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Spirits of the Wilderness: The 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act

In a small group setting, an aged but dynamic David Brower spoke of restoring the Hetch Hetchy Valley. He challenged us to persevere, as in his book, "Let the Mountains Talk, Let the Rivers Run," which he autographed for me. With a fast-moving pace, notable speakers encouraged us to listen and learn. They inspired us with success stories about recent wilderness designations.


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On the last day, keynote speaker Christopher Arthur limped to the podium, and I wondered what he could know about wilderness. When he finished speaking, however, I jumped to my feet along with the some other clapping attendees. A longtime congressional environmental aide, Arthur said that he cannot physically ever see most wilderness areas. Yet he spoke passionately about the idea of wilderness and "its ability to lift us out of the daily drudgery we all experience. It's up to us to bring their love back -- and ours too.

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Flying home, his words kept spinning in my mind. They inspired us to work for wilderness additions near us, and also planted the seed for our photo-essay book, "Call of the Mountains, the Beauty and Legacy of Southern California's San Jacinto, San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains.

We also joined others in the California Wild Heritage Campaign to build support for legislation to protect wilderness areas statewide. Several people gathered in our home and spread out maps to locate roadless areas qualifying for additions to the Sheep Mountain and Cucamonga Wilderness areas. With our photo-pamphlets we set about approaching people to write letters, requesting Senator Barbara Boxer to include protection of qualifying wild areas and wild and scenic rivers near us in a wilderness bill.

I liked group settings, sometimes in friends' homes, but always where we could show potential wilderness areas, while also triggering people's memories of their own special wild places. Support from congressional representatives and city officials helped, too. A year later, when Senator Barbara Boxer introduced the California Wild Heritage Act of , we celebrated with our new mountain-loving friends.

We also started working on "Call of the Mountains.

‎Hymns of Love & Spirits (Reissue) by The Wilderness of Manitoba on Apple Music

We thought we knew our scenic range, but the next 18 months were an invigorating wake-up call, not just discovering new wild spots of beauty, but meeting and interviewing countless people -- volunteers, forest-service employees, teachers, hikers, and all manner of nature lovers. This stream of people seemed to embody the Wilderness Act spirit and I kept thinking of John Muir's words: For what we learn to so love, we shall never allow to be destroyed. School groups heartened us too, such as Glendora fifth-graders learning about water quality at the San Gabriel Canyon Environmental Education Center.

Some of these children might be tomorrow's wilderness advocates. Soon after "Call of the Mountain's" publication, we began giving narrated slide-show presentations, spotlighting our mountains' beauty and the people who care.

Spirits of the Wilderness: The 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act | KCET

We closed by reminding our audiences that if they contact legislators and care enough to make a difference today, our children's children will be able to hear the mountain's call tomorrow. Although Boxer's bill died in Congress, she updated and reintroduced it a year later, and again in with then-Rep. Parts of the original bill did become law, adding wilderness, which includes significant acreage along the Northern California coastline.

In Southern California, the long effort continues in the Angeles National Forest for additions to three wilderness areas and creating two new ones. Our last victory in the Angeles Forest was Rep. In , the coalition encouraged us to attend a hearing and comment on a National Park Service draft that would guide planning of the San Gabriel Mountains and Rivers. Hearing the presentation and comments afterward reinforced our belief in the need for a San Gabriel National Recreation Area managed cooperatively with the Forest Service and the National Park Service -- and one which includes the mountains as well as the urban foothills and lower river areas.

Most of the San Gabriels are within the Angeles National Forest, an amazing natural resource with beautiful scenery and critical habitat for endangered or sensitive plants and animals. It also gives us precious gifts: Farley and I are among the 17 million people living within an hour's drive of the San Gabriels, and we think a national recreation area with more visitor services, rangers, and trail maintenance would be a gift to our region, especially if the mountains are included in that plan.

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Such a recreation area would appeal to more people, who could experience the wonders of wilderness and feel a connection to help protect what they love. Which brings us full circle to the Wilderness Act and its 50th Anniversary.

Présentation " Spirit of Wilderness - Julia Rivers "

I believe that early wilderness advocates like Zahniser would be pleased that in the San Gabriel Mountains we are still building on his Wilderness Act legacy. His words ring out for us today: We are dedicated to providing you with articles like this one. Show your support with a tax-deductible contribution to KCET. This stream of people seemed to embody the Wilderness Act spirit and I kept thinking of John Muir's words: For what we learn to so love, we shall never allow to be destroyed. School groups heartened us too, such as Glendora fifth-graders learning about water quality at the San Gabriel Canyon Environmental Education Center.

Some of these children might be tomorrow's wilderness advocates. Soon after "Call of the Mountain's" publication, we began giving narrated slide-show presentations, spotlighting our mountains' beauty and the people who care. We closed by reminding our audiences that if they contact legislators and care enough to make a difference today, our children's children will be able to hear the mountain's call tomorrow.

Although Boxer's bill died in Congress, she updated and reintroduced it a year later, and again in with then-Rep. Parts of the original bill did become law, adding wilderness, which includes significant acreage along the Northern California coastline. In Southern California, the long effort continues in the Angeles National Forest for additions to three wilderness areas and creating two new ones. Our last victory in the Angeles Forest was Rep.

In , the coalition encouraged us to attend a hearing and comment on a National Park Service draft that would guide planning of the San Gabriel Mountains and Rivers. Hearing the presentation and comments afterward reinforced our belief in the need for a San Gabriel National Recreation Area managed cooperatively with the Forest Service and the National Park Service -- and one which includes the mountains as well as the urban foothills and lower river areas.

Most of the San Gabriels are within the Angeles National Forest, an amazing natural resource with beautiful scenery and critical habitat for endangered or sensitive plants and animals. It also gives us precious gifts: Farley and I are among the 17 million people living within an hour's drive of the San Gabriels, and we think a national recreation area with more visitor services, rangers, and trail maintenance would be a gift to our region, especially if the mountains are included in that plan.

Such a recreation area would appeal to more people, who could experience the wonders of wilderness and feel a connection to help protect what they love. Which brings us full circle to the Wilderness Act and its 50th Anniversary. I believe that early wilderness advocates like Zahniser would be pleased that in the San Gabriel Mountains we are still building on his Wilderness Act legacy. His words ring out for us today: We are dedicated to providing you with articles like this one. Show your support with a tax-deductible contribution to KCET. After all, public media is meant for the public.

It belongs to all of us. Vanishing species, rising sea levels, devastating floods, and droughts are only some of the symptoms of a rapidly changing natural world. We explore 5 surprising ways people are reacting to environmental changes. Thinking of camping upstate in ? Consider these stunning options. KCET is producing more original content than ever before. Spirits of the Wilderness: Title Spirits of the Wilderness: The 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act.

Ann and her husband Farley are avid mountain hikers and wilderness protection advocates, also trying to generate more awareness of climate change. Rising above the skyscrapers of Los Angeles, the San Gabriel Mountains call out to area residents and visitors alike.


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San Antonio, better known as Mt. Baldy , dominates the scene as the tallest peak in the San Gabriels , especially when seen on a clear day from Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area. A proposed addition to this wilderness would add an area north of the Mt.

Part of the territory provides summer range and migration routes for bighorn sheep. Organized as a Scout project by Kayla Chang, then 15, the group gathered 17 bags of trash during one morning's work. Support the Articles you Love We are dedicated to providing you with articles like this one. Where to Camp in Northern California in