Wilderness

What is Wilderness?
Wilderness is the land that was - wild land beyond the frontier…land that shaped the growth of our nation and the character of its people. Wilderness is the land that is - rare, wild places where one can retreat from civilization, reconnect with the Earth, and find healing, meaning and significance. Wilderness is an indispensable part of American history. Native Americans depended on the bounty of wildlands for survival and held Earth and its wild places as sacred. The great western explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were inspired by the untamed beauty of wild places that became the forge upon which our distinctive American national character was created. After just 200 years from the time of Lewis and Clark, the essential wildness of America had virtually disappeared. As Americans realized that the long-term health and welfare of the nation were at risk, a vision for conservation emerged.

In 1964 our nation's leaders formally acknowledged the immediate and lasting benefits of wild places to the human spirit and fabric of our nation. That year, in a nearly unanimous vote, Congress enacted landmark legislation that permanently protected some of the most natural and undisturbed places in America. The Wilderness Act of 1964 established the National Wilderness Preservation System, the system of all America's wilderness areas, to "secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness."

The United States was the first country in the world to define and designate wilderness areas through law. Subsequently, countries around the world have protected areas modeled after the Wilderness Act. Wilderness is part of our history and heritage and is passed as a legacy to future generations. Indispensable to the American past, the legacy that is wilderness will remain indispensable to the American future.

When did the idea of Wilderness come about?
People have held various perspectives of Wilderness throughout history. During European settlement of America, Wilderness was something to be feared. One settler in the early 1600s stated, "Wilderness is a dark and dismal place where all manner of wild beasts dash about uncooked." Three centuries later, an American author stated, "[wilderness] is the ultimate source of health-terrestrial and human."

Where are Wilderness areas found?
While some people believe that Wilderness is a forested backyard or a park down the street, Congress defined Wilderness as much more than that and designated specific areas across the United States to be protected as Wilderness.

What benefits do Wilderness areas provide and why are they of value to American's today?
Wilderness contributes to the ecologic, economic and social health and well being of our citizens, our country and our world. The benefits Wilderness areas provide are as diverse as the areas themselves and are highly valued. Recognizing these diverse values opens a world of understanding about our natural world. In addition to the incredible recreational opportunities available in Wilderness, Wilderness preservation has many other important values. The Wilderness Act specified that Wilderness "may also contain ecological, geological, or other features of scientific, education, scenic, or historical value."

Who manages Wilderness and how is it managed?
Wilderness areas are managed by the four federal land management agencies: Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service and National Park Service.

What are the threats to Wilderness?
The value of wilderness depends upon the degree to which it remains undeveloped-a contrast to the highly developed world in which most of us live. However, designating areas as wilderness does not ensure sanctuary from events that threaten wild character. Even the ecosystems in these most protected of public lands are threatened. Wilderness is vulnerable to threats from both inside and outside of its boundaries. The demand for economic growth and a growing population exert significant pressures on wilderness. Many of these pressures are the same threats that other public lands face: overuse, fire suppression, invasive species, pollution, and lack of public awareness.