Ben Beach

Senior Editor
Washington D.C.

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A graduate of Harvard with a law degree from Catholic University, Ben worked for The Wilderness Society from May 1984 to November 2011, making him our longest-serving staff member. He edited Wilderness magazine and our newsletter. Ben was also responsible for The Wilderness Society's wall calendar.

He has worked for former Michigan Congressman Lucien Nedzi, the Alliance to Save Energy, USA Today, and Time magazine.

Ben has finished 44 consecutive Boston Marathons.

Recently Published on Wilderness.org:

Yellowstone Sharply Increases Snowmobile Limit
Aren't there enough trails?
Seeley Lake: Diverse group gets behind forest vision
Oil Shale Frenzy: Bush rules a gift to oil industry
A Resounding Vote for Open Space
BLM backs off plan to issue drilling permits in Utah's redrock country
Appeals court rules against Arctic drilling plan
Environmental Groups Push Green Now
Greens fear last push by Bush
Parks are for more than play. A new study links green spaces to healthy bodies—and minds.
Cuts likely for drilling in Colorado
Roadless rule hurtling down Bush fast-track
Interior Dept. Changes Rule to Remove Congress Veto
Oil Lays Waste to the West
Parks generate $485M for Utah, national study says
UO professor makes case to invest in ‘green’ jobs
BLM should delay plan; Governor says WOPR is flawed — and he’s right
Bush’s Push to Be Felt across the West
Fixing Interior
Proposal Would Ease Rules on Bikes in Parks
Interior Department finalizes plans for geothermal development in West
Spotlight on the Lighthouse
Push for offshore drilling disregards ocean, culture
Energy Dispute over Rockies Riches
Off-road vehicle use fuels tension, violence across U.S.
USFS has $100 million in projects ready to go
Protect Land from Off-Road Vehicles
A decade after Headwaters deal, truce comes to Northern California redwood country
The Wilderness Act Handbook: 40th Anniversary Edition
Minnick Supports Simpson Wilderness Bill
Wilderness areas could be voted on this week
Udall, Salazar Jump-Start RMNP Bill
Federal wilderness protection for California land moves forward
Roadless Area Rule May Be Reborn
Geothermal Future
A Reprieve for the Trees
A new era begins for wild lands: Welcome Mr. President!
Wilderness bill protects parts of Rocky Mountain National Park
The Inauguration: Comments on energy please environmentalists
Obama blocks some of Bush's last-minute environmental decisions
Study Ties Tree Deaths To Change in Climate
Environmentalists push for massive north-state conservation area
Warming Trends Alter Conservation
Unlikely Allies: Owyhees Initiative unites warring factions
Salazar wants federal version of Great Outdoors Colorado
Tough Tasks for Salazar at Interior
National park backers call for creation of a service corps similar to the Depression-era CCC
Carcasses Dumped at Monument
Wilderness Society creates virtual bus tour in support of Congress's massive wildlands act
Imagining the Preservation
Bush's Environmental Acts Being Undone
Ken Salazar's New Deal
Feds' oversight begins on drilling in forest
Feds pare Colorado gas-lease sale
Restore Neglected Public Lands
Climate change expert to speak in Swannanoa
Tracking the Flight of Birds, with Tiny Backpacks
Olympic takes home environmental excellence award
Remembering Wallace Stegner
BP reports oil, water, gas spill at Prudhoe Bay
Murkowski Proposes Directional Drilling in ANWR
Congress can be bipartisan and protect this land we love
Drilling in ANWR won’t solve problems
Interior rejects oil shale lease offerings
Wind Farms Provide Energy - And Work
Obama Reverses Bush on Species Protection Measure
Local residents testify on global warming
Outdoor advocates urge Congress to create more wilderness in Montana
Skeptics Dispute Climate Worries and Each Other
U.S. seeks to spur renewable energy on public lands
A California gem, off the beaten track
BLM drops WV forest lands from oil, gas auction
Wilderness that makes sense for Montana
University archive reaches 1,000 nature recordings
Oil Shale Plans Create Ripple
One Third of U.S. Bird Species Endangered, Survey Finds
Lessons of the Exxon Valdez
Migratory birds take long flight to Alaska
Two Million Acres Up for ‘Wilderness’ Designation
Salazar is drilling home renewables' new power
Bristol Bay, Bering Sea no place for oil and gas drilling
'Controlled burns' are good for our forests and communities
State of the Birds
Cleaning up Bush's mess on public land
Lawmakers reintroduce Utah red-rock wilderness bill
Funds will improve the country just as they did 75 years ago
No cars, no roads, no kidding
Izembek Deal Flaws
RMNP now a wilderness; Salazar celebrates with dignitaries
Arctic Ice Is Melting
Salazar gets an earful from Dillingham residents
Coalition Seeks Protections for Remote Pitkin County
Salazar on the Right Track
Wyden Plan: No Old-Growth Logging
Time to Get on the Same Page
Faiths call for Utah wilderness protection
Dust Storms Escalate, Prompting Environmental Fears
Pennsylvania deserves protection for more of its wilderness
Parks eye federal funds for wider pastures
Disney’s must-see "Earth" underscores need for land protection
Love for wilderness unites various faiths seeking to protect it
Camping for the Hotel Set
Taking hostages: Bennett demands Interior ransom
Reinforce Roadless Rule
Who Will Protect the Forests?
