Preserving Wilderness Now and for the Future

Imagine yourself ten miles from the nearest road in a surreal landscape of badlands and mixed grass prairie. You have not seen a single person all day. Your only company has been prairie dogs and the occasional bison. A gentle breeze moves across the grass like ocean waves. Not a single man made sound is audible. You are truly in a wild place; an area where the forces of nature rule and humans are a visitor only. It is a place where a person must rely on his or her own capabilities. This place is harsh and unforgiving, but beautiful and mesmerizing at the same time. The limits of discovery and self exploration are endless. All of this, and more, can be experienced at the 64,000 acre Badlands Wilderness Area.

The perceptions of wilderness have changed over time. Pioneers wanted to tame the wilderness, now it is being preserved for future generations all over the country. In 1964, Congress passed the Wilderness Act establishing a Wilderness Preservation System to “secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness.” In 1976, the Badlands Wilderness Area was created within Badlands National Park and is now preserved in a natural state for present and future generations. Today, the Wilderness Preservation System includes over 104 million of acres of federally managed land in nearly every state.

Specifically, “the Badlands Wilderness is an area where a visitor must rely on their own capabilities,” states William J. Supernaugh, superintendent of Badlands National Park. “But it is also “a vignette of primitive America—a place of discovery; of one’s personal capacity to deal with the natural environment on its own terms and the natural and geological fabric that forms the badlands ecosystem. It offers unparalleled opportunity to shed the daily grind.”

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Badlands Wilderness Area. Badlands National Park was established in 1939 as a national monument. In 1978, it was nearly doubled in size to 244,000 acres and redesignated as Badlands National Park. The Badlands Wilderness Area is the largest protected prairie wilderness in the United States. Badlands National Park encourages visitors to explore its wilderness on their own. Unlike many other national parks, Badlands has an open trail policy. No permits or registration is required to explore the wilderness. Visitors are free to wander wherever they feel safe. This also means that a visitor is must be prepared to deal with what the wilderness contains; extremes and changes of weather, an unforgiving landscape, and unpredictable animals. Help is literally hours away.

During the week of July 22 through 28, 2001, the park is sponsoring the first ever "Focus on Wilderness Week." During the week, special programs, exhibits, and activities will be available to help the public explore and learn about wilderness. For more information, please contact Michael Fitz at (605) 433-5244. To learn more about the park and its resources, visit http://www.nps.gov/badl. Click on IN DEPTH to get the expanded website. Wilderness is a resource that is protected for us and for generations yet to come.