I grew up in California and we visited the national parks often. However, I don't think I have actually been in any wilderness areas outside of the national parks. However, I always loved the idea that when looking at the Sierra Nevada from the Central Valley, seeing the rugged snow covered peaks and forested mountains, that I was looking at untouched mountain wilderness. It was like looking back in time at what the West was like back when it was still wild as the Native Americans saw it, as the Spaniards saw it, as the Mexican ranchers saw it, as the migrating pioneers saw it, and as John Muir saw it. It's a national patrimony to be cherished and safeguarded.
One of my favorite adventures was into the wilderness of the high uintahs to hike kings peak in utah. It was so weird seeing warning signs that says “there will be minimal paths from this point forward, be very prepared, emergency services will be limited”. It was by far my favorite hike. It was hard, as I’m new to exerting my body like that but not impossible. I’m glad we have this legislation because it gave me the opportunity to see some relatively unspoiled landscapes.
I have an MBA in Outdoor Recreation Management. One of the things that has stuck with me from my Wilderness Management class is this: Wilderness is UNIQUE to the US. No other languages even HAVE a word for wilderness. So when you talk about wilderness in other parts of the world, I think you are off base a little bit in what you are saying when you say "they have a different view of wilderness". They simply don't have ANY concept of it. The professor of that class, Chad Dawson from SUNY ESF, went all around the world promoting wilderness to other countries and cultures. He impressed on us that humans have existed in the rest of the world for all recorded history and earlier, so they have no concept of a place "where man does not go except as a visitor." Other than that little difference, I have to agree with you on most of the rest and I enjoyed the video! It is a highly subjective concept, especially when it comes to management. Do we let wild fire burn through it because that is natural? But the consequences of letting it burn through will surely alter the character of the land for 100s of years. What about trails? Without trails people will have trouble visiting that wilderness. And what about an injured hiker who needs to be rescued? Do we use a helicopter to rescue that person 12 miles out and stuck on a cliff face or do we let them figure it out or die because to rescue them would require using mechanized equipment? These are just a few of the many, many topics of wilderness management that we discussed. We all have our own opinions on how each issue should be address in wilderness management and there is no right or wrong answer. Each of us have our own stake as well. Some are adjacent land owners, some are visitors and some just want to have the knowledge that there are places preserved for nature even if they themselves never visit. I could give my thoughts on all the different aspects, but then I'd be here writing about 20 pages of stuff that nobody would read.
I am extremely happy with the balance of how the United States manages Wilderness Areas. The ideal of having preserved natural places that are meant to represent "untrammeled" nature is an ideal that we should proud to have codified as Americans. I'm glad we have trails, but no mechanized usecases, as it hearkens back to pre-modern ecosystem equilibria. I would quibble with your first paragraph, however; the Russian concept of zapovednost predates American discussion of Wilderness character, and even today their zapovednik system is arguably the most protected, most untrammelled, least anthropogenic system of preserved landscapes on Earth.
@@maxwellerickson7066 Thanks for that feedback on Russia. I imagine that my professor didn't visit Russia and that is why he said what he said (not that I'm making excuses for him). What is challenging about the "untrammeled" bit is this: What happens if there is a fire on that wilderness land? If we let it burn, the character of the forest can be impacted for centuries. Do we allow that? What about if that wilderness butts up against a housing development and in order to save that development we need a fire break or some other intervention on the wilderness lands? Or what happens when a hiker calls/radios for a rescue in a place that would require mechanical means to rescue or retrieve then or they likely die without that rescue? I could list a few more examples, but you get the point. There are sometimes when human intervention may be desired from some interested parties. How would you manage in those situations?
I grew up in the Midwest with severe depression. Moving to the west coast and spending time in the areas "untrammelled" has been the best treatment I have ever received for my condition. Great video, as always!
0:51 1964 Wilderness Act 4:39 4 wilderness criteria 6:24 grazing grandfathered ☹️ 10:57 WA dismissive of indigenous / First People's history 12:43 no part of Yellowstone is designated wilderness
You're doing awesome work Cameron. I developed a passion for the American Landscape and National Parks as a way to connect with the history of the land and nation I live. I have read a few books and done my own research but your videos are immensely entertaining and are a hugely positive part of my day. In addition to showing the greatness of these parks you introduce and include their complicated and controversial histories, which is immensely important. Keep it up my friend! Your passion is truly shown in this content!
I am an avid mountain biker and bike advocate, I work at a bike shop, I'm an IMBA member, and I regularly do volunteer trail maintenance. I am also a hiker and I hope mountain bikes are never allowed in Wilderness Areas. There are plenty of places to ride bikes, but there are increasingly fewer places to enjoy the solitude of an area that can only be accessed on foot.
I’m really glad that you covered this topic, and I really hope you’ll get a chance to discuss more opportunities for urban conservation. I spent some time working at a wildlife refuge right in the middle of a city, and realized that the US Fish and Wildlife Service is recognizing that these urban refuge interfaces are some of the best opportunities for new generations of conservationists, especially from communities who have been historically denied access
I'm fully on board with urban conservation topics and certainly hope to cover them in the future (I have plenty of ideas!). Urban places are some the best opportunities we have to get more people out into nature and appreciating all it has to offer. Thanks for watching!
The Wilderness Act is a compromise. Mr. Zahniser devoted much of his life and energy to see the passing of the legislation in 1964 and he faced some difficult choices in order to get the legislation passed. Cameron, I think it would be wonderful if you explained how the Act finally passed in a Congress which is intricately connected to the interests of timber, grazing, mining, and even the privatization and commercialization of public land. It's a large task but I know you can accomplish it in time. I am a staunch advocate of the wilderness system. I think the Wilderness Society has let the public down but groups like Wilderness Watch and Wild Earth Guardians continue to fight to retain the spirit of Zahniser's Wilderness Act in today's world. That "untrammeled" character is under constant attack and needs these watchdog organizations and their supporters. BTW: I am a mountain biker and I oppose bicycles in wilderness areas because bikes, even people-powered, remove the wilderness character by their very mechanical presence. Thank you.
I think that's an interesting topic for sure! There's so many angles to wilderness preservation and how the Act came about is certainly one of them! I chose to mainly focus on the outcomes of the Act and how the wilderness system works in this video, but there's room for more a bigger exploration of these issues. Maybe I'll fit it in to a video one of these days - I appreciate the suggestion and second your support for the Wilderness Preservation System!!
