Seed of the Future: Yosemite and the Evolution of the National Park Idea - Softcover

"Who else--maybe Thoreau or Muir--loves this land and its possibilities the way Dayton Duncan does? Most of us have had our moments in Nature; Dayton Duncan has transformed those transformations into a calling--awakening everyone to the rich inheritance that is our National Parks. And he does so in this inspiring book with loving, affecting, stirring narrative and John Muir's old gift of evangelism." --Ken Burns, Filmmaker, Walpole, NH NATIONAL PARKS TRAVELER, December 22, 2013 "Stunning illustrations, many in full color, complement Duncan's engaging text. It is arguably the most beautiful book--and the best written--published on Yosemite by any historian. To be sure, no one should mistake it for a coffee table book. No less than the text, every illustration has been carefully researched. All add to the story. The historical illustrations especially hit the mark." --Alfred Runte BOOKLIST, November 2013 "Illustrated with beautiful color photographs in a coffee-table format, Duncan's work is a fitting and timely tribute both to Yosemite's enduring natural beauty and the wisdom of America's national park program." WINNER, 2014 Association of Partners for Public Lands Media & Partnership Awards, Books category THE GEORGE WRIGHT FORUM, vol 31, no. 1 (2014) "The Yosemite Conservancy is marking the 150th anniversary of the Yosemite Grant by releasing a new publication, Seed of the Future: Yosemite and the Evolution of the National Park Idea, authored by the writer and filmmaker Dayton Duncan. The handsomely designed and generously illustrated book revisits the Yosemite Grant and the "evolution of the national park idea" and should attract a wide readership. This message is important, as the national significance of the Yosemite story has been obscured by time, incomplete documentation, and often-contradictory interpretations." --Rolf Diamant SILVER MEDALIST, Best Regional Non-fiction, West-Pacific Region, 2014 IPPY Awards

It's now a given that Americans--and people the world over--would seek to preserve their sacred, special places. One hundred fifty years ago, however, it was definitely not a foregone conclusion that the awe-inspiring granite cliffs, astounding waterfalls, and sublime sequoias of Yosemite would be protected. This idea of preservation was the national park idea; an idea that started from a seed, a seed that was planted in Yosemite. It was through the efforts of people like James Mason Hutchings, Galen Clark, Frederick Law Olmsted, John Muir, and Theodore Roosevelt among others that the world learned of Yosemite, flocked to it, nearly destroyed it, and ultimately saved it. These fascinating characters and their remarkable stories are skillfully woven together in this beautiful volume, created expressly to capture the wonder of Yosemite and to inspire future generations to do their part for wild places.