@article{714263,
      recid = {714263},
      author = {Mittlefehldt, Sarah. and Cronon, William.},
      title = {Tangled roots the Appalachian Trail and American  environmental politics / [electronic resource] :},
      pages = {1 online resource (277 pages) :},
      abstract = {"The Appalachian Trail, a thin ribbon of wilderness  running through the densely populated eastern United  States, offers a refuge from modern society and a place  apart from human ideas and institutions. But as  environmental historian and thru-hiker Sarah Mittlefehldt  argues, the trail is also a conduit for community  engagement and a model for public-private cooperation and  environmental stewardship.In Tangled Roots, Mittlefehldt  tells the story of the trail's creation. The project was  one of the first in which the National Park Service  attempted to create public wilderness space within heavily  populated, privately owned lands. Originally a regional  grassroots endeavor, under federal leadership the trail  project retained unprecedented levels of community  involvement. As citizen volunteers came together and  entered into conversation with the National Parks Service,  boundaries between "local" and "nonlocal," "public" and  "private," "amateur" and "expert" frequently broke down.  Today, as Mittlefehldt tells us, the Appalachian Trail  remains an unusual hybrid of public and private efforts and  an inspiring success story of environmental protection.  Sarah Mittlefehldt is assistant professor of environmental  studies at Green Mountain College."Tangled Roots makes a  contribution to the literature of environmental  conservation history that is as unusual as the trail  itself. In a gentle, approachable, and engaging style it  tells the history of one of the most important and beloved  conservation initiatives in American history and at the  same time comments on a wide range of subjects in ways that  are both insightful and fresh." --James Feldman, author of  A Storied Wilderness"Tangled Roots will find readership  among environmental and forest historians and will end up  on the Christmas lists and in the backpacks of the trail's  many fans. It is original and well-researched, ranging the  length of the trail and lingering in one or another spot to  explore representative or illuminating developments."  --Kathryn Newfont, author of Blue Ridge Commons"This superb  history of the construction and management of the  Appalachian Trail not only narrates the creation of the  most famous long-distance hiking trail in modern America;  it also offers a cautionary tale about the changing roles  of private landowners, volunteer hiking enthusiasts, land  managers, and federal agencies in the oversight of that  trail. In so doing, Sarah Mittlefehldt beautifully  illustrates the changing environmental politics of the  twentieth century in a book whose implications extend far  beyond the AT." --William Cronon"--},
      url = {http://library.usi.edu/record/714263},
}