California Desert Miracle: The Fight for Desert Parks and Wilderness

"The California desert, is. extremely fragile, easily scarred and slowly healed.". Thus spoke Congress in 1976 in the Federal Land Policy Management Act. Yet the desert, with its magnificent scenic, scientific, environmental, and recreational value, remained under attack year after year. In California Desert Miracle, Frank Wheat tells how unpaid and under-funded volunteers fought for the last large area of wildland left in California. Their efforts, lasting over 20 years, culminated in the enactment of the California Desert Protection Act of 1994. The story describes how masterful leadership helped work the Act though Congress despite the filibusters, "holds", and other legislative mechanisms of delay and destruction arrayed against it.This story will engage and enlighten all who care deeply about the environment. It is required reading for those interested in preserving our finest remaining western wildlands.