What is a Wilderness area?
According to the Wilderness Act of 1964, wilderness areas are where earth and its community of life remains untrammeled, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain. Some mark is left in wilderness each time we visit, but each of us can make sure the mark is a small one. Minimum impact or no-trace camping should be considered common sense behavior in the backcountry. Permits are voluntary if one plans to enter the Wilderness on Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. They are free, self-issuing, and are available at all trailheads. If you park at many trailheads on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, a Northwest Forest Pass is required.
The Wilderness Act defines wilderness as “as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, or man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” The Act further defines a wilderness area as “land retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation,… which (1) generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man’s work substantially unnoticeable; (2) has outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation; (3) has at least 5,000 acres of land or is of sufficient size as to make practicable its preservation and use in an unimpaired condition; and (4) may also contain ecological, geological, or other features of scientific, educational or historical value.
There are differing definitions, for example from legal or biological points of view. The Wilderness Act of 1964, says a wilderness is defined by “its lack of noticeable human modification or presence; it is a place where the landscape is affected primarily by the forces of nature and where humans are visitors who do not remain.” In addition, a Wilderness Area is “composed of existing federal lands”. Defenders of Wildlife Headquartered in Washington, DC, this organization focuses on the nationwide protection of all native wild animals and plants in their natural communities. Their programs on wolves and bears are of particular interest to the Northwest. It has a membership of 200,000. National Wilderness Preservation System Northwest Wilderness Pages Northwest Ecosystem Alliance Headquartered in Bellingham, Washington, the Alliance was founded in 1989 to protect and restore ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest. British Columbia BC Wild BC Wild is a project of Earthlife Canada Foundation
A federal designation resulting from the Wilderness Act of 1964, Wilderness Areas are set aside from Forest Service Management and allowed to return to a natural state. Activities such as logging are prohibited Within the Cohutta Mountains are peaks that rise to 4,200 feet and more than a hundred miles of hiking trails. Within the Wilderness Area itself are 13 trails that total more than 87 miles of unusual remote hiking. Other than on the popular Jacks River Trail, it is possible to hike in this area for days during the Spring and Fall and not see other backpackers. Two rivers (Conasauga and Jacks) flow through the Cohuttas, forming the major valleys on the east and west sides of the Wilderness Areas. In the river valleys the flora is prolific. It is not uncommon to see a wide array of plant life, thickly covering any land that gets available sunlight. As the trails climb the mountains the plants lessen, mostly because the trees block the sun. The Chamber of Commerce Scenic Drive #2 i
