Take a moment to celebrate your Arizonan natural heritage. We’ll join in, cheering the fact that 35 years ago Congress had the foresight to preserve two well-loved Arizona wilderness areas—the Pine Mountain Wilderness 100 miles north of Phoenix, and Sycamore Canyon Wilderness 20 miles south of Flagstaff. In the spring of 1972, acts of Congress protected nearly 70,000 acres of wild national forest land as wilderness—our most permanent form of federal land protection. In wilderness areas, inviting trails beckon us to step out of our hectic 21st century life for awhile, to sojourn amid the wild tunes and rhythms of the natural world. Whatever draws you to the wilderness—birding, hiking, photographing, a family hike or perhaps spiritual reflection—it comes down to immersing oneself in God’s glorious wilderness.It once seemed our wild lands would remain preserved simply because no one wanted to develop them, or by Forest Service policy. Back then, there were still many blank areas on the map. Now the map is filling up as Arizona’s wide open spaces are gnawed by wave upon wave of development. Alarmed that America’s heritage of wilderness would be lost, “leaving no lands designated for preservation and protection in their natural condition,” Congress acted. The Wilderness Act of 1964 declared a national policy “to secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness.”The Wilderness Act enjoyed strong bipartisan support and was recognized as a landmark in Earth stewardship. It takes an act of Congress to extend wilderness protection to federal lands under this law. By that process—always bipartisan and supported by every President for more than four decades now—some 107 million acres have been preserved as wilderness in 44 states and Puerto Rico. In a more densely populated, more mechanized and noisier world, wilderness areas offer preserves of nature and vital sanctuaries for people, wild havens beyond the end of the road and whine of engines.For the 1972 laws that preserved Pine Mountain and Sycamore Canyon, thank the bipartisan work of Arizona Reps. Sam Steiger, a Republican, and Mo Udall, a Democrat. Following that pattern, political leaders across the spectrum, including Republican Sens. Barry Goldwater, Paul Fannin, and John McCain, and former Democratic Gov. Bruce Babbitt, backed by thousands of caring Arizonans, have protected wild gems of Arizona ranging from the 800,000-acre wilderness in Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge to the 2,040-acre Baboquivari Peak Wilderness.Attention now turns to the Tumacacori Highlands, an extraordinary wild area east of Nogales and Tubac, that is proposed by local citizens as Arizona’s newest wilderness. We know this area well—its lavish wildflower displays, world-class birding and wildlife-watching, and trails winding through desert mountains. Ample roads entice those who enjoy the wild scenery from the roadside.Local ranchers enjoy graze their cattle on these federal lands, as in Sycamore Canyon and Pine Mountain. The Wilderness Act carefully protects this long-established use. And, as conservation organization witnesses emphasized during congressional hearings on those earlier proposals, this can include periodic use of mechanical vehicles by the ranchers when necessary for the maintenance of stock watering tanks.Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., is preparing legislation to designate the Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness. His initiative offers another opportunity for every member of the state’s congressional delegation to work across party lines on behalf of all Arizonans, now and in the future.Republican conservationist Teddy Roosevelt urged Americans to conserve resources not merely for people now alive, but for “the number within the womb of time, compared to which, those now alive form but an insignificant fraction. Our duty to…unborn generations, bids us restrain an unprincipled present-day minority from wasting the heritage of these unborn generations.”When we preserve wilderness, we are choosing to restrain our tendency to sprawl across wild landscapes and use up natural resources. We are choosing instead to serve the interests of those still “within the womb of time.” John McComb served as the Sierra Club’s southwest representative during the process of designating the Pine Mountain and Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Areas. Doug Scott is policy director of the Campaign for America’s Wilderness. For more information about Arizona’s wilderness and the Tumacacori Highlands, visit www.tumacacoriwild.org.
