[PDF] 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act Briefing Paper
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Wilderness Act, Wilderness 50,
50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act 1964-2014
Anniversary Celebration for the National Wilderness Preservation System
50 YEARS OF AMERICAN WILDERNESS:
On September 3, 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the
Wilderness Act. This historic bill established the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) and set aside an
initial 9.1 million acres of wildlands for the use and benefit of the American people. Over the past 50 years, and as a
result of America’s support for wilderness, Congress has added over 100 million acres to this unique land preservation
system. The 1964 Wilderness Act defines “Wilderness” as areas where the earth and its communities of life are left
unchanged by people, where the primary forces of nature are in control, and where people themselves are visitors who
do not remain.
The NWPS was established for the use and enjoyment of the American people and provides many direct and in
- directbenefits, such as those relating to ecological, geological,
scientific, educational, scenic, spiritual, economic, recreational,
historical, and culturaluses and activities. The 758wilderness areaswithinthe NWPSare managed by all four federall
and managing agencies, the Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, and National Park Service.
In 2014,our nation will celebrate “50 Years of Wilderness” and we hope that your organization
will find a way to become a part of this historical commemoration
honoring America’s “True American Legacy of Wilderness!”
50th CELEBRATION PLANNING:
The 50th Anniversary National Wilderness
Planning Team (Wilderness50) is collaborating
on the planning and eventual implementation of local,
regional, and national events and projects, specifically designed
to elevate the profile of wilderness during the 50th
anniversary celebration.Wilderness50’sgoals are to:
(1)
Engage the public to better understand and appreciate the many benefits and values
of wilderness, ultimately
resulting in more people supporting responsible wildlands stewardship;
(2)
Bring the wilderness community (NGOs/Agencies/International Advocates) “
together“ to efficiently and
consistently steward wilderness for the use, enjoyment,
and benefit of the American people;
(3)
Connect with today's youth and with non
-wilderness using groups to find the thread that ties their lives to wild
places so they can more directly relate to, understand, and value, wilderness.
Wilderness50’s diversity commitment are to:
(1)
Acknowledge that diverse communities celebrate and engage with wi
lderness in many different ways
—
even though their traditions have not always expressed these connections in the same way as more "orthodox"
environmentalists.
(2)
Realize that the assumptions of the Wilderness Act, valuable and pathbreaking in many ways for Americans, have
led to a "non-inclusive" movement around the wilderness concept, and
many people in non- traditional communitiesview wilderness as irrelevant.
(3)
Reach out to and work with diverse communities to incorporate them
as full participants into planning efforts
