We celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Wilderness Act in the United States in 2024! This groundbreaking piece of legislation represented the first instance where a nation used legal mandates to designate specific areas for preservation, allowing nature’s processes to unfold without human interference. Signed by President Lydon B. Johnson on September 3, 1964, the Wilderness Act established the National Wilderness Preservation System, which initially encompassed 54 wilderness areas in 13 states. These areas were previously under the administrative protection of the Forest Service but now formed the foundation of a broader conservation effort. Over six decades, the System has expanded significantly, comprising 806 areas across 44 states and Puerto Rico.
To celebrate the 60th anniversary, there will be a display about it at the Redding Library in June. You might also consider discovering some of these wilderness spaces preserved by this act that are in northern California: Chanchellulla Wilderness (8,022 acres), Marbles Wilderness (335,114 acres), Lassen Volcanic Wilderness, (79,061 (NPS), and Trinity AlpsWilderness (537,0000 acres). Or perhaps those nearby: Russian Wilderness (12,521 acres), Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness (182,000 acres), and Caribou Wilderness (20,839 acres).