Law Commons^™

A Preservation Paradox: Political Prestidigitation And An Enduring Resource Of Wildness, Sandra B. Zellmer

Faculty Law Review Articles

The nation's preeminent preservation statute, the Wilderness Act of 1964, is now 40 years old. By authorizing a network of congressionally designated wilderness areas on public lands, the Act has proved invaluable for protecting special areas from the most intensive forms of intrusion by humankind But the Act is facing a midlife crisis, and legitimate questions have been raised about its continuing viability as a conservation tool. This Article concludes that the preservation of wild lands remains an essential component of federal public lands management, but that the Wilderness Act, standing alone, has not fulfilled its promise of securing an …