|
Wilderness is an area of undeveloped federal land that appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprints of man's work substantially unnoticeable; according to the Wilderness Act of 1964. Unlike national parks, wildlife refuges, or monuments, Wilderness designation from Congress provides the highest level of natural resource protection available in the world. Any portion of a park, refuge, or monument can be designated as Wilderness. Potential Wilderness includes those roadless and wild areas that we have yet to crisscross with roads and alter with development. Wilderness is our antidote to the sprawl that consumes our open space.
Hunting, fishing, hiking, climbing, backpacking, photographing, rafting, canoeing, bird watching "all traditional uses that rely on non-mechanized access" are allowed in Wilderness.Horses are allowed in Wilderness, and grazing is permitted in the 1964 Wilderness Act. Wheelchair access is allowed where terrain permits.
Activities and facilities such as commercial enterprises, road building, use of dirt bikes and ATVs, motor vehicles and equipment, power lines, and other permanent structures are prohibited in Wilderness.
Only Congress can designate Wilderness, but these areas are managed for the public (for you!!) by various federal agencies, often with input from state agencies, on ecological and archaeological values of a Wilderness area. The Nevada Wilderness Project has spearheaded the protection of 1.2 million acres of Wilderness since 1999, and continues to inventory millions more acres of potential Wilderness.
Wilderness in Nevada
Nevada's wild heritage is one of the least appreciated aspects of the American West.
Wilderness adds tremendous value to the quality of life in Nevada, drawing millions in tourist revenue and protecting our canyons, forests, mountains, and desert vistas from sprawling development.
Wilderness protects some of NevadaÌs critical watersheds from contamination and depletion. Wilderness provides ideal habitat and migration corridors for some of the SouthwestÌs spectacular animals, birds, and plants, where they can thrive without competition from non-native species. In the simplest sense, Wilderness provides wild places for wild things to be wild.
Wilderness safeguards archaeological artifacts and cultural history icons from disturbance, discourages vandalism, and preserves the physical and spiritual integrity of important tribal cultural sites found extensively throughout Nevada.
And Wilderness benefits a broad range of human uses. Because it protects wildlife habitat, Wilderness draws wildlife watchers, fisherman, hunters, and hikers. In our noisy, busy world, we can rely on Wilderness for soothing scenery and solitude, education, and spiritual renewal.
Why does Nevada need more Wilderness?
Although Nevada has the most public land of any state outside Alaska, it has less protected wilderness than all Western states except Utah and New Mexico. Only 2.06 % of NevadaÌs 48 million acres managed by the BLM is protected as Wilderness. By comparison, next door in Arizona, over 12% of lands managed by the BLM are protected Wilderness.
Fueled by growth in Las Vegas, Nevada has been the fastest growing state in the nation for the last 15 years. Our rugged and beautiful basin and range landscape is now under threat from haphazard development like strip malls and sprawling subdivisions. Dirt bikes and other off-road vehicles are trashing hunting habitat and destroying fragile desert plants and soils.
A Wilderness future for Nevada means that our wild heritage will be protected, so Nevadans of the present and future can enjoy the camping, hunting, fishing, backpacking, and wild exploring opportunities that make our state the wildest in the lower 48.
Wilderness does not need to be created; it already exists. We merely need to recognize its significance and act to protect it...in Nevada and around the nation.
|
Wilderness FAQs 
