dehise en Daleb iNew pOeUalaielel of IN 29 
BOOK REVIEWS 
WHAT'S AHEAD FOR OUR PUBLIC LANDS? Compiled by Hamilton 
K. Pyles. Natural Resources Council of America, 709 Wire Bldg., 
Washington 20005. 1970. 344 pages. $2.50. 
Though the report of the Public Land Law Review Commission may be one 
of the most important books of this decade, there has been very little dis- 
cussion of it in official Illinois conservation circles. ‘“What’s Ahead for 
Our Public Lands?” is a summary and review of the activities and final 
report of the PLLRC. The Natural Resources Council of America, which is 
a federation of 44 national and regional associations, undertook to dissemi- 
nate information about the PLLRC report as a service to its members. It 
contacted professional consultants to read portions of the report; some 
donated their services and others charged only a modest fee. 
More than one-third of the nation, over 756 million acres of land is in 
federal hands, administered by the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land 
Management, the Department of Defense, Fish and Wildlife Service, and 
the National Park Service. The PLLRC was comissioned by Congress to 
study the more than 5,000 laws and 15,000 rules and regulations which 
govern these public lands. 
The PLLRC consisted of 19 members, 13 of whom were members of 
the Senate and House Interior committees. The chairman was Wayne 
Aspinall of Colorado who has introduced legislation to implement the re- 
port, much of it opposed by major conservation groups. Among the recom- 
mendations of the PLLRC are these: Granting of Authority to sell at full 
value, where appropriate, lands for mining, grazing, residential or com- 
mercial uses; disposal of public lands only where it would bring maximum 
benefit for the general public in nonfederal ownership, and passage of 
federal laws to make sure land is managed with the environment in mind. 
One hundred and thirty-seven recommendations were made by the 
special panel. In a memorandum to the PLLURC, several members of the 
NRCA made 26 recommendations, four of which follow: 
1. Retain and complete the National Forest System and provide ac- 
celerated acquisition of private in-holdings for improved management. 
(Since the Shawnee National Forest in Illinois is affected, this is important 
to those in the midwest.) 
2. Give quality of the environment overriding consideration in deciding 
