One of the things that makes The Wilderness Society’s work so effective is that we work with partners from across the country and from a broad spectrum of interests.

The sky above the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in Montana was big and blue and the scene sublime as Kevin Mack hiked along a stretch of the Wild and Scenic Missouri River.

“This area preserves remarkable scenery and important history,” Mack reminisces. “It contains bluffs and badlands, wilderness, nearly 150 miles of the Upper Missouri National Wild and Scenic River, and the premier segment of the Lewis and Clark Historic Trail. Along this trail, you can see things as Captains Lewis and Clark did on their epic journey over 200 years ago.”

Northern California’s Headwaters Forest Reserve conjures images of clear Coho salmon streams and ancient redwoods so tall they darken the forest even as the California sun hangs overhead.

The grove of old-growth giants is a peaceful haven that would not be here today had it not been for the environmentalists, industry CEOs and regular Joes that rallied to prevent logging of the forest more than a decade ago.

The outgoing president has been up to some last minute attacks on the environment. That is no surprise to some. However, President Bush’s use of the Antiquities Act to protect a large area of the western Pacific Ocean as a National Monument may also be a surprise to some, and it should be commended. He continues a presidential tradition of using the Act to protect some of the nation’s most spectacular natural and cultural resources. In fact, only three presidents since the passage of the Act in 1906 — Presidents Nixon, Reagan, and George H.W.

In a ceremony little noticed outside of central Florida, the state’s historic Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and surrounding mangroves were formally dedicated last month as part of the National Landscape Conservation System, which is the Bureau of Land Management’s version of the National Park System.