Wilderness: What it is and How to Keep it, George Zink
Sandwich Range Journal, Summer 1991

There are just two things on this material earth—people and natural resources
Gifford Pinchot (1865-1946

Modern science, while giving us dominion over the earth, has also demonstrated what the poets and artists have intuitively felt all along man's essential kinship to the rest of nature.
Paul Brooks

In the years following World War II, signs of technological development, economic growth, and social change were everywhere. The ethos seemed to be, 'We will spend our way into health, happiness and prosperity.' Americans seemed to believe there was no limit to growth, and no end to natural resources. Warning voices 'were few, their messages were discordant; and the predictions unwelcomed.

In 1962 came Silent Spring. Rachel Carson's book infuriated those who advocated unlimited growth and development, enraptured those already convinced of a degrading environment, and awakened others to the likelihood of a bleak future. The American public was aroused. In characteristic fashion, once aware of a danger, the public urged federal action. The Oean Air Act of 1963, the Wilderness Act of 1964, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and the Endangered Species Act of 1973 became law. President Richard Nixon was moved to declare, '...The 1970's absolutely must be the years when America pays back its debt to the past by reclaiming the purity of its air, its waters, and our living environment. It is literally now or never.'

The case for protecting the nation's wilderness was stated many years prior to the enactment of the Wilderness Act. Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, John Muir, U.s. President Theodore Roosevelt, and many others, argued for the preservation of wild lands. They believed the health of American society its cultural, aesthetic, and spiritual values depended upon citizens having direct contact with the wild. In the 1960's the case was strengthened by awareness of the deteriorating environment and the new science of ecology.

Ecology is a science, and its goal the understanding of living things, their interrelationships, their dependencies upon the physical environment. Ecology is interdisciplinary, linking the biological, physical, and social sciences. A community of interacting organisms and the non-living components of the particular habitat is referred to as an ecosystem. The boundaries of an ecosystem are rather arbitrary, depending upon the purpose of the study. A pond, a city, a pasture, a home garden, and a forest, can be treated as ecosystems.

An understanding of ecology influences how people view themselves and the Earth. A sharp contrast in perceptionand attitude is evident in the two passages heading this article. The Pinchot statement illustrates the viewpoint that there is a dualism in nature. There is man, and there is everything else. People are separate from nature; 'everything else' is for them to use according to their own interests. Paul Brook's statement perceives the unity of nature, with humans an integral part. The former attitude leads people to selfcenteredness, arrogance and dominance; the latter leads to reverence for life, humility, and cooperativeness. Ecology is basic to the concept of Wilderness preservation, as defined by Congress in the Wilderness Act. In common everyday language, the term 'wilderness' refers to an uninhabited area, frequently remote; to many people, an area dominated by the unknown, and somewhat forbidding. This is the wilderness of the Bible and the wilderness our ancestors worked to subdue. .In some regions of the Earth people think of impenetrable forests when they hear the word, in others they visualize endless miles of rocky, sand desert, or vast grass-covered plains. This common definition was inadequate to describe what Congress wanted to preserve, so Congress defined Wilderness for the purposes of the Act. Any rephrasing of Congress' statement is lacking when compared with the eloquence of the original text.

A Wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain. An area in Wilderness is further defined to mean in this Act an area of undeveloped ,Federal land retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation, which is protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions...

The definition is unambiguous. Wilderness areas are natural ecosystems, "... where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man." The Wilderness areas of New Hampshire the Sandwich Range, Pemigewasset, Dry River, and Great Gulf are so defined. In addition, Congress stated its reasons for preserving Wilderness. Once again, the original wording is difficult to improve.

In order to assure that an increasing population, accompanied by expanding settlement and growing mechanization, does not occupy and modify all areas within the United States and its possessions, leaving no lands designated for preservation and protection in their natural condition, it is hereby declared to be the policy of the Congress to secure for the American people of present and future generations ,the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness.