Very good! I'm glad you did a deep dive on this issue. Wilderness designation is one of the most powerful conservation tools available. I love the fact that there are still places that have remained wild and undeveloped since before the founding of this country. I have ventured out in to the wilderness of many places in this country and just marveled at the vast wild that still exists. There are countless times where I've stood on the hill out back of my house in Alaska and looked out at the vastness of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge wilderness. Miles and miles of wild Alaska, full of lakes, streams, moose, bears, mountains, glaciers, and the Harding Ice Field. It's a wonderful feeling to know that these places will exist in perpetuity due to the foresight and tireless efforts of people like John Muir, Aldo Leopold, Bob Marshall, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Gifford Pinchot and many more. Mmmm, wilderness pie sounds great. I'm all for a bigger pie! Thanks for another informative video, Cameron! ~ Mike
Alaska is by far the most "wild" place I've ever been! Even in places that are not "official" wilderness. But yes, I am also glad we had great conservationists before us who fought for these places to be protected so that we (and future generations) can enjoy them. Always appreciate the support Mike!
I have backpack and hiked and several wilderness areas in the Rockies. I love the experience that Inc. has given me. Being in the wilderness area is like time travel backwards, this is what the early explorers, settlers and mountain men encountered.
Cameron, your philosophy of conservation built on equity and a shared human experience is very powerful. Academia and legal scripture build incredibly dense definitions of conservation and wilderness, sometimes inaccessible to those who enjoy the American wilderness themselves. By breaking down the importance of conservation and equity you are doing a great public service. Thank you.
I appreciate that Andrew! One of my guiding philosophies on this channel is to make conservation and public lands issues as accessible to as many people as possible. The more people understand, the more likely we are to protect wild places. Thanks for watching!
One good sociocultural component of Wilderness is the creation and adoption of the Leave No Trace ethics which were developed in response to ecological damage caused by wilderness recreation.
Bikes should not be allowed in wilderness. There's some great discussion in the comments already but I wanted to add my own thoughts here as well. Wilderness is managed for low traffic and to try to spread people out when possible (in theory). In practical terms this means you get the solitude of being quite alone. And this would be ruined to a degree if someone came speeding by on bike the effect would be somewhat ruined. Espcially if it's more than one person. Also from a managment perspective, any trail maintanice is done with tools carried in on ones back, maybe a pack animal if you're lucky. Manager and trail crews have to follow the same rules and that makes thing hard sume times. Mountain bikes will cause more erosion on trails, creating more work to maintain them. And hardening them to survive that would be counter productive to the point of wilderness trails.
Cyclist here, have mountain biked half of the GDMBR off road, and road toured across U.S. three times. Mountain bikes should not be allowed in Wilderness. Reasons: 1) When trails get heavy mountain bike use they get severe erosion. 2) Mountain bikes and mountain eBikes are widespread now and make it easy for inexperienced and careless users to get 20 miles into the backcountry. The easier it is for certain people to reach wilderness, the more trash, erosion, fire pits, and trailside human waste appears.
I honestly think one of the best things that we can do for conservation is to just make it hard as hell to get to important areas. Those who care enough to make the trek will be careful with it, while the lazy assholes who throw trash everywhere won't bother. There is of course grey area to this for handicap accessibility mostly, but most national parks aren't exactly known for that outside of cars to begin with
Those are excellent points. I think you could make the argument for safety as well - more inexperienced people getting further into the backcountry isn't exactly a recipe for safe adventuring.
Loved the "mmmm Wilderness" illustration! That one will stick with me, whether I'm having pie or visiting an actual Wilderness! Your captions, footage and illustrations always help me learn and remember (visual learner here), while often giving me a chuckle. Thanks for another informative and interesting video. And where do I get an NPD hoodie or T-shirt?!
awesome video! wilderness areas are my favorite of all areas thanks to their natural atmosphere uninterrupted by infrastructure and whatnot, but there should be way more of it out there for sure
I used to live next to two wilderness areas, the weminuche wilderness and The congressionally designated piedra area. The weminuche wilderness was very understandable as a wilderness area. But the Piedra Area had many roads and provided off hwy access between 3 different user areas. Once the piedra area was designed wilderness it forced users to access the forest on dead end out and back roads.
I guess where I was going with that is it seemed like the wilderness designation was so the forest service didn’t have to manage the area. The area was and is far from pristine, having bridges roads and camp spots. The forest service in the area is well known for mismanagement and shady practices. All that said I do truly support Wilderness areas just not the Piedra Area.
That's really interesting, I'd never heard of that before. It doesn't surprise me though that there are wilderness areas out there not fulfilling their designated purpose or aren't managed properly.
I contribute that book to my loves of wilderness, writing, and walking. Listened to it on audio book when I was in the 5th grade. The only book I can think to compare it to is The Hobbit. Has the same kind of epic excitement to it.
@@mattlukasik2486 Same here. My dad had it on his bookshelf and I read it when i was young and it really made me more appreciative of the outdoors and really gave me perspective about the things I used to see as trivial. It made me really want to try hiking/ backpacking. I live near the Adirondacks and now hiking up there is my absolute favorite thing to do.
@@NationalParkDiaries Yeah this book and " A Short History of Nearly Everything" got me into him and Ive read all of his books now. Such an informative and entertaining writer. And now that I think of it, he was my first introduction to non- school mandated reads which made me realize that I can actually enjoy reading outside of school.
@@gagependergast4514 I haven't read that one yet! But I like all his stuff, so I'm sure I'll enjoy it. He has such a great writing style, it's very easy to enjoy his work!
Pretty good treatment of the topic. Given that your previous video covered Shenandoah NP, you missed an opportunity to draw a connection. The Wilderness Society was created, in part, as a reaction to proposals to replicate Shenandoah's Skyline Drive in other wild places. And, as you say, the Wilderness Society led to the Wilderness Act of 1964.
Thank you! Yeah, I certainly could have made the connection. Some things have to get left on the cutting room floor lol, or else I run the risk of these stories becoming overcrowded. But, thanks for your feedback!
I was doing trail crew in Yellowstone, which is a proposed wilderness thats never been approved. The ranger we were under told us that they had universal approval to use chainsaw in the wilderness at their discretion because the crews were just that short staffed and the chainsaw saved just that much time.
That's interesting, thanks for sharing. Yellowstone is like the prime example for places that are wilderness in everything except law. Fascinating how those different designations affect management decisions!
I love your work. I didn't 100% agree with your take on the Bears Ears, but I love how knowledgable you are on wilderness policy and the importance of preserving our wild places :) Keep up the great work.
I appreciate it, truly! I try my best to give people the info they need to make an informed decision, even if they don't agree with what I'm saying. That's the beauty of these issues - they're complicated and there's more than one way to see them and try and solve them. Thanks for being here and contributing!
