Beauty in the National Wilderness Preservation System

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Paria Canyons, Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Utah.
Paria Canyons, Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Utah.
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The National Wilderness Preservation System includes North Cascades National Park in Washington state.
The National Wilderness Preservation System includes North Cascades National Park in Washington state.
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Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon.
Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon.
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Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona.
Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona.
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Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina.
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Glacier National Park, Montana.
Glacier National Park, Montana.
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White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire.
White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire.
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Poodle Mountain Wilderness Study Area, Nevada.
Poodle Mountain Wilderness Study Area, Nevada.
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Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge, Iowa.
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge, Iowa.
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Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.
Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.

Harvey Broome, co-founder of The Wilderness Society, once said, “If we lose wilderness, we lose forever the knowledge of what the world was and what it might, with understanding and loving husbandry, yet become.”

Since 1935, The Wilderness Society has worked to protect wilderness and inspire Americans to care for wild places. In 1964, The Wilderness Act became law, creating the National Wilderness Preservation System.

Through the wilderness system, Congress sets aside selected areas within national forests, national parks, national wildlife refuges, and other federal lands as areas to be kept permanently unchanged by humans. This means no roads, no structures, no vehicles, no significant impacts of any kind. Of our country’s 623 million public acres, 109 million are permanently protected as wilderness. (Check out this list of wilderness areas.)

Because of the requirements set forth in The Wilderness Act, a visitor to a wilderness area can count on peace and quiet. The air and water are clean. Large, unfragmented, and wild landscapes can provide the habitat that species need to adapt to climate change. Places like this are increasingly hard to come by, making the value of wilderness and land preservation more apparent with each passing year.

Want to help The Wilderness Society in its efforts to promote wilderness protection? Become a member by signing up at wilderness.org.

  • Published on Jun 26, 2009
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