Is subsistence compatible with wilderness?
A. Yes. Most areas designated as “wilderness” today are the traditional homelands of subsistence peoples. Alaskans have been living in and using these areas for thousands of years, and continue to do so. These areas would not appear pristine and undamaged today — and therefore classified as wilderness — if rural Alaskans had not been good stewards of the lands, fish, and wildlife. The lands are wilderness now, because subsistence is compatible with wilderness.