Ok, I see what you did there 😅 You put yourself into the scene 😉👍 That seems like a fair compromise, I could get behind that... I'd like to see you expand on that a bit... Get out of that chair and show us some natural scenes 😁
Haha yeah! Want to incorporate more of that going forward for sure! It's still early days for the on-camera version of the show and I'm going to keep improving and making things better! Thanks!
Great video Cameron, very thoughtful & thought provoking. I wonder if the Wilderness Act can be utilised in combating climate change? When you mentioned the oceans having little protections, it brought to mind The Great Barrier Reef in my area of the world. It's a Marine Park, a supposedly protected area. But as I'm sure you've heard, it has been having a hard time lately with warming oceans and coral bleaching. Much like how wolves/bison/antelope etc don't see our defined boundaries of wilderness or parks, our activities outside these areas don't magically not have an impact inside these areas. So by contributing to global warming, we are harming the "protected" areas too. Our greenhouse gas emissions enter these areas, change the climate, and alter the ecology just as any introduced pest species does. So I wonder if the Wilderness Act (or equivalent in other countries) can be used as a legal tool to help force action? Though I admit that's probably just a pipe dream of mine. We can't seem to get enough people & governments to have foresight enough to think about the economic impacts AGW will have or the hardships it will cause, so that idea is probably a bit too abstract. Anyway, keep these fantastic videos coming. It's good to "see" you on my screen, it brings a more personal touch and feels more like a conversation even though I'm just listening. I think it was a good decision to appear on screen & it works well.
That's an excellent question Mark. Personally, I'm always in favor of more protected places, wilderness included. I think these areas play a crucial role in combatting climate change, but as you said our impacts outside of these areas still affect the ecosystems within them. In order to affect more wholesale change (in my opinion), I think what we need is a change in mentality. We currently have a very antagonistic relationship with nature - we see it as something to be dominated and brought to our will. I think there's a future for humanity where we have a more mutualistic relationship with nature and I actually think the Wilderness Act (and other equivalent laws) can have a role in brining that about. More protections for more places gives us a chance to understand these places better, which means we come to appreciate them more, which means we'll then fight to protect them. It's complicated, absolutely, but that's my outlook for the future! A hopeful one! Also, so glad you're enjoying the on camera appearances! It's been great getting so much positive feedback on it!
As a mountain biker, I’m so glad that they are banned in wilderness areas. The amount of people who still go off trail just while hiking is astonishing to me. So that in conjunction with people on mountain bikes (whether intentional or not) would be terrible for plant life
Early to another awesome video! Thank you for all the content man. The forests of this country are wonderful and definitely misunderstood. Stay safe out there and have fun!
I love the part where he talks about how wilderness is hard to categorize it just shows how things never neatly fit into the neat human made categories
Definitely not! The Wilderness Act is great, but there's so much more to the idea of "wilderness" than what we've put into it. There's so much more wilderness out there if we just "look" for it!
I have long felt that human thinking about the world ought to be inverted. Rather than designating certain areas as 'nature preserves', we ought to consider the entire Earth a nature preserve, with human colonies inside it. Colonies that try to limit their impact on the surrounding preserve. Intuitively this also makes sense, as after all it is this Earth's biosphere that allows us humans to exist. To consider these nature preserves as some kind of 'nice gesture', but that we'd be just fine without them, is the kind of arrogance that ought to have stayed in the 19th century, when man figured himself better than nature and animals. None of which should mean that we'd have to give up modern-day amenities, but it would be grand if in our daily life we'd apply this inversion of thought more often. Human society as a part of nature, rather than as an antagonistic entity.
👏👏👏 Couldn't have said it better myself! That's a big part of the philosophy behind this channel (and my own way of thinking about the natural world) and I appreciate you watching!
Good introductory video. It would love to listen to a video which compares approaches to wilderness in different countries - e.g., UK, western Europe, Japan, etc. and how these are linked to "nature conservation" (inc. rewilding / "libre evolution") and the way protected areas are managed (e.g. compare national parks in the USA and the UK). It would touch a lot on how your second tiers (socio-cultural) defines everything (i.e. the others tiers)... and are often linked to historical inequalities / oppression of groups of people on others (e.g., ecological imperialism of french and bristich people in Africa, notably regarding protected areas which are often understood and maanged as wilderness areas in the US legal sense of term) and the dominant, narrow western culture - nature divide (P. Descola). It also feels that the discussion could be expanded from a value / valuation perspective (intrinsic vs instrumental, etc.). I guess it can get pretty academic quickly but happy to discuss if interested.
Thank you! There's certainly no end to the conversations we could have about wilderness! I'm sure there are people much smarter than I am who have thought more deeply about these issues lol. But I love the discussion being generated on this video and certainly hope to do some more videos about the things you mentioned as well. Thanks for your contribution!
At canyonlands national park there was a plaque that described how a "wilderness" was legally termed. It was done by a president and an activist to stop some guy from creating a Dam and destroying the canyonlands area. The same event was what created the canyonlands nations park
@@NationalParkDiaries I went to canyonlands national park last month. At the park there is a plaque at the greenriver lookout at island in the sky district that described the creation of the park. The plaque described how someone wanted to create a dam that would have destroyed the canyonlands area. An activist and who if I recall corretly was in politics saw this and went the other way and joined with president Johnson to fight their way against this development. Johnson closely pushed for the park but as president couldnt do much himself until a bill arrived on his desk. While the park was the culmination there was much more involved including other bills which set precedents including legally labeling what a wilderness is. I just checked wikipedia and none of this is mentioned on the park's article. Not many people may know about this very important event which has shaped national law far exceeding just national parks but all of 'wilderness' and how it should be handled so it may be a good topic to make a video on.
Thank you. From a theological perspective, wilderness is the whole world, which is in/on the earth. We are entrapped by laws and words that the meanings are twisted What are your thoughts about beings in the national parks?
You have to love wilderness. I have watched it burn when a dozer line in the "wilderness" could have helped. I have watched crews saw trees that have fallen across the trail by hand to lear the trail for use. I love the wilderness because it is not trampled unconrollably by the feet of people. It preserves the land. Hoiwever, I think we could do a better job on defining it and using it as well as protecting it. A dozer line heals quicker than a burnt and dead forest. I also think there are areas to protect with a greater degree of protection and other areas that can be limited use and allow vehicles with propoer protections. There is nothing like finding your way into a quiet less traveld area via your vehicle to camp and let your grandchildren experience the solotude of a wilderness experience where another sould cannot be seen or heard.
It's a very complicates subject, absolutely. I think there's merit in an expanded definition so we can incorporate as many perspectives as possible and ultimately preserve places we all love. Thanks for watching!
