Scorched Earth

"1988 saw forest fires rage across Yellowstone National Park, destroying more than a million acres. As the nation watched the area around Old Faithful burn, an old debate reached a fever pitch: Should fires be suppressed immediately or allowed to run their natural course? And when should firefighters be sent to battle the flames and at what cost?" "Scorched Earth takes us from the blazing heat of those fires to the park's origins a century before. Environmental reporter Rocky Barker was on the ground and in the smoke during the 1988 fires, and he digs back in time to reveal the history of Yellowstone and fire fighting in the American West. The story begins in the aftermath of the Civil War with a cast of colorful characters: a veteran general and his officers, America's first investment banker, railroad barons, naturalists, and firefighters - all of whom left their mark on Yellowstone, none more so than Phil Sheridan and the U.S. Army." "In writing the history of Yellowstone's park, they also laid the foundation for managing and protecting public lands throughout the West. John Muir, Gifford Pinchot, Aldo Leopold, and other leading conservationists march across the pages of Scorched Earth, now collaborating, now clashing over how best to preserve the West's unique landscapes in the face of forest fires."--Jacket.