Congress expressed clearly its intention to preserve and protect some of the nation's lands and waters in their natural state, so an 'enduring resource of wilderness' will remain. Defining and designating Wilderness are the prerogatives of Congress. Preserving and protecting areas after designation are the responsibilities of the Forest Service and the public. That task can be difficult and controversial.

Recreation is customarily thought of as a 'good thing,' as healthy and non-destructive. Such a generalization is too broad for Wilderness protection. Observing pink lady slippers and picking pink lady slippers are forms of recreation. Only one form is appropriate in Wilderness.

Following the designation of Great Gulf as New Hampshire's first Wilderness, the Forest Service became troubled with heavy use of the area. Trails eroded rapidly, soils near campsites compacted, and Ute solitude desired by users diminished. What was the managers' responsibility? The Forest Service decided to require permits by overnight users and restrict the number of permits issued. An outcry from hikers followed, but the mandate of Congress was clear. Wilderness values are to be preserved, even when inconvenient to users. (Following passage of the 1984 New Hampshire Act, which created the Pemigewasset and Sandwich Range Wilderness areas, and more than doubled the acreage under protection, the permit restriction in Great Gulfwas lifted.)

Wilderness is endangered by failure of users and managers to distinguish between recreational activities and behavior consistent with preservation, and those which are not. There are three useful questions to answer when considering whether a recreational activity is appropriate in the Wilderness. (1) 'What experience is the user seeking?' Answering the question focuses on the reason for being there. If users can find the experience they are looking for elsewhere, they would do well to leave Wilderness for others. (2) 'Is the experience more likely to be found in Wilderness than elsewhere?" An answer to this question requires considering the uniqueness of Wilderness. It is an area which has special characteristics. For example, it may be so remote. that few people are encountered, and hence may be uniquely situated to provide quietness and solitude. (3) 'Is the activity likely to degrade the Wilderness experience for others?' Giving an answer provokes thoughtssimilar to the command "Do unto others as you would have them do unto You." If you wish to hike with a group of friends, or take a camping trip with your scout troop, it is likely the camaraderie will prevent others, as well as yourselves, from enjoying a Wilderness experience.

An exampleof a questionable recreational use of Wilderness in the White Mountain National Forest is provided by 'peak baggers.' In 1957 the Appalachian Mountain Club organized the Four Thousand Footer Club; the criterion for membership requires climbing forty-seven peaks, several of which are in Wilderness areas (North Tripyramid, Middle Tripyramid, Whiteface, Passaconaway, Owl's Head, Bond, Isolation). Laura and Guy Waterman in their book Backwoods Ethics have a chapter devoted to the topic which is well worth reading. They cite hikers who compete to climb a peak in the shortest time, or all 47 peaks in one month. The emphasis upon record setting indicates many people consider climbing an athletic event. Such exploits may give satisfaction to competitive people, and the eccentric. However, is it an appropriate recreational use of Wilderness?

In the Pacific Northwest the major challenge to endangered Wilderness may be the forest industry; in Alaska it may be oil exploration and development; in areas of the western U.S. it may be grazing and mining. In the White Mountains, of New Hampshire and Maine, and the Green Mountains of Vermont, the principal challenge comes from high recreational use, and misuse. In a region of 70 million people within one-day's driving distance of the New England mountains, preservation of the last remaining vestiges of wild country will require understanding, resolve, and sacrifice.

In this article Wilderness spelled with a capital 'w' refers to Congressionally designated wildlands, whereas wilder ness with a lower case 'w' refers to wilderness as defined by common usage.

George Zink, April 1991

George Zink is a member of the Wonalancet Out Door Club and
serves on the White Mountain National Forest Ad Hoc Advisory Committee. For his extraordinary efforts as an advocate for wilderness designation in the Sandwich Range, George is known as the 'Father of the Sandwich Range Wilderness.'

Update, 2005

George Zink continues to make his home in Wonalancet, NH, and he continues to be an active defender of wilderness values.

introduction

Welch Mountain Summit Steward, Dick Fortin, Summer 1991

Wilderness: What it is and How to Keep it, George Zink, Summer 1991

Trail Tending: Tradition, Ethics and Esthetics, Nat Scrimshaw, Summer 1991