Wilderness
What
is Wilderness?
In 1964, the Congress of the United States took a far-sighted
action by passing the Wilderness Act, legally designating certain
federal lands as Wilderness. Congress preserved these lands: “…in
order to assure that an increasing population, accompanied by expanding
settlement and growing mechanization does not occupy and modify
all areas within the United States and its possessions, leaving
no lands designated for preservation and protection in their natural
condition” (The Wilderness Act). The Wilderness Act prohibits
roads, mining, timber cutting and motorized vehicles in these areas.
Values and Benefits of Wilderness
Wilderness has many values. Recognizing these diverse and unique
values opens a world of understanding about the natural environment.
Preserving Wilderness may someday be seen through eyes of historians
as the most important contribution societies can make to the health
of the global environment.
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