Mt. Hood National Forest

Wilderness

History

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.

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 Wilderness Act

The Wilderness Act was passed by Congress in 1964 and continues to be the guiding piece of legislation for all Wilderness areas. The Act defines Wilderness as follows:

• "...lands designated for preservation and protection in their natural condition..." Section 2(a)
• "...an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man..." Section 2(c)
• "...an area of undeveloped Federal land retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvement or human habitation..." Section 2(c)
• "...generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man's work substantially unnoticeable..." Section 2(c)
• "...has outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation..." Section 2(c)
• "...shall be devoted to the public purposes of recreation, scenic, scientific, educational, conservation and historic use." Section 4(b)

Mt. Hood NF's Wilderness Stewardship Program

For me, and for thousands with similar inclinations, the most important passion of life is the overpowering desire to escape periodically from the clutches of a mechanistic civilization. To us the enjoyment of solitude, complete independence, and the beauty of undefiled panoramas is absolutely essential to happiness.
Bob Marshall