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The idea of untouched wilderness is at the core of the American experience—offering opportunity for recreation and reflection, sanctuary to wildlife and protected landscapes and a legacy for future generations. Yet, only 2.5 percent of our federal public land outside of Alaska is permanently protected as wilderness—free of roads and industrial development and forever available for hiking, hunting, fishing and a wide range of other recreational pursuits.
Launched in 2002, Pew's campaign for America’s wilderness focuses on achieving lasting protection for threatened wild lands. It proactively works to preserve some of the nation’s last, best, wild places by adding them to the National Wilderness Preservation System. This Pew initiative provides local wilderness advocates with expertise in campaign planning and implementation and assists with opinion research, communications and advocacy. The campaign partners with state coalitions and local citizen groups to support citizen wilderness proposals from every part of the country.
Congress has added 158 new or expanded wilderness areas totaling nearly 5 million acres across 14 states and Puerto Rico since the campaign began its work.
For more information, visit leaveitwild.org.
Apr 21, 2008 - Report looks at ten special wild areas from coast to coast, vulnerable today to mining, drilling, roadbuilding, logging, development and off-road vehicle abuse.
Read: Summary View: Full Report (Adobe PDF)
Mar 24, 2008 - Wilderness is the strongest form of protection we can give to our wild public lands to preserve our opportunities to enjoy these special places for hunting, fishing, camping, climbing and other non-mechanized activities.
Oct 04, 2004 - A compilation of public opinion survey results concerning wilderness protection.
Jan 21, 2004 - A 2004 overview of pending and expected wilderness legislation from the Campaign for America's Wilderness.
Sep 01, 2003 - In reaction to the loss of wilderness was born a uniquely American idea: to deliberately preserve scenic wonders and expanses of wild nature as wilderness, with a motive of not losing the imprint of frontier wildness so formative and fundamental to American values.
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