Original subtitles

THROUGHOUT AMERICA ARE POCKETS OF LAND WHERE NATURE RULES...

AND MAN IS MERELY A VISITOR.

THESE ARE THE COUNTRY’S \h\h\h\hWILDEST PLACES,

\hPROTECTED BY A GROUNDBREAKING LAW CALLED THE WILDERNESS ACT.

\h\h\hFOR 50 YEARS, IT’S PRESERVED LAND

THAT’S BOTH INSPIRED A NATION \h\hAND SUSTAINED IT.

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHESE AREAS TELL AMERICA’S STORY,

FROM NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY,

TO WESTWARD EXPANSION,

TO GRASSROOTS CONSERVATION.

THIS IS THE AMERICAN WILDERNESS.

\hTHERE ARE MANY THINGS ABOUT AMERICA THAT ARE UNIQUE,

BUT THERE’S ONE THING \h\h\h\hIN PARTICULAR

THAT SETS IT APART.

\h\hTHIS WAS THE FIRST NATION TO PROTECT WILDERNESS BY LAW,

WITH THE WILDERNESS ACT OF 1964.

\hFOR 50 YEARS, IT’S PRESERVED PLACES AMERICANS LOVE,

AND THAT’S LARGELY BECAUSE OF ONE MAN

AND HIS DEVOTION TO THE OUTDOORS.

IN THE SUMMER OF 1956,

A WRITER AND CONSERVATIONIST NAMED HOWARD ZAHNISER

PACKED UP HIS FAMILY \h\h\hAND DROVE WEST

TO WYOMING’S GRAND TETONS.

\hHE’D JUST WRITTEN THE FIRST DRAFT OF THE WILDERNESS ACT,

WHICH HE HOPED WOULD PROTECT \h\hPLACES LIKE THIS FOREVER.

THAT SUMMER, \hZAHNISER WAS TAKING A BREAK

TO WRITE ABOUT FAMILY CAMPING,

AND THOUGH HE DIDN’T CLIMB MOUNTAINS, HE ADMIRED THEM.

HE HIKED WITH HIS WIFE \h\h\h\hAND FOUR CHILDREN

AND RELAXED BY THE REGION’S MANY LAKES.

THEN THEY DROVE NORTH \hTO YELLOWSTONE AND BEYOND.

ZAHNISER WAS AMONG A SMALL \hBUT GROWING GROUP

OF CONSERVATIONISTS \h\h\hIN THE 1950s.

\h\hTHEY’D SEEN DAMS AND ROADS AFFECT NATIONAL PARKS.

AND THEY WERE CONCERNED

ABOUT MINING AND LOGGING ON OTHER PROTECTED LAND.

ZAHNISER AND HIS FELLOW ADVOCATES

BELIEVED AMERICANS \hNEEDED A NEW LAW,

\hONE THAT WOULD KEEP SOME PLACES COMPLETELY WILD.

HE SPENT THE NEXT EIGHT YEARS \hWORKING TOWARDS THAT GOAL.

ZAHNISER REPEATEDLY \h\hLOBBIED CONGRESS

\h\h\hAND WROTE 66 DRAFTS OF THE WILDERNESS BILL.

ON SEPTEMBER 3, 1964,

IT BECAME LAW AND DESIGNATED 54 WILDERNESS AREAS.

\hIN 2014, THE LAW’S 50th ANNIVERSARY,

IT WILL HAVE PROTECTED \hMORE THAN 750 REGIONS

IN THE U.S. AND PUERTO RICO.

THESE PLACES HAVE THE GOVERNMENT’S

HIGHEST LEVEL OF PROTECTION.

\h\h\hSOME ARE WITHIN EASY REACH OF THE NATION’S BIGGEST CITIES.

\h\h\hOTHERS ARE BEST ACCESSED BY BUSH PLANE.

\hTHIS PILOT IS FLYING TO DENALI WILDERNESS,

IN SOUTH CENTRAL ALASKA.

\h\hIT SITS IN THE MIDDLE THIRD OF DENALI NATIONAL PARK

\hAND COVERS MORE THAN TWO MILLION ACRES.

WITHIN THE WILDERNESS,

\hSTRICT RULES KEEP THE AREA IN ITS NATURAL STATE,

AND VISITORS MUST LEAVE NO TRACE.

THE PLANE IS DELIVERING CLIMBERS HOPING TO SUMMIT MOUNT McKINLEY.

TODAY’S MOUNTAINEERS ARRIVE

THANKS TO SPECIALLY EQUIPPED LANDING GEAR.

BUT EARLY EXPLORERS NAVIGATED THIS AREA BY DOGSLED.

AMONG THEM WAS A WILDERNESS ADVOCATE NAMED MARDY MURIE.

