The Wilderness Blog

The latest updates, insights and stories from across the country. We hope you enjoy the conversation. Comment and let us know what you think.

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Recent Utah looting underscores need for artifact protections

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In the Four Corners region, among the rugged mountains, mesas and deep canyons of the high desert there are pockets of desert wilderness where the soil is the only thing standing between travelers and a wealth of ancient Pueblo artifacts. In these lands, the ancient Pueblo people once settled villages with hundreds of family farms. Today, the area is rich with evidence of their small communities, but it’s also a hotbed for those looking to profit from illegally selling this priceless cultural heritage. more

Saturday is National Trails Day

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Saturday, June 6, is American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day®. It shines a light on the wonderful trail opportunities we have in this country — and encourages Americans to help maintain them. The National Trails System contains tens of thousands of miles, with segments in every state and the nation’s capital. Click here for a list of the trails in the system or here to see a PDF map of the system. more

Increased funding for Forest Legacy program hits home

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As the hot muggy days of summer descend upon our great nation’s capital, I find my mind wandering back to a little cabin in the woods of Maine. The place was nothing fancy; it was a real sweep-the-leaves-off-out-from-the corners kind of deal. But I’d be hard pressed to find better summertime memories than running wild under the cool pine trees and the way the chilly lake took my breath away every time I went crashing into its waters. more

A conservation-minded President? A look at Obama’s first 100 days in office

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Following eight years of unbalanced, exploitative policies toward wildlands, the opening days of President Barack Obama’s administration appear to be a promising start in a new era of wildlands and wildlife protection. In his first 100 days, President Obama reversed or put on hold a number of misguided Bush administration policies, signaling a more balanced use of public lands. He also put muscle behind campaign promises to reinstate science in federal decision making and to advance a clean energy future. more

Talkin’ global warming with Ashley Judd, regular folks

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Star power can certainly help raise awareness of a critical issue. Like it or not, human beings are social animals and few among us are immune to the bit of a thrill that comes with rubbing elbows with celebrities. Even members of Congress get caught up in the excitement. more

Fire season shouldn’t mean robbing Peter to pay Paul

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Conservation organizations like ours love to ask supporters to contact their congressmen to vote yes on all kinds of bills. But, the truth is that a lot of federal legislation doesn’t easily fire people up. We’ve got a bill for you that does just that and it’s about, well, wildfires. We need your help to get Congress to pass this bill. The House is scheduled to vote Wednesday, March 25. What’s the problem? more

Why every acre counts to stop global warming

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We’re losing 6,000 acres of open space per day — the equivalent of two Rhode Islands per year — and you can almost feel the Earth’s thermostat inching up a fraction each day. If we want to have any hope of slowing, let alone reversing, these trends, our country needs to take bold action. Perhaps bolder than we’ve ever attempted. Big problems clearly require serious solutions. more