Wilderness Act of 1964 Created by Heather Ryan

History and Authorization The Wilderness Act of 1964, was written by Howard Zahniser of the Wilderness Society and signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 3, 1964.

Goal /Purpose The Wilderness Act of 1964, was an act to establish a National Wilderness Preservation System for the permanent good of the whole people.

Functions of the Wilderness Act This act institutionalized an idea, describing wilderness as “an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.”

Contributions Due to the Wilderness Act of 1964, the American philosophy made a drastic switch from “conquering the lands”, to preserving the wilderness. The original bill established 9.1 million acres of federally protected wilderness in national forests. Certain public lands became off-limits to mechanized vehicles and industrial consumption.

Legacy From 1964 on, rather than having to wait for land management agencies to make recommendations through a time-consuming administrative process, citizens could develop their own wilderness proposals and submit them directly to a member of Congress.

Bibliography WildernessActHandbook2004.cfm WildernessActHandbook2004.cfm l l TML TML S&sec=legisAct&error=404 S&sec=legisAct&error=404