Today's reading list provides context for another one of our conversations at the National Preservation Conference.  On Thursday, November 1 we'll kick things off with the first of our Conversation Starters:  “You Say Wilderness, I say Preservation! Good vs. Good on Public Lands and Beyond”

The Wilderness Act passed the US Congress in 1964, the National Historic Preservation Act in 1966, both seeking to protect what is unique and precious to our nation. How could two such inspired and important acts come to be in conflict? How could wilderness protection come at the expense of heritage preservation? We will look at the interpretation and application of these acts from the vantage points of their supporters including examples from recent court cases. Yet, the debate raging here is only one of many that pits historic preservation against other worthwhile endeavors. This session offers an opportunity to begin exploring ways to resolve such conflicts for the good of both sides.

Moderator: Douglas W. Walker, Chairman, the Wilderness Society

Speakers: Peter M. K. Frost, Western Environmental Law Center and Elaine L. Spencer, Graham and Dunn, PC

In preparation for this conversation we wanted to provide a reading list to get you up to speed and ready for the discussion on Thursday morning. Have a question for the panelists? Submit them in the comment section below.

Wilderness Act

•  Wallace Stegner, Wilderness Letter (1960)
•  Cultural Resources Toolbox (Wilderness.net)
•  Forest Service Wilderness Manual (Word Document, pp. 42-43)

Case Law

• Wilderness Watch v. Mainella, 375 F.3d 1085 (11th Cir. 2004)
• Olympic Parks Assocs. v. Mainella, No. C04-5732-FDB, 2005 WL 1871114 (W.D. Wash. Aug. 1, 2005)
• High Sierra Hikers Ass’n v. U.S. Forest Service, 436 F.Supp.2d 1117 (E.D. Cal. 2006)

Specific Resource Conflicts

Green Mountain Lookout:

• Description of Green Mountain Lookout, U.S. Forest Service
• Thoughts from the Summit at Green Mountain Lookout (by Brian Turner, PreservationNation blog, August 10, 2012)
• Bill to Protect Lookout Would Chip Away at Wilderness Protection (by Bill Lider, John Miles, Susan Morgan and Bernie Smith, Everett Herald, July 22, 2012)

Monte Wolfe Cabin:

• Historic Cabin at Center of Conflict (by Lauren Walser, Preservation Online, June 25, 2010)
• Historic Sierra cabin caught in bureaucratic crossfire (by Dana Nichols, Recordnet.com, June 22, 2010)
• Forum Members: Preserving Our History in the Wild: The Saga of the Monte Wolf Cabin (by John Garamendi, Spring 2012 Forum Journal)
  

Heavens Peak Lookout:

• At Glacier National Park, History Trumps Wilderness
• FONSI Signed for Heavens Peak Fire Lookout Stabilization Project

Alaska:

• Alaska Field Report: Preservation in the Wild (by Brian Turner, PreservationNation.org blog, September 6, 2011)