True to our history, The Wilderness Society is guided by science. It is at the heart of our work, from protecting and connecting wildlands to shaping public lands policy for future generations. We ask the questions and provide the science that inspires bold and innovative conservation.  

The Wilderness Society was founded by scientists. Four of our eight original founders—Aldo Leopold, Bob Marshall, Benton MacKaye, and Bernard Frank—were scientists whose perspectives shaped our early vision. Borne out of this foundation, our research over the years has set us apart from other conservation organizations in our ability to advocate for public lands protection based on ecological and economic understanding of the lands that inspire us. For example, Olaus Murie, scientist and TWS president from 1950-1957, advanced the concept of protecting entire ecological systems rather than isolated parks. His leadership helped establish new standards for identifying and expanding park boundaries and his ideas and convictions contributed to setting the stage for The Wilderness Act.

"A poetic appreciation of life, combined with a knowledge of nature, creates humility, which in turn becomes the greatness of man." - Olaus Murie 

Since the passage of The Wilderness Act, the role of science at TWS has only deepened. Our scientists conducted some of the first large-scale forest inventories to help inform more responsible forest management and provided influential research that was critical to passing the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Today, our team continues this legacy through innovative, applied research that addresses pressing ecological questions and informs solutions to the complex conservation challenges of our time. 

Our ecologists and cartographers—located from Alaska to Maine—are experts in forest ecology, wildland fire, landscape and conservation biology, climate change, cartography, animal movement, freshwater ecology, wildlife biology, and more. We collaborate with partners at universities, land-management agencies and other conservation groups on local and national research projects across the U.S. 

• New research in Fire Ecology confirms wildfires are four times more likely to start near roads than in roadless forests;
• New study in Nature Communications details how genetic variation across the native range of brook trout may help some trout populations endure rising temperatures better than others;
• A detailed science report provides technical information on the ecological and cultural importance of the 23-million-acre National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska;
• New study in the Nature journal Scientific Reports demonstrates how higher resolution digital elevation data are being used to reveal previously unmapped rivers, streams and habitat connectivity that are essential for salmonid populations, like salmon and whitefish.