The Wilderness Act

Handies Peak, Colorado
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The Wilderness Society was instrumental in passing the Wilderness Act of 1964. The act defines wilderness and provides for its legislative protection in the National Wilderness Preservation System.

The National Wilderness Preservation System was created on September 3, 1964, when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed The Wilderness Act — eight years after the first wilderness bill was introduced by Senator Hubert H. Humphrey. The final bill passed the Senate, 73-12, on April 9, 1963, and the House of Representatives, 373-1, on July 30, 1964.

The original bill established 9.1 million acres of federally protected wilderness in national forests. The law did not increase the amount of land under federal control, nor did it mandate acquisition of additional lands.

With passage of the Wilderness Act of 1964 (P.L. 88-577; 16 USC 1131-1136), the United States charted a course new in the history of nations — to preserve some of the country's last remaining wild places in order to protect their natural processes and values from development. Today, thanks to the wisdom, foresight, and perseverance of many dedicated individuals, current and future generations will enjoy an enduring wilderness — in reality and in spirit.

Listen to President Johnson's remarks at the signing of the Wilderness Act on September 3, 1964:

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