"When we strive to pass wilderness legislation, what we are really engaged in is democracy at work."
- Bart Koehler

Read an important message about patriotism and the purpose of wilderness from our friends at the Wilderness Support Center in Colorado.

For the Permanent Good of the People...

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Wilderness Act. When President Johnson signed the bill in the Rose Garden of the White House September 3, 1964, he created a new way for Americans to preserve treasured wild places from development.

The Act established “a National Wilderness Preservation System for the permanent good of the whole people...”

Now, fifty years old, the National Wilderness Preservation System is unlike any other natural system in the world. Rich in biodiversity, it comprises quiet deserts, hidden seashores, alpine lakes and ecologically-rich woodlands. You and every other American are its owners.

Arizona's First Wilderness

The Wilderness Act of 1964 also designated some 11 million acres of Wilderness nationwide. Here in Arizona, five Wilderness areas totaling nearly 600,000 acres were designated in 1964: Chiricahua, Galiuro, Mazatzal, Sierra Ancha, and Superstition.

Since 1964, the NWPS has grown as conservationists in each state have worked to get legislation passed to protect special areas. Just as the Wilderness Act took nine years, 65 rewrites and 18 public hearings, individual and statewide wilderness bills can take years of effort.

Arizona's Favorite Son a Champion for Wilderness

One of the staunchest supporters of wilderness was Arizona's Rep. Morris Udall. As Chair of the powerful House Interior Committee he was well situated to help pass wilderness bills. Through his vision and leadership, the NWPS nearly doubled in size as conservationists worked to protect vulnerable wild lands nationwide. “Mo” believed in building consensus among stakeholders, a tactic that is a hallmark of AWC’s work even today.

The Arizona Wilderness Coalition helped pass new Arizona wilderness legislation by rallying “adopters” for each wilderness area -- ordinary people with a passion for wilderness who worked to dispel myths, reduce conflicts, draw and redraw maps and win supporters.

Arizona Wilderness bills in 1984 and 1990 expanded Arizona Wilderness to 90 wilderness areas totaling 4.5 million acres, or about six percent of the land base. The legislation enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress.

Our Wilderness Future

Yet important wilderness work remains to be done. While there is much to treasure, vulnerable wildlands still need protection. AWC estimates there are more than five million acres of wild places deserving of Wilderness protection, including increasingly vulnerable wildlands near the rapidly growing West Valley and the Sky Island region of southern Arizona.

As federal budget dollars continue to shrink, our special places need the care of volunteers who monitor wilderness health, repair and maintain trails and remove invasive species. Our award-winning Wild Stew program is leading the way in wilderness stewardship.

As we celebrate Arizona’s wild heritage during this anniversary year, we must always remember that each generation needs to be introduced to wilderness, to enjoy it and to value and protect it.

Learn More

Read the Wilderness Act of 1964 (or you can download a PDF)

Explore a map of the NWPS

Learn more about Arizona’s wilderness areas