Proposed Wilderness Areas (PWA) for Los Padres National Forest

Santa Lucia Wilderness (not a PWA) in Los Padres Forest

Primitive areas in Northeast Oregon became Wilderness areas with the Wilderness Act of 1964. A quick look back suggests that simplified vision for nearby Eagle Cap Wilderness is not too far off the mark. It was newly designated that first year of the act. I grew up close enough I could see into the wilderness from my house. Hiking and riding trails, climbing ridges and peaks were all part of my exploration, a fine experience to grow with. The year of wilderness designation, I worked for the US Forest Service as a seasonal employee. I recall it raised little remark in our district that I was privy to as a ground grunt. I cleared and improved wilderness trail, fought a couple of wilderness wild fires and spent some leisure time as per usual hiking and camping in the high mountain lakes.

Toyon on Edge of Garcia Wilderness WPA

 Since 1964 many additional areas were added to the original Wilderness Act lands around the country and I visited a number of them from Dolly Sods in W. Virginia to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge wilderness 2004 and newly minted Wrangell-Saint Elias Wilderness in Alaska in 1986 as well as several more throughout the west (with less than 20 years between visits). In California for nearly 40 years I have lived near the Los Padres National Forest and visited the San Rafael Wilderness most of all.

Wilson Trail on Black Mountain

As you might imagine, I think preserving wilderness areas is a high priority for their excellent recreation opportunities. In addition I have come to see the importance of wilderness as preserved and protected habitat for wildlife and plant communities as well as a baseline of undisturbed nature for comparison with our living spaces; urban, suburban and rural/agricultural areas. Even though our “activities” have had effects everywhere; still there is huge value in this comparative difference with the less affected wild environments. How will the future generations know what has changed without something to check against?

Wren Tit with Toyon Berry

High Mountain Camp, adjacent to Santa Lucia Wilderness

For your personal evaluation of your wilderness values think in addition to recreation & habitat, the value of watershed protection resulting in pure water, the cleaning of the air you breathe and perhaps the source of a medication you now use or your grandchildren will need. Those are all important to you should you never visit a wilderness site or appreciate a wilderness photo or painting! I do recommend the psychological benefits of wilderness experience for stress relief, solitude and resetting the clock to see what’s important from time to time. Even viewing wilderness images turn out to help in that process of settling our psyche, our health and making us human.

I'll continue in the next post with more on the specifics of PWAs and the photo shoot I tagged along with this week.