Wilderness Areas of the Great Northwest
Regional General Interests
What is a Wilderness Area?
There are differing definitions, for example from legal or biological points of
view. The Wilderness Act of 1964, says a wilderness
is defined by "its lack of noticeable human modification or presence; it is a place
where the landscape is affected primarily by the forces of nature and where humans are
visitors who do not remain." In addition, a Wilderness Area is "composed
of existing federal lands".
Defenders of Wildlife
Headquartered in Washington, DC, this organization focuses on the nationwide
protection of all native wild animals and plants in their natural communities. Their
programs on wolves and bears are of particular interest to the Northwest. It has a
membership of 200,000.
National Wilderness Preservation
System
Northwest Wilderness
Pages
Northwest Ecosystem Alliance
Headquartered in Bellingham, Washington, the Alliance was founded in 1989 to
protect and restore ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest.
British Columbia
BC Wild
BC Wild is a project of Earthlife Canada Foundation, a non-profit conservation
group founded in 1986. It has with primary focus on wilderness protection and
sustainable forest practices. This site includes their commissioned reports and
mapping project.
Canadian Parks and Wilderness
Society (CPAWS)
Links to the BC chapter of CPAWS, an organization founded in 1963, and which focuses on establishing and linking protected areas, and making sure
nature comes first in their management.
Idaho
Idaho Rivers United
A statewide, non-profit river conservation group devoted to the protection of
Idaho's rivers, streams and riparian areas and the recovery of Idaho's wild salmon and
steelhead.
Ralph Maughan's web
site
Ralph's site has a page on what he call's "unprotected Idaho wild roadless
country". Written from an active conservationist's point of view, with photos.
Montana
American Wildlands
Located in Bozeman, American Wildlands' mission is to focus on the American
West, with special attention on the Northern Rockies, for the purpose of promoting,
protecting and restoring bio-diversity and sustainable management of the West's wildlands
and wildlife.
Montana Wilderness Association
(MWA)
Founded in 1958, MWA seeks to protect Montana's wild lands, National Forest, and
Bureau of Land Management areas.
Oregon
Nature of the Northwest:
Virtual Visitor Center
This page of the Centre lists Oregon and Washington wildernesses as found in
national parks, national forests, and Bureau of Land Management lands.
Washington
Nature of the Northwest:
Virtual Visitor Center
This page of the Centre lists Oregon and Washington wildernesses as found in
national parks, national forests, and Bureau of Land Management lands.
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