Blackfoot-Clearwater plan hears support
Protesters Roar Through Federal Lands
Closing loopholes: Remove oil, gas subsidies
Study Before Drilling Seas
Black Canyon awash in water-rights victory
The Perfect, The Good, the Planet
Idaho congressional delegation revives dormant bipartisanship
'Deadliest Catch' skipper slams Pebble mining project
Simpson Optimistic About Wilderness Bill
Bono Mack Gets Behind Climate Bill
Dust storms speed snowmelt in the West
Working Out the Details of Guns in National Parks
The Best Healer Turns Out to Be Nature
Feds halt construction for 1 year while awaiting Obama policy
Protecting Forests
Forest Service: $228M to fix roads, bridges
Saturday is National Trails Day
A Roadless Law
Gwich’in and Alaska Natives create human aerial message
Committee votes against directional drilling in ANWR
Southwest Colorado artifacts heist suspects arrested
Enviros cheer, critics jeer report on 'flawed' oil leases
Trail users collide in crowded forests in Colorado
Obama Creates Pacific Northwest Trail
Judge Won't Limit Scope of Decision Axing Roadless Rule
Marbled murrelet will keep federal protection
After 90 Years, the Wolverine (Just One) Returns to Colorado
Consider Impact of ATVs
Conservation Wave Builds in the West
Global warming: Want to see Northwest impacts? Just look around
Alaska earns chapter in White House climate report
Feds Push Solar Projects in West
Forest Service must reinstate tougher guidelines
Grants, land at risk if California parks close
Yukon Flats refuge land exchange rejected
Great Old Broads: Can see the forest for the trees
Studies foresee dilemma over forest carbon storage
Groups sue to stop Bush plan for Western energy corridors
Officials deciding fate of national forest roads
Take Back the Park
Zion National Park celebrates 100 years
Forest Road Ban Reinstated
Three 'benchmark glaciers' rapidly retreating
How to Recharge Your Soul
Make Roadless Rule Law
Park Ranger Asks: Where Are the Black Visitors?
Interior secretary, a Colorado native, dedicates conservation area
Another Presidential Walk in the Park
NMSU to celebrate Aldo Leopold's Southwest arrival
Plugged In to Nature, Wired to World
The Case of the Disappearing Rabbit
Climate change has some Texas animals fleeing the Texas heat
Light in the Forests
A Real Fish Story
Feds want 30 more days on oil shale issues
Beloved Conservationist's Vision Lives On
Utah public-land issues debated over dinner
Helping Ken Burns uncover National Parks' diversity
On Energy, Obama Finds Broad Support
Defying Disability and Enjoying Wilderness
Backcountry pilots push for better access
Appeals panel rules against Kane County's sign swap
Wilderness Fires
Another Astroturf Campaign
Congressional groups aim to make Colorado more wild
New Climate Coalition Launches
Former U.S. Forest Service Chiefs Ponder Future
More Pacific brant now find Alaska the place to winter over
Into the Wild
A New Vision for America's Forests
More aviators push for airstrips on national forestland
Group unveils Rocky Mountain Front proposal
Judge won't block snowmobile limit
U.N. Officials Touring Glacier National Park
Socialized Nature!
Partnerships, science keys to wildlife and climate change
It's Easy Being Green
Forest restoration helps heal Tongass' scars
Solar Plan Ignites Some Environmental Concerns
America's Red Rock Wilderness: first hearing
Colorado roadless rules draw flood of comments
After the Fire
Reducing greenhouse gases now may lower climate change risk
Oregon officials ask Obama administration to protect roadless forests
Drillers gassing on about support for state regulations
Mighty caribou herds dwindle, warming blamed
New rules add protection for special BLM sites
Domino's teams with online gaming charity
Yellowstone Park approves plan limiting snowmobiles to half of last winter's limit
Fossil Fuels’ Hidden Cost Is in Billions, Study Says
Conservationist urges carbon reserves in U.S. forests
Doctors see climate change as dire health threat
The Latest Online Gaming Winners? Worthy Charities
Bogus bidder argues he had to act
Obama administration inches away from 'time out' for roadless forest logging
Defending the Not-Quite-Wild
Senate Okays Funds for Congaree Park
Religious Group Pushes to Protect San Gabriel Mountains
Interior Science: Acting responsibly on warming
Everyone wants clean energy — But where do we put the turbines?
