Home > Wilderness area

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) classifies wilderness at two levels, Ia (Strict Nature Preserves) and Ib (Wilderness areas).

Most scientists and conservationists agree that there is no place on earth that is completely untouched by humanity, either due to past occupation by indigenous people, or through global processes such as climate change. Activities on the margins of specific wilderness areas, such as fire suppression and the interruption of animal migration also affect the interior of wildernesses.

1 Wilderness areas in the United States

In the United States, a wilderness area is an area within federal lands which is set aside by statute as a nature preserve. Human activities in wilderness areas are restricted to scientific study, hiking and camping; horses are permitted but motorized vehicles and equipment are not.

The National Wilderness Preservation System coordinates the wilderness activities of four federal agencies - Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Wilderness areas are parts of national parks, wildlife refuges, national forests and may include land in several diferent units managed by different agencies. There are 662 wilderness areas in the U.S., preserving 105 million acres ( 430,000 km²). This is approximately five percent of the entire United States. Wilderness areas exist in 44 of the 50 states.

Most U.S. wilderness areas are in National Forests but the largest amount of wilderness land is administered by the National Park Service. The largest contiguous wilderness complex in the United States is the Noatak and Gates of the Arctic Wilderness es in AlaskaOn January 3, 1959, Alaska was admitted to the United States as the 49th state. The population of the state is 626,932, as of 2000. The name "Alaska" is most likely derived from the Aleut word for "great country" or "mainland. The natives called it "Alyes at 12,743,329 acres (51,570 km); the largest wilderness area outside Alaska is the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Area in central IdahoIdaho ( In Detail) (Full size) State nickname: Gem State Other U. States Capital Boise Largest City Boise Governor Dirk Kempthorne Area Total Land Water % water Ranked 14th 216,632 km²214,499 km² 2,133 km²1% Population Total ( 2000) Density Ranked 39th1,2.

2 See also

• Land useLand use is the pattern of construction and activity land is used for. Patterns of land use arise naturally in a culture though customs and practices, but land use may also be formally regulated by Zoning, other laws or private agreements such as restrict
• National Outdoor Leadership SchoolThe National Outdoor Leadership School more commonly known as NOLS is a non-profit school dedicated to teaching about nature and about leadership in a wilderness setting. NOLS runs courses on five continents, and has courses for almost all wilderness envi (NOLS) — A U.S.-based wilderness education program
• List of U.S. wilderness areasFour federal agencies of the United States government administer the National Wilderness Preservation System, which includes 662 wilderness areas and 105,695,176 acres (427,733 km²). These agencies are: United States Forest Service United States National