"A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain."
Sept. 3 marked the 45th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, enacted by the 88th Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson. The purpose of the act is simple: "To establish a National Wilderness Preservation System for the permanent good of the whole people, and for other purposes."
These public lands are managed not to keep people out, but to let people enjoy some wild places as they are, and ensure they stay that way. For the most part, there are no roads in wilderness areas, and the use of motorized vehicles are prohibited, with certain limited exceptions.
When the act passed, it encompassed 9.1 million acres in 54 areas. That has grown to 109 million acres in 756 areas, ranging from the 5-acre Rocks and Islands Wilderness in California to the 9 million-acre Wrangell-Saint Elias Wilderness in Alaska. The National Park Service manages the bulk of wilderness areas, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management also manage wilderness.
Wisconsin has a relatively modest 75,823 acres of wilderness in seven sites. The newest, The Gaylord Nelson Wilderness Area in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, is the largest. Those 33,500 acres were declared a wilderness in 2004. Other Wisconsin wilderness areas, such as the 4,292-acre Porcupine Lake Wilderness and the 6,583-acre Rainbow Lake Wilderness, are part of the Chequamegon National Forest.
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Superintendent Bob Krumenaker says the wilderness act is "a great conservation act by the American people demonstrating a commitment to the future."
Krumenaker said protecting and managing land as wilderness means our grandchildren can enjoy the same experience in the wild as we are able to enjoy today, a great gift for future generations.
"It says 'We care about this place forever,'" he said.
Indeed, caring about a place forever is a great legacy.
