[I]n the last third of the 20th century, we can look forward to a near future when an increased leisure will be available to a large percentage of people and that in such a life, recreation can perform a purposeful role. . . . Opportunities lost now—particularly in areas dealing with our natural resources—mean opportunities lost forever.¹

Former Secretary of the Interior Walter Hickel included the above statement in the 1970 draft of the first nationwide outdoor recreation plan. The "Hickel Plan," entitled "A Recreation Imperative," took seven years to complete at a cost of $7 million.² It contained a comprehensive study of recreation needs and suggested a number of policies for meeting them. It gave highest priority to providing recreational opportunities in "the Nation's major urban areas—where most of the people spend most of their time" but also noted the importance of looking beyond the fringes of cities and preserving unique wilderness and other natural resources.³ In addition, it stressed that massive funding was necessary to save these natural resources for recreation.