Public lands and private recreation enterprise: policy issues from a historical perspective.

This paper highlights a number of the historical events and circumstances influencing the role of recreation enterprises on public lands in the United States.From the earliest debates over national park designations through the current debate on the ethics of recreation fees, the influence of recreation service providers has been pervasive.This history is traced with particular attention to the balance between protecting public interests while offering opportunities for profit to the private sector.It is suggested that the former has frequently been sacrificed owing to political pressures or inadequate agency oversight.