Table of Contents

Foreword by Chris Johns
Preface

Introduction and a Brief History of the National Parks: 1872-1972
One. Growing the System and Telling a More Complete Story
Two. Alaska: Doing It Right the First Time
Three. The Politics of Park Policy
Four. Using the Best Available Science
Five. Ecosystem Thinking Requires Collaboration
Six. Interference in the Mission
Seven. Independence: Finding a Sustainable Future for a Perpetuity Agency

Notes
Bibliography and Further Reading
Index of People and Places

About the Author

Jonathan B. Jarvis was the eighteenth director of the National Park Service, serving from 2009 to 2017. He served for forty years with the NPS as ranger, biologist, and park superintendent in eight national parks. He is coauthor of The Future of Conservation in America, also published by the University of Chicago Press. T. Destry Jarvis has had leadership roles at the National Parks Conservation Association, Student Conservation Association, National Park Service, and National Recreation & Parks Association. Currently, he is vice president of US/ICOMOS, the US National Committee for the International Council on Monuments and Sites, better known as the World Heritage Program.

Reviews

"In this self-described 'dual memoir,' Jonathan and Destry take turns making the case—and then synthesize their viewpoints—that the National Park Service needs to be independent from the political 'whipsaw' of Washington politics, making it more like the Smithsonian Institution. . . . By providing both historical and personal context to the NPS’s politicization, the Jarvis brothers make a powerful case."
*American Scientist*

"There’s an argument that can be made, one backed by evidence, that the past fifty years have seen the most egregious attempts to subvert the mission of the National Park Service to preserve and protect natural resources unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations. That argument is clearly laid out in National Parks Forever. . . . A rich collection of institutional knowledge from within the machinations of government and from within the National Park Service."
*National Parks Traveler*

“An earnest plea to move the National Park Service out of the highly politicized Department of the Interior and make it an independent agency.”
*Kirkus Reviews*

"Painful history plus a roadmap for change equals a compelling book."
*Revelator*

"Offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the park service."
*E&E News:Greenwire*

"The text offers a readable, well-organized argument for the independence proposal, illustrated by selected black-and-white photos. Readers interested in the US government's interface with conservation will appreciate this book. . . . Recommended."
*Choice*

"This book is compelling reading for all conservation biologists to emulate positive aspects and avoid pitfalls when developing an effective and self-sustaining park system."
*Community Ecology*

“In careers spanning half a century, both Jon and Destry Jarvis personally witnessed how the National Park Service became a partisan battleground for competing political ideologies, with policies ricocheting back and forth every time a new administration came to power. Filled with detailed firsthand accounts and insightful analysis, National Parks Forever not only chronicles the sorrowful result, but also points to a way to rescue ‘America’s best idea’—and make it even better.”
*Dayton Duncan, writer/producer, "The National Parks: America’s Best Idea"*

“The history retold by these two brothers, each outstanding in their lifelong dedication to Parks, is compelling and instructive, as well as a very good read. But their lessons learned and call for independence must be enacted if the parks are to survive. I advised NPS leadership for eight years; I witnessed that a major priority is to ensure that the full history of Americans is preserved in the places where that history unfolded. If NPS remains a political football, we will lose not only magnificent landscapes but the hundreds of parks that tell the true stories of America’s past. At this time when our history has become violently politicized, we must depoliticize the one federal agency that knows how to memorialize the truth for future generations.”
*Margaret J. Wheatley, author of "Leadership and the New Science" and former member of National Parks Advisory Board*