Obama Moves Quickly to Preserve the West
Public Lands: A Bridge to the Future
The Plight of the Migrants
Green Jobs
Adobe Town Lease Sale on Hold
OSU experimental forest will combine science, philosophy and art to look to the future
Promises on Open Space
Alaska Natives seek restrictions on drilling
Alaska fights to reverse polar bear listing
Wolverine settles in Colorado; more may follow
What They Really Believe
No More Subsidies for Oil Industry
That's not just an engine whining
No 'No More Wilderness'
Salazar fires back at oil industry 'untruths'
Protecting the Forests, and Hoping for Payback
Changes on Upper Missouri could boost fish, trees
The Battle for the Roan Plateau
Poll finds support for Rocky Mountain Heritage Act's Front protection plan
Federal forests could be tasked with fighting global warming
Keep It Wild
Spill is among worst ever on North Slope
A Hidden Gem in the Organs
Arctic Ocean drilling draws strong objections
Environmentalists join Natives in drilling suit
Yellowstone Draws Visitors for New Adventures
Yellowstone opens to fewer — but still too many — snowmobiles
Forest Service to bolster protections for fish, wildlife habitat
Newly Protected and Worth the Visit: Idaho’s Owyhee Canyonlands
Oil Stain Persists after 20 Years
Congress dedicates more money for aging forest roads
Global warming will cause plants and animals to migrate
As colleges add green majors and minors, classes fill up
Investigation into tugboat grounding on Bligh Reef begins
Utah monument staff given praise by conservation group
Renewable energy projects will get swift U.S. permitting
Outdoors delight: Maine triples conserved acreage
The decade in conservation: The good the bad and the ugly
Two ways of life collide in Wonder Valley
Great American Wilderness Spots
New day for drilling: More study before lands are leased
Conservation easements acquired on more than 10,000 acres in Newry and Riley Township
Who's Sleeping Now?
No More 'Candy Store'
Teaching Green, Beyond Recycling
White House seeks to sharply expand the bull trout's protections in Oregon and West
Companies give up oil, gas leases along Rocky Mountain Front
Ms. Murkowski's Mischief
Why Birds Migrate to the Arctic
Point Hope, environmental groups challenge Chukchi Sea drilling
Monument serves as good example of public-land use
Interior chief Salazar's first year a gusher of controversy
Wind Power Grows 39% for the Year
$75M eyed for Blue Ridge Parkway expansion
Peace and Quiet: Can you still find it in our National Parks?
Oregon wildfires released far less greenhouse gas than previously estimated, researchers say
Eroding Village Appeals Dismissal of Lawsuit
As Earth Day nears, recall need to protect our assets
The Right Places for Solar
Colo. groups: 'Oddball' weather endangers skiing
The great outdoors is getting noisier
More Groups Sue over Wilderness Helicopter Use
Backing down on climate change
Coming Together on Climate Bill
NOAA to establish climate center in Alaska
Baucus, Tester will introduce legislation banning mining, energy development in North Fork
North Fork Flathead protection latest in growing list of Northern Rockies conservation efforts
Nike, Starbucks, other Northwest businesses push Congress for 'clean energy economy'
Court halts timber industry suit in Alaska
Sharing the Legacy
Climate change's impact on forests being measured via expanding tree trunks
Blog sends green message to U. of Georgia
Report Says Prices, Not Policy, Hurting Drilling
President Reagan's model on addressing climate change
Honoring Buffalo Soldiers’ role in establishing the National Parks
Northern Region's top forester discusses challenges agency faces
Meetings announced for proposed Alaska refuge road
New oil shale rules: Fair to industry or fuel for another speculative boom?
