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The Importance Of Wilderness

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Wilderness belongs to you. Guess who owns millions of acres of American wildlands? You. You own magnificent red-rock canyons and beautiful turquoise rivers. You own barren desert plains and looming jagged mountain peaks. You own frozen Arctic tundra, endless southern wildflower fields and refreshing cool northern forests. All these iconic wild places are part of your "great American backyard." Wilderness is a type of protection given to the most pristine wildlands left on Earth — areas within national parks, forests, recreation areas and other wildlands where there are no roads or development. On the global level, many people recognize the wisdom in preserving wilderness simply because the Earth itself is our home and should be respected and honored.
Wilderness is a home for wildlife. In addition to being our home, wilderness is a critical habitat for wildlife. Obviously wilderness provides wildlife with homes, but it is also essential in providing migration routes and breeding grounds for many animal species. More than half of the ecosystems in the United States exist within designated wilderness. Therefore, without designated wilderness, it would be virtually impossible to ensure the protection of species. We all love seeing the delighted look of tourists who come back from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area telling stories of seeing a moose, wolf, loon, or bear for the first time!
Wilderness cleans our air and water. Wilderness areas filter and clean the air we breathe and

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