This year is the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act . The act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 3, 1964 and set aside an initial 9.1 millions acres of federal land and established the National Wilderness Preservation System. The act was the first to use the language of “wilderness” in the designation of protected lands—
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 its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary The 50th Anniversary National Wilderness Planning Team (Wilderness50) has been formed:
The 50th Anniversary National Wilderness Planning Team (Wilderness50) is a growing coalition of federal agencies, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, and other wilderness user groups whose purpose is to plan and eventually implement local, regional, and national events and projects, specifically designed to elevate the profile of wilderness during the 50th anniversary celebration.
Check out their website for more information on the Wilderness Act, the anniversary, and events.
