Yosemite National Park

"Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity..." --John Muir, 1898

Yosemite National Park – A true gem of the park system. While most visitors stick to Yosemite Valley — making the shuttle bus system a necessity — there are miles and miles of trails and tens of thousands of acres where you’re unlikely to run into another human being. More than 94 percent of the park is designated wilderness.

By the numbers:

Park size: 747,956 acres or 1,169 square miles
2010 visitation: 4,047,880
Busiest month: August, 659,857 visitors
Slowest month: January, 96,089 visitors
What you may not know: The park has five waterfalls of 1,000 feet or more.
Website: www.nps.gov/yose

For more on how wilderness is managed in Yosemite, visit: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/yosemitewilderness.htm

Cars in wilderness?

As I was reading through the wilderness headlines for the day, two strange links jumped out at me:

1. Aston Martin to tackle Alaskan Wilderness – http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1062480_aston-martin-rapide-to-tackle-alaskan-wilderness

2. Jeep Grand Cherokee Ready for Wilderness – http://www.autoevolution.com/news/xplore-jeep-grand-cherokee-ready-for-the-wilderness-36778.html

To say I find this amusing is an understatement. Not only do advertisers think that the rugged appeal of wilderness will sell cars, they obviously have no clue what wilderness actually is; what it actually means for an area to be wilderness.

This is one of the wilderness community's greatest challenges - ensuring that the public knows what wilderness is and why it's so important.

What are you doing today to raise awareness about wilderness?

Rupert Cutler Wilderness: Yesterday and Today - Monday June 6, 2011 - 6:30pm - Golden, CO

Come hear Rupert Cutler of Roanoke, Virginia, former Assistant Executive Director of The Wilderness Society during the Lyndon Johnson Administration (1965-69) and the Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources during the Jimmy Carter Administration (1977–1980), speak about the protection of wilderness. He has been instrumental in wilderness stewardship issues throughout his career.

When: Monday, June 6, 2011 - 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Where: American Mountaineering Center, Golden CO

Raw Material

"Wilderness is the raw material out of which man has hammered the artifact called civilization."

-- Aldo Leopold

Wilderness Wildfire At Buffalo National River

PONCA, Ark. (AP) — The National Park Service says firefighters are battling a forest fire in a wilderness area of the Buffalo National River in north Arkansas.

A news release said that the fire Thursday was human-caused, and under investigation.

The park service said the blaze was in the Ponca Wilderness Area northeast of the Newton County community of that name. That wilderness area includes some of the most spectacular features of the park, including Big Bluff and the Hemmed-in Hollow waterfall.

The agency said U.S. Forest Service crews were fighting the fire, along with personnel of the Compton Volunteer Fire Department. The release said two trails in the wilderness area were closed to hiking because of the fire — the Center Point trail to Sneed Creek and the Chimney Rock trail.

Threats to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

When campers in the remote Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness look up on a clear night, they expect to see spectacular starry skies, the Milky Way, maybe even the Northern Lights. They don't expect to see a flashing red light from the top of a cellphone tower.

That's why Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness is going to court today to try to block ATT's plan to build a 450-foot tower near the edge of the wilderness area on Minnesota's border with Ontario.

The envirinmental groupsays the flashing lights would be visible from several BWCA lakes and waterways.

ATT Mobility LLC counters that one tall tower rather than the alternative of two smaller ones would do the best job of extending cellphone service to residents and cabins east of the gateway town of Ely and allow paddlers in remote areas to call for help.

The trial before Hennepin County District Judge Philip Bush is expected to last most of the week. The case will hinge on whether the proposed tower would violate the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act. It lets citizens sue to protect to natural resources that are in danger of being impaired. Also at issue will be whether federal laws on wireless services trump state law.

NLCS "Ask The Experts" Episode 1: Wilderness

Some Western Counties Feel They Have Enough Wilderness

Over the past several weeks, there have been county commissioners from a number of western states who feel that their respective counties have enough land designated as wilderness. Many people feel that wilderness designations "tie up land" indefinitely, as well as restrict development of resources at the local level. A new wildlands initiative announced recently by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar that requires the Bureau of Land Management to inventory property for possible designation as wildlands, which has created a stir in counties such as Iron County in Utah.

To read more about the issue, visit: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/51146802-76/county-wilderness-management-plan.html.csp

National Wilderness Conference - March 11-12, 2011

The newly formed National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance, a natural ally of the Society for Wilderness Stewardship, has a mission to develop a growing network of volunteer-based organizations (e.g. wilderness friends groups) to provide stewardship for America's enduring resource of wilderness.

The NWSA will hold it's first National Conference March 11 & 12, 2011 in Las Vegas. The conference will be action-oriented: speakers, presentations, and mini-workshops all designed to help wilderness stewards do an even better job protecting wilderness resources.

For more information on the conference visit:http://www.nationalwildernessstewardshipalliance.org/news/latest-news/30-save-the-dates

Wilderness is a necessity...

"Wilderness is a necessity ... They will see what I meant in time. There must be places for human beings to satisfy their souls. Food and drink is not all. There is the spiritual. In some it is only a germ, of course, but the germ will grow."

- John Muir, conservationist and founder, The Sierra Club

Very large protected areas preserve wilderness but ignore rare species

Study finds that the areas are most important for a limited range of land cover types

Protected areas are generally seen as a triumph for the preservation of nature, yet the reality on the ground is more complex.

