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Many Uses of Wilderness
Wilderness provides essential services…
Healthy watersheds to provide clean water Healthy plant communities that give us fresh
air to breathe Healthy soil that provides nutrients for our bodies
Wilderness is a great place for backcountry recreation…
Hiking, camping, backpacking Being with family and friends Photography, wildlife viewing, star watching Hunting and fishing Canoeing, kayaking, rafting Snowshoeing, snowboarding and cross county skiing Solitude and beauty Getting away from busy city life and tuning into
nature Finding peace and clarity in nature Adventure; testing yourself against the land on
its terms
Wilderness is a great place for wildlife…
Habitat for wildlife species to live, thrive and
migrate Biological diversity; an intact web of life that
preserves the connections and dependence among species A storehouse of scientific and medical innovations
still waiting to be discovered Large, wild landscapes often are not enough for
wildlife populations to remain robust. It’s also necessary to preserve
connectivity between protected areas within and between regions. When
designated well, wilderness areas can keep migration routes intact, allowing
species the opportunity to move in response to seasonal or climatic changes,
or in response to crises, such as wildfire. Isolated wildlife populations
that cannot move in response to changing conditions are threatened with
extinction.
Wilderness provides economic stability and quality of life…
Wilderness keeps the past alive…
Wilderness gives Native Americans places for
collecting plants for traditional uses Wilderness protects important cultural resources,
historic sites
Wilderness provides a legacy for the future…
Wilderness gives our children and grandchildren
the opportunity to explore and enjoy the world as we inherited it from the past Wilderness is an outdoor classroom, enabling us to
learn about this world
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"Wilderness is disappearing like a snow bank in the hot August
sun."
- Robert Marshall
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