Forty-five Years of Wilderness

Tomorrow marks the 45^th anniversary of a conservation landmark — the Wilderness Act. Signed into law on September 3, 1964 by President Lyndon Johnson, this historic legislation guarantees that future generations will be able to use and enjoy our nation’s wonderfully diverse wilderness areas.

“Idaho’s Wilderness provides clean air, clean water, fish and wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities like hunting and fishing,” explained Rick Johnson with the Idaho Conservation League. “Wilderness is a place for spiritual wellbeing for those who visit or simply appreciate knowing such wild places still exist.”

Idaho’s late Senator Frank Church was a key player in passing this historic legislation. Among the first national treasures that gained immediate protection was Idaho’s Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, which remains as wild as it was in 1964. Since that time, Idaho’s Sawtooth Moutains, Hells Canyon, the Gospel Hump, and the River of No Return have also been protected under the Wilderness Act.

The latest Idaho landscape to receive Wilderness protections is the Owyhee Canyonlands, which resulted from the hard work and collaboration by ranchers, county commissioners, the Shoshone-Piute Tribe and conservation groups. Idaho Senator Mike Crapo sponsored the Owyhee Canyonlands legislation and successfully moved the bill through congress. It was signed into law last March.

Representative Mike Simpson has also been patiently working to protect Idaho’s Boulder-White Cloud Mountains as Wilderness. Simpson worked to broker a deal between diverse stakeholders in this special part of Central Idaho. But much work remains to pass the legislation in Congress.

"The forty-fifth anniversary of the Wilderness Act would be a great year to finally get the Boulder-White Clouds protected after all these years,” said Rick Johnson. “I expect we’ll see some work on Simpson’s legislation this fall when Congress goes back to Washington after their summer break.”