Frequently Asked Questions About California Wilderness
The essential facts about wilderness are spelled out in The Wilderness Act of 1964, arguably one of the most visionary laws produced by the United States Congress. Some commonly asked questions are answered below.
How can I help protect Riverside County’s remaining wilderness areas?
Just contact the California Desert and Mountain Wilderness Campaign. We are currently working with organizations and individuals from across the state to demonstrate the broad public support for wilderness preservation.
What is Wilderness?
The Wilderness Act describes wilderness as “an area of undeveloped federal land” which “generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man’s work substantially unnoticeable….” The Act recognizes wilderness as “an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.”
Why designate wilderness?
Wilderness areas are established “to ensure that an increasing population, accompanied by expanding settlement and growing mechanization, does not occupy and modify all areas within the United States and its possessions, leaving no lands designated for preservation and protection in their natural condition.”
Today, Wilderness is designated for a variety of benefits including clean water and air, refuge for rare plants and animals as well as recreation.
How is wilderness designated?
Only Congress can add lands to the National Wilderness Preservation System. While land management agencies can make recommendations, Congress and the President have the final say on wilderness designations.
What activities are allowed in Wilderness areas?
Hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, picnicking, kayaking and canoeing, swimming, backpacking, horseback riding, rafting, skiing, snow-shoeing, bird-watching, and many other forms of recreation are allowed in wilderness areas. Any form of non-mechanized use is generally permitted, and motorized travel is allowed in cases of emergencies.
Are hunting and fishing allowed in wilderness?
Yes. Hunting and fishing in wilderness are subject to the same California Department of Fish and Game rules that apply elsewhere. The only exception is that game carts cannot be used. Many hunters and anglers prefer to visit wilderness because the pristine environment supports larger, healthier fish and game populations.
Are wheelchairs allowed in wilderness?
Yes, including electric wheelchairs.
What activities are prohibited in wilderness areas?
Wilderness areas are managed to retain their natural character, and are closed to activities that may harm the integrity of the landscape, such as logging, road-building, and use mechanized vehicles like snowmobiles, off-road vehicles, dirt bikes, and mountain bikes, except in emergencies. Commercial activities that do not enhance visitors' enjoyment of wilderness areas are also restricted.
Are mining and grazing allowed in wilderness?
Mining and grazing are allowed, so long as their use (or claim to future use) was established before designation as wilderness. Land management agencies may require additional environmental safeguards to protect the natural integrity of the wilderness area.
How much of our nation’s land is federally protected as Wilderness?
More than 107 million acres of public lands are protected as wilderness by law today – less than five percent of our nation’s cherished landmass. Seven of every eight acres of wilderness quality public land administered on behalf of Americans by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management currently lacks legal protection as wilderness.
How much wilderness is designated in California?
Currently, California contains approximately 14 million acres of federal wilderness. This includes six million acres managed by the National Park Service, 4.4 million acres managed by the Forest Service, and 3.6 million acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
Won't wilderness make my favorite hiking spot too popular?
Even the most obscure wild places will receive more visitors once they appear on tourist maps. However, this is a small price to pay for permanent protection. Many places that are far from urban areas will never be overrun with people.
Who manages an area once it becomes wilderness?
The same land management agency that administered the area before it became wilderness will continue to manage it, unless Congress decides otherwise.
How does wilderness influence fire management?
Land managers are allowed to use all available methods (including bulldozers and other heavy equipment) to suppress wildfires in wilderness if they feel human lives and property are threatened. If agency authorities deem them necessary, presuppression projects can also be undertaken in wilderness.
What about private property?
Wilderness designations only apply to federally owned lands. Private land may be contained within designated wilderness areas, but management restrictions for wilderness areas--such as prohibitions on logging and road construction--do not apply to private land.
The Wilderness Act also requires that federal land management agencies "assure adequate access" to parcels of private property within wilderness areas. The Act does not allow the government to take over private land. It only provides for federal acquisition if there is a willing seller, and Congress approves the acquisition. If you own property that is surrounded by federal land, then you are guaranteed reasonable access to your land whether or not it is inside a wilderness area. If you have a road accessing your property, for example, then you may continue to drive it. Other members of the public will not be able to drive on your access route if it is included in a wilderness.
To learn more, contact the California Desert and Mountain Wilderness Campaign at (760) 920-3391 or shane@californiawild.org.