Aldo Leopold, co-founder of The Wilderness Society and a preeminent voice in the conservation world defined wilderness as “a continuous stretch of country preserved in its natural state, open to lawful hunting and fishing, big enough to absorb a two week’s [horse] pack trip.” In his most famous book, A Sand County Almanac, he provided two examples of “primitive skills in pioneering travel…”one of these is canoe travel, and the other is travel by packtrain.” more

This week, the Skokomish Watershed Action Team (SWAT) will be featured at the World Forestry Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Coordinated by The Wilderness Society, the SWAT works together to plan, fund, and implement projects aimed at healing Washington’s Skokomish watershed. Over the years, logging and roads have caused excess sediment to wash into the river, degrading fish habitat and clogging the river channel with gravel. more

Whether tucked away in his office in Denver or out exploring the forests, mountains, and canyons of Colorado, our Central Rockies Assistant Regional Director Steve Smith is immersed in the process of protecting the wilderness he loves. Now even the Forest Service has taken note, selecting him as this year’s recipient of one of their most prestigious honors: the Bob Marshall Award for Individual Champion of Wilderness Stewardship. more