SHE WENT TO McKINLEY IN 1922,

WHERE A BIOLOGIST NAMED OLAUS \h\hPROPOSED.

THEY BECAME AN INSEPARABLE \hSCIENTIFIC TEAM.

THE MURIES SPENT MONTHS \h\h\h\h\hIN THE FIELD,

\h\hDOING PIONEERING STUDIES ON ALASKAN WILDLIFE.

LATER, THEY BECAME GRASSROOTS LEADERS

OF THE CONSERVATION MOVEMENT.

\h\h\hFOR DECADES, THEY PUSHED FOR WILDERNESS PROTECTION OF DENALI.

IN 1980, THEIR WORK PAID OFF.

CONGRESS GAVE WILDERNESS STATUS TO DENALI

AND ANOTHER \h55 MILLION ACRES OF LAND.

ALL OF IT WAS IN ALASKA.

[EAGLE CHIRPING]

ONE OF THE STATE’S BEST KNOWN WILDERNESS AREAS

IS IN SOUTHERN ALASKA ON THE RUGGED PACIFIC COAST.

KATMAI PARK AND WILDERNESS

IS HOME TO THE WORLD’S LARGEST CONCENTRATION OF BROWN BEARS.

HUNTING AND HABITAT LOSS

NEARLY WIPED THESE ANIMALS OUT IN THE LOWER 48,

\h\h\hBUT IN KATMAI, THERE’S ROOM TO ROAM.

THEY DIG FOR CLAMS ON THE COAST,

THEN WANDER MILES INLAND TO FISH.

\h\hWILDERNESS HELPS SUSTAIN 3,000 BEARS.

IT ALSO PRESERVES A KEY RESEARCH AREA FOR SCIENTISTS.

\h\hTHE VALLEY OF 10,000 SMOKES IS HOME

TO THE BIGGEST VOLCANIC ERUPTION OF THE 20th CENTURY.

ON JUNE 6, 1912, A VOLCANIC VENT NAMED NOVARUPTA RUMBLED TO LIFE.

FOR 60 HOURS, \h\hIT SPEWED MAGMA AND ASH,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hDECIMATING THE ONCE GREEN VALLEY.

BIRDS FELL FROM THE SKY.

ALL THE MOSQUITOES \hWERE WIPED OUT.

THE ERUPTION WAS SO POWERFUL,

THE PEAK OF A NEARBY VOLCANO COLLAPSED, FORMING A CALDERA.

SCIENTISTS STILL DON’T \h\h\h\h\hFULLY UNDERSTAND

THE MECHANICS OF THE ERUPTION.

\h\h\h\hWILDERNESS STATUS KEEPS THE AREA PRISTINE

\hSO RESEARCH CAN CONTINUE MORE THAN A CENTURY LATER.

\h\h\hBUT OF ALL ALASKA’S VAST WILDERNESS AREAS,

ONE IS THE GRANDDADDY \h\h\h\hOF THEM ALL--

WRANGELL-ST. ELIAS.

\hTHIS REMOTE SPOT WAS PUT ON THE MAP

BECAUSE OF A MINING CAMP.

THE OLD MINING TOWN OF KENNECOTT

\h\h\h\hSERVES AS ONE OF TWO MAIN ENTRY POINTS TO THE WILDERNESS,

WHICH IS BIGGER THAN SWITZERLAND.

IT STRETCHES \hOVER FOUR MOUNTAIN RANGES,

INCLUDING THE WRANGELL \h\h\hAND THE ST. ELIAS.

\h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE MIDST OF THE MOUNTAIN KINGDOM

IS ONE OF THE WORLD’S \h\hMOST PRECIOUS RESOURCES--

ICE.

THE BAGLEY ICEFIELD LIES

IN THE SOUTHERN PART \h\hOF THE WILDERNESS.

IT’S THE LARGEST ICEFIELD IN NORTH AMERICA,

25 TIMES BIGGER THAN THE ISLAND OF MANHATTAN.

ON THE SURFACE,

SPOTS OF MELTING SNOW \h\hCREATE PONDS AND CHANNELS

THAT REFREEZE INTO BLUE ICE.

ONLY SINGLE CELL ORGANISMS \hCAN SURVIVE HERE.

BUT THE BAGLEY IS A LIFELINE.

IT PRODUCES GLACIERS,

RIVERS OF ICE THAT STRETCH IN ALL DIRECTIONS.

SIX FEED THE COPPER RIVER,

\h\hWHICH MAKES UP THE SOUTHERN BORDER

OF WRANGELL-ST. ELIAS.

THE RIVER CREATES STREAMS

WHICH DEPOSIT NUTRIENTS INTO THE COPPER RIVER DELTA,

AND IN THESE LUSH WETLANDS, \hWILDLIFE THRIVES.

