Where Can I Find More Information on Wilderness Areas?

Reader Contribution by Ben Beach

I have made a couple of backpacking trips into the wilds of the Wind River Mountains in Wyoming, and I was deeply moved by the experience of hiking through such wild and beautiful country. Can you tell me what groups are working to preserve the few wild places we have left and how I can help?  Also, where can I find a list of all the official wilderness areas?

I’m glad that the Wyoming trip made such an impression and that you’re eager to help protect our remaining wilderness.

The Wilderness Act, signed into law in 1964, created the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS). It empowered Congress to permanently protect undeveloped tracts within our 623 million public acres by making them part of the Wilderness System. These areas then belong to not only, say, Yosemite National Park but to the NWPS, as well.

What difference does it make? If land inside Yosemite becomes a wilderness area, it must remain free of roads and structures. Motorized equipment and mechanical transport are not permitted.

Because of the requirements set forth in the Wilderness Act, a visitor to a wilderness area can count on peace and quiet — though the honking of a flock of migratory geese and other natural sounds can cause a stir. The air and water are extra clean. Places like that are harder and harder to find, making wilderness extra special. In addition, large, unfragmented and wild landscapes can provide the habitat that species need to adapt to climate change.

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