Book by Jeffrey H. Ryan ’80 about America’s public lands due out in September

Jeffrey H. Ryan ’80 of South Portland, Maine has a new hardcover book coming out Sept. 1, 2022. This Land Was Saved for You and Me chronicles the establishment of America’s public lands — city parks, national forests and wilderness areas — between 1864, when Yosemite was first being considered for protection, and 1964, when The Wilderness Act became law.

He cites contributions of well-known advocates for America’s lands and waters, including Frederick Law Olmsted, who contributed to the creation of Yosemite as a park and created its management plan; Gifford Pinchot, the first head of the National Forest Service; President Theodore Roosevelt; and Wisconsin environmentalist Aldo Leopold, often considered the father of wildlife ecology and the United States’ wilderness system.

Ryan provides context for their decisions and the political and economic factors that contributed to the triumphs and pitfalls in the quest to protect public lands.

The book is Ryan’s sixth. It is available for pre-order at amazon.com. More information is available at JeffRyanAuthor.com.