Domenici, Pete V.

English

University of New Mexico

Volume 29 
Issue 1 Wilderness: Past, Present, and Future 
Winter 1989 
To Commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act of 
1964 
Pete V. Domenici 
Recommended Citation 
Pete V. Domenici, To Commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act of 1964, 29 Nat. 
Resources J. 322 (1989). 
Available at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/nrj/vol29/iss1/25 
This Index is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at UNM Digital Repository. It has been 
accepted for inclusion in Natural Resources Journal by an authorized editor of UNM Digital Repository. For more 
information, please contact amywinter@unm.edu, lsloane@salud.unm.edu, sarahrk@unm.edu. 
TO COMMEMORATE THE 25th ANNIVERSARY OF THE
WILDERNESS ACT OF 1964
Senator Pete V. Domenici
February 28, 1989
Mr. PRESIDENT, I send to the desk a resolution to
commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Wilderness
Act of 1964.
When Congress passed the Wilderness Act, which President
Lyndon Johnson signed into law on September 3, 1964, the
United States charted a course like that of no other in the
history of nations. We permanently set aside for the
American people areas of wild land where the forces of nature
predominate and man is a visitor who does not remain.
Vast wilderness was our heritage from the time people
first came to the shores of our country. A free and spirited
nation was built in this new land. Establishing our great
nation required that some of the wild places be settled and
some of the wilderness bounty be used. Freedom to pursue
private enterprise was one of the driving forces in our
growth. Mining, ranching, timbering, farming, and related
land developments contributed to our welfare, our economy,
and our independence. Freedom to roam unhindered through
wild, pristine stretches of land helped shape our character.
Conflicts arose as the population and stature of our nation
grew. From differing views our land ethic evolved. The
creation of National Forests, National Parks, and National
Wildlife Refuges was a first step as good stewards toward
protecting our original inheritance.
Still, we had fewer wild areas as more land was settled
and put to use to meet the needs of our nation. At the same
time our land ethic continued to develop. In the past wild
areas were often viewed as places to be feared and conquered.
But, that has changed. Wilderness has been vital to our
nation's success. As more wild areas disappeared, wilderness
came to be viewed as a resource that must not be entirely
consumed. Discussions focused on the need to retain some
areas in a natural state.
A landmark demonstration of these discussions occurred
in New Mexico. The Forest Service, acting on its own
administrative discretion in 1924, designated the first
wilderness in the United States--the Gila Wilderness in
southwestern New Mexico. This effort was pioneered by Aldo
Leopold, who at the time worked for the Forest Service in New
Mexico. Across the country other administrative designations
followed.
Statutory protection for America's wilderness heritage
came in 1964, with the passage of the Wilderness Act.
Wilderness would be preserved. Wild, natural areas would
always be there for future generations. The National
Wilderness Preservation System, created by the Act, was
endowed originally with 54 wilderness areas covering
approximately 9 million acres in 13 states. Congress has
since expanded the Wilderness System to 474 units covering
more than 90.1 million acres in 44 states.
We need to commemorate our nation's accomplishment.
Wilderness is a cultural heritage. Preserving it has been no
small task. Decades of work by dedicated individuals,
organizations, agencies, and Congress have been invested in
balancing different viewpoints. Many people stand out in
that effort; they all deserve credit. I have already
mentioned Aldo Leopold. Being from New Mexico I want to
mention another individual that means a lot to New Mexicans
--Senator Clinton P. Anderson.
The late Senator Anderson, whom I was honored to succeed
in the Senate, worked with others for many years in forging
our nation's original wilderness legislation. He became
acquainted with the idea of wilderness preservation in
personal conversations with Aldo Leopold in the 1920s. On
January 14, 1963, Senator Anderson introduced S. 4 in the
88th Congress. He chaired the Committee on Interior and
Insular Affairs to which the bill was referred. It was this
bill that became the Wilderness Act of 1964.
We are proud of his contribution which meant so much to
New Mexico and our nation. There are now 24 wilderness areas
in New Mexico with the potential for many more. It has been
my honor to be involved as a Senator in the creation of 18 of
those areas.
The complexities of balancing differing viewpoints on
public policy means that our work is not done. Wise use of
natural resources is the only way we know of for the people
of a nation to thrive and remain strong.
Theodore Roosevelt once made a statement that serves as
a good reminder. He said, "No country can long endure if its
foundations are not laid in deep material prosperity which
comes from thrift, from business energy and enterprise, from
hard unsparing effort in the fields of industrial activity;
but neither was any nation ever yet truly great if it relied
upon material prosperity alone." Certainly, multiple-use of
our federal lands is vital. But, just as certainly we will
protect our wilderness heritage.
Mr. PRESIDENT, in conclusion let me recall a quote by
Senator Clinton Anderson. In 1961 he stated, "Like our
museums and our art galleries, our wilderness areas may at
any given time be visited by a relatively small percentage of
people, yet they are available to any who will use them, part
of our cultural resource as well as our natural heritage. We
should regard them as such and cherish them."
This year we will continue to work together on
wilderness questions. I encourage us to do something else
this year. Let's take time to commemorate the 25th
anniversary of the Wilderness Act. To this end I am
introducing a joint resolution. Several of my colleagues
have already cosponsored the resolution. I urge the rest of
my colleagues to join me by doing the same.
** * * * * * * ** * * * * * ** *


To Commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act of 1964

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To Commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act of 1964

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