From the Nature and Culture blog:
Ken Burns, who lives near my home in Vermont, is due to release his new movie this fall, called, “National Parks: America’s Best Idea.” This is a timely movie for this class! Ken Burns has created so many beautiful films that I love and he is a great story teller; however, I imagine looking more critically at the romanticized tendencies when talking about what National Parks mean to people and will be very interested to see how he discusses the Native American people…As we read about in Uncommon Ground, the establishment of Yosemite National Park, through the eyes of the indigenous people, couldn’t have been America’s best idea. I hope he addresses the controversy.
Another book that looks at the effects of parks and reserves on the local people is "Crimes against Nature, Squatters. Poachers, thieves, and the Hidden History of American Conservation", by Karl Jacoby. He looks at the Adirondack Park, Yellow Stone and the Grand Canyon. Very interesting read!
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