Letter from the President
William H. Meadows
Which one place in the natural world is most important to you? Maybe it is a weekend getaway, a family summer spot, or a place where something magical in your life occurred. The feelings about such a place can be immense and can play a mighty role in helping the American people do right by the lands that we inherited from our forebears.
The passion that Americans have for their land was abundantly clear to all of us watching a new video at the May meeting of The Wilderness Society’s Governing Council in Albuquerque. The state of New Mexico, which richly deserves its nickname “Land of Enchantment,” has many spectacular areas, including the Gila Wilderness, El Malpais, and Valle Vidal. Our staff member there, a young woman named Neri Holguin, is building a coalition to protect wilderness in largely Latino Doña Ana County, and she has spoken with many residents about the public lands they treasure most. She has talked with Native Americans, Anglos, Hispanics whose New Mexican roots go back several generations. Her short video of these conversations offers a wonderful window into the emotions that so many of us feel about our special places. I was reminded, once again, that the work we do comes down to helping people protect the places they love.
P.S. This summer I hope you will have a chance to enjoy some of the public lands that you, as Wilderness Society members, are preserving.
