An Exaltation of Parks: John D. Rockefeller Jr.'s Crusade to Save America's Wonderlands [Hardcover]

Uncovering the partnership that saved America’s natural treasures

America’s national parks are facing unprecedented challenges. With visitation pressures mounting and the National Park Service struggling to keep up, author and former park ranger Steve Kemp looks toward one exceptionally effective historical example of conservation philanthropy and park building—the collaboration between John D. Rockefeller Jr. and NPS legends Stephen Mather, Horace Albright, and Arno Cammerer.

An Exaltation of Parksreveals the inspiring story of this collaboration, showing how the partnership transformed some of America's most cherished national parks, including Acadia, Grand Teton, Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, and Yosemite. It recounts Rockefeller’s lifelong dedication to conservation, digging into his own pockets and toiling as a volunteer to achieve his goals for converting private land into public use. Bringing to life the history and significance of America’s most magnificent landscapes, this volume is both a tribute to past conservation victories and a call to action for the future, emphasizing the need for continued vigilance to preserve these national treasures for generations to come.“A significant contribution to understanding the history of national parks, the importance of philanthropic giving to their conservation and development, and the history of John Rockefeller, Jr.”—Jonathan Foster, Great Basin College

“This book is a clarion call to preserve more parklands for future generations before it is too late. Kemp argues compellingly that in our new Gilded Age in the twenty-first century, private philanthropy akin to Rockefeller’s may be our only viable path forward.”—Theodore Catton, Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Book Award–winning author ofAmerican Indians and National ForestsSteve Kempis a former seaslc"