WHAT IS WILDERNESS CHARACTER?
The Wilderness Act doesn't define "wilderness character," and despite a rich legislative history on many aspects of the Wilderness Act, the Congressional committees that developed and debated the Wilderness Act of 1964 did not discuss the meaning of this phrase (Scott 2002).
To develop a deeper understanding of the meanings of wilderness character, Kaye (2000, 2002) and Scott (2002) explored the historical writings of the framers of the Wilderness Act, especially those of Howard Zahniser, its principal author. This exploration reveals three mutually reinforcing societal ideals that are integral to the historical purpose of wilderness and to an understanding of wilderness character:
- Natural environments that are relatively free from modern human manipulation and impacts;
- Personal experiences in natural environments that are relatively free from the encumbrances and signs of modern society;
- Symbolic meanings of humility, restraint, and interdependence in how individuals and society view their relationship to nature.
Drawing from these ideals, wilderness character may be described as the combination of biophysical, experiential, and symbolic ideals that distinguishes wilderness from other lands. These ideals combine to form a complex and subtle set of relationships among the land, its management, and the meanings people associate with wilderness.
Given this broad understanding, it should come as no surprise that there are both tangible intangible aspects of wilderness character. Tangible aspects include such things as the biophysical setting of plants, animals, and landforms. Other tangible aspects include the trail system and presence of recreation facilities and buildings that influence the visitors' experience of wilderness. Intangible aspects include the feelings of inspiration, humility, and contentedness that visitors may experience. Other intangible aspects include the symbolic value of places left relatively unmodified for future generations; this value is important to wilderness visitors and to others who have never visited a wilderness.
In addition, there may be aspects of an individual wilderness that are unique and that contribute strongly to the wilderness character of a particular area. For example, a particular meadow or lake that provides a unique opportunity to experience solitude might be mentioned in the legislation or legislative history of a wilderness bill. Such unique aspects of wilderness character need to be recognized and preserved.
For more information on the background and description of wilderness character, please
see the following:
References Cited in This Section
Wilderness Character Monitoring:
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