiers, and naturalists; they provide habitat for abundant species of wildlife; and through timber and other resources they provide money and jobs for local and state economies. Not surprisingly this variety of uses has resulted in conflict over just how these lands should be used and preserved for future generations. Moving away from the traditional command-and-control management of public land may provide a solution. As Matthew Brown and Holly Lippke Fretwell advise in this booklet, a fresh approach that relies on local control and accountability can provide the incentives necessary to meet the numerous demands made on public lands, including long-term environmental protection.
Matthew Brown is a research associate at PERC (the Political Economy Research Center) and the director of PERC's project on A State-Based Environmentalism. Holly Lippke Fretwell, also a research associate at PERC, has written a series of reports on public lands and spoken extensively on public land management issues.
Founded 30 years ago in Bozeman, Montana, PERC—the Property and Environment Research Center—is the nation’s oldest and largest institute dedicated to improving environmental quality through property rights and markets.
PERC’s publications, each designed to resonate with specific groups, move ideas generated at PERC to broader audiences.
Research is at the heart of PERC's work, with a focus on the question: What is the link between economic growth and environmental quality?
The goal of PERC’s programs is to fully realize the vision of establishing “PERC University,” where scholars, students, policy makers, and others convene to expand the applications of free market environmentalism.
PERC's fellowships share a common goal of exposing new scholars, students, journalists, and policy makers to free market environmentalism, as well as enable scholars already familiar with FME to explore new applications.
PERC continues to publish and present a broad range of research and discussion through podcasts, videos, and other multimedia channels.