Fortunately, wilderness existed long before the Wilderness Act, and in places never designated as such. Parks & wilderness require acts of Congress, WSAs & monuments don't. If a Congressman opposes a new wilderness or park in his district, the House won't force it. So, study areas and monuments, administrative actions, have been used to get wilderness levels of protection in vast areas while circumventing congress. WSAs here are 50 years old and are still going nowhere. Monument use policies are a whole other process than in the rest of BLM/USFS, so restrictions come easily. Then, Interior, usually NPS or BLM, starts a turf war with the locals over what is still a road and what are no longer permitted uses. It's followed with abusive enforcement, trips to federal court and immense fines for juveniles. It's about the power of the agency, not wildlands. Why would people be angry about all of this? Monument employees give up and leave the area. They kick-ass on the range, but can't take living with the fallout in town. Don't serve the fascists at Interior. Look at what they do to the Rainbow Family gatherings.... They are the enemies of wild places, things and people. Ed Abbey & Doc Kaczynski were right about them.
Absolutely. There are certain species we associate more with cities now than "natural" areas, like pigeons, raccoons, squirrels, etc. Wilderness is never just one thing!
@@NationalParkDiaries and even peregrine falcons which are usually in cities stop nest and to hunt the plentiful birds and it turns out most pigeons in the US are actually feral and invasive because they are the domestic pigeon meaning it's probably better they stay in the city I'm saying this from a place that doesn't really get pigeons because I live on the west coast we have more crows, ravens, seagulls, and starlings which can be considered city animals in there own right same thing for geese, ducks, coyotes, foxes, feral pigs, squirrels, mice, rats, garter snakes, house geckos, and you might even see a deer or 2
Just to head off the mountain biker comments... There is no such thing as a mixed use trail, the faster and stronger mode of travel will always dominate any pathway. Cyclists know this well when they travel on roadways, but they seem to forget it when they travel on trails.
I think some of the main arguments against them are that they lead to a slippery slope of what's allowed (like e-mountain bikes), they impact trails more heavily than hikers, their capability for high speeds can lead to conflicts with other user groups, and the philosophical argument that bikes are too "advanced" for what the Wilderness Act intended to be places without too many modern human influences.
But there is also the fact that the centralized - federalized government which caused & promoted the majority of destruction & colonialization of wilderness - is now also "The Hero" of saving wilderness..... We could have wilderness areas without a federal government (which we only created in preparation for the revolutionary war - centralize taxes & military power against britain)
Good explainer but you might find that the exploitation of the Wilderness Act by environmental groups to be a subject worth pursuing. There are many places that have been placed in Wilderness that do not meet the definition of Wilderness or the letter or spirit of the Wilderness Act. The Inyo Mountains Wilderness, Death Valley Wilderness, Darwin Falls Wilderness, Surprise Canyon Wilderness and South Nopah Range Wilderness (just to name a few) all contain roads, mining structures (ore bins, buildings, tramways and assorted debris like bedframes and old vehicles), mine shafts and adits, waste rock dumps and other obvious signs of human habitation and use. These areas should NOT be in Wilderness. In addition, placing areas that contain roads inside Wilderness prevents disabled people from accessing those areas. It's a travesty. Heck, near Tombstone Arizona, the town's water source and much of the pipeline are now in Wilderness which presents HUGE challenges in maintaining that critical utility. Wilderness areas inside the Mojave National Preserve has prevented firefighters for using mechanized ground equipment to fight fires. The Act and its implementation are greatly flawed.
@@jasonreed7522 - Were they crickets? I honestly couldn't tell. It was pervasive and constant throughout most of the talking portions. Like nails on a chalkboard. Very distracting.
@@SanilJadhav711 - That's your opinion. At 10:50 ish in particular, it became impossible to ignore. Not soothing at all for me. Grating. Distracting. No, I'm sorry. I cannot agree.
That was not very complicated or difficult to communicate. The I suspect the attempt to complicate it is a post-modern/neo-marxist influenced subversion, instilled by your public indoctrination center also known as a university or public school. Simply suspicions in any case, not accusation.
Nope, just my thoughts after thinking about wilderness for a long time. I simply don't think the definition of Wilderness as laid out in the Act is enough to capture the diversity and complexity of the human (and non-human) experience when it comes to wild places.
I’m really glad you mentioned the native people. Cause they are the stewards of the land. And I’m glad you mentioned the oceans because all the world’s governments have neglected the oceans
That's one reason why I didn't want to only focus on the Wilderness Act for this video. It's a great piece of legislation, but it does leave some things out and I think we need to expand the definition of Wilderness to get a more complete understanding.
I grew up in California and we visited the national parks often. However, I don't think I have actually been in any wilderness areas outside of the national parks. However, I always loved the idea that when looking at the Sierra Nevada from the Central Valley, seeing the rugged snow covered peaks and forested mountains, that I was looking at untouched mountain wilderness. It was like looking back in time at what the West was like back when it was still wild as the Native Americans saw it, as the Spaniards saw it, as the Mexican ranchers saw it, as the migrating pioneers saw it, and as John Muir saw it. It's a national patrimony to be cherished and safeguarded.
Love your description of Sierra Nevada from Central valley, must be a beautiful sight
I love this! I love that you experienced wilderness on your own terms, even though it might not have been "official." That's what it's all about!
One of my favorite adventures was into the wilderness of the high uintahs to hike kings peak in utah. It was so weird seeing warning signs that says “there will be minimal paths from this point forward, be very prepared, emergency services will be limited”. It was by far my favorite hike. It was hard, as I’m new to exerting my body like that but not impossible. I’m glad we have this legislation because it gave me the opportunity to see some relatively unspoiled landscapes.
I love to don a trifold hat and zorro mask and waylay travelers in the wilderness to make rent.
I've only been shot twice!
So glad you got to experience that! And that we have places where those experiences are possible.
I have an MBA in Outdoor Recreation Management. One of the things that has stuck with me from my Wilderness Management class is this: Wilderness is UNIQUE to the US. No other languages even HAVE a word for wilderness. So when you talk about wilderness in other parts of the world, I think you are off base a little bit in what you are saying when you say "they have a different view of wilderness". They simply don't have ANY concept of it. The professor of that class, Chad Dawson from SUNY ESF, went all around the world promoting wilderness to other countries and cultures. He impressed on us that humans have existed in the rest of the world for all recorded history and earlier, so they have no concept of a place "where man does not go except as a visitor."
