Wildlands of the West

You've heard about National Parks and National Forests. What about National Monuments? National Conservation Areas? Wilderness Areas? In this 2002 volume, Author Leslie Allen accepts a difficult assignment: in just 200 pages, capture the essence of the 262 million acres under the stewardship of the US Bureau of Land Management, an area almost exclusively west of the plains but stretching from the Mexican border to the Arctic circle. In turn Allen visits the cultural significance of these lands, from pueblos to pioneers and cowboys to copper mines. Another chapter examines the sagebrush ecosystem, with the plants and animals that depend on it, as well as the invasive plants and human development that threaten it. Along the way the story is punctuated with photos by Melissa Farlow in the classic National Geographic style. Recreational uses from rafting to off-road vehicles are highlighted, culminating in the incomparably funky Burning Man festival. This volume is part of the National Geographic's Special Publications Series, one of the best-kept secrets in the world of books. Since 1966 the Society had released four titles per year. The same size and shape as their iconic magazine, these hardcovers present the best that National Geographic has to offer, and without the ads! Authors have included such scientific luminaries as Isaac Asimov, Bob Ballard, Jane Goodall and Louis Leakey.