See the remarkable events spanning over 50 years in the life of a “commons ecologist” and the quest for unappropriated government land. Know more about the Federal Lands Policy & Management Act or “FLPMA”.  Does it possess 21st century environmental ideas that may save Earth’s biodiversity? Discover the answers to these and other important questions in The Great Terrain Robbery.

“The land is the only thing in the world worth working for, fighting for, dying for… because it’s the only thing that lasts.”  – Margaret Mitchell, Gone With The Wind

The most extensive system of lands owned in common by all Americans is managed by a U.S agency that is quite little known to most citizens, namely the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. These Public Lands are rich in oil, timber, and other desirable natural resources – so much so that powerful forces with political clout and money are engaged in a constant effort to pry these lands away from public ownership.

To protect the integrity of this national treasure, Charles Watson, Jr. in 1958 co-founded with other concerned people a non-governmental organization known today as NORA, or Nevada Outdoor Recreation Association, which figured prominently in the landmark Federal Lands Policy & Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976. The first part of this book gives a revealing and intimate portrait of the author, how he developed a passion for natural resources as a child living along the shore of Ohio’s beautiful Lake Erie.  Most of it, however, will be devoted to the riveting story of the difficulties and challenges he faced in his quest for a Commons Ecology that will benefit Americans not just in the present – but for all future generations to come.