Why worry? Aren't our Wilderness Areas
protected from development under the Wilderness Act of
1964 once approved
and designated by Congress?
Many wilderness areas had private lands within their boundaries
at the time of designation—often due to mining, homesteading and
railroad grants. As long as these inholdings exist, there remains a real
risk of development or use incompatible with wilderness preservation
and protection. Federal law guarantees that inholding owners shall have
reasonable access to their private lands over the adjoining federal lands.
Development of inholdings is regulated (if at all) by local government
zoning and planning laws, and not by the federal government.
What are the adverse impacts caused by the development
of wilderness inholdings?
Fragmentation
of pristine ecosystems and environmental damage such as
air and water pollution, soil erosion, loss
of solitude and disruption
of wildlife.
Nonconforming uses such as aircraft landings and motor vehicle
intrusions.
Degradation of the wilderness experience
of visitors due to physical structures and human activities.
Conflicts between land owners and visitors, and public outcry associated
with proposed development.
Complex land ownership patterns
make managing wilderness more expensive and time consuming
for land agency
officials, particularly when there is controversy.
There are many situations where inholdings
have been developed in ways that seriously degrade wilderness
values and the experience of wilderness. We believe
that the only fair and legal way to prevent incompatible
development is to purchase these lands and transfer them
to public ownership. In numerous cases, the Trust has been
able help avoid controversies around inholdings before
they have developed. For example:
Trinity Alps Wilderness, California. In
the early part of the 20th century, several mines were developed
in what is today the Trinity Alps Wilderness Area in Northern
California, near Redding. The Grand National Mine produced
significant amounts of gold-bearing ore. The mine closed
in the 1930s, and the property now contains several million
board feet of valuable old growth cedar. The owner could
have re-opened an old mining road and logged the property,
but chose instead to sell this 240 acre parcel to the Trust
in 1997. Logging would have seriously disrupted the ecosystem
and dramatically affected the integrity of this portion of
the Wilderness Area. As of November 2004, the Trust has preserved
an additional 1,360 acres in the Trinity Alps, all of which
was threatened by logging.
Wild Sky Proposed Wilderness, Washington. In
2004 the Trust acquired a 200 acre property, called the Troublesome
Lode. This key parcel, which was purchased with the help
of an acquisition fund from the Catto Foundation, contains
rugged peaks, salmon streams and old growth forest. Last
year The Wilderness Land Trust was approached by the Wild
Washington Campaign to help with inholdings in this proposed
area. The Trust’s purchase has helped to bring land
ownership patterns into alignment with designation and will
protect the area from the threats associated with inholdings
should it be designated as wilderness by Congress. The Trust’s
work has also had a similar positive effect in several other
proposed areas in California.
Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, Colorado. This
area is one of the premiere hiking destinations in the United
States, and the East Creek Drainage on the western side is
one of the most popular access points. This trailhead, however,
was erroneously built on private property and could not have
easily been accessed from another location. The problem became
apparent when a “for sale” sign was erected on
the property. A fence or home would have been devastating
to wilderness visitors. The Trust was able to move in quickly
to buy the property and transfer it to the wilderness before
the inevitable public outcry developed. In total, the Trust
has preserved 942 acres in 25 parcels in this Wilderness
Area, much of which could have been developed as recreational
home sites and cabins that would have had a significant impact
on the experience of visitors.
There are many other examples where the Trust’s
work has simplified land ownership patterns; avoided political,
time-consuming and expensive controversies; and helped preserve
wilderness as it was intended to be, a permanent refuge from
human development. For more, see Wilderness
Protected page.