EACH SPRING, THE DELTA HOSTS

THE LARGEST GATHERING \h\h\h\hOF SHOREBIRDS

IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE.

UP TO TEN MILLION BIRDS STOP HERE TO REST AND EAT

BEFORE MIGRATING NORTH.

\h\h\hTHE RICH WATERS ARE VITAL TO HUNDREDS OF SPECIES,

LIKE SEA OTTERS,

\hWHO GATHER TO DIVE FOR CRABS AND FISH.

ALASKA’S WILDERNESS IS RICH, \hBUT REMOTE.

IN THE LOWER 48, WILDERNESS IS WIDESPREAD,

AND OFTEN WITHIN REACH.

IN FLORIDA, \hHALF AN HOUR FROM MIAMI,

IS EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK.

THE PARK COVERS 1.5 MILLION ACRES

ON THE STATE’S SOUTHERN TIP.

84% OF IT IS MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS WILDERNESS.

IT WAS NAMED FOR A WOMAN

WHO LEARNED ABOUT THE EVERGLADES BY CHANCE.

\h\hIN 1942, DOUGLAS WAS ASKED TO WRITE A BOOK

ABOUT THE MIAMI RIVER.

\h\h\h\h\hSHE SUGGESTED THE EVERGLADES INSTEAD,

WHICH MANY CONSIDERED \h\h\h\hA USELESS SWAMP.

\hDOUGLAS DISCOVERED IT WAS AN ECOSYSTEM

THAT REVOLVED AROUND A RIVER AS WIDE AS THE STATE.

\h\h\hTHE WATER FLOWS FROM LAKE OKEECHOBEE.

IT FEEDS WHAT DOUGLAS CALLED \hA "RIVER OF GRASS."

TODAY, THE EVERGLADES PROVIDES DRINKING WATER TO MILLIONS...

\h\hAND PROTECTS 24 THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES.

\h\h\h\hTHE ECOSYSTEM SUFFERED A DEVASTATING BLOW IN THE 1950s

\h\h\h\h\hWITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TAMIAMI CANAL AND TRAIL.

THE GOVERNMENT BUILT IT TO STOP FLOODING ON FARMLAND,

\h\h\hBUT THE CANAL CUT OFF WATER FLOW.

HUGE PIECES OF THE EVERGLADES \h\hDRIED UP.

MANY ANIMALS, \h\hINCLUDING THE WOOD STORK,

LOST THEIR NESTING GROUNDS.

THE BIRDS MOVED NORTH,

\hBUT THE NESTING SEASON THERE WAS TOO SHORT,

AND THE FOOD TOO SPARSE.

\hTHE ADULTS COULDN’T KEEP THEIR BABIES ALIVE.

THE ANIMALS DWINDLED \hFROM THOUSANDS TO HUNDREDS.

TODAY THEY’RE MAKING \h\h\h\h\hA COMEBACK,

THANKS TO WILDLIFE AND WILDERNESS PROTECTION.

\h\hONE OF THE BIGGEST ENVIRONMENTAL EFFORTS

\h\h\hIS THE EVERGLADES RESTORATION PROJECT.

\hTHE MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR UNDERTAKING

\h\h\hWILL TRY TO RESTORE SOME OF THE RIVER’S ORIGINAL ROUTE.

THE WILDERNESS IS ONE OF THE FEW

\h\h\h\h\hTHAT EXTENDS ONTO THE OCEAN FLOOR.

THIS AREA IS PROTECTED FOR ANIMALS LIKE SEA TURTLES,

WHICH HAVE BEEN ON THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST

FOR DECADES.

OIL SPILLS AND POACHING \h\h\h\h\hTHREATEN THEM

THROUGHOUT THE GULF OF MEXICO.

\h\hBUT THEY HAVE A REFUGE EIGHT MILES OFF THE MISSISSIPPI COAST

IN GULF ISLANDS WILDERNESS.

\hIT’S PART OF GULF ISLANDS NATIONAL SEASHORE.

THE AREA CONTAINS STRICTLY \hPROTECTED NESTING GROUNDS

FOR THE MOST ENDANGERED SEA TURTLE, THE KEMP’S RIDLEY.

\h\h\h\hPEOPLE HUNTED THE ANIMALS TO NEAR EXTINCTION IN THE 1950s.

IN THE SEVENTIES,

THEY GAINED FEDERAL PROTECTION, AS DID THE GULF ISLANDS.

\hNOW, EACH SUMMER WHEN THE HATCHLINGS EMERGE,

THE COAST IS CLEAR.

\h\hTHEY’RE HARDWIRED TO HEAD FOR THE OCEAN, 30 FEET AWAY.

INSTINCTIVELY, THEY’LL REMEMBER THIS BEACH.

