When viewed from space, the Korean Peninsula is crossed by a thin green ribbon. On the ground, it... more When viewed from space, the Korean Peninsula is crossed by a thin green ribbon. On the ground, its mix of dense vegetation and cleared borderlands serve as home to dozens of species that are extinct or endangered elsewhere on the peninsula. This is Korea’s demilitarized zone—one of the most dangerous places on earth for humans, and paradoxically one of the safest for wildlife. Although this zone was not intentionally created for conservation, across the globe hundreds of millions of acres of former military zones and bases are being converted to restoration areas, refuges, and conservation lands. David Havlick has traveled the world visiting these spaces of military-to-wildlife transition, and in Bombs Away he explores both the challenges—physical, historical, and cultural—and extraordinary ecological possibilities of military site conversions. Looking at particular international sites of transition—from Indiana’s Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge to Cold War remnants along the former Iron Curtain—Havlick argues that these new frontiers of conservation must accomplish seemingly antithetical aims: rebuilding and protecting ecosystems, or restoring life, while also commemorating the historical and cultural legacies of warfare and militarization. Developing these ideas further, he shows that despite the ecological devastation often wrought by military testing and training, these activities need not be inconsistent with environmental goals, and in some cases can even aid them—a concept he calls ecological militarization. A profound, clear explication of landscapes both fraught and fecund, marked by death but also reservoirs of life, Bombs Away shows us how “military activities, conservation goals, and ecological restoration efforts are made to work together to create new kinds of places and new conceptions of place.”
This book focuses on ecological restoration in layered landscapes with complex histories shaped b... more This book focuses on ecological restoration in layered landscapes with complex histories shaped by the ongoing interaction between humans and nature. For many decades, ecological restoration – particularly in the United States – focused on returning degraded sites to conditions that prevailed prior to human influence. In recent decades, restoration has broadened to encompass the recovery of ecological processes and functions, focusing less on returning a site to a particular historical state. Nevertheless, neither the theory nor the practice of restoration has fully come to terms with the challenges of restoring layered landscapes, where nature and culture shape one another in a deep and ongoing relationship. This book remedies that gap.
Former military and industrial sites provide paradigmatic examples of layered landscapes. Many of these sites not only include natural ecosystems worth protecting and restoring, but also embody significant political, social, and cultural histories that we have reason to preserve. This volume grapples with the challenges of restoring and interpreting such complex sites: What should we aim to restore in such places? How can restoration adequately take the legacies of human use into account? Should traces of the past be left on the landscape, and how can interpretive strategies be creatively employed to make visible the complex legacies of an open pit mine or a chemical weapons manufacturing plant?
The essays in this volume address these questions, and consider what restoration can tell us more generally about the relationship between continuity and change. In doing so, the book will help guide the development of a thoughtful approach to human-environment relations in an era of unprecedented anthropogenic global environmental change.
[from the publisher]
In No Place Distant, David Havlick presents for the first time a comprehens... more [from the publisher]
In No Place Distant, David Havlick presents for the first time a comprehensive and in-depth examination of the more than 550,000 miles of roads that crisscross our national parks, national forests, Bureau of Land Management lands, and wildlife refuges, considering how they came to be; their ecological, financial, and societal costs; and what can be done to ensure that those roads are as environmentally benign and cost-effective as possible, while remaining functional and accessible. The book places the profusion of roads on our public lands in historical context; offers an overview of the ecological effects of roads; explores the policies, politics, and economics that have fostered road-building on public lands; considers the contentious topic of motorized recreation; and examines efforts to remove roads and restore degraded lands to health. Bringing together an impressive range and depth of information along with a thoughtful analysis of the issues, No Place Distant offers a definitive look at the debate over roads on public lands. With its well-crafted prose and extensive documentation, it is an unparalleled resource for anyone concerned with the health or management of public lands in the United States.
The information, practices and views in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necess... more The information, practices and views in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).
