Is there a difference between a wilderness in a
national park and a wilderness in a national forest? Why are cows
and sheep allowed to graze in wilderness? Are airports permitted?
The Wilderness Act Handbook, reissued by The Wilderness Society,
aims to answer these and other questions about this country’s 96
million acre National Wilderness Preservation System. The handbook
contains the eloquent 1964 Wilderness Act itself, a
section-by-section interpretation of what it accomplishes and what
Congress intended, and a list of wilderness preservation
milestones. First published in 1984, the 68-page guide also
describes differences in federal agencies’ management of
wilderness. The handbook reviews the debate that shaped the act’s
evolution but gives short shrift to modern controversies such as
limiting recreational uses. The release of the $5 second edition
coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. For a
copy, write to The Wilderness Society, Attn: Publications, 900 17th
St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006-2596.
(202/833-2300).
* Chip
Giller
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Wilderness Act at 30.
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