There's an old saying, probably misquoted, that Alexander the Great wept because there were no more worlds to conquer. A quick google debunks that, but finds Alexander weeping because he hasn't yet possessed and subdued as much as he wants, and is afraid his father will possess it all before he gets the chance.

Whatever the case, we world-conquerors today have subdued more of the earth than the ancients could ever imagine. And well might we weep, because there is such little world left unconquered and unscarred.

Photo courtesy of Paul Halliday

Before the automobile, it probably seemed doubtful that the vast undeveloped lands in the so-called “New World” could ever shrink to the point we see today, but we should be thankful that our forebears recognized the danger before automobiles became prevalent. In the late 1800's, according to Vicky Hoover, Sierra Club activist and writer, preservationists began to recognize the necessity of protecting certain U.S. forests from overlogging and other degradation. Thus the Forest Preserve Act of 1891 allowed for “forest reserves” to be managed by the Department of the Interior (later the U.S. Forest Service).  

As we all know, Pres. Theodore Roosevelt soon expanded government's role in preservation as he “increased federal land reserves nearly five-fold,” according to the Wilderness Society. 

But as the automobile became more prevalent, conservationists recognized the growing threat that roads and automobiles could present, and called on the U.S. Government to enact further protections.

It was 100 years ago that former Forest Service Ranger Aldo Leopold convinced the Forest Service to set aside and protect the first official wilderness area–500,000 acres of the Gila National Forest in New Mexico.  

Hoover goes on to explain that throughout the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and 50’s, increasing demand for timber put pressure on the Forest Service to open previously-protected forest reserves to timber cutting.  New laws were written that attempted to balance preservation against the need for wood for railroad expansion and home building. The nation did recognize the danger of overlogging during these decades.   This document from the Forest Service outlines the efforts at sustainability as the need for timber grew.  

By then, of course, the Sierra Club was very much a power player in the nationwide effort to enact better and stronger protections.  Beginning in 1949, the Sierra Club began to host biennial Wilderness Conferences along with the Wilderness Society to work on ways to protect the areas still untouched before it was too late.  

And so the Wilderness Act was drafted and after years of tireless work by Sierra Club and Wilderness Society leaders, the Wilderness Act was finally signed into law on September 3, 1964, by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

According to Doug Scott, a former Sierra Club conservation director and  policy director of the Campaign for America's Wilderness, “The law changed everything. It removed agency discretion, reserving to Congress sole authority to designate and change boundaries.”  

“That this is statutory protection is the key to preservation in perpetuity,” continues Scott.  “As wilderness areas become designated, their defenders gain the advantage. Once set aside, these lands are not easily assailed.”

The Sierra Club’s National website says that “This historic bill established the National Wilderness Preservation System and set aside an initial 9.1 million acres of wild lands (54 designated areas) for the use and enjoyment of the American people. As a result of America’s support for wilderness, Congress has since added nearly 100 million more acres to this unique land preservation system—in 44 out of 50 states.”

According to Tom Valtin, Managing Editor of Sierra Club’s Communications, “the Wilderness Act defines ‘wilderness’ as areas ‘where the earth and its community of life … appear to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man’s work substantially unnoticeable…’”  Missouri Life Magazine adds  “...where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled (not confined or limited) by man; where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.”  

The Eastern Missouri Group of the Sierra Club gives a more practical definition:  “No roads, no structures, no vehicles, no machinery. The list of allowed activities include: hiking, hunting, backpacking, horseback riding, canoeing, fishing and camping.”

Valtin continues, “these lands are among the last repositories of nature's bounty. Worthy and valuable in their own right, they also provide natural services that are essential to the health of American communities. Wild lands and natural systems filter the air we breathe and the water we drink. They generate fertile soils, control pests that destroy crops, provide habitat for wildlife, sequester carbon pollution, and control floods. They also contribute to the multi-billion dollar outdoor recreation economy and provide important opportunities for people from all backgrounds to reconnect with nature.”

As stated above, in 1964, 54 areas were protected with the signing of the Act.  Today, there are 806, according to Wilderness Connect.  That sounds like a lot, but it’s only 5% of the U.S. land area and half of that is in Alaska.  So it’s more like 2.7% in the contiguous 48.  

Wilderness Connect outlines the history of the Wilderness Act along with other U.S. conservation and environmental laws.  They also outline how areas become designated and the regulations involved. They have a list of agencies including government and other wilderness agencies.  They also present relevant quotes including this one from Bob Marshall:  “Areas...should be set aside by an act of Congress. This would give them as close an approximation to permanence as could be realized in a world of shifting desires." 

Here is a slide show from the various 50th Anniversary celebrations in 2014.  Here in Kansas City, we hosted a traveling photo exhibit, thanks in large part to the enthusiastic efforts of Outings Chair Eileen McManus.  The slide show highlighted Missouri’s own 8 wilderness areas:   the Irish Wilderness, Bell Mountain Wilderness, Devils Backbone Wilderness, Hercules Glades Wilderness, Rockpile Mountain Wilderness, Paddy Creek Wilderness, Piney Creek Wilderness, and the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness.  “Seven of the areas are part of the Mark Twain National Forest and one area is part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Refuge system,” according to the Eastern Missouri Group of the Sierra Club.  

Here is a map of the seven designated wilderness areas within the Mark Twain National Forest.  And here is a web page from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service showing the location of the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness.  

Today, there are continuing efforts to protect more land so that the wilderness areas can be connected to provide more contiguous habitat for plants and wildlife.  The “30 By 30” Conservation Agenda presents “a bold vision for the future: Protect 30 percent of lands and waters in the United States by 2030 to meet the challenge of climate change and provide space for wildlife and communities to thrive.”  Its aims:  “Protect and restore large, intact landscapes and wildlife corridor; implement land conservation strategies that contribute to climate solutions; support the conservation and stewardship vision and priorities of Tribal Nations; conserve more open lands and parks near communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities.”

Here is an up-to-date list of designated wilderness areas from Wikipedia.

And here is an interactive map from Wilderness Connect.

This year, on Tuesday, November 19, the Thomas Hart Benton Group of the Sierra Club is hosting a special celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the signing of the Wilderness Act at the Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center, 4750 Troost Ave, Kansas City, MO 64110.

Speakers/Organizations and activities at Nov. 19 event:

Ed Sherman, U.S. Forest Service, Mark Twain National Forest, Recreation Program Manager

Shane Hoskins, U.S. Forest Service, Mark Twain National Forest, Dispersed Recreation Manager

Ken McCarty, Missouri State Parks, Natural Resource Management Program Director

Hunter Moore, Kansas City WildLands, Program Manager

Marisa Frazier, Missouri Sierra Club, Senior Field Organizer

Reception in Lobby from 6:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. with light refreshments & door prizes

Program in Auditorium at 6:30 p.m.

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Please watch our Meetup Page as the date approaches for further information, as well as our November E-Newsletter which will be published in late October.