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Public Lands and Outdoor Recreation

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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Forestry

The Forest Service needs strong incentives to adhere to the bottom line. The right motivation could help create a profitable timber program.
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Multiple Conflicts Over Multiple Uses

Terry L. Anderson, Editor This volume examines the prospects for reducing conflicts over public land management by substituting markets for bureaucracies. The conclusion is that a healthy dose of free market environmentalism is the best way to eliminate conflicts over multiple uses, to reduce the drain of the federal treasury and to promote cooperation. TerryContinue reading “Multiple Conflicts Over Multiple Uses”
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