\hIN A DECADE, IT WILL BECOME THEIR NESTING GROUND.

THE WILDERNESS ACT IS DESIGNED TO PROTECT AREAS

LIKE THESE FOREVER.

\h\hTHE LAW MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT ONE PRESIDENT

AND HIS TIME IN THE NORTH DAKOTA BADLANDS.

TEDDY ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK IS HOME TO THREE WILDERNESS AREAS

IN THE WESTERN REACHES \h\h\h\h\hOF THE STATE.

\hIN 1883, ROOSEVELT BOARDED A TRAIN HEADED WEST.

HE WAS 24, NEWLY MARRIED, AND EAGER TO HUNT BISON.

IT WAS HIS FIRST EXTENDED TRIP OUT WEST,

AND IT CHANGED HIS LIFE.

ROOSEVELT SPENT 15 DAYS \h\h\h\hIN THE BADLANDS

WITH A CATTLE RANCHER \h\h\h\hAS HIS GUIDE.

AFTERWARDS, HE BOUGHT A RANCH

ON THE BANKS OF THE LITTLE MISSOURI RIVER

AND BUILT A SMALL CABIN.

HE INTENDED TO RETURN HERE WITH HIS NEW WIFE,

BUT FIVE MONTHS LATER, SHE DIED AFTER CHILDBIRTH.

\h\hHIS MOTHER HAD PASSED AWAY HOURS EARLIER.

THE BADLANDS \hBECAME ROOSEVELT’S REFUGE.

HE WENT ON WEEKS-LONG \h\h\h\hHUNTING TRIPS

AND THREW HIMSELF INTO RANCH WORK.

IN THE COMING YEARS,

\h\hHE WITNESSED OVERGRAZING ON GRASSLANDS

AS CATTLE RANCHING GREW.

\hHE CALLED THE MASS HUNTING OF BUFFALO "A VERITABLE TRAGEDY."

\h\h\hCONSERVATION BECAME INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT

TO THE YOUNG REPUBLICAN.

\h\h\hAS PRESIDENT, ROOSEVELT PROTECTED

230 MILLION ACRES OF LAND.

\h\h\h\hHIS FORESIGHT SAVED MANY OF AMERICA’S MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES.

ACROSS THE COUNTRY,

\h\h\h\h\hWASHINGTON STATE IS HOME TO A WELL-RECOGNIZED LANDMARK--

MOUNT RAINIER.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIT’S AT THE CENTER OF MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK,

WHICH WAS ESTABLISHED \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN 1899.

CONGRESS HAS DESIGNATED NEARLY ALL OF IT WILDERNESS.

THE AREA WAS IMPORTANT TO NATURALIST JOHN MUIR,

\hA FOREFATHER OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT.

HE CAME HERE IN 1888,

\h\hTO CLIMB RAINIER AND WRITE ABOUT HIS JOURNEY.

MUIR AND FOUR OTHER MEN

NAVIGATED TREACHEROUS CREVASSES AND ICE CLIFFS.

AT 10,000 FEET, THEY STOPPED \h\hAT WHAT’S NOW CAMP MUIR.

THE NEXT DAY, \h\hTHEY REACHED THE SUMMIT.

HE LATER WROTE THAT THE LIGHTS THAT SHINE FROM MOUNTAINS

"ILLUMINE ALL THAT LIES BELOW."

\h\hMUIR WENT ON TO HELP FOUND THE SIERRA CLUB

AND ADVISE PRESIDENTS.

\h\h\hHE SPEARHEADED THREE NATIONAL PARKS,

INCLUDING RAINIER.

100 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE PARK

IS ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S MOST IMPORTANT COASTAL AREAS.

OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK \h\h\hAND WILDERNESS

SITS IN WASHINGTON’S \h\h\hNORTHWEST CORNER.

ITS 900,000 ACRES INCLUDES

SOME OF THE NATION’S \h\hBEST PRESERVED SHORELINE.

THE COASTAL AREA IS SPECKLED \h\hWITH SEA STACKS,

WHICH SERVE AS HABITATS FOR 300 SPECIES OF BIRDS.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hLIFE IN AND AROUND THE WILDERNESS DEPENDS ON WATER.

BUT FOR NEARLY A CENTURY,

\h\hA RIVER THAT FED THE AREA WAS BLOCKED.

THE ELWHA SNAKES FROM THE COAST TO THE WILDERNESS BOUNDARY.

\h\h\h\h\hTWO DAMS WERE BUILT HERE IN THE 1900s TO GENERATE POWER.

THEY HAD AN UNINTENDED RESULT--

\h\hTEN SPECIES OF FISH COULDN’T SWIM INLAND,

TO TODAY’S WILDERNESS.

MILLIONS DIED, AND AN IMPORTANT FOOD SOURCE WAS LOST.

