These benefits have come not only in the form of cleaner land, but also cleaner entertainment. Wilderness areas protect sources of clean water and air. They provide protection for endangered wildlife and flora. Just as importantly, these wilderness areas give us places to hike, bike, fish and ski as well as take in the unfiltered and unadulterated essence of nature.
It is important to note that the Wilderness Act led to real economic benefits as well. Of course, there is a tourism industry that grows to support people visiting wilderness areas. But people don’t want to just occasionally visit the wilderness; they want to live near it. A study done by The Wilderness Society in 2004 found that property values per acre are 19 percent higher in areas containing a wilderness area, and that land prices fell 0.33 percent with every kilometer farther from a wilderness boundary.
The 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act has been marked by more than 800 community-level events nationwide and the flagship conference/celebration took place here in Albuquerque last October. The gathering of the wilderness community involved presentations, panels, film showings, organized hikes, trail cleanups, canoeing adventures and other forms of merrymaking. The event was capped off with a public “Get Wild” festival at Civic Plaza. Aiming to be immersive and entertaining, the festival featured a Wilderness Passport Scavenger hunt that encouraged participants to interact with the various organizations present and was headlined by a performance from Grateful Dead tribute band Let It Grow.
One of the finest features was a showing of the film, “Wrenched,” which is about Edward Abbey’s flavor of environmental activism and the legacy of his work. Abbey is a UNM alumnus who spent much of his life here in New Mexico, receiving a bachelor’s and master’s in philosophy. Abbey’s work as an early leader of the American environmental movement has served as an inspiration for many in his wake.
I hope that people will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act by experiencing its legacy for themselves. New Mexico is a beautiful state, covered in an abundance of wilderness areas waiting to be explored. There is a reason that the Gila Wilderness in the southwest corner of the state was the first wilderness area to be created in the world. The area was stunning in 1924, and it is stunning now.
Thank you to the Wilderness Act for keeping New Mexico enchanting.
Michael Neville is a member of the UNM Wilderness Alliance.
