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Public Lands and Outdoor Recreation

Forest Service Roads Opened for Recreation Would Defray Costs

Sacramento BeeAugust 5, 1997 Forest Service Roads Opened form Recreation Would Defray Costs By Donald R. Leal Not long ago, Congress flirted with the idea of making the timber industry pay for the roads it builds on national forests. The decision ended in a compromise, but the environmentalists and fiscal conservatives pushing for payment willContinue reading “Forest Service Roads Opened for Recreation Would Defray Costs”
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Don Leal on Self-Supporting National Parks

July 10, 1997 Statement for the Subcommittee on Parks and Public Lands By Donald R. Leal PERC Senior Associate “I believe the time will come when Yellowstone, Yosemite, Mount Rainier, Sequoia, and General Grant national parks and probably one or more members of the system will yield sufficient revenue to cover costs of administration andContinue reading “Don Leal on Self-Supporting National Parks”
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National Parks

Once considered America’s “crown jewels,” our national parks have become tarnished by monetary problems. Campgrounds are closed, buildings are in disrepair, roads are potholed and natural resources are degraded.
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Parks in Transition

This sketch of 27 state parks systems between 1980 and 1994, offers a brief look at the physical characteristics of each park system, its amenities and programs, visitation, fees and funding sources. A companion to the PERC Policy Series: Back to the Future to Save Our Parks, it examines the feasibility of creating self-sufficient parks, and includes specific policy recommendations.
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Public Lands and Private Rights: The Failure of Scientific Management

A leading expert on public lands and land rights issues, Robert H. Nelson shows why the existing public land system, grounded in a philosophy of scientific management, has failed. Using insights gained from nearly two decades at the U.S. Department of Interior, Nelson analyzes the past 25 years of public land policy and documents majorContinue reading “Public Lands and Private Rights: The Failure of Scientific Management”
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