Outdoor programs operating on U.S. public lands introduce a range of activities, settings, and th... more Outdoor programs operating on U.S. public lands introduce a range of activities, settings, and therapies for veterans experiencing posttraumatic stress, injuries, or disabilities. The extent to which these programs serve diverse veteran populations is not well understood in terms of race, ethnicity, age, gender, ability, or socioeconomic status. Since governmental agencies are increasingly required to foster diversity, equity, and inclusivity, this presents a knowledge gap with policy implications. We paired a thematic analysis of interviews with outdoor professionals with a content analysis of program websites. We found that promotional materials for outdoor veterans' programs feature predominantly White, male, youthful clientele without visible disabilities, potentially making it difficult for others to see a place for themselves. Interviewees expressed concern about their ability to accommodate participants' diverse identities and abilities. We discuss how program providers and public land managers can improve inclusivity and serve diverse populations of veterans.
Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership
Visitation to some of the most popular national parks in the United States has surged in recent y... more Visitation to some of the most popular national parks in the United States has surged in recent years, but in many national park units, attendance has declined even as the U.S. population increases. Changing demographics, patterns of visitation, maintenance needs, and inconsistent federal support raise questions about national parks’ relevance to younger generations. In particular, the attitudes of the U.S. Millennial generation are a key concern for park managers and supporters. We evaluate the views of a sample of Millennials toward America’s national parks and find that many lack basic knowledge about national parks, yet still say they value and appreciate the national park system. Land managers should respond to knowledge gaps of Millennials and pursue outreach that strategically consolidates the support of this and younger generations for a national parks system that is expected to provide ecological and cultural benefits for current and future generations.
Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership, 2023
Visitation to some of the most popular national parks in the United States has surged in recent y... more Visitation to some of the most popular national parks in the United States has surged in recent years, but in many national park units attendance has declined even as the U.S. population increases. Changing demographics, patterns of visitation, maintenance needs, and inconsistent federal support raise questions about national parks' relevance to younger generations. In particular, the attitudes of the U.S. Millennial generation is a key concern for park managers and supporters. We evaluate the views of a sample of Millennials towards America's national parks and find that many lack basic knowledge about national parks, yet still say they value and appreciate the national park system. Land managers should respond to knowledge gaps of Millennials and pursue outreach that strategically consolidates the support of this and younger generations for a national parks system that is expected to provide ecological and cultural benefits for current and future generations.
Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 2015
This paper examines how rural communities in Colorado have confronted military expansion. Against... more This paper examines how rural communities in Colorado have confronted military expansion. Against the backdrop of a series of base realignments and closures during the past three decades that have streamlined US military holdings nationwide, the US Army base at Fort Carson, Colorado, has been growing. In 1983 Fort Carson expanded into a 95 500-hectare training area in southeastern Colorado known as the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site (PCMS). In 2006 the Army announced plans to expand the PCMS by 169 000 hectares. Under the Army's proposal, a significant portion of southeastern Colorado would be transformed into the largest Army training ground in the US. This prospect galvanized a diverse coalition of rural residents to oppose the Piñon Canyon expansion. Our research critically considers how the principal actors in this case—the US Army and a rural citizen opposition coalition—mobilized different narrative and political strategies based substantially upon contrasting cartographic rep...
Celebrating Ten Years of Focus on the Rockies Colorado College President Jill Tiefenthaler's ... more Celebrating Ten Years of Focus on the Rockies Colorado College President Jill Tiefenthaler's Introduction to this Report Card describes the decade-long effort of the college to create its Rockies Project. We appreciate the guidance and support of the college over these years as teams of student researchers have explored key challenges, written reports published in the annual Report Cards, and brought to campus experts able to help the campus and community engage in dialogue. Our-two-year long focus on the Colorado River Basin has brought new dimensions to traditional efforts of the Project. This shared topic covering 2011-12 and 2012-13 has made possible new dimensions to our work and has broadened the project and its outreach. Recent CC graduates have served as field explorers, during 2011-12 carrying out a 1,700 mile " source to sea " kayak trip from the origins of the Green River in Wyoming down the Colorado and to the delta. During 2012, four field explorers traced...
