Why wilderness?

Wild, biologically intact wilderness connects us to our past – an American frontier that shaped our values of freedom, self-reliance, and perseverance.

It also connects us to a healthy future. As our region’s population increases and becomes more urbanized and former farm and timber lands are developed, our remaining backcountry become even more valuable as remnants of our heritage.

What is wilderness? Frequently asked questions

Wilderness takes many forms

Wilderness takes many form;, it does not have to be a 10,000-foot peak or an alpine lake. It may be broad expanses of native forest, such as Twin Sisters,  the rolling, park-like vistas of a ponderosa pine forest at Thirteenmile Canyon, or a flower-filled vista of an alpine meadow intermingling with aspen groves and bears amid the berries at Hall Mountain.

“Wilderness” simply refers to those places truly free and "untrammeled" or unrestrained – and according to the Wilderness Act of 1964, land which "generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man's work substantially unnoticeable."

It gives sanctuary

• People benefit from having healthy wildlands nearby.
• Wilderness provides a sanctuary from the pressures of a rapidly growing and changing world. Through wilderness, we escape from the stresses of the modern world. With the population of northeastern Washington expected to increase by the year 2030 as much as 70% over year 2000 totals, finding a place to ourselves in the natural world is even more vital.
• The economies of towns and communities located near designated wilderness are more diverse and stable, and their residents enjoy more economic prosperity than those in areas without wilderness.
  
• Our rapidly growing population and the resulting development that follows exert enormous pressure on our natural resources. Wilderness designation protects people and places from excessive logging, mining, road building, and other forms of development.
  
• Like humans, wildlife need sanctuary from the modern world and a place to live unmolested. Many animals, such as bears, lynx, wolves, elk, wolverines, and caribou rely on the wild forests of the Columbia Highlands for refuge, habitat, and as a connectivity crossroads for moving across the larger landscapes.
  

It provides adventure

• When protected, wilderness also offers an enduring legacy of wilderness recreational activities and adventure. The forest offers hundreds of miles of backcountry adventure without the crowds. Even a short, half-mile hike can bring solitude, respite, and challenging adventure.
  
• Wilderness designation preserves the public's ability to enjoy hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, birdwatching and berry-picking, horseback riding, skiing, and snowshoeing.
• Wilderness designation also protects critical habitat for fish and game, providing many of the nation's best quality hunting and fishing areas and longest seasons.
• Wilderness can be enjoyed without even walking within its boundaries. Wild places form the rugged horizons of many communities, the backdrop for scenic drives, the canvas on which to create dreams of future adventures. Many of America’s iconic, awe-inspiring places are within wilderness areas. And in wilderness many find inspiration, artistic and spiritual.
• Even if we never once step foot in a wilderness we gain from its clean, clear air and its even, fresh flows of clean water. Some 60 percent of Washington’s water comes from forested mountains.
  

Securing wilderness

In 1964 Congress passed the Wilderness Act to protect the unspoiled character of wild areas across the United States as a permanent resource. Yet today, less than 4 percent of Washington’s designated wilderness lies east of the Cascade Mountains, and less than three percent of 1.1 million acres of Colville National Forest are currently protected as wilderness. 

One hundred years ago, much of northeast Washington was wilderness. Today, our remaining roadless areas are all the wilderness we have left.
In the Columbia Highlands, several hundred thousand acres of wild and roadless areas still remain unspoiled by logging, roads, and other human developments. Many of these areas qualify for wilderness designation and safeguarding for future generations.

Wilderness provides the strongest protection for our wild public lands. Only Congressionally designated wilderness yields permanent safeguard to ensure these wild lands will remain as they are today. Status such as “roadless area” or “primitive area” cannot protect them from being developed in the future.

Although the designation of the ultimate level of wilderness protection awaits the decision of the Forest Service and Congress, we have the opportunity to make sure our representatives hear about the importance of preserving these rugged, rare, and beautiful places.

Wilderness reminds us there are some things that are priceless—you simply can’t re-create it, and you certainly can’t buy it.