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Rocky Mountain Front Proposed Wilderness. Day
breaks on the Front Range in Montana. The mountains and plains in this
region shelter a rich collection of plants and wildlife, including
grizzly bears.
(© Michael Melford/National Geographic. From the September 2014 issue./National Geographic)
Fifty years ago President Johnson signed the federal
Wilderness Protection Act to preserve a “glimpse of the world as it was
in the beginning.” New Yorker staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert
talks about its creation and whether it has met its objectives to
protect the country’s most pristine wildlands for future generations.
She’s written the article “50 Years of Wilderness,” in the September issue of National Geographic magazine.
Gila Wilderness. This was the precursor: Forty years before the
Wilderness Act, 755,000 acres in New Mexico’s Gila National Forest,
including the Middle Fork of the Gila River, became the world’s first
designated wilderness. From the September 2014 issue of National Geographic. © Michael Melford/National Geographic.
Organ
Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. Soaptree yuccas soak up
morning light in southern New Mexico. Soaptree yuccas soak up morning
light in southern New Mexico. “I am not finished,” the president said in
May, as he created this newest national monument. “I’m searching for
more opportunities.” From the September 2014 issue of National Geographic. © Michael Melford/National Geographic.
Rocky
Mountain Front Proposed Wilderness. Day breaks on the Front Range in
Montana. The mountains and plains in this region shelter a rich
collection of plants and wildlife, including grizzly bears. From the September 2014 issue of National Geographic. © Michael Melford/National Geographic.
September 2014 National Geographic
Guests:
Elizabeth Kolbert- Leave a comment
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Comments [3]
When people think of wilderness,
they usually envision the great National Parks we have out west. Near
urban centers where populations are becoming more and more detached from
wilderness, there are many National Wildlife Refuges scattered about.
One of these areas, the first signed in by congress after the Wilderness
Act of 1964 was the Great Swamp NWR located less than thirty miles west
of NYC. I'm currently working on a four person crew with the Student
Conservation Association in the Great Swamp. We're preparing the park
for a media event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act
and for their fall festival on September 6th. For the next three weeks,
the crew and I will working to clear trails still blocked by debris
from Hurricane Sandy. Since power tools are not allowed in the
wilderness area, we have the unique pleasure of using a hundred year old
crosscut saw to clear logs up to two feet in diameter. Since the
passing of the Wilderness Act, more than 9 million acres of wild land
has become protected and the Clean Air and Clean Water acts were passed.
With a successful first fifty years following the Wilderness Act, it is
our generation's duty to look forward and continue to maintain these
refuges. This means urban twenty-something's such as myself stepping out
of comfort zones and getting your hands dirty using antique crosscut
saws!
Aug. 19 2014 01:23 PM
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Is that "wilderness50th" or "wildernessfiftieth" (or was it 50 or fifty?)? Please post a link on this page.
Aug. 19 2014 12:38 PM
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Speaking of swamps, the Great
Swamp NWR, 26 miles from NYC, was one of the first wilderness areas. It
too is celebrating its 50th anniversary. And it's beautiful.
Aug. 19 2014 12:30 PM
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