#1696 Assessing America's National Parks & Public Lands at 250

#1696 Assessing America's National Parks & Public Lands at 250

From Listening to America by Listening to America

March 23, 2026 · 55 min

About this episode

Clay discusses the development of America's public lands and the future of National Parks with Char Miller.

Clay's conversation with Char Miller , an endowed professor of environmental history at Pomona College and author of more than a dozen highly regarded books. How did America develop its public lands? Who were the key players in the formation of National Parks, Monuments, Forests, Wildlife Refuges, and Game Preserves? How fragile is the public domain at a time when the Trump administration seeks to scale back, privatize, and permit mining and other industrial activities? The conversation includes a segment on Native American sovereignty, the Land Back Movement, and the work of David Treuer, who has suggested that the National Parks and Monuments be returned to Native ownership or, at a minimum, Native co-management. The discussion also assessed the future of the Colorado River system, including the status of Glen Canyon Dam in Arizona. This episode was recorded on January 27, 2026.

People in this episode

Host: Clay

Guest: Char Miller

Topics covered

  • National Parks
  • Public Lands
  • Environmental History
  • Native American Sovereignty
  • Land Back Movement
  • Colorado River System

Keywords

  • National Parks
  • Public Lands
  • Environmental History
  • Native American Sovereignty
  • Land Back Movement
  • Colorado River
  • Glen Canyon Dam

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pomona College

Places: America, Colorado River, Glen Canyon Dam

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