Wild Places

The United States has one of the richest wildland systems in the world. There are plenty of national parks and forests, wilderness study areas and wildlife refuges for you to experience and enjoy.

Our nation has a more than 100-year legacy of working to protect wildlands so they exist for future generations to experience and enjoy. While the United States may be a world leader in protecting wilderness, there is still much work to be done.

Every wildland deserves care — and many are under-protected. At Wilderness, we have been working since 1935 to complete a system of protected wildlands in the United States. This includes officially designated wilderness and other public land designations.

Today we focus on 10 wild places that are critical to completing that system.

Alaska and the Arctic

From the ancient old-growth spruce in the Tongass National Forest to the Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska is one of the world’s greatest wild places to visit.

California

From stunning Sierra forests to vast desert vistas, California has spectacular wildlands, many within a short drive from Los Angeles and other major urban centers.

Colorado Plateau

The Colorado Plateau is one of the last remnants of the wild west. This wild, untamed area covers parts of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming.

Crown of the Continent

The Crown of the Continent in Montana’s Rocky Mountains is just as wild today as when Lewis and Clark traveled it more than 200 years ago.

North Cascades

The North Cascades is a rugged landscape stretching 13 million acres of wild country in Washington state, from the Canadian border to the foothills of Mt. Rainier.

Northern Forest

The Northern Forest, which stretches across New England, is known for its breath-taking scenery, abundant wildlife and world-class recreation. It is one of America’s greatest natural treasures.

Southern Appalachians

With its cool waterfalls, serene woods and brilliant wildflowers, the wild forests of the Southern Appalachians draw thousands of visitors each year.

Other places we work

In addition to the seven key landscapes listed, The Wilderness Society also works on important wilderness issues in:

  • Members of the Western Clean Energy Advocates (WCEA), signed a letter encouraging Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper to  to sign SB 252, to increase the renewable energy portfolio standard for rural electric providers

    . WCEA is a diverse and growing coalition working to transform the way we produce, use, and distribute energy across the West. WCEA aims to create jobs, protect the West’s water, wildlife, and ecosystems, address climate change, and enhance energy security.

  • Smart Steps to Establish a Responsible Program for Renewable Energy on Public Lands

    Since its first day in office, the Obama Administration has made rapid and responsible expansion of renewable energy a top priority. The public lands have played a major role in achieving early goals, but only because of focused effort to correct decades of inattention and inactivity toward developing renewable energy as a major component of the nation’s energy mix.

  • Expanding energy development to meet the growing needs of America must be balanced with protecting vital wild places. 

    The Wilderness Society has launched a new quarterly report "By The Numbers" to track how many acres of American land have been protected by Congress and the Executive branch, and how many acres have been leased out to energy development.

  • Tim Woody

    Witness testimony today by Noble’s Offshore Installation Manager Todd Case as he was questioned by the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that the Kulluk drill rig -- which Shell attempted to tow across the Gulf of Alaska with a single tow vessel before it broke loose and ran aground last New Year’s Eve -- should have had multiple tow vessels for safe transport.

    Case was aboard the Kulluk when it went adrift and ran aground on a small island south of Kodiak.

  • Tim Woody

    U.S. Representatives Don Young and Doc Hastings have introduced H.R. 1964 in an effort to scrap the Department of the Interior’s recently finalized, comprehensive plan for the western Arctic’s National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, the nation’s largest tract of public land. The bill is scheduled for a hearing tomorrow on Capitol Hill.

  • jdickson

    Identifying smart steps the Obama Administration, including the Department of the Interior and Bureau of Land Management, can take to continue building a responsible program for renewable energy  are part of a “blueprint for action” released by The Wilderness Society today.