num_pages: 304
description: The Appalachian Trail a thin ribbon of wilderness running through the densely populated eastern United States offers a refuge from modern society and a place apart from human ideas and institutions. But as environmental historianand thru-hikerSarah Mittlefehldt argues the trail is also a conduit for community engagement and a model for public-private cooperation and environmental stewardship.In Tangled Roots  Mittlefehldt tells the story of the trail's creation. The project was one of the first in which the National Park Service attempted to create public wilderness space within heavily populated privately owned lands. Originally a regional grassroots endeavor under federal leadership the trail project retained unprecedented levels of community involvement. As citizen volunteers came together and entered into conversation with the National Parks Service boundaries between local and nonlocal public and private amateur and expert frequently broke down. Today as Mittlefehldt tells us the Appalachian Trail remains an unusual hybrid of public and private efforts and an inspiring success story of environmental protection.Watch the 
language: English
title: Tangled Roots: The Appalachian Trail and American Environmental Politics
publisher: University of Washington Press