A Great State of Carbon Caches
Alaskans Fear for Their Way of Life
Molloy suspends oil and gas leases, cites lack of climate-change analysis
There's gold in them hills, only this time it's in the trees
God is found in the wilderness for Passover, Holy Week
The sound of silence
Fire Can Be Good for Global Warming
White House to host summit on conservation
Forest Service Planning Underway
U.S. Chamber hears dissent over its opposition to greenhouse gas legislation
National parks offer quiet retreat
Wildfire danger increasing across U.S., federal official tells Reno audience
Save a Canyon
Sealaska land claim threatens Tongass guide businesses
Robins dominate this year's Great Backyard Bird Count, thanks to Florida roost
ANWR plain may be proposed for wilderness status
Splitting table holds memories, cultural knowledge
Interior to study new round of oil, gas leases in Alaska
Marking the day 40 years ago when the green revolution began
Crowning Achievement for the Front
Salazar aide: Oil shale not ready for 'prime time'
Battle on to protect shore from massive oil spill
Recovery Still Incomplete After Valdez Spill
Leadville aims to mine enthusiasm for outdoors
Gulf of Mexico oil spill prompts worries about Arctic drilling
Oil spill on ice not worth the risk
Despite massive Gulf oil spill, offshore oil drilling starts soon in the Arctic Ocean
Coalition proposes forest restoration in Blackfoot, Clearwater, Swan river valleys
Wilderness Plan: Bennett should push for pact
Arctic Drilling Proposal Advanced Amid Concern
Oil-soaked sand along Gulf Coast raises memories of Exxon Valdez
Migrating Thousands of Miles With Nary a Stop
THe Arctic after the Gulf
Murkowski Resolution Would Leave the Greenhouse Gas Gusher Uncapped
Poll: Support plunges for offshore drilling; regulators blamed for Gulf spill
Bill would add 20,000 acres to wilderness
Smart Moves on Drilling in New York
Drilling ruling doesn't affect Alaska suspension
Oil-shale mirage still shimmers on W. Slope
Feds get 52,000 comments on ANWR future
Wyoming governor puts slice of national park on the market
As Oil Industry Fights a Tax, It Reaps Subsidies
Our recreation a long-term economic boon
Hike to Cougar Divide near Mount Baker is part of Roadless Recreation Week
'Collaborative' forest projects to get $10 million
National monuments? Maybe they will be
Heritage Trust Broken
Gulf oil spill fuels Alaska village's fears over offshore drilling
From outer space, a new dilemma for old-growth forests
Judge orders government to revise plan to protect Pacific Northwest's northern spotted owls
Preserving Our Public Lands
Exploring the Roadless Area Conservation Rule
Will Idaho squander a rare opportunity?
New study targets long antelope migration in western Wyoming
Solar Power Plants to Rise on U.S. Land
A Rare Win against Oil and Gas
Alaskans call for end to Arctic drilling freeze
Wilderness Society honors diverse conservation heroes
Tip Sheet: Fall story tips for conservation
Wind and solar energy
Connecting young Americans — of all kinds — with the outdoors
National Parks Reach Out to Blacks Who Aren’t Visiting
U.S. conservation began early, requires balance, UM speaker says
Scientists: Beak deformities increase in Northwest
Shell Presses for Drilling in Arctic
Using Land Wisely
Worth Visiting: Colorado’s Vermillion Basin
Latinos, Asians more worried about environment than whites, poll finds
Polar bears gain 187,000 square miles of critical habitat
Battle over ANWR is heating up again
Hawaii provides a unique wilderness experience
Gas aplenty: But at what cost?
A New Day for Wilderness
Conservation movement alive and well
The wilderness debate is about jobs
Climate, Corridors, and the Continent's Crown
Alaska pipeline running at about 5 percent
Think Big
Justice for the Arctic
The Quiet World: Saving Alaska’s Wilderness Kingdom, 1879-1960
Public hammers agency on Wyoming Range drilling proposal
Roadless rule proving successful, conservation group says
Salazar targeted by anti-conservationists
Is nature good business?
A Dozen Wild Places that Need More Love: Send a Valentine’s letter to help them
The Risk to Bristol Bay
A fat man’s defense of wilderness
Nantahala-Pisgah National Forest turns 100
Forbes profiles places to escape, with a bit of help from The Wilderness Society
Sportsmen oppose federal cuts to conservation programs
Bruce Babbitt and Hansjorg Wyss receive top Wilderness Society awards
The House Strikes, and Wins, Again
Drill Baby Drill Won't Lower Gas Prices
Let’s cut off the subsidies to profitable oil companies
The Return of 'Drill, Baby, Drill'
Mr. Babbitt's Protest
Owners of the land
Federal budget cuts could doom a program that spurred consensus
A vet's argument for preserving San Gabriels
It’s not about end of days, but days ahead
A fishy reversal on Wild Lands Policy
Serious nonsense over public lands
Recreation now accounts for more jobs on BLM, other Interior lands than grazing, mining and energy combined in Idaho
Recreation Wealth
Hunters spent $10 million during Rocky Mountain Front trips, agency says
Our Wealth in Lands
House measure would expand Homeland Security powers, waive environmental laws
Tourism gold
UM Ecologist: Future Forests May Soak Up More CO2, Buffering Climate Change
G.O.P. vs. the Environment
One Win for the Forests
Chaffetz pushes bill to sell ‘excess’ federal lands
America's outdoor legacy under attack
Buffering the Grand Canyon
Obama to expand oil drilling off Alaska, in Gulf of Mexico
Hastings, Young push bill to open ANWR to drilling