The Public and Private Interest in Wilderness Protection

I am not one of those who finds his ideal summer cottage in Gary, Indiana, or who begins to feel uncomfortable if he strays more than fifty miles from Times Square. For the last ten years I have aver- aged at least sixty days a year in country most people would call wilderness—in Washington and Wyoming, in Alaska and Texas, in West Virginia and Tennessee. Overthe years, Ihave wandered far- ther out, farther back, and higher up in search of ever wilder areas. I have shared the wilderness with my closest friends. I have learned some important lessons from my time in the wilds, and I have come to know something of the structure of nature from the point of view of both scientist and poet. I have enjoyed teaching about wilderness as a leader of month-long backpacking trips for students. In short, I am a great consumer of wild places, I want lots of space, and for me there is never enough...