IN THE 1980s,

LOCAL CITIZENS LOBBIED CONGRESS TO REMOVE THE DAMS.

THE GOVERNMENT BEGAN \hTEARING THEM DOWN IN 2011.

TODAY, SOME OF THE LONG ABSENT FISH ARE BACK,

\hRETURNING A KEY PART OF THE FOOD CHAIN TO THE AREA.

FURTHER INLAND, THE WILDERNESS IS BIGGER THAN RHODE ISLAND.

AT ITS CENTER IS MOUNT OLYMPUS, PART OF THE OLYMPIC RANGE.

WITHIN THESE JAGGED PEAKS ARE 60 GLACIERS,

INCLUDING THE BLUE GLACIER.

IT FEEDS AREA RIVERS, WHICH FLOW INTO THE HOH RAINFOREST.

\hTHIS IS AMONG THE COUNTRY’S FEW REMAINING TEMPERATE RAINFORESTS.

\h\h\hTHEY ONCE STRETCHED FROM OREGON TO ALASKA,

BUT MANY WERE USED \h\hFOR LOGGING.

\hTHE FORESTS ARE PROTECTED FROM HARSH WEATHER

BY THE SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS.

\h\h\hTHE MOUNTAINS TRAP OCEAN MOISTURE

AND LEAD TO 12 FEET OF RAIN EACH YEAR.

\h\h\h\hTHE RICH VEGETATION FEEDS ANIMALS LIKE THE ROOSEVELT ELK,

WHICH ROAM THE AREA \hIN LARGE HERDS.

\h\h\hWILDERNESS GIVES ANIMALS SANCTUARIES,

BOTH IN THE NORTHWEST \h\h\h\hAND THE MIDWEST,

\h\h\hHOME TO A LAND OF A THOUSAND LAKES.

BOUNDARY WATERS CANOE AREA WILDERNESS

\h\hSITS IN NORTHERN MINNESOTA, ON THE CANADIAN BORDER.

\h\hIT WAS A SACRED PLACE FOR CONSERVATIONIST SIGURD OLSON.

\hIN 1923, OLSON AND HIS PREGNANT WIFE

SETTLED IN THE NEARBY TOWN OF ELY

SO HE COULD TEACH HIGH SCHOOL.

HE TOOK SUMMER WORK \h\hAS A CANOE GUIDE.

\hOLSON LED HUNDREDS OF FISHING AND CAMPING EXPEDITIONS

AND TAUGHT OTHERS ABOUT THE AREA.

HE BECAME A LEADING NATURE WRITER,

COMING UP WITH IDEAS \hAT HIS CABIN IN THE WOODS.

OLSON’S WORK INFLUENCED A GENERATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE

TO ENJOY THE OUTDOORS \h\h\hAND PROTECT IT.

\h\hHE WAS A LEADING SPOKESMAN FOR THE WILDERNESS ACT,

\h\h\hAND HIS ADVOCACY WAS KEY IN PROTECTING THE BOUNDARY WATERS.

1,400 MILES AWAY, IN NEW MEXICO,

A FAR DIFFERENT WILDERNESS

PRESERVES REMNANTS OF AN ANCIENT CIVILIZATION.

\hBANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT COVERS MORE THAN 33,000 ACRES

IN THE NORTHERN PART \h\h\h\hOF THE STATE.

\hCONGRESS DESIGNATED 90% OF IT AS WILDERNESS.

PEOPLE ENTER THE WILDERNESS \hTHROUGH FRIJOLES CANYON,

\h\h\hWHICH CONTAINS SOME OF THE COUNTRY’S

BEST-PRESERVED CLIFF DWELLINGS.

ANCESTRAL PUEBLO PEOPLE CAME HERE IN THE 12th CENTURY.

THEY CONSTRUCTED BUILDINGS WITH BRICKS OF SOFT VOLCANIC ROCK.

\hBEHIND THE STRUCTURES, THEY CARVED ROOMS INTO THE CLIFFS.

\h\h\hTHE PUEBLO SURVIVED HERE FOR 400 YEARS.

\hOVERPOPULATION AND DROUGHT FORCED THEM TO MOVE.

\h\h\h\hAT BANDELIER, THEIR LEGACY REMAINS,

PROTECTED FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

\h\h\hMORE THAN 600 MILES NORTHWEST OF BANDELIER,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWILDERNESS STATUS PROTECTS A UNIQUE VOLCANIC AREA.

CRATERS OF THE MOON \h\hIN SOUTHERN IDAHO

CONTAINS THE LARGEST LAVA FIELD IN THE CONTINENTAL U.S.

THE FLOWS CAME FROM FISSURES, \hOR CRACKS,

IN THE EARTH’S SURFACE.

