Why we need Wilderness in National Parks

We need Wilderness designation in our National Parks to ensure that the undeveloped areas, often called "backcountry," are not subject to new road construction or other forms of development. Without wilderness designation, national park backcountry areas are protected only by administrative regulations that agency officials can modify. The Wilderness Act provides permanent protection by law “for the permanent good of the whole people.” The Wilderness Act, secures “for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness.”

Many people assume that National Parks are fully protected as Wilderness, which is not the case. Even Wilderness areas are not immune to threats, as the Park Service points out:

“Even the ecosystems in these most protected of public lands are threatened. Wilderness is vulnerable to threats from both inside and outside of its boundaries. The demand for economic growth and a growing population exert significant pressures on wilderness. Many of these pressures are the same threats that other public lands face: overuse, fire suppression, invasive species, pollution, and lack of public awareness.”

In addition to the 44 million acres of designated Wilderness currently found in National Parks, another 26 million acres within 36 national park units are classified as eligible for Wilderness. ‘Eligible’ lands are defined as those lands that have undergone an assessment finding them eligible for designation as Wilderness. Over the last 35 years, various Presidents have recommended that Congress designate an additional 5.7 million acres of Wilderness. Despite the importance of these lands, Congress has not yet acted on these recommendations. Given all of the threats to these lands, inaction is an unacceptable gamble at the peril of posterity.

If, on the other hand, we have the foresight and initiative to take a bold stance regarding our heritage of public lands, we will act on the recommendations, establishing permanent protections for these national treasures. In so doing, we would add nearly 32 million acres of Wilderness, increasing the total amount of Wilderness by nearly 30 percent. Consider calling your Congressman and your favorite National Parks today to speak up for your favorite places, as well as supporting the crucial work of the Wilderness Society in permanently protecting our public lands.

Wilderness: an American Heritage

Wilderness is a designation pertaining to national public lands that have remained essentially unchanged by human activity. Wilderness preserves these natural lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future Americans. The Wilderness designation provides the highest level of protection available to public lands.

The designation was established by the Wilderness Act in 1964 so that we do not “occupy and modify” all land in the U.S. Only 5%, or 109,478,939 acres, of total U.S. land is currently designated as Wilderness as of July 2009, and over 52% of that Wilderness is located within the state of Alaska.

An act of Congress is required to designate new lands as wilderness; this designation only applies to lands that are already owned and managed by the federal government. The designation applies to lands that are currently administrated by the National Park Service, the Forest Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. For example, the Wilderness designation can be applied parcels of land within National Parks, National Forests, National Wildlife Refuges, or National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) lands to provide additional protections to the already-existing designation. The wilderness designation has no negative impact on private lands and does not add land to the Federally-owned system.

Wilderness is a multi-use designation that prioritizes the preservation of environmental values but has numerous values and benefits that go beyond the ecological ones. Congress intended a variety of uses for wilderness land, including “recreational, scenic, scientific, educational, conservation, and historical use” (The Wilderness Act). These diverse uses prove that wilderness designation does not mean ‘locking up’ the land and keeping people out.

A vast range of recreational uses are permitted, including hiking, fishing, hunting, rock climbing, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, wildlife watching, camping, backpacking, float trips, canoeing, and kayaking, to name a few. In general, wilderness provides unparalleled opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation, which remains one of the primary goals of the designation.

Although manifold uses are permitted, there are a few prohibitions unique to Wilderness areas that are necessary to conserve their pristine natural qualities. The use of motorized vehicles is prohibited in wilderness, except for emergency situations such as fire fighting and saving human life in any capacity. The development of permanent structures such as houses, dams, or other types of infrastructure is not allowed. Timber cutting is prohibited unless part of wildfire prevention. New mining claims and mineral leasing are prohibited.

These prohibitions exist only to protect and promote both the pristine natural qualities of wilderness areas and the serene wilderness experience of all visitors.

photos:
Bison herd running across flooded meadow in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Photo by Scorpions and Centaurs, Flickr.
Zion National Park. Photo by Jason K. Bach, Flickr.