Other than that little difference, I have to agree with you on most of the rest and I enjoyed the video! It is a highly subjective concept, especially when it comes to management. Do we let wild fire burn through it because that is natural? But the consequences of letting it burn through will surely alter the character of the land for 100s of years. What about trails? Without trails people will have trouble visiting that wilderness. And what about an injured hiker who needs to be rescued? Do we use a helicopter to rescue that person 12 miles out and stuck on a cliff face or do we let them figure it out or die because to rescue them would require using mechanized equipment? These are just a few of the many, many topics of wilderness management that we discussed.
We all have our own opinions on how each issue should be address in wilderness management and there is no right or wrong answer. Each of us have our own stake as well. Some are adjacent land owners, some are visitors and some just want to have the knowledge that there are places preserved for nature even if they themselves never visit. I could give my thoughts on all the different aspects, but then I'd be here writing about 20 pages of stuff that nobody would read.
I am extremely happy with the balance of how the United States manages Wilderness Areas. The ideal of having preserved natural places that are meant to represent "untrammeled" nature is an ideal that we should proud to have codified as Americans. I'm glad we have trails, but no mechanized usecases, as it hearkens back to pre-modern ecosystem equilibria.
I would quibble with your first paragraph, however; the Russian concept of zapovednost predates American discussion of Wilderness character, and even today their zapovednik system is arguably the most protected, most untrammelled, least anthropogenic system of preserved landscapes on Earth.
@@maxwellerickson7066 Thanks for that feedback on Russia. I imagine that my professor didn't visit Russia and that is why he said what he said (not that I'm making excuses for him).
What is challenging about the "untrammeled" bit is this: What happens if there is a fire on that wilderness land? If we let it burn, the character of the forest can be impacted for centuries. Do we allow that? What about if that wilderness butts up against a housing development and in order to save that development we need a fire break or some other intervention on the wilderness lands? Or what happens when a hiker calls/radios for a rescue in a place that would require mechanical means to rescue or retrieve then or they likely die without that rescue? I could list a few more examples, but you get the point. There are sometimes when human intervention may be desired from some interested parties. How would you manage in those situations?
I grew up in the Midwest with severe depression. Moving to the west coast and spending time in the areas "untrammelled" has been the best treatment I have ever received for my condition.
Great video, as always!
So glad you found help in these natural areas Sam! Thanks for the support!
0:51 1964 Wilderness Act 4:39 4 wilderness criteria 6:24 grazing grandfathered ☹️ 10:57 WA dismissive of indigenous / First People's history 12:43 no part of Yellowstone is designated wilderness
You're doing awesome work Cameron. I developed a passion for the American Landscape and National Parks as a way to connect with the history of the land and nation I live. I have read a few books and done my own research but your videos are immensely entertaining and are a hugely positive part of my day. In addition to showing the greatness of these parks you introduce and include their complicated and controversial histories, which is immensely important. Keep it up my friend! Your passion is truly shown in this content!
Thanks so much Stephen, that truly means a lot! I can't wait to keep bringing you guys more stories!!
I really appreciate your inclusion to the internal hypocrisy the legal language of “wilderness” has towards indigenous peoples. Very insightful.
Absolutely. One of the biggest reasons for an expanded definition!
I am an avid mountain biker and bike advocate, I work at a bike shop, I'm an IMBA member, and I regularly do volunteer trail maintenance.
I am also a hiker and I hope mountain bikes are never allowed in Wilderness Areas. There are plenty of places to ride bikes, but there are increasingly fewer places to enjoy the solitude of an area that can only be accessed on foot.
Excellent perspective, thank you!
I’m really glad that you covered this topic, and I really hope you’ll get a chance to discuss more opportunities for urban conservation. I spent some time working at a wildlife refuge right in the middle of a city, and realized that the US Fish and Wildlife Service is recognizing that these urban refuge interfaces are some of the best opportunities for new generations of conservationists, especially from communities who have been historically denied access
I'm fully on board with urban conservation topics and certainly hope to cover them in the future (I have plenty of ideas!). Urban places are some the best opportunities we have to get more people out into nature and appreciating all it has to offer. Thanks for watching!
@@NationalParkDiaries You’re welcome! Thanks for making this fantastic content :)
@@IbexWatcher You bet, thanks for watching it!
The Wilderness Act is a compromise. Mr. Zahniser devoted much of his life and energy to see the passing of the legislation in 1964 and he faced some difficult choices in order to get the legislation passed. Cameron, I think it would be wonderful if you explained how the Act finally passed in a Congress which is intricately connected to the interests of timber, grazing, mining, and even the privatization and commercialization of public land. It's a large task but I know you can accomplish it in time.
I am a staunch advocate of the wilderness system. I think the Wilderness Society has let the public down but groups like Wilderness Watch and Wild Earth Guardians continue to fight to retain the spirit of Zahniser's Wilderness Act in today's world. That "untrammeled" character is under constant attack and needs these watchdog organizations and their supporters.
BTW: I am a mountain biker and I oppose bicycles in wilderness areas because bikes, even people-powered, remove the wilderness character by their very mechanical presence.
Thank you.
I think that's an interesting topic for sure! There's so many angles to wilderness preservation and how the Act came about is certainly one of them! I chose to mainly focus on the outcomes of the Act and how the wilderness system works in this video, but there's room for more a bigger exploration of these issues. Maybe I'll fit it in to a video one of these days - I appreciate the suggestion and second your support for the Wilderness Preservation System!!
Very good! I'm glad you did a deep dive on this issue. Wilderness designation is one of the most powerful conservation tools available. I love the fact that there are still places that have remained wild and undeveloped since before the founding of this country. I have ventured out in to the wilderness of many places in this country and just marveled at the vast wild that still exists. There are countless times where I've stood on the hill out back of my house in Alaska and looked out at the vastness of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge wilderness. Miles and miles of wild Alaska, full of lakes, streams, moose, bears, mountains, glaciers, and the Harding Ice Field. It's a wonderful feeling to know that these places will exist in perpetuity due to the foresight and tireless efforts of people like John Muir, Aldo Leopold, Bob Marshall, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Gifford Pinchot and many more. Mmmm, wilderness pie sounds great. I'm all for a bigger pie! Thanks for another informative video, Cameron! ~ Mike
Alaska is by far the most "wild" place I've ever been! Even in places that are not "official" wilderness. But yes, I am also glad we had great conservationists before us who fought for these places to be protected so that we (and future generations) can enjoy them. Always appreciate the support Mike!
I really like that you do these videos. They are very informative and interesting
I appreciate that Brian, thanks for watching them!
I have backpack and hiked and several wilderness areas in the Rockies. I love the experience that Inc. has given me. Being in the wilderness area is like time travel backwards, this is what the early explorers, settlers and mountain men encountered.
Absolutely. They're glimpses into the past and protected for the future!