The world's largest protected areas encompass vast amounts of wilderness but do not extensively overlap the highest priority areas for conservation or include unusually large numbers of birds, amphibians, or mammals, according to an analysis published in the November issue of BioScience. The study, by Lisette Cantú-Salazar and Kevin J. Gaston of the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom, nonetheless describes anecdotal evidence that some very large protected areas play an important conservation role, by preserving natural species assemblages and populations of regional concern.

Cantú-Salazar and Gaston examined in detail the 63 protected areas that each extend over 25,000 square kilometers or more (about the area of Vermont). These huge areas are found in all continents except Antarctica, and are preferentially found in areas where there are few people. The findings thus seem to support the idea that such areas are created in places where they will least inconvenience people, rather than where they would do the most for conservation.

Yet very large protected areas are also likely to include particular land-cover types, such as snow and ice, bare areas, and areas with sparse vegetation. Examination of individual cases reveals that several ecoregions of high conservation priority are partly included in very large protected areas, including the Guianan Highlands Moist Forests, the Tibetan Plateau Steppe, and the Eastern Himalayan Alpine Meadows. Their preservation is therefore important. And many of the largest protected areas are vulnerable, Cantú-Salazar and Gaston conclude. Some have inadequate management. Others are threatened by incursions for logging, fishing, grazing, and mining, and the effects of climate change and political instability.

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By noon EST on 1 November 2010 and until early December, the full text of the article will be available for free download through the copy of this press release available atwww.aibs.org/bioscience-press-releases/.

Contact: Timothy M. Beardsley
tbeardsley@aibs.org
202-628-1500 x226
American Institute of Biological Sciences

50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act

Can you believe it? The Wilderness Act was passed almost 50 years ago! As the anniversary of this pivotal legislation approaches, the Society for Wilderness Stewardship is gearing up, along with other NGO's, federal land management agencies and other wilderness supporter, champions and stewards, to celebrate the Act.

How would you like to see the 50th Anniversary celebrated?

To get involved with the Society's efforts or to learn more, please visit the Society for Wilderness Stewardship website.

September is National Wilderness Month!

Presidential Proclamation--National Wilderness Month

A PROCLAMATION

For centuries, the American spirit of exploration and discovery has led us to experience the majesty of our Nation's wilderness. From raging rivers to serene prairies, from mountain peaks slicing the skyline to forests teeming with life, our Nation's landscapes have provided wonder, inspiration, and strength to all Americans. Many sites continue to hold historical, cultural, and religious significance for Indian tribes, the original stewards of this continent. We must continue to preserve and protect these scenic places and the life that inhabits them so they may be rediscovered and appreciated by generations to come.

As we celebrate America's abundance of diverse lands, remarkable wildlife, and untamed beauty during National Wilderness Month, we also look back on our rich history of conservation. It was over 100 years ago that President Theodore Roosevelt marveled at the stark grandeur of the Grand Canyon and declared, "the ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it." Since that time, administrations have worked across party lines to defend America's breathtaking natural sites. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Wilderness Act in 1964, and many Presidents have since added new places to this great network of protected lands so that millions of acres of forests, monuments, and parks will be preserved for our children and grandchildren.

Following in the footsteps of my predecessors, I signed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act last year to restore and protect more of our cherished wild spaces. In April of this year, I established the America's Great Outdoors Initiative to develop a community-based 21st century conservation agenda that can also spur job creation in the tourism and recreation industries. My Administration will continue to work closely with our State, local, and tribal partners to connect Americans with the great outdoors.

This month, we renew our pledge to build upon the legacy of our forebears. Together, we must ensure that future generations can experience the tranquility and grandeur of America's natural places. As we resolve to meet this responsibility, let us also reflect on the ways in which our lives have been enriched by the gift of the American wilderness.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 2010 as National Wilderness Month. I invite all Americans to visit and enjoy our wilderness areas, to learn about their vast history, and to aid in the protection of our precious national treasures.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.

BARACK OBAMA

Society for Wilderness Stewardship Launched!

Society for Wilderness Stewardship Launched

BELLINGHAM, WA September 3, 2010 – This week marks the 46th anniversary of the Wilderness Act and launch of the Society for Wilderness Stewardship, a national professional society for wilderness managers, scientists, rangers, educators and stewards. The Society for Wilderness Stewardship is the first and only national membership organization dedicated to informing, uniting, and supporting the extensive institutions, organizations and individuals actively engaged in stewardship of America’s National Wilderness Preservation System.

The Society for Wilderness Stewardship is a national, not-for-profit, member-based organization. It unites a wide range of people to share knowledge, expertise and abilities in support of local and national wilderness management and stewardship activities. The Society was envisioned and launched in support of both wilderness and the professionals who are connected to it. It supports best management practices, development of new stewardship frameworks, and an inter-disciplinary mission committed to the long-term health and benefits of wilderness for the nation. To find out more, visit www.wildernessstewardship.org

“The National Wilderness Preservation System benefits from professionals who share a strong passion for wilderness and an appreciation of its intrinsic values and benefits,” said Don Hunger, board chairperson. “What's needed is a forum where those individuals can work together to examine and address wilderness stewardship issues, and provide an institutional framework and legacy to ensure future generations enjoy the same benefits and opportunities. The Society for Wilderness Stewardship provides that forum.”

Integrity of the National Wilderness Preservation System is challenged by being understaffed and underfunded. It is facing ecological trends including exponential growth of invasive species, global climate change, and heavy, concentrated use of environmentally sensitive areas. In addition, changing demographics have created both challenges and opportunities to connect people with wilderness. Please consider joining and shaping the Society for Wilderness Stewardship to build upon the incredible legacy we’re entrusted with for the future.