A guide to Alaska's recent past and to contemporary local and national debates over the future of public lands and resources. It examines the campaign to preserve wild Alaska through the creation of a vast system of parks and wildlife refuges. It traces disputes over resources alongside the politics of the Alaska statehood movement. 'This detailed description of the conservation history of our 49th state provides valuable context and background. . . .Offers direct, often terse narrative that brings us right into the action and lets us share the often agonizing suspense.' Alaska Report, Sierra Club