Do claims that people have rights to nature or common spaces have standing in our current political climate, particularly as competing demands upon public lands increase? Dr. Melanie Armstrong, Public Lands Coordinator at Western Colorado University and a former National Park Service employee, explores the gulf between ideals of untouched nature and the reality of day-to-day administration of public lands, as embodied in modern management activities like permitting, entrance fees, and resource education.

Melanie Armstrong, Ph.D., Master in Environmental Management Program, Western State Colorado University