\h\hRESEARCHERS BELIEVE EIGHT VOLCANIC EVENTS OCCURRED HERE

IN THE LAST 15,000 YEARS.

THE ERUPTIONS CREATED \h\h\h\h25 CINDER CONES,

\h\h\hEACH OF WHICH IS A SMALL VOLCANO.

\hA LOCAL EXPLORER RECOGNIZED THE REGION’S SCIENTIFIC VALUE

IN THE EARLY 1900s.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hHE PUSHED FOR FEDERAL PROTECTION.

TODAY THE WILDERNESS \h\hALLOWS RESEARCHERS

TO STUDY HOW NATURE HEALS.

THIS AREA IS HOME TO THOUSANDS OF PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES.

[SQUEAKING]

AMONG THEM IS THE PIKA, A RELATIVE OF THE RABBIT,

WHICH MAKES ITS HOME \h\hIN BROKEN LAVA.

[SQUEAKING]

200 MILES NORTHWEST \h\h\hOF THIS AREA

IS ONE OF THE STATE’S MOST IMPORTANT WILDERNESSES.

IN WESTERN IDAHO,

\h\hTHE SNAKE RIVER IS THE DRIVING FORCE

\h\hOF A WILDERNESS CALLED HELLS CANYON.

IT GAINED PROTECTION

\hTHROUGH CONSERVATION LEADER FRANK CHURCH.

HE BECAME A U.S. SENATOR IN 1957

\hAND WALKED INTO A HEATED DEBATE ABOUT WHETHER TO DAM THE REGION.

\h\h\h\h\hLAWMAKERS WANTED TO USE THE RIVER AS THEY HAD ELSEWHERE,

FOR HYDROELECTRIC POWER \h\h\h\hAND IRRIGATION.

SENATOR CHURCH WAS BEHIND IT.

DAMS MEANT DEVELOPMENT.

BUT AS COMPANIES FOUGHT OVER CONSTRUCTION,

HE LEARNED MORE ABOUT THE CANYON.

IT’S NORTH AMERICA’S \h\h\h\hDEEPEST GORGE

\hAND A VITAL ROUTE INLAND FOR SALMON.

THE FISH ARE A CORNERSTONE \hOF PLANT AND ANIMAL LIFE

IN CENTRAL IDAHO.

CHURCH LED THE CAMPAIGN \h\h\h\hTO STOP THE DAMS.

\h\hHE ALSO TOOK THE FIRST STEPS TOWARDS WILDERNESS DESIGNATION.

OVER THE NEXT 30 YEARS,

CHURCH CONTINUED TO FIGHT FOR IDAHO’S BACKCOUNTRY.

HE WAS INSTRUMENTAL \h\hIN THE PROTECTION

\h\hOF AN AREA 80 MILES AWAY, KNOWN SIMPLY AS "THE FRANK."

\h\hTHE FRANK CHURCH RIVER OF NO RETURN WILDERNESS

\h\h\h\hIS THE STATE’S BIGGEST PROTECTED AREA.

\hIT’S ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S MOST REMOTE PLACES,

2.3 MILLION ACRES OF UNMATCHED WHITE WATER AND WILDLIFE.

THE FRANK IS SO BIG, MOST PEOPLE ACCESS IT BY BUSH PLANE.

\h\hFROM THE AIR, VISITORS FLY OVER THE BIGHORN CRAGS,

\h\h\h\hJAGGED SUMMITS THAT RISE 10,000 FEET.

\hTHEY’RE PART OF THE SALMON RIVER MOUNTAINS,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWHICH MAKE UP THE CENTRAL PART OF THE ROCKIES.

MORE THAN HALF OF THIS AREA IS SO WILD,

THERE AREN’T EVEN HIKING TRAILS.

THE FRANK’S SIZE IS VITAL

\h\hFOR WIDE-RANGING ANIMALS LIKE MOUNTAIN GOATS.

THEY MUST TRAVEL LONG DISTANCES TO FORAGE FOR VEGETATION.

\h\h\hHERE, THEY HAVE THE HABITAT THEY NEED

TO MOVE BETWEEN PEAKS \h\h\h\h\hAND VALLEYS.

THE FRANK HAS BEEN VITAL

FOR PROTECTING AND REINTRODUCING SPECIES,

LIKE WOLVES, WHICH WERE BROUGHT BACK IN THE 1990s.

WILDERNESS HAS GIVEN ANIMALS \h\hA SECOND CHANCE,

BOTH IN IDAHO \hAND HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY,

ON THE CALIFORNIA COAST.

WILDERNESS LEADERS WERE \h\h\hMOTIVATED, IN PART,

BY RESIDENTS OF CITIES \h\h\hLIKE SAN FRANCISCO.

\h\h\hCONSERVATIONISTS BELIEVED PEOPLE NEEDED RESPITES

FROM URBAN AREAS.