Many veterans returning from military deployment experience stress- or trauma-related symptoms th... more Many veterans returning from military deployment experience stress- or trauma-related symptoms that make reintegration with civilian society difficult. Nature exposure and outdoor recreation can be important parts of alternative and complementary approaches to reduce symptoms and build on veterans’ pre-existing strengths. Multiple outdoor programs now exist for veterans; many of these occur on federal public lands and present a variety of needs, opportunities, and challenges. This paper relies on interviews (n = 36) with public land managers, program providers and participants, health professionals, and veterans to enhance understanding about outdoor programs for veterans (OPVs). We develop a typology of OPVs to help land managers understand current and potential programs, and then describe programs’ varying dimensions. We examine opportunities and challenges for land managers in their interactions with OPVs. Results inform policymakers and public officials interested in developing ...
enormous variation in railroad corporations and their leadership. In short, railroad responses to... more enormous variation in railroad corporations and their leadership. In short, railroad responses to automotive competition were complicated and cannot be understood without turning to the massive secondary literature from economists and historians who have studied transportation after 1900. It is essential, for example, to examine the Interstate Commerce Commission, which regulated railroads, but only at the end of the period did the same for motor carriers. The authors know this and their defensible position is that railroads were significantly hampered by ICC regulation, while their competitors were not. But there was more to what happened and why as railroads responded to automotive competition. Meaningful topics that are treated too briefly include state regulation of motor buses, the impact of gypsy truckers on both railroads and the trucking industry and the role of Joseph Eastman, the Transportation Coordinator appointed in the 1930s. Additional discussion might have been difficult, but once the authors decided to explore the broader context behind railroad decisions, they needed to bring to bear scholarship in business, regulatory and transportation history. The footnotes show awareness of a few key works, but those publications could have contributed more to the authors’ analysis. Such material likely would have resulted in a different book, but without it, this reviewer finds that the contexts for the changes discussed here are not fully developed. Despite these concerns, John Jakle and Keith Sculle provide a useful introduction to the responses of American railroads to new competitors after 1900. Using trade journals allowed them to explore the railroads’ technical responses. The authors show the myriad ways that automotive transportation technologies, between 1900 and 1940, began but did not complete the process of supplanting the railroads. Indeed, this book shows that some railroads responded firmly to competition, but the authors’ reliance upon trade journals limits their ability to fully assess the effectiveness of railroad reactions and responses to motor vehicles before 1940.
Through these goals, the Rockies Project aims to inspire Report Card readers and Rockies events a... more Through these goals, the Rockies Project aims to inspire Report Card readers and Rockies events attendees to creatively contemplate, discuss, and engage in shaping the future of our beloved, beautiful, and fragile region-the Rocky Mountain West.
When viewed from space, the Korean Peninsula is crossed by a thin green ribbon. On the ground, it... more When viewed from space, the Korean Peninsula is crossed by a thin green ribbon. On the ground, its mix of dense vegetation and cleared borderlands serve as home to dozens of species that are extinct or endangered elsewhere on the peninsula. This is Korea’s demilitarized zone—one of the most dangerous places on earth for humans, and paradoxically one of the safest for wildlife. Although this zone was not intentionally created for conservation, across the globe hundreds of millions of acres of former military zones and bases are being converted to restoration areas, refuges, and conservation lands. David Havlick has traveled the world visiting these spaces of military-to-wildlife transition, and in Bombs Away he explores both the challenges—physical, historical, and cultural—and extraordinary ecological possibilities of military site conversions. Looking at particular international sites of transition—from Indiana’s Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge to Cold War remnants along the former Iron Curtain—Havlick argues that these new frontiers of conservation must accomplish seemingly antithetical aims: rebuilding and protecting ecosystems, or restoring life, while also commemorating the historical and cultural legacies of warfare and militarization. Developing these ideas further, he shows that despite the ecological devastation often wrought by military testing and training, these activities need not be inconsistent with environmental goals, and in some cases can even aid them—a concept he calls ecological militarization. A profound, clear explication of landscapes both fraught and fecund, marked by death but also reservoirs of life, Bombs Away shows us how “military activities, conservation goals, and ecological restoration efforts are made to work together to create new kinds of places and new conceptions of place.”