Cameron, your philosophy of conservation built on equity and a shared human experience is very powerful. Academia and legal scripture build incredibly dense definitions of conservation and wilderness, sometimes inaccessible to those who enjoy the American wilderness themselves. By breaking down the importance of conservation and equity you are doing a great public service. Thank you.
I appreciate that Andrew! One of my guiding philosophies on this channel is to make conservation and public lands issues as accessible to as many people as possible. The more people understand, the more likely we are to protect wild places. Thanks for watching!
Really like the new video set up’s. Give it a personal feeling. Love the vid!
So glad to hear that, thanks!!
One good sociocultural component of Wilderness is the creation and adoption of the Leave No Trace ethics which were developed in response to ecological damage caused by wilderness recreation.
Bikes should not be allowed in wilderness. There's some great discussion in the comments already but I wanted to add my own thoughts here as well.
Wilderness is managed for low traffic and to try to spread people out when possible (in theory). In practical terms this means you get the solitude of being quite alone. And this would be ruined to a degree if someone came speeding by on bike the effect would be somewhat ruined. Espcially if it's more than one person.
Also from a managment perspective, any trail maintanice is done with tools carried in on ones back, maybe a pack animal if you're lucky. Manager and trail crews have to follow the same rules and that makes thing hard sume times. Mountain bikes will cause more erosion on trails, creating more work to maintain them. And hardening them to survive that would be counter productive to the point of wilderness trails.
Some great points, I appreciate your perspective!
Cyclist here, have mountain biked half of the GDMBR off road, and road toured across U.S. three times. Mountain bikes should not be allowed in Wilderness. Reasons: 1) When trails get heavy mountain bike use they get severe erosion. 2) Mountain bikes and mountain eBikes are widespread now and make it easy for inexperienced and careless users to get 20 miles into the backcountry. The easier it is for certain people to reach wilderness, the more trash, erosion, fire pits, and trailside human waste appears.
I honestly think one of the best things that we can do for conservation is to just make it hard as hell to get to important areas. Those who care enough to make the trek will be careful with it, while the lazy assholes who throw trash everywhere won't bother. There is of course grey area to this for handicap accessibility mostly, but most national parks aren't exactly known for that outside of cars to begin with
Those are excellent points. I think you could make the argument for safety as well - more inexperienced people getting further into the backcountry isn't exactly a recipe for safe adventuring.
Loved the "mmmm Wilderness" illustration! That one will stick with me, whether I'm having pie or visiting an actual Wilderness! Your captions, footage and illustrations always help me learn and remember (visual learner here), while often giving me a chuckle. Thanks for another informative and interesting video. And where do I get an NPD hoodie or T-shirt?!
Haha, I'm sure I was thinking about pie when I wrote that into the script! I think we can arrange to get you a hoodie 😉
Great video, it’s awesome to see you out there in the actual wilderness.
Thanks Randall! I'm hoping to incorporate on-location filming more and more!
it surprises me you only have 44k subs. You make really great videos man!
I appreciate that! I'm just focusing on getting better and making good videos and I think the rest will come! I appreciate you being here!
awesome video! wilderness areas are my favorite of all areas thanks to their natural atmosphere uninterrupted by infrastructure and whatnot, but there should be way more of it out there for sure
Thank you!!
Haha yes. Poaching wilderness on mountain bikes usually leads to some epicness on trails hardly ever touched
I used to live next to two wilderness areas, the weminuche wilderness and The congressionally designated piedra area. The weminuche wilderness was very understandable as a wilderness area. But the Piedra Area had many roads and provided off hwy access between 3 different user areas. Once the piedra area was designed wilderness it forced users to access the forest on dead end out and back roads.
I guess where I was going with that is it seemed like the wilderness designation was so the forest service didn’t have to manage the area. The area was and is far from pristine, having bridges roads and camp spots. The forest service in the area is well known for mismanagement and shady practices. All that said I do truly support Wilderness areas just not the Piedra Area.
That's really interesting, I'd never heard of that before. It doesn't surprise me though that there are wilderness areas out there not fulfilling their designated purpose or aren't managed properly.
The wilderness is the best part of any National Park
Agreed! Even the "unofficial" parts!
Nice to see "A Walk in the Woods" there on the bookshelf. Thats hands down my favorite book. Love Bill Bryson
I contribute that book to my loves of wilderness, writing, and walking. Listened to it on audio book when I was in the 5th grade. The only book I can think to compare it to is The Hobbit. Has the same kind of epic excitement to it.
Love his stuff!
@@mattlukasik2486 Same here. My dad had it on his bookshelf and I read it when i was young and it really made me more appreciative of the outdoors and really gave me perspective about the things I used to see as trivial. It made me really want to try hiking/ backpacking. I live near the Adirondacks and now hiking up there is my absolute favorite thing to do.
@@NationalParkDiaries Yeah this book and " A Short History of Nearly Everything" got me into him and Ive read all of his books now. Such an informative and entertaining writer. And now that I think of it, he was my first introduction to non- school mandated reads which made me realize that I can actually enjoy reading outside of school.
@@gagependergast4514 I haven't read that one yet! But I like all his stuff, so I'm sure I'll enjoy it. He has such a great writing style, it's very easy to enjoy his work!
Pretty good treatment of the topic. Given that your previous video covered Shenandoah NP, you missed an opportunity to draw a connection. The Wilderness Society was created, in part, as a reaction to proposals to replicate Shenandoah's Skyline Drive in other wild places. And, as you say, the Wilderness Society led to the Wilderness Act of 1964.
Thank you! Yeah, I certainly could have made the connection. Some things have to get left on the cutting room floor lol, or else I run the risk of these stories becoming overcrowded. But, thanks for your feedback!
"We all are nothing but Mammals: let's do it as if we're on the discovery channel "👀✔❤
I was doing trail crew in Yellowstone, which is a proposed wilderness thats never been approved. The ranger we were under told us that they had universal approval to use chainsaw in the wilderness at their discretion because the crews were just that short staffed and the chainsaw saved just that much time.
That's interesting, thanks for sharing. Yellowstone is like the prime example for places that are wilderness in everything except law. Fascinating how those different designations affect management decisions!
I love your work. I didn't 100% agree with your take on the Bears Ears, but I love how knowledgable you are on wilderness policy and the importance of preserving our wild places :) Keep up the great work.
I appreciate it, truly! I try my best to give people the info they need to make an informed decision, even if they don't agree with what I'm saying. That's the beauty of these issues - they're complicated and there's more than one way to see them and try and solve them. Thanks for being here and contributing!
