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What is Wilderness?
The 1964 Wilderness Act states that 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."
Only Congress can add public land to the National
Wilderness Preservation System. Wilderness designation protects
an area from logging, mining, building of roads or other permanent
structures and motorized use. Examples of Wilderness areas in West
Virginia are Dolly Sods Wilderness and Otter Creek Wilderness.
These and our other wilderness areas are well
loved and well used by West Virginian's and out of state visitors alike.
WILDERNESS: MYTH &
REALITY
Dolly Sods Wilderness © www.jonathanjessup.com
Wilderness Legislation:
The
1964 Wilderness Act
Eastern
Wilderness Areas Act of 1975
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Why Wilderness?
Our wild lands are disappearing
at an alarming rate. They have human and ecological values that
are crucial to the well being of the nation. The following are
just a few of the widely recognized values associated with wilderness:
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Watershed protection:
clean drinking water
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A refuge from the noise
and clutter of industrial society
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Reservoirs of biological
diversity
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Scientific/Medical value:
an irreplaceable living laboratory
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Improvement of air quality
through the filtering action of plants
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A place for spiritual
and emotional renewal
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Helps to meet the growing
demand for outdoor recreation and quality hunting and fishing
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Historic and cultural
values
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Places of great scenic
beauty
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Critical habitat for
threatened and endangered species
Wilderness in
West Virginia
Eastern states contain only 4% of the National
Wilderness Preservation System yet are home to nearly 60% of the
US population. West Virginia is below average among eastern forests
for amount of Wilderness acreage and number of areas. Currently,
only 0.5% of West Virginia and less than 9% of the Monongahela National
Forest is permanently protected as wilderness. Our forests and mountains
are being developed and our wild places are becoming ever more rare
and valuable. LET’S PROTECT THE ONES WE HAVE LEFT BEFORE IT
IS TOO LATE!
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