Over the past nearly 44 years, Congress has been working to fulfill the purpose expressed in the 1964 Wilderness Act: "to secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness." Congress has designated some 700 wilderness areas, selecting portions of our federal lands for this highest, most secure form of protection.
By the design of the Wilderness Act, areas that may be protected in this way include the wild portions of units of our National Park System. As a result of studies by the National Park Service, together with citizen input, park wilderness areas are now protected from the Everglades to vast portions of the national parks in Alaska. And this process continues. Now pending in Congress are bills to protect wilderness lands within California's Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Joshua Tree National Park, also in California, and Rocky Mountain National Park, in Colorado.
Adding to this list, on May 14, the two senators from Michigan introduced S. 3017, a bill to designate the 11,740-acre "Beaver Basin Wilderness" within Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. This proposal, which involves 16 percent of the 73,235-acre National Lakeshore, was initiated by the National Park Service and sent to Congress by the Bush Administration.
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore extends along some 40 miles of the southern shore of Lake Superior in the western portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, taking its name from the miles of spectacular multi-colored sandstone cliffs that rise some 200 feet above Lake Superior.
At a Senate hearing on June 17, the Administration testified that the Beaver Basin area has been managed to protect its primitive conditions for 25 years, providing "outstanding recreational opportunities for hikers, backpackers, anglers, boaters and hunters." A network of hiking trails and campsites will continue as part of the wilderness designation, and "continued access by boaters to the shoreline beach adjacent to the wilderness area" will be maintained. The Administration testimony noted that "overwhelming public support for this wilderness designation" was received during its public review as part of updating the general management plan for the National Lakeshore.
In this testimony, the National Park Service also emphasized how the new wilderness area will compliment the protection and public values of the larger park: "Passage of S. 3017 would support the overarching concept of the new GNP [general management plan] for Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, which is to provide additional and more convenient access to significant lakeshore features on the east and west ends of the park and to preserve the central portions of the national lakeshore in a primitive, relatively undisturbed state."
As he introduced the wilderness legislation, Michigan's senior Senator, Carl Levin (D), summarized the importance of this small but significant new wilderness area:
"It is critical that the highly valued, pristine natural features of the Beaver Basin area remain the treasure they are today. This area provides a unique and distinct landscape that highlights one of the most beautiful backdrops of the Great Lakes, and it is vital that we do all we can to protect it. Significantly, several miles of the North Country National Scenic Trail, also known as the Lakeshore Trail, runs through this wilderness area. This bill would help preserve the serene quality of this segment of the trail, and protect the outstanding scenery along the shoreline. The wilderness designation will benefit current and future generations by protecting this natural and undisturbed landscape for the enjoyment of thousands of people in Michigan and across the Nation."