Ok, I see what you did there 😅 You put yourself into the scene 😉👍 That seems like a fair compromise, I could get behind that... I'd like to see you expand on that a bit... Get out of that chair and show us some natural scenes 😁
Haha yeah! Want to incorporate more of that going forward for sure! It's still early days for the on-camera version of the show and I'm going to keep improving and making things better! Thanks!
Great video Cameron, very thoughtful & thought provoking. I wonder if the Wilderness Act can be utilised in combating climate change? When you mentioned the oceans having little protections, it brought to mind The Great Barrier Reef in my area of the world. It's a Marine Park, a supposedly protected area. But as I'm sure you've heard, it has been having a hard time lately with warming oceans and coral bleaching. Much like how wolves/bison/antelope etc don't see our defined boundaries of wilderness or parks, our activities outside these areas don't magically not have an impact inside these areas. So by contributing to global warming, we are harming the "protected" areas too. Our greenhouse gas emissions enter these areas, change the climate, and alter the ecology just as any introduced pest species does. So I wonder if the Wilderness Act (or equivalent in other countries) can be used as a legal tool to help force action? Though I admit that's probably just a pipe dream of mine. We can't seem to get enough people & governments to have foresight enough to think about the economic impacts AGW will have or the hardships it will cause, so that idea is probably a bit too abstract.
Anyway, keep these fantastic videos coming. It's good to "see" you on my screen, it brings a more personal touch and feels more like a conversation even though I'm just listening. I think it was a good decision to appear on screen & it works well.
That's an excellent question Mark. Personally, I'm always in favor of more protected places, wilderness included. I think these areas play a crucial role in combatting climate change, but as you said our impacts outside of these areas still affect the ecosystems within them. In order to affect more wholesale change (in my opinion), I think what we need is a change in mentality. We currently have a very antagonistic relationship with nature - we see it as something to be dominated and brought to our will. I think there's a future for humanity where we have a more mutualistic relationship with nature and I actually think the Wilderness Act (and other equivalent laws) can have a role in brining that about. More protections for more places gives us a chance to understand these places better, which means we come to appreciate them more, which means we'll then fight to protect them. It's complicated, absolutely, but that's my outlook for the future! A hopeful one!
Also, so glad you're enjoying the on camera appearances! It's been great getting so much positive feedback on it!
As a mountain biker, I’m so glad that they are banned in wilderness areas. The amount of people who still go off trail just while hiking is astonishing to me. So that in conjunction with people on mountain bikes (whether intentional or not) would be terrible for plant life
Early to another awesome video! Thank you for all the content man. The forests of this country are wonderful and definitely misunderstood. Stay safe out there and have fun!
Thanks so much for watching and supporting the channel!
I love the part where he talks about how wilderness is hard to categorize it just shows how things never neatly fit into the neat human made categories
Definitely not! The Wilderness Act is great, but there's so much more to the idea of "wilderness" than what we've put into it. There's so much more wilderness out there if we just "look" for it!
I have long felt that human thinking about the world ought to be inverted. Rather than designating certain areas as 'nature preserves', we ought to consider the entire Earth a nature preserve, with human colonies inside it. Colonies that try to limit their impact on the surrounding preserve.
Intuitively this also makes sense, as after all it is this Earth's biosphere that allows us humans to exist. To consider these nature preserves as some kind of 'nice gesture', but that we'd be just fine without them, is the kind of arrogance that ought to have stayed in the 19th century, when man figured himself better than nature and animals.
None of which should mean that we'd have to give up modern-day amenities, but it would be grand if in our daily life we'd apply this inversion of thought more often. Human society as a part of nature, rather than as an antagonistic entity.
Agreed, especially the last line
👏👏👏
Couldn't have said it better myself! That's a big part of the philosophy behind this channel (and my own way of thinking about the natural world) and I appreciate you watching!
Good introductory video. It would love to listen to a video which compares approaches to wilderness in different countries - e.g., UK, western Europe, Japan, etc. and how these are linked to "nature conservation" (inc. rewilding / "libre evolution") and the way protected areas are managed (e.g. compare national parks in the USA and the UK). It would touch a lot on how your second tiers (socio-cultural) defines everything (i.e. the others tiers)... and are often linked to historical inequalities / oppression of groups of people on others (e.g., ecological imperialism of french and bristich people in Africa, notably regarding protected areas which are often understood and maanged as wilderness areas in the US legal sense of term) and the dominant, narrow western culture - nature divide (P. Descola). It also feels that the discussion could be expanded from a value / valuation perspective (intrinsic vs instrumental, etc.). I guess it can get pretty academic quickly but happy to discuss if interested.
Thank you! There's certainly no end to the conversations we could have about wilderness! I'm sure there are people much smarter than I am who have thought more deeply about these issues lol. But I love the discussion being generated on this video and certainly hope to do some more videos about the things you mentioned as well. Thanks for your contribution!
Wilderness= “ Where the Hand of Man Hath Never Trod!”
Thanks for doing this!
Thank you for watching!
Awesome video!
Thanks Trey!!
At canyonlands national park there was a plaque that described how a "wilderness" was legally termed. It was done by a president and an activist to stop some guy from creating a Dam and destroying the canyonlands area. The same event was what created the canyonlands nations park
Sounds like I'm going to have to make another video about dams on the channel 😂
@@NationalParkDiaries I went to canyonlands national park last month. At the park there is a plaque at the greenriver lookout at island in the sky district that described the creation of the park. The plaque described how someone wanted to create a dam that would have destroyed the canyonlands area. An activist and who if I recall corretly was in politics saw this and went the other way and joined with president Johnson to fight their way against this development. Johnson closely pushed for the park but as president couldnt do much himself until a bill arrived on his desk. While the park was the culmination there was much more involved including other bills which set precedents including legally labeling what a wilderness is. I just checked wikipedia and none of this is mentioned on the park's article. Not many people may know about this very important event which has shaped national law far exceeding just national parks but all of 'wilderness' and how it should be handled so it may be a good topic to make a video on.
@@rickson50 You've piqued my interest. I'm adding this to my list to look into!
Thank you. From a theological perspective, wilderness is the whole world, which is in/on the earth. We are entrapped by laws and words that the meanings are twisted What are your thoughts about beings in the national parks?
You have to love wilderness. I have watched it burn when a dozer line in the "wilderness" could have helped. I have watched crews saw trees that have fallen across the trail by hand to lear the trail for use. I love the wilderness because it is not trampled unconrollably by the feet of people. It preserves the land. Hoiwever, I think we could do a better job on defining it and using it as well as protecting it. A dozer line heals quicker than a burnt and dead forest. I also think there are areas to protect with a greater degree of protection and other areas that can be limited use and allow vehicles with propoer protections. There is nothing like finding your way into a quiet less traveld area via your vehicle to camp and let your grandchildren experience the solotude of a wilderness experience where another sould cannot be seen or heard.