This book focuses on ecological restoration in layered landscapes with complex histories shaped b... more This book focuses on ecological restoration in layered landscapes with complex histories shaped by the ongoing interaction between humans and nature. For many decades, ecological restoration – particularly in the United States – focused on returning degraded sites to conditions that prevailed prior to human influence. In recent decades, restoration has broadened to encompass the recovery of ecological processes and functions, focusing less on returning a site to a particular historical state. Nevertheless, neither the theory nor the practice of restoration has fully come to terms with the challenges of restoring layered landscapes, where nature and culture shape one another in a deep and ongoing relationship. This book remedies that gap.
Former military and industrial sites provide paradigmatic examples of layered landscapes. Many of these sites not only include natural ecosystems worth protecting and restoring, but also embody significant political, social, and cultural histories that we have reason to preserve. This volume grapples with the challenges of restoring and interpreting such complex sites: What should we aim to restore in such places? How can restoration adequately take the legacies of human use into account? Should traces of the past be left on the landscape, and how can interpretive strategies be creatively employed to make visible the complex legacies of an open pit mine or a chemical weapons manufacturing plant?
The essays in this volume address these questions, and consider what restoration can tell us more generally about the relationship between continuity and change. In doing so, the book will help guide the development of a thoughtful approach to human-environment relations in an era of unprecedented anthropogenic global environmental change.
[from the publisher]
In No Place Distant, David Havlick presents for the first time a comprehens... more [from the publisher]
In No Place Distant, David Havlick presents for the first time a comprehensive and in-depth examination of the more than 550,000 miles of roads that crisscross our national parks, national forests, Bureau of Land Management lands, and wildlife refuges, considering how they came to be; their ecological, financial, and societal costs; and what can be done to ensure that those roads are as environmentally benign and cost-effective as possible, while remaining functional and accessible. The book places the profusion of roads on our public lands in historical context; offers an overview of the ecological effects of roads; explores the policies, politics, and economics that have fostered road-building on public lands; considers the contentious topic of motorized recreation; and examines efforts to remove roads and restore degraded lands to health. Bringing together an impressive range and depth of information along with a thoughtful analysis of the issues, No Place Distant offers a definitive look at the debate over roads on public lands. With its well-crafted prose and extensive documentation, it is an unparalleled resource for anyone concerned with the health or management of public lands in the United States.
The information, practices and views in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necess... more The information, practices and views in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).
Outdoor programs operating on U.S. public lands introduce a range of activities, settings, and th... more Outdoor programs operating on U.S. public lands introduce a range of activities, settings, and therapies for veterans experiencing posttraumatic stress, injuries, or disabilities. The extent to which these programs serve diverse veteran populations is not well understood in terms of race, ethnicity, age, gender, ability, or socioeconomic status. Since governmental agencies are increasingly required to foster diversity, equity, and inclusivity, this presents a knowledge gap with policy implications. We paired a thematic analysis of interviews with outdoor professionals with a content analysis of program websites. We found that promotional materials for outdoor veterans' programs feature predominantly White, male, youthful clientele without visible disabilities, potentially making it difficult for others to see a place for themselves. Interviewees expressed concern about their ability to accommodate participants' diverse identities and abilities. We discuss how program providers and public land managers can improve inclusivity and serve diverse populations of veterans.
Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership
Visitation to some of the most popular national parks in the United States has surged in recent y... more Visitation to some of the most popular national parks in the United States has surged in recent years, but in many national park units, attendance has declined even as the U.S. population increases. Changing demographics, patterns of visitation, maintenance needs, and inconsistent federal support raise questions about national parks’ relevance to younger generations. In particular, the attitudes of the U.S. Millennial generation are a key concern for park managers and supporters. We evaluate the views of a sample of Millennials toward America’s national parks and find that many lack basic knowledge about national parks, yet still say they value and appreciate the national park system. Land managers should respond to knowledge gaps of Millennials and pursue outreach that strategically consolidates the support of this and younger generations for a national parks system that is expected to provide ecological and cultural benefits for current and future generations.
Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership, 2023
Visitation to some of the most popular national parks in the United States has surged in recent y... more Visitation to some of the most popular national parks in the United States has surged in recent years, but in many national park units attendance has declined even as the U.S. population increases. Changing demographics, patterns of visitation, maintenance needs, and inconsistent federal support raise questions about national parks' relevance to younger generations. In particular, the attitudes of the U.S. Millennial generation is a key concern for park managers and supporters. We evaluate the views of a sample of Millennials towards America's national parks and find that many lack basic knowledge about national parks, yet still say they value and appreciate the national park system. Land managers should respond to knowledge gaps of Millennials and pursue outreach that strategically consolidates the support of this and younger generations for a national parks system that is expected to provide ecological and cultural benefits for current and future generations.
Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 2015
This paper examines how rural communities in Colorado have confronted military expansion. Against... more This paper examines how rural communities in Colorado have confronted military expansion. Against the backdrop of a series of base realignments and closures during the past three decades that have streamlined US military holdings nationwide, the US Army base at Fort Carson, Colorado, has been growing. In 1983 Fort Carson expanded into a 95 500-hectare training area in southeastern Colorado known as the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site (PCMS). In 2006 the Army announced plans to expand the PCMS by 169 000 hectares. Under the Army's proposal, a significant portion of southeastern Colorado would be transformed into the largest Army training ground in the US. This prospect galvanized a diverse coalition of rural residents to oppose the Piñon Canyon expansion. Our research critically considers how the principal actors in this case—the US Army and a rural citizen opposition coalition—mobilized different narrative and political strategies based substantially upon contrasting cartographic rep...
Celebrating Ten Years of Focus on the Rockies Colorado College President Jill Tiefenthaler's ... more Celebrating Ten Years of Focus on the Rockies Colorado College President Jill Tiefenthaler's Introduction to this Report Card describes the decade-long effort of the college to create its Rockies Project. We appreciate the guidance and support of the college over these years as teams of student researchers have explored key challenges, written reports published in the annual Report Cards, and brought to campus experts able to help the campus and community engage in dialogue. Our-two-year long focus on the Colorado River Basin has brought new dimensions to traditional efforts of the Project. This shared topic covering 2011-12 and 2012-13 has made possible new dimensions to our work and has broadened the project and its outreach. Recent CC graduates have served as field explorers, during 2011-12 carrying out a 1,700 mile " source to sea " kayak trip from the origins of the Green River in Wyoming down the Colorado and to the delta. During 2012, four field explorers traced...
Many veterans returning from military deployment experience stress- or trauma-related symptoms th... more Many veterans returning from military deployment experience stress- or trauma-related symptoms that make reintegration with civilian society difficult. Nature exposure and outdoor recreation can be important parts of alternative and complementary approaches to reduce symptoms and build on veterans’ pre-existing strengths. Multiple outdoor programs now exist for veterans; many of these occur on federal public lands and present a variety of needs, opportunities, and challenges. This paper relies on interviews (n = 36) with public land managers, program providers and participants, health professionals, and veterans to enhance understanding about outdoor programs for veterans (OPVs). We develop a typology of OPVs to help land managers understand current and potential programs, and then describe programs’ varying dimensions. We examine opportunities and challenges for land managers in their interactions with OPVs. Results inform policymakers and public officials interested in developing ...
enormous variation in railroad corporations and their leadership. In short, railroad responses to... more enormous variation in railroad corporations and their leadership. In short, railroad responses to automotive competition were complicated and cannot be understood without turning to the massive secondary literature from economists and historians who have studied transportation after 1900. It is essential, for example, to examine the Interstate Commerce Commission, which regulated railroads, but only at the end of the period did the same for motor carriers. The authors know this and their defensible position is that railroads were significantly hampered by ICC regulation, while their competitors were not. But there was more to what happened and why as railroads responded to automotive competition. Meaningful topics that are treated too briefly include state regulation of motor buses, the impact of gypsy truckers on both railroads and the trucking industry and the role of Joseph Eastman, the Transportation Coordinator appointed in the 1930s. Additional discussion might have been difficult, but once the authors decided to explore the broader context behind railroad decisions, they needed to bring to bear scholarship in business, regulatory and transportation history. The footnotes show awareness of a few key works, but those publications could have contributed more to the authors’ analysis. Such material likely would have resulted in a different book, but without it, this reviewer finds that the contexts for the changes discussed here are not fully developed. Despite these concerns, John Jakle and Keith Sculle provide a useful introduction to the responses of American railroads to new competitors after 1900. Using trade journals allowed them to explore the railroads’ technical responses. The authors show the myriad ways that automotive transportation technologies, between 1900 and 1940, began but did not complete the process of supplanting the railroads. Indeed, this book shows that some railroads responded firmly to competition, but the authors’ reliance upon trade journals limits their ability to fully assess the effectiveness of railroad reactions and responses to motor vehicles before 1940.
