Understanding Wilderness Preservation
Understanding Wilderness Preservation
A resource guide
Originally published in Instructional Canyoneering Resource on 8/22/2023
The concept of wilderness is coming to the fore around canyoneering communities due to the recent: Protecting America's Rock Climbing Act:
This bill requires the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior to issue guidance on managing recreational climbing in designated wilderness areas.
It has been interesting to see the confusion in canyoneering communities: Is this good policy? Or bad one?
Every time someone 'explains' wilderness, if you read or listen long enough, you can’t help but realize that the idea of wilderness is just being molded and used to further some particular agenda.
Any of those particular agendas lives somewhere in between these two extremes:
No human access whatsoever, in the name of wilderness preservation.
Human visitation and recreation is the top priority. Wilderness has no value unless visited.
Somewhere in between these two extremes, you will come across positions and explanations on how someone's particular perception of wilderness preservation is just the right balance of:
Restricted access.
Visitation and alteration.
Here is a guide of sources that through time, have influenced and altered society's understanding of wilderness. Pick one by one and shape your own understanding of it:
Wilderness and the American Mind
Book by Roderick Fraizer Nash
Roderick Nash's classic study of America's changing attitudes toward wilderness has received wide acclaim since its initial publication in 1967. The Los Angeles Times has listed it among the one hundred most influential books published in the last quarter century, Outside Magazine has included it in a survey of books that changed our world, and it has been called the Book of Genesis for environmentalists.
Wilderness Letter
Essay by Wallace Stegner
This letter, written by Wallace Stegner, environmentalist, preservationist, author and teacher, became a central piece of the dialogue that resulted in the passing of the Wilderness Act
Understanding the "Protecting America's Rock Climbing Act":
American Alpine Club Podcast: PROTECT: The New Bolt Wars?
In this episode, the AAC sat down with Erik Murdock, the Vice President of Policy & Government Affairs at Access Fund, to talk about the nitty gritty details of this critical conversation about bolting and fixed anchors in Wilderness. We also cover the Protect America’s Rock Climbing Act (or PARC Act), which will help climbers preserve climbing in Wilderness as it has been historically protected, and continue to partner with land managers to conserve the public lands we all love.
At the very least, take a listen to the American Alpine Club Podcast: PROTECT: The New Bolt Wars?
Good episode, about 1 hr.
Resources:
Wilderness and the American Mind by Roderick Fraizer Nash
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/wilderness-and-the-american-mind_roderick-nash/263043
Wilderness Letter by Wallace Stegner:
https://www.boss-inc.com/wilderness-letter/