30 MILES NORTH OF THE CITY

\hIS POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE,

A THIRD OF WHICH IS WILDERNESS.

BEFORE FEDERAL PROTECTION,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE AREA WAS USED FOR RANCHING AND DAIRY FARMING.

SOME OF THAT LAND USE ENCROACHED ON HABITATS FOR ANIMALS,

INCLUDING THE TULE ELK.

NEARLY 500,000 ONCE ROAMED CENTRAL CALIFORNIA.

IN THE MID-1800s, MOST WERE KILLED

\h\h\hBY MARKET HUNTERS AND GOLD PROSPECTORS.

\hBY 1860, THE ELK WERE THOUGHT TO BE EXTINCT.

BUT A CATTLE RANCHER \h\hHAD SECRETLY GIVEN REFUGE

TO THE LAST HERD.

\h\hIN 1978, THE ANIMALS WERE REINTRODUCED TO POINT REYES.

\h\h\h\hMORE THAN 3,000 NOW ROAM THE SEASHORE.

\hPOINT REYES BEACHES ARE VITAL TO ELEPHANT SEALS.

THOUSAND-POUND FEMALES COME HERE EACH YEAR TO REAR THEIR PUPS.

THEY NURSE AND NAP FOR A MONTH.

THEN THEY RETURN TO THEIR FEEDING GROUNDS,

5,000 MILES AWAY.

\h\hNEARLY 400 MILES SOUTHEAST OF POINT REYES

\h\h\hIS THE LOWER 48’S BIGGEST WILDERNESS--

DEATH VALLEY.

\hTHIS IS THE HOTTEST, DRIEST, LOWEST PLACE IN THE COUNTRY...

YET IT’S HOME \hTO 1,000 SPECIES OF PLANTS

AND MORE THAN 400 KINDS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF ANIMALS.

\h\h\h\hTHE AREA MAY BE BEST KNOWN FOR THE STORY OF THE LOST 49ers.

IN DECEMBER OF 1849,

A PROSPECTOR NAMED \hWILLIAM MANLEY

BROUGHT A WAGON TRAIN HERE.

\h\hHE WAS LEADING 25 PEOPLE, INCLUDING WOMEN AND CHILDREN,

TO GOLD COUNTRY.

MANLEY WAS LOOKING \hFOR A SHORTCUT.

\hINSTEAD, HE FACED ONE OF THE WORLD’S

MOST FOREBODING LANDSCAPES.

WATER WAS NOWHERE IN SIGHT.

THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF LIFE.

HE MANAGED TO GET THE WAGONS \hACROSS THE DESOLATE VALLEY,

BUT THEY COULDN’T CROSS \h\h\h\hTHE MOUNTAINS.

\h\hTHE FAMILIES WERE TRAPPED AND STARVING.

FINALLY, MANLEY AND ANOTHER MAN WENT FOR HELP.

\h\hTHEY THOUGHT THEY’D RETURN IN A FEW WEEKS.

BUT THE JOURNEY TOOK A MONTH.

AMAZINGLY, THE FAMILIES HAD SURVIVED.

THEY’D FOUND A SPRING \h\hFOR DRINKING WATER

AND HUNTED SMALL GAME.

AFTERWARDS, THEY NAMED THE AREA "DEATH VALLEY."

IN THE NEARBY STATE OF UTAH,

\h\hDESERT WILDERNESS LOOKS FAR DIFFERENT

IN ZION NATIONAL PARK.

\hIT’S THE STATE’S MOST POPULAR PARK,

DRAWING 2.5 MILLION VISITORS \hEACH YEAR.

CONGRESS DESIGNATED 86% OF IT \hWILDERNESS IN 2009.

THE AREA WAS PROTECTED

FOR ITS STUNNING ROCK MONOLITHS AND DEEP SANDSTONE CANYONS.

\h\h\h\hTHEY WERE FORMED MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO

\hWHEN WINDS BLEW SAND DUNES ON TOP OF EACH OTHER

\h\hUNTIL THEY REACHED DEPTHS OF 2,000 FEET.

TODAY, PEOPLE FLOCK \hTO ANGELS LANDING,

A 2.4-MILE HIKE THAT ASCENDS 5,800 FEET.

\hTHE REWARD IS ONE OF THE BEST VIEWS IN ZION.

\hAMID THE ROCKS IS A GREEN VALLEY,

HOME TO THE VIRGIN RIVER.

\h\hIT FEEDS THE SPARSE DESERT VEGETATION

AND NOURISHES AREA WILDLIFE.