Through these goals, the Rockies Project aims to inspire Report Card readers and Rockies events a... more Through these goals, the Rockies Project aims to inspire Report Card readers and Rockies events attendees to creatively contemplate, discuss, and engage in shaping the future of our beloved, beautiful, and fragile region-the Rocky Mountain West.
Identifying appropriate restoration goals has long posed a challenge in ecological restoration. T... more Identifying appropriate restoration goals has long posed a challenge in ecological restoration. The task becomes even more difficult in settings with diverse land use histories. After two decades of remediation, a former chemical weapons facility near Denver, Colorado, has become a national wildlife refuge. Restoration efforts have isolated contaminants and restored bison and native prairie, but the site's complex history invites a deeper consideration of reference conditions. This article presents data from a visitor survey and interviews with land managers and citizen groups to examine conceptions of historical fidelity at this site. Results indicate that visitors and land managers orient toward restoration that features a traditional reference condition. Citizen groups point to restoration of cultural features as the highest priorities. This research highlights disparities between constituencies and suggests that restoration work itself may shape values that inform visitors a...
Since its institutional formulation in the late 1980s, the idea of ecological restoration has bee... more Since its institutional formulation in the late 1980s, the idea of ecological restoration has been debated and refined. More recently, the concept of novel ecosystems has challenged scholars to consider how history, human activity, and dynamic systems intersect with restoration values. But what role do restoration projects have in layered landscapes where meanings are many and the past still hurts? We bring cultural questions around memory to bear on the concept of novel ecosystems and ask how conservation might need to shift in response. We focus here on the Iron Curtain borderlands of central Europe to suggest that the history, human impacts, and changes in these lands may be understood as mnemonic ecosystems. We argue that more fully considering the mnemonic role of restored landscapes encourages greater consideration of local people's perspectives and concerns, improves conservation outcomes in the long-term, and sustains the landscape's diverse functions.
The repurposing of military lands is common in many parts of the world
and presents a variety of ... more The repurposing of military lands is common in many parts of the world and presents a variety of conservation opportunities. This study examines land cover at Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge, Indiana (U.S.A.) as it transitioned from military proving ground to wildlife refuge from 1985 to 2013. We use remote sensing, semi-structured interviews, and a review of planning and management documents to examine this transition. Limited change in land cover composition and distribution are detected, despite changes in use and management. This landscape similarity relates to similarities in land management practices, and the impact of landscape history on current management practices. The findings suggest that military use and conservation objectives at this site yield similar land covers and are not necessarily in contrast to each other. As military base closures continue, the potential to maintain and expand conservation opportunities on these lands will likely grow in importance.
Uploads
Books by David Havlick
Looking at particular international sites of transition—from Indiana’s Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge to Cold War remnants along the former Iron Curtain—Havlick argues that these new frontiers of conservation must accomplish seemingly antithetical aims: rebuilding and protecting ecosystems, or restoring life, while also commemorating the historical and cultural legacies of warfare and militarization. Developing these ideas further, he shows that despite the ecological devastation often wrought by military testing and training, these activities need not be inconsistent with environmental goals, and in some cases can even aid them—a concept he calls ecological militarization. A profound, clear explication of landscapes both fraught and fecund, marked by death but also reservoirs of life, Bombs Away shows us how “military activities, conservation goals, and ecological restoration efforts are made to work together to create new kinds of places and new conceptions of place.”
Former military and industrial sites provide paradigmatic examples of layered landscapes. Many of these sites not only include natural ecosystems worth protecting and restoring, but also embody significant political, social, and cultural histories that we have reason to preserve. This volume grapples with the challenges of restoring and interpreting such complex sites: What should we aim to restore in such places? How can restoration adequately take the legacies of human use into account? Should traces of the past be left on the landscape, and how can interpretive strategies be creatively employed to make visible the complex legacies of an open pit mine or a chemical weapons manufacturing plant?
