Now in a fully updated edition, this invaluable reference work is a fundamental resource for scholars, students, conservationists, and citizens interested in America's national park system. The extensive collection of documents illustrates the system's creation, development, and management. The documents include laws that established and shaped the system; policy statements on park management; Park Service self-evaluations; and outside studies by a range of scientists, conservation organizations, private groups, and businesses. A new appendix includes summaries of pivotal court cases that have further interpreted the Park Service mission.

"This important collection of primary source documents highlights the founding, evolution, and challenges of one of the defining American institutions: The National Park Service. . . .This book showcases 79 documents (some have been abridged) ranging from Acts of Congress to fire management reports and advocacy letters which speak to the history of ‘America’s best idea’ and the diverse purposes it serves." - American Reference Books Annual

"To have so many hard-to-find documents presented with such lucid explanations in one place makes this an invaluable reference. . . . Members of Congress and officials in the executive branch would do well to read these formative documents about our cherished public lands." - Forest History Today