Existing comment:
Changing Views of Wildlands:
Lee Vining Canyon Scenic Byway
A Scenic Tour:
Welcome to the Lee Vining Canyon Scenic Byway. This historic road traverses one of the most dramatic passes in the Sierra. Along the way are a series of turnouts and information signs. Look for these markers.
From Conquerors to Caretakers:
The interpretative signs at each turnout describe the natural and cultural history of the wildlands around you. The signs also reveal how our country's attitudes toward wildlands have changed over time. Early settlers often viewed wildland as an adversary to be conquered. As the nation matured, Americans began to realize that they needed wildland, not just for its resources, but also for its beauty and our own health. Pioneer conservtionist Aldo Leopold called this change in thinking the development of a "land ethic" in American culture. Through his words we explore how this change is coming about.
We hope you enjoy your journey through the Inyo National Forest wildlands in Lee Vining Canyon.
"There is as yet no ethnic dealing with man's relation to land and to the animals and plants which grow upon it... The land-relation is still strictly economic, entailing privileges but not obligations."
-- Aldo Leopold |