The essays in this volume address these questions, and consider what restoration can tell us more generally about the relationship between continuity and change. In doing so, the book will help guide the development of a thoughtful approach to human-environment relations in an era of unprecedented anthropogenic global environmental change.
In No Place Distant, David Havlick presents for the first time a comprehensive and in-depth examination of the more than 550,000 miles of roads that crisscross our national parks, national forests, Bureau of Land Management lands, and wildlife refuges, considering how they came to be; their ecological, financial, and societal costs; and what can be done to ensure that those roads are as environmentally benign and cost-effective as possible, while remaining functional and accessible. The book places the profusion of roads on our public lands in historical context; offers an overview of the ecological effects of roads; explores the policies, politics, and economics that have fostered road-building on public lands; considers the contentious topic of motorized recreation; and examines efforts to remove roads and restore degraded lands to health. Bringing together an impressive range and depth of information along with a thoughtful analysis of the issues, No Place Distant offers a definitive look at the debate over roads on public lands. With its well-crafted prose and extensive documentation, it is an unparalleled resource for anyone concerned with the health or management of public lands in the United States.
Papers by David Havlick
Looking at particular international sites of transition—from Indiana’s Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge to Cold War remnants along the former Iron Curtain—Havlick argues that these new frontiers of conservation must accomplish seemingly antithetical aims: rebuilding and protecting ecosystems, or restoring life, while also commemorating the historical and cultural legacies of warfare and militarization. Developing these ideas further, he shows that despite the ecological devastation often wrought by military testing and training, these activities need not be inconsistent with environmental goals, and in some cases can even aid them—a concept he calls ecological militarization. A profound, clear explication of landscapes both fraught and fecund, marked by death but also reservoirs of life, Bombs Away shows us how “military activities, conservation goals, and ecological restoration efforts are made to work together to create new kinds of places and new conceptions of place.”
Former military and industrial sites provide paradigmatic examples of layered landscapes. Many of these sites not only include natural ecosystems worth protecting and restoring, but also embody significant political, social, and cultural histories that we have reason to preserve. This volume grapples with the challenges of restoring and interpreting such complex sites: What should we aim to restore in such places? How can restoration adequately take the legacies of human use into account? Should traces of the past be left on the landscape, and how can interpretive strategies be creatively employed to make visible the complex legacies of an open pit mine or a chemical weapons manufacturing plant?
The essays in this volume address these questions, and consider what restoration can tell us more generally about the relationship between continuity and change. In doing so, the book will help guide the development of a thoughtful approach to human-environment relations in an era of unprecedented anthropogenic global environmental change.
In No Place Distant, David Havlick presents for the first time a comprehensive and in-depth examination of the more than 550,000 miles of roads that crisscross our national parks, national forests, Bureau of Land Management lands, and wildlife refuges, considering how they came to be; their ecological, financial, and societal costs; and what can be done to ensure that those roads are as environmentally benign and cost-effective as possible, while remaining functional and accessible. The book places the profusion of roads on our public lands in historical context; offers an overview of the ecological effects of roads; explores the policies, politics, and economics that have fostered road-building on public lands; considers the contentious topic of motorized recreation; and examines efforts to remove roads and restore degraded lands to health. Bringing together an impressive range and depth of information along with a thoughtful analysis of the issues, No Place Distant offers a definitive look at the debate over roads on public lands. With its well-crafted prose and extensive documentation, it is an unparalleled resource for anyone concerned with the health or management of public lands in the United States.
and presents a variety of conservation opportunities. This study examines
land cover at Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge, Indiana (U.S.A.) as it
transitioned from military proving ground to wildlife refuge from 1985 to
2013. We use remote sensing, semi-structured interviews, and a review of
planning and management documents to examine this transition.
Limited change in land cover composition and distribution are detected,
despite changes in use and management. This landscape similarity
relates to similarities in land management practices, and the impact of
landscape history on current management practices. The findings suggest
that military use and conservation objectives at this site yield similar
land covers and are not necessarily in contrast to each other. As military
base closures continue, the potential to maintain and expand conservation
opportunities on these lands will likely grow in importance.