Americans Are Quietly Preserving 56 Million Acres Of Private Land
National parks are known as “America’s best idea,” a lofty title not used lightly. They protect iconic natural landscapes across the U.S., saving them for future generations while letting current generations enjoy them, too. They’ve inspired land conservation worldwide for 100 years, and may be even more important in the next 100. Yet despite the clear value of national parks — and other types of publicly protected land, from national monuments to state parks — they can’t preserve as much nature as needed....