U.S. Department of the Interior

DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT

Office of the Secretary Contact: John Wright

For Immediate Release: September 3, 1999 202/208-6416

Wilderness: Gifts to Us All

The Act that created the National Wilderness Preservation

System Turns 35 Years Old

A statement by Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt

"Today marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Wilderness Act. This Act created the National Wilderness Preservation System and is responsible for preserving and protecting more than 104 million acres of federal public lands. It is one of the most important environmental laws of the past half-century. Anyone who loves the outdoors, wildlife and pristine wilderness must agree.

"The fundamental premise of the Wilderness Act is that the process of building roads is a death sentence for an ecosystem. There are all kinds of scientific studies which show that roads' fragment habitat in a way that leads to the disintegration of the ecosystem. The grizzly bear is a great example. The grizzly cannot tolerate a fragmented habitat.

"The result of this extraordinary Act speaks for itself. The nation's wilderness system includes 624 areas containing more than 104 million acres of breathtaking landscapes which are now protected in perpetuity for future generations. The preservation of these areas accounts for about four and a half percent of the U.S. landmass. Wilderness areas are the most protected landscapes in the federal system. These fabulous lands are managed for the use and enjoyment of the American people, large enough to be refuges for plants and animals. Moreover, they have become refuges for both wildlife and people. We give these areas a chance to survive by leaving them wild, untamed and unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness.

"There has been very little action to approve wilderness areas in the last two sessions of Congress. We have made almost no progress, but the protection of these gifts to each and all of us, are more crucial now than ever before in the history of this country. Urban growth and development have made it essential for us to look hard at wilderness areas and other green spaces as they dwindle before our very eyes. Each day we lose more and more of our outdoor freedom and solitude, along with some of our mental and spiritual refreshment that potential wilderness areas and green spaces offer to us.

"Earlier this year President Clinton proposed an historic Lands Legacy Initiative to open the new century with an unprecedented commitment to preserving our most precious lands for all time. In this Initiative the President proposes a record $1 billion to protect natural treasures and provide new resources to states and communities to preserve farms, urban parks, wetlands, coastlines, and working forests. I urge the Congress to work with the President and approve funding for this important Initiative and create a permanent fund to preserve our treasured areas for future generations to enjoy."





U.S. Department of the Interior


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