It's a very complicates subject, absolutely. I think there's merit in an expanded definition so we can incorporate as many perspectives as possible and ultimately preserve places we all love. Thanks for watching!
Love the new camera set up in the park. And now I really want some pie 🥧 😩
Pretty sure I was just thinking about pie when I wrote that into the script 😂
THE SHIRT!!!
😎
Fortunately, wilderness existed long before the Wilderness Act, and in places never designated as such. Parks & wilderness require acts of Congress, WSAs & monuments don't. If a Congressman opposes a new wilderness or park in his district, the House won't force it. So, study areas and monuments, administrative actions, have been used to get wilderness levels of protection in vast areas while circumventing congress. WSAs here are 50 years old and are still going nowhere. Monument use policies are a whole other process than in the rest of BLM/USFS, so restrictions come easily. Then, Interior, usually NPS or BLM, starts a turf war with the locals over what is still a road and what are no longer permitted uses. It's followed with abusive enforcement, trips to federal court and immense fines for juveniles. It's about the power of the agency, not wildlands. Why would people be angry about all of this? Monument employees give up and leave the area. They kick-ass on the range, but can't take living with the fallout in town. Don't serve the fascists at Interior. Look at what they do to the Rainbow Family gatherings.... They are the enemies of wild places, things and people. Ed Abbey & Doc Kaczynski were right about them.
Nah wilderness is where you're able to kill noobs and claim their gear for yourself. For real though good video Cameron, hope that it reaches more :)
Hahaha, thank you! That one gave me a chuckle 😂
obsessed with the shirt
🙌🤘
Imagine without the wilderness act we might have a Dam across Yosemite valley, and helicopter rides to the top of Denali 💩
Lots of spectacular places protected with it!
The analogy of expanding a pie doesn’t make sense. Making a pie with different ingredients kinda works.
Even cities could count as wilderness because animals won't care about that city boundary Shure there's people but there's also food
Absolutely. There are certain species we associate more with cities now than "natural" areas, like pigeons, raccoons, squirrels, etc. Wilderness is never just one thing!
@@NationalParkDiaries and even peregrine falcons which are usually in cities stop nest and to hunt the plentiful birds and it turns out most pigeons in the US are actually feral and invasive because they are the domestic pigeon meaning it's probably better they stay in the city I'm saying this from a place that doesn't really get pigeons because I live on the west coast we have more crows, ravens, seagulls, and starlings which can be considered city animals in there own right same thing for geese, ducks, coyotes, foxes, feral pigs, squirrels, mice, rats, garter snakes, house geckos, and you might even see a deer or 2
hmm, i see the seek discomfort shirt :)
Love those guys 🙏🏻❤️
Just to head off the mountain biker comments... There is no such thing as a mixed use trail, the faster and stronger mode of travel will always dominate any pathway. Cyclists know this well when they travel on roadways, but they seem to forget it when they travel on trails.
God bless you
I don't normally comment on stuff, but legit that guy who thinks the national parks are unAmerican or something needs to get another hobby
I'm not a mountain biker but I think bikes should be allowed. They're not noisy and they don't pollute. But I'm open to having my opinion changed.
I think some of the main arguments against them are that they lead to a slippery slope of what's allowed (like e-mountain bikes), they impact trails more heavily than hikers, their capability for high speeds can lead to conflicts with other user groups, and the philosophical argument that bikes are too "advanced" for what the Wilderness Act intended to be places without too many modern human influences.
@@NationalParkDiaries Thanks for sharing
@@theamazinghippopotomonstro9942 You bet!
But there is also the fact that the centralized - federalized government which caused & promoted the majority of destruction & colonialization of wilderness - is now also "The Hero" of saving wilderness.....
We could have wilderness areas without a federal government (which we only created in preparation for the revolutionary war - centralize taxes & military power against britain)
Good explainer but you might find that the exploitation of the Wilderness Act by environmental groups to be a subject worth pursuing. There are many places that have been placed in Wilderness that do not meet the definition of Wilderness or the letter or spirit of the Wilderness Act. The Inyo Mountains Wilderness, Death Valley Wilderness, Darwin Falls Wilderness, Surprise Canyon Wilderness and South Nopah Range Wilderness (just to name a few) all contain roads, mining structures (ore bins, buildings, tramways and assorted debris like bedframes and old vehicles), mine shafts and adits, waste rock dumps and other obvious signs of human habitation and use. These areas should NOT be in Wilderness. In addition, placing areas that contain roads inside Wilderness prevents disabled people from accessing those areas. It's a travesty. Heck, near Tombstone Arizona, the town's water source and much of the pipeline are now in Wilderness which presents HUGE challenges in maintaining that critical utility. Wilderness areas inside the Mojave National Preserve has prevented firefighters for using mechanized ground equipment to fight fires. The Act and its implementation are greatly flawed.
The high pitched chirping sound in the background is nearly unbearable.
What the crickets when saying the act was silent on a topic, a litterally classic joke and idiom?
@@jasonreed7522 - Were they crickets? I honestly couldn't tell. It was pervasive and constant throughout most of the talking portions. Like nails on a chalkboard. Very distracting.
@@kscott2655 It's almost inaudible unless focused particularly on it, plus it's soothing tbh
It's just the wilderness ambience
@@SanilJadhav711 - That's your opinion. At 10:50 ish in particular, it became impossible to ignore. Not soothing at all for me. Grating. Distracting. No, I'm sorry. I cannot agree.
Plis rikord in jur kloset
Okurrr
That was not very complicated or difficult to communicate. The I suspect the attempt to complicate it is a post-modern/neo-marxist influenced subversion, instilled by your public indoctrination center also known as a university or public school. Simply suspicions in any case, not accusation.
Nope, just my thoughts after thinking about wilderness for a long time. I simply don't think the definition of Wilderness as laid out in the Act is enough to capture the diversity and complexity of the human (and non-human) experience when it comes to wild places.
Hey dad, what is WTF?
🙄👎🏼
Pretty low class title-- enough for me to unsubscribe.
It’s Ok Joe.
lol
Unsubscribing due to a title, talk about judging a book by its cover when you already know the author only makes the best.
We'll miss you!
Such an unnecessary comment, smh
I’m really glad you mentioned the native people. Cause they are the stewards of the land. And I’m glad you mentioned the oceans because all the world’s governments have neglected the oceans
That's one reason why I didn't want to only focus on the Wilderness Act for this video. It's a great piece of legislation, but it does leave some things out and I think we need to expand the definition of Wilderness to get a more complete understanding.