spotlight

Escaping the Confines of Civilization We needed the Wilderness Act in 1964 and still need it today

Wilderness Act in 1956 and over nine by Nancy Roeper | The National Wilderness Preservation System turns 50 years, shepherded it through 18 public this year, significantly younger than three other federal systems of lands hearings and 65 rewrites. Congress and waters that begin providing varying levels of protection before 1964. finally passed and President Johnson signed the Wilderness Act on So why did the United States need to create a new national system, September 3, 1964. composed of elements from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National No Refuge System wilderness was Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service? designated by the Wilderness Act. Instead, the law gave the three agencies roponents of wilderness in the early protect valuable places. As Zahniser said, 10 years to review their lands and make P1900s saw changes throughout the “Let’s try to be done with a wilderness wilderness recommendations. However, nation’s wild lands that were altering preservation program made up of a at public demand, Congress designated the land’s nature. National parks sequence of overlapping emergencies, wilderness at Great Swamp National focused on building roads, hotels and threats and defense campaigns! Let’s Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey only four visitor centers to encourage tourism make a concerted effort for a positive years later in 1968—the first wilderness via automobile. National forests were program that will establish an enduring designated for the Refuge System and building roads to facilitate large-scale system of areas where we can be at the Department of the Interior (See logging. Huge dams were going up peace and not forever feel that the “Great Swamp: Interior’s First on major Western rivers for energy wilderness is a battleground.” Wilderness” p. 19). production. The Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System was focused Leopold felt much the same way: “Let no Since then, Congress has designated on creating waterfowl and game man think that because a few foresters wilderness on 62 additional refuges and habitat, often through major ecological have tentatively formulated a wilderness one fish hatchery. There are also almost intervention. policy that the preservation of wilderness 2 million additional acres of Refuge is assured.” System lands proposed as wilderness Key wilderness supporters such as in the 1970s; Congress has neither Aldo Leopold, Arthur Carhart, Bob The U.S. Biological Survey, which became designated the lands as wilderness nor Marshall, Olaus and Mardy Murie, and the Fish and Wildlife Service, bred some released them from further wilderness Howard Zahniser recognized a need to of the most passionate proponents of consideration. As a result, the Service preserve lands in their natural and wild wilderness protection. Olaus Murie was a manages about 22 million acres of form to balance this utilitarianism. wildlife biologist for about 25 years. He designated and proposed wilderness in They recognized the benefits of the and his wife, Mardy, worked tirelessly to accordance with the provisions of the undeveloped and wild nature of rapidly protect Alaska’s Brooks Range and the Wilderness Act. disappearing places such as the Sheenjek River. Zahniser was a writer headwaters of the Gila River in New and editor with the Service’s forerunner What are the consequences of Mexico, Trappers Lake in Colorado and for 10 years. wilderness designation in the Refuge vast expanses of the Arctic in Alaska. System? In essence, wilderness But it wasn’t until he became executive areas have dual citizenship: They are Advocates longed for permanent director of The Wilderness Society that members of the Refuge System and of protection as they feared people might Zahniser began his tireless battle to pass the National Wilderness Preservation tire of the need to fight repeatedly to legislation. He wrote the first draft of the System. As the Refuge System manages

Spring 2014 Fish & Wildlife News / 9 spotlight

We are not dealing with a vanishing wilderness. We are working for a wilderness

forever.” —Howard Zahniser

these areas to achieve the wildlife conservation purposes for which they were established, the Service does it in ways that keep them primarily natural, undeveloped and wild, or as Howard Zahniser explained, “exhibiting the free play of natural forces.”

Managers use temporary roads, motorized equipment and vehicles, mechanical transport, structures and the landing of aircraft sparingly, and only when their use has been carefully evaluated and determined to be the minimum Kr i st ine So w l/ U S F WS requirement for managing the area to As he so often did, Howard Zahniser preserve its wilderness character. The “dual citizenship” aspect of wilderness summed up the strength of a single allows Refuge System staff to take National Wilderness Preservation System: Use and enjoyment of wilderness is advantage of the wilderness training, “Working to preserve in perpetuity is a another important principle of the information and education offered by the great inspiration. We are not fighting a Wilderness Act, which identifies interagency Arthur Carhart Wilderness rear-guard action, we are facing a frontier. outstanding opportunities for solitude Training Center and wilderness research, We are not slowing down a force that or a primitive and unconfined type monitoring and scientific knowledge inevitably will destroy all the wilderness of recreation as a key descriptor of amassed by the interagency Aldo there is. We are generating another force, wilderness character. The Service Leopold Wilderness Research Institute. never to be wholly spent, that, renewed encourages visitors to hunt, fish, observe Coordinated training, education and generation after generation, will be always and photograph wildlife, and engage in research means all four agencies effective in preserving wilderness. We are other activities as long as those activities that manage wilderness—now including not fighting progress. We are making it. are non-motorized, non-mechanized and the Bureau of Land Management— We are not dealing with a vanishing compatible with wilderness preservation. do so in a coordinated manner to protect wilderness. We are working for a Wilderness areas can also be great for a single Wilderness System. wilderness forever.” snowshoeing, kayaking and camping.

10 / Fish & Wildlife News Spring 2014 spotlight U S F WS

My passion for wilderness began at an incredible scenery, unexpected Left: Andreafsky early age. I grew up exploring nearby wildlife encounters and the exertion of Wilderness, at Yukon fields, woods and swamps without my transporting oneself with necessary Delta National Wildlife parents worrying about my safety. food and shelter, but also from the feeling Refuge in Alaska. Above: Growing up on Long Island, I found these that I had escaped the confines of President Johnson Signs relatively small areas constituted my own civilization; I could be wild! Even if only the Wilderness Act. personal wilderness. I knew the best temporarily. I want future generations to hiding places, trees to climb, blackberry experience that feeling. patches and spots to catch pollywogs. From that beginning, I just scaled up to During this 50th anniversary year, I look feel connected to truly undeveloped and forward to the Service continuing and wild areas as I camped and backpacked expanding upon its proud heritage of during graduate school. But it wasn’t until wilderness stewardship to preserve I began my current position and my book the special lands and waters that the learning about wilderness that I realized American people have entrusted to it. that some of my trips had been to areas that were Designated Wilderness. I now Nancy Roeper, National Wilderness Coordinator, know that the exhilaration I felt in these National Wildlife Refuge System, Headquarters places resulted not only from the

Spring 2014 Fish & Wildlife News / 11