68 SPECIES OF MAMMALS LIVE HERE, INCLUDING THE BIGHORN SHEEP.

THE ANIMALS WERE VITAL \h\hTO NATIVE AMERICANS,

WHO USED THEM FOR FOOD, \h\hCLOTHING, AND TOOLS.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hPIONEERS NEARLY HUNTED THE SHEEP TO EXTINCTION,

BUT IN 1973, EIGHT ANIMALS WERE REINTRODUCED TO ZION.

\hTODAY, MORE THAN 500 ROAM THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY.

\h\hWILDERNESS IS WIDESPREAD IN THE WEST,

PARTICULARLY IN COLORADO’S \hROCKY MOUNTAINS.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIT’S HOME TO ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK,

95% OF WHICH IS WILDERNESS.

THE AREA EXISTS LARGELY \h\h\h\h\hBECAUSE OF A KID

WHO LIKED TO CLIMB MOUNTAINS.

IN 1884, A SICKLY 14-YEAR-OLD \h\hNAMED ENOS MILLS

LEFT KANSAS FOR COLORADO.

HIS FAMILY HOPED THE MOUNTAIN AIR

WOULD IMPROVE HIS HEALTH.

AT 15, MILLS CLIMBED LONGS PEAK,

WHICH IS AT THE CENTER OF TODAY’S WILDERNESS.

THE MOUNTAIN BECAME HIS PASSION AND HIS LIVELIHOOD.

MILLS BUILT AN INN AND LATER \h\hWORKED AS A NATURE GUIDE.

\hHE WAS THE LEADING ADVOCATE FOR THE PARK,

WHICH WAS ESTABLISHED \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN 1915.

MILLS’ FORESIGHT MADE WILDERNESS PROTECTION POSSIBLE IN 2009.

SINCE MILLS’ TIME,

COLORADO CITIZENS HAVE \hPLAYED A PIVOTAL ROLE

IN PRESERVING \hTHEIR STATE’S WILD PLACES.

IN THE 1960s, THREE ASPEN MOTHERS ORGANIZED

ONE OF THE NATION’S

\h\hFIRST COMMUNITY-LED WILDERNESS CAMPAIGNS.

THE WOMEN MET \h\hIN EACH OTHER’S KITCHENS

\hAND PORED OVER MAPS OF THE SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHEY HIKED INTO POTENTIAL WILDERNESS AREAS

TO GATHER DATA.

\hAND THEY RALLIED COMMUNITY SUPPORT.

THEIR EFFORTS LED TO THE PROTECTION

\hOF MORE THAN 400,000 ACRES AROUND ASPEN,

INCLUDING MAROON BELLS-SNOWMASS WILDERNESS.

TODAY, THEIR INNOVATIVE WORK \h\hSERVES AS A MODEL

\hFOR COMMUNITY ORGANIZING NATIONWIDE.

IN SOUTHERN COLORADO, GRASSROOTS EFFORTS LED TO THE PROTECTION

\hOF GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK AND WILDERNESS.

300,000 PEOPLE COME HERE EACH YEAR

\h\hTO SEE THE STRANGE CONTRAST OF SAND AND MOUNTAINS.

AT NEARLY 750 FEET,

THE DUNES ARE THE HIGHEST IN NORTH AMERICA,

AS TALL AS A 60-STORY BUILDING.

THEY WERE FORMED OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS,

AS WINDSWEPT SEDIMENT \h\h\hBECAME TRAPPED

BETWEEN THE MOUNTAINS \h\h\h\h\h\hAND PLAINS.

\h\h\hTHE DUNE FIELD IS ONE OF THE MOST COMPLEX IN THE WORLD,

\hBUT WILDERNESS DESIGNATION ALLOWS PEOPLE TO EXPLORE IT.

\h\hIT’S JUST ONE OF DOZENS OF PROTECTED AREAS IN THE ROCKIES

PRESERVED BY EVERYDAY PEOPLE.

\h\h\hARIZONA IS HOME TO A PARK AND WILDERNESS

SET ASIDE TO PROTECT A SPECIES OF PLANTS.

SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK SITS IN SOUTHERN ARIZONA

\hAND IS SPLIT IN TWO BY TUCSON.

81% OF IT BECAME WILDERNESS \hIN 1976.

\h\h\hTHESE BIKERS ARE PEDALING ON THE EDGE OF THE WILDERNESS.

THEY ARE SURROUNDED \h\h\hBY THE CACTUS

EVERYONE ASSOCIATES \hWITH THE OLD WEST,

\hWITH THEIR DISTINCTIVE ARMS AND TOWERING HEIGHT.

THE PLANTS ALSO PLAY A KEY ROLE IN THE AREA’S ECOSYSTEM.

DEER, COYOTES, AND EVEN HUMANS RELY ON THE MOIST GREEN FRUIT.

SOME BIRDS EVEN NEST \h\h\hIN THE PLANTS,

TO STAY SAