On September 3, 1964, President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed “The Wilderness Act” (TWA) into law.  Administratively, wilderness existed as early as 1924, when Aldo Leopold convinced his superiors in the U.S. Forest Service to designate the Gila Wilderness Area.

 

Many people enjoy wilderness today and define it by their use.  People often look at wilderness as a landscape open for recreation or other endeavors like fishing, hunting, camping, horseback riding, hiking, birding, wildlife observation, nature study, photography, canoeing and kayaking, scenic inspiration, rock climbing, environmental education, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and rafting, to name a few. 

 

Wilderness means more than how we physically use it.  Some people define wilderness by the protective cloak that it wraps around the land.  This protective cloak includes watershed stabilization, surface and groundwater purification, wildlife and endangered species refugia, vegetative diversity, functioning ecosystem processes, evolutionary development, soil building, biogeochemical cycling, and scientific interest.

 

From the late 1940’s to 1964, when TWA became law, many people, notably Howard Zahniser, wrestled with the true essence of wilderness.  The U.S. Congress stated in TWA that “It is hereby declared to be the policy of the Congress to secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness … these shall be administered … in such manner as will leave them unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness, and so as to provide for the protection of these areas, the preservation of their wilderness character …”.  What is this “enduring resource of wilderness” and what is its “wilderness character”?

 

Wilderness is more than a fusion between uses and the protection it provides to the landscape and humans.  Wilderness is more than multiple-use, without motors or mechanization.  The essence of wilderness is embodied in its “wilderness character”.  Much of what wilderness means to humans is embedded in values and beliefs that are so much a part of us that they remain hidden and silent as a phantom in our subconscious.  Wilderness character includes:

 

1) Freedom from the distraction and intrusion (trammeling) of civilization.

2) Self-reflection, discovery, education, confidence, and awareness.

3) Solitude and the introspection it brings to restore ourselves and provide for our personal growth.

4) The quiet of natural sounds.

5) Humility in the restraint of civilized desires for natural ones.

6) Connection to our cultural heritage, the greater community of life, the natural order of things, and our obligation to present and future human lives.

7) The celebration, immersion, exploration, and discovery of the spiritual, mystical, and supernatural realm of an unknown place.

 

In its’ simplest form “wilderness character” is the freedom to engage Nature in the humble exploration of our wild self and the landscape we are a part of, without the numbing cloak of civilization.

 

Without the freedom, there is no self-will.  Without the humility there is no restraint.  Without the exploration, there is no discovery.  Without the wild, there is no connection to the community of life.  Without the landscape, there is no life.  Without wilderness, there is no civilization.   

 

Brandt Mannchen

June 10, 2018