All Research:
Public Lands and Outdoor Recreation
National Parks Centennial Issue of PERC Reports
As the National Park Service turns 100, creative solutions and responsible policies are needed. This issue of PERC Reports is devoted to exploring some of those ideas.
Back to the Future of America’s National Parks
We should do more than celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. We should ask serious questions about how to improve our national parks.
Let’s Fix Our National Parks, Not Add More
Congress should stop acquiring more federal land for the park system and start maintaining what we’ve already got.
Charter Forests: A New Management Approach for National Forests
Is there room for innovation in national forest management? In this PERC Policy Series, Robert Nelson proposes “charter forests” as a new management approach.
National Trails Day: How much access is enough?
When does more access present a “tragedy of the commons”? National Trails Day is a good time to reconsider the tradeoff between more access and resource stewardship.
Reauthorization and Potential Reforms to the Land and Water Conservation Fund
Using the LWCF to acquire land—without first addressing the billions of dollars in deferred maintenance on the existing federal land—will threaten the ecological health, public accessibility and economic productivity of these precious lands.
Reforming the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the 21st Century
Federal funds from the LWCF are limited to land acquisition and cannot be used for the care and maintenance of existing federal lands.
The U.S. Department of Land-Hogging
Nearly half of the West is owned—and badly managed—by the feds. States want to step in. Writing for the Wall Street Journal, PERC’s Shawn Regan provides an overview of the issue.
Divided Lands: State vs. Federal Management in the West
A comparison of state and federal land management in the West.