What are the values of Wilderness?
Recreation: Wilderness meets the growing demand for outdoor recreation, such as hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, watersports, and other activities. Wilderness areas protect watersheds that provide drinking water to many cities and rural communities. Wildlife: Wilderness secures habitat against the threats of logging, mining, drilling and road building for many endangered and ecologically important wildlife species. Solitude- Wilderness is a haven from the pressures of our fast-paced, mechanized society. It provides places where we can seek refuge from the noise, haste and crowds of modern life. Protection of Cultural Resources: Throughout New Mexico’s wildlands there are thousands of reminders of native and colonial cultures in unmarked and yet-undiscovered sites. Wilderness designation keeps these sites intact and prohibits looting and vandalism by unknowing or ill-meaning passers-by.
