It was 45 years ago this week, on September 3, 1964, that President Lyndon Johnson signed ground-breaking legislation that guaranteed future generations would be able to use and enjoy the nation's wilderness areas.
Since then, more 109 million acres has been preserved under the Wilderness Act, including thousands of acres in Virginia. Jeff Hunter with the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition says that, while there are things not permitted in designated wilderness areas, such as logging, road building and motorized recreation, plenty is allowed, such as hunting, fishing, backpacking and hiking.
He says Virginians need to speak up if they want wilderness in the state, since the decisions are in the hands of Congress. "There is one simple thing they can do, and that's express to their federal elected officials their concern and their desire to see wilderness expand."
Hunter says that even the more than 100 million acres preserved nationwide only accounts for five percent of America's land mass. He adds that the U.S. loses roughly six thousand acres of open space every day to development.
Doug Scott with the Campaign for America's Wilderness says there may be more wilderness areas coming to Virginia. "Forty-five years later we know that the Wilderness Act was not merely a promise and a vision, but it's now a proven method of practical preservation." Scott says the Wilderness Act reflects democracy at its best, an idea that came from bipartisanship and now is a realistic tool used to protect the country's wild places.
