Wilderness
Until there’s time for more personalized definition, let’s borrow from Wikipedia:
Wilderness is generally defined as a natural environment on Earth that has not been modified by human activity. Wilderness areas are considered important for ecological study, conservation, solitude, and recreation. Wilderness is deeply valued for cultural, spiritual, moral and aesthetic reasons as well, some nature writers believe wilderness is vital for the human spirit and creativity. [1]
The United States was the first country to officially designate land as “wilderness” through the Wilderness Act of 1964. Wilderness designation helps preserve the natural state of the land and protect flora and fauna by prohibiting development and providing for non-motorized recreation. Recreation and development in Alaskan wilderness is often less restrictive.
Wilderness designations are granted by an Act of Congress for Federal land that retains a “primeval character” and that has no human habitation or development. Approximately 100 million acres (400,000 km²) are designated as wilderness in the United States. This accounts for 4.71% of the total land of the country; however, 54% of wilderness is in Alaska, and only 2.58% of the continental United States is designated as wilderness.
There are 680 separate wilderness designations in the United States, from Florida’s Pelican Island at 5 acres to Alaska’s Wrangell-Saint Elias at 9,078,675 acres (36,740 km²).
