Friends of the Forest, Inc.
P.O. Box 2391
Sedona, Arizona 86339-2391
Helping to protect
National Forest Lands
September 3, 2014
Celebrating 50 Years of Wilderness
On September 3, 1964 - fifty years ago to the day - President Lyndon Johnson signed the Wilderness Act, setting in motion a charter for roadless land preservation. The Act defined wilderness as an area where the earth and its communities of life are left unchanged by people, where the primary forces of nature are in control, and where people themselves are visitors who do not remain.
Now, 50 years later, nearly 110 million acres representing 5 percent of the area of the Unites States comprise the national Wilderness Preservation System. States comprise the National Wilderness Preservation System. These specially designated public lands are honored with a special kind of care and will be celebrated in our community on Saturday and Sunday, September 20 and 2, from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM each day at the Red Rock Ranger District Visitor Center on Highway 179 south of the Village of Oak Creek.
Come, join in and get wild about Wilderness. Each day of the Wilderness 50th Anniversary Fair will feature activity and information booths from the Arizona Wilderness Coalition, Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers, Sedona Friends of the Forest, Arizona Natural History Association, and the US Forest Service. People will be able to participate in fun activities, learn about the good things happening in the Wilderness world, win Wilderness 50th Anniversary prizes, and meet interesting people who are definitely on the ‘wild side’.
Few of us are aware that seven wilderness areas lie fully or partially within the Red Rock District of the Coconino National Forest: Fossil Springs, Mazatzal, Munds Mountain, Red Rock-Secret Mountain, Sycamore Canyon, West Clear Creek and Wet Beaver Wilderness Areas.
Hiking such trails as the Bell Trail or Long Canyon Trail, we eventually come upon a distinctive wooden sign declaring the boundary of a wilderness area, noting that entry is permitted on foot or horseback only. Crossing that boundary, we enter a zone where intended uses focus on protection of air and watersheds, maintenance of soil and water quality, ecological stability, plant and animal gene pools, protection of archaeological and historical sites, and habitat for wildlife. Crossing that boundary, we become visitors who do not remain.
Our care to Leave No Trace is an implicit responsibility when entering a wilderness area, leaving it unimpaired for future enjoyment. Wilderness provides an irreplaceable kind of recreation, a safe harbor of sorts. No cell towers on hills. Unbroken forest canopies. No dust or din arising from roads. A region of calm. Such an environment provides unique recreation opportunities including fishing, hiking, horseback riding, backpacking, camping, hunting, nature study, photography and climbing, within the most pristine natural landscapes possible in this country.
Red Rock District visitor services supervisor and celebration event organizer, Nina Hubbard, had the opportunity to work within one of the largest wilderness areas in the lower 48 states, the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana. She recalls, “When I was a Wilderness Ranger people often said to me on beautiful sunny days: “You have the best job in the world!” On the days when I hiked 15 miles in mud, forded a swift river up to my belt, saw fresh grizzly bear tracks, cut 100 trees out of the public trails, taught a family how to ‘leave no trace’ in their camp, saw yellow columbine blooming along a meadow’s edge, and arrived in camp just before dark, with all crew and pack mules alive and well, smiling sweaty grins, I said “I have the best job in the world!” Visiting and working in Wilderness is an experience that reaches deep into the most primal parts of our humanity and it is this connection, for me, that is a source of strength, confidence, contentment, beauty, and compassion in my everyday life.”
Management of wilderness areas involves as little intervention as possible. In most circumstances, work is performed without mechanized tools. Pack animals or backpacks may be used to carry supplies and tools. Removal of a fallen tree from a trail may be performed with a two man cross saw, pikes and ropes. Trail repairs are performed with hand tools and muscle.
In our area, Friends of the Forest volunteers are supporting maintenance needs within the seven wilderness areas. These volunteers will be on hand at the Wilderness celebration to speak about their experiences.
Wilderness 50th Anniversary events are taking place across the nation. To learn more about these events visit www.wilderness50th.org.
To learn more about the seven Wilderness Areas on the Red Rock District or plan your next trip to a Wilderness in another region, visit www.wilderness.net where you can read about every designated Wilderness Area in the United States.
Wilderness is a priceless heritage, our heritage. Happy Anniversary!
Serving Sedona, written this week by Jennifer Young of Friends of the Forest - celebrating its 20th year - appears Wednesday in the Sedona Red Rock News.