My latest book traces the path from Frederick Law Olmsted’s first wanderings in Yosemite to the signing of The Wilderness Act in 1964. Along the way, we meet well-known advocates for America’s lands and waters including Gifford Pinchot, Theodore Roosevelt, and Aldo Leopold. But importantly, we also meet many lesser-known people who gave their all to protect forests and wilderness areas before they would be gone forever and ensured that all Americans would retain the benefits of ownership.