Thirty-five years ago, President Richard Nixon signed a little-heralded law of lasting importance for Arizonans. As a sophomore at Scottsdale's Saguaro High School, I played a small role. The law signed Feb. 15, 1972, forever protected Pine Mountain Wilderness 100 miles north of Phoenix. This is national forest land, along the Mogollon Rim, Pine Mountain being the most prominent landmark. In the words of the historic Wilderness Act that Congress applied to this area, 20,000 acres around Pine Mountain are now secured "for the American people of present and future generations" as "an enduring resource of wilderness." In 1971, my school's ecology club decided to help protect Arizona's wilderness. To my surprise, I found myself testifying before a subcommittee in the marble halls of Congress. I was 16. I learned a lesson I urge every Arizonan - particularly those so young - to learn for themselves: One individual can effect decisions made in far-off Washington, D.C. Realistically, I know my few minutes of testimony were hardly the deciding factor, but we did more. As citizen lobbyists, we visited members of Congress, explaining why Arizonans wanted to see this wilderness protected. In the process, I became a better citizen, surer that my voice, added to others, would have an impact. Sure, I was nervous in that ornate hearing room. But speaking from my heart, I explained why one ordinary high school student cared. I said protecting Pine Mountain was not about benefiting a few hikers, but would serve many as it is close to Flagstaff, Prescott and Phoenix. "These vastly expanding cities," I testified, "are gobbling up land at an unusually fast rate. And as more and more unprotected wilderness is destroyed, people from these cities will look for protected wilderness areas to enjoy." But, I asked, "will they find any?" I saw firsthand the power of Republicans and Democrats working across party divisions. Our bill had two Arizona co-sponsors. Rep. Sam Steiger, a conservative Republican, praised the fact that a student was participating, wryly noting, "Your words will have a great deal more weight than they would have had last year" - before the voting age was lowered to 18. Congressman Mo Udall, Democrat from Tucson, said he was heartened that young people throughout the country were interested enough in the future of our land to become, as I'd said, "active fighters for wilderness areas." Udall also stated the most important point: "Maybe you can look back with your own children and grandchildren and point to these wilderness areas and tell them they're there" because I had a part in the efforts to save them. For Arizonans, citizen work for wilderness preservation is not over. Many wild areas on federal lands lack statutory protection. That's why I'm urging Congress to protect the proposed 84,000-acre Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness west of Tubac. I support Rep. Raúl Grijalva's proposal - which is centered on Atascosa Peak and extends on both sides of Ruby Road - that it will remain open, giving all ready access to enjoy this beautiful place. It is ours, you know, this federal land. We can protect it without disrupting anyone. Border control activities will continue. Local ranchers who graze their cattle on these federal lands will continue to do so, with practical arrangements for their needs. And thanks to the site's protection as a wilderness area, generation after generation of Arizonans will have the chance to know and enjoy this wild sample of what the original Arizona was like. About the author Kevin Dahl is executive director of Native Seeds/SEARCH, a nonprofit that conserves the seeds of indigenous crops and helped establish the Wild Chile Botanical Reserve within the proposed Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness.
