Wilderness Act Celebrates 40th Anniversary
IOWA NEWS SERVICE
September 3, 2004

Washington D.C. --- The Wilderness Act was signed into law on September 3,
1964.  Forty years later, the amount of land set aside nationally has grown,
but Iowa is one of only six states with none. Comments from Mike Matz,
executive director of the Campaign for America's Wilderness.

Suggested script: WHEN THE WILDERNESS ACT WAS SIGNED INTO LAW 40 YEARS AGO,
NINE MILLION ACRES WAS SET ASIDE FOR PRESERVATION.  TODAY, IT'S GROWN TO
OVER 100 MILLION ACRES.  IOWA IS ONE OF ONLY SIX STATES WITH NO WILDERNESS
ACREAGE.  MIKE MATZ WITH THE CAMPAIGN FOR AMERICA'S WILDERNESS SAYS THAT
DOESN'T MEAN IOWANS ARE LEFT OUT; MANY WILDERNESS AREAS ARE CLOSE BY.
Actuality Cut #50%%ID%% (TRT: 17) "Obviously, Iowans enjoy going to the
Boundaries Waters, for instance, in Northern Minnesota, or coming to
Colorado to see its beautiful wilderness areas. Even though Iowans don't
have their own wilderness, they do enjoy the benefits that we see in other
states."

MATZ SAYS MUCH HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED IN SAVING PRECIOUS NATURAL TREASURES
OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS.
Actuality Cut #51%%ID%% (TRT :11) "It's been a success all the way around.
There are some things that we could do better.  We hope that we left the
National Wilderness Preservation System in better shape than it was handed
down to us."
THE CAMPAIGN FOR AMERICA'S WILDERNESS IS KICKING OFF A PUBLIC SERVICE AD
CAMPAIGN FEATURING BONNIE RAITT (RATE), EMMYLOU HARRIS AND CHRISTOPHER REEVE
TO HELP CELEBRATE THE WILDERNESS ACT'S 40TH ANNIVERSARY.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: Campaign for America's Wilderness

On September 3, 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Wilderness Act.
The Act created the National Wilderness Preservation System to "...secure
for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an
enduring resource of wilderness." Now, 40 years later, over 105 million
acres of land in the U.S. are protected as wilderness.

The Wilderness Act created a common definition for lands to be classified as
Wilderness Areas and provided a process for citizens to petition lawmakers
to include lands for protection.  Wilderness areas were defined as "an area
where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man
himself is a visitor who does not remain."  And each addition to the
National Wilderness Preservations System, literally, requires an act of
Congress.

Organizations and individuals across the country are directly involved with
the addition of lands to the System.  Passionate advocates for the outdoors
and outdoor recreation follow in the footsteps of the Act's visionary
founders. The Wilderness Act was the product of decades of labor of a number
of extraordinary Americans.  Aldo Leopold, Bob Marshall, and Howard Zahniser
all were instrumental in the passage of the act, but failed to live to see
it enacted.

"The richest value of wilderness lie not in the days of Daniel Boone, nor
even in the present but rather in the future." -Aldo Leopold

"For me, and for thousands with similar inclinations, the most important
passion of life is the overpowering desire to escape periodically from the
clutches of a mechanistic civilization. To us the enjoyment of solitude,
complete independence, and the beauty of undefiled panoramas is absolutely
essential to happiness."
-Bob Marshall

Wilderness Facts
Current Number of Wilderness Areas: 662
Smallest Wilderness: Pelican Island, Florida (5 acres)
Largest Wilderness: Wrangell-Saint Elias, Alaska (9,078,675 acres)
Percent of U.S. Land Protected: approximately 4.7% (less than 3% outside
Alaska)
States with no designated Wilderness Areas: Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa,
Kansas, Maryland and Rhode Island
Activities Permitted in Wilderness Areas: Hiking, camping, horseback riding,
canoeing, hunting, fishing, and livestock grazing

Ways to Celebrate the 40th Anniversary
Find Wilderness events near you:
http://www.wildernessforever.org/calendar/index.html
Read our 40th anniversary e-newsletter:
http://leaveitwild.org/newsletter/sept_04/
Subscribe to our e-newsletter:
http://action.leaveitwild.org/emailonlyjoin.asp
Visit Showtime's American Candidate website:
http://www.sho.com/site/americancandidate/home.do
Campaign for America's Wilderness will be featured the week of September
6 -12.

And, most important of all, take a moment to pat yourself on the back for
the actions you have taken and the work you have done - and will do - to
protect a legacy of clean air and water, native wildlife, and spectacular
wilderness for future generations.

Mike Matz
Executive Director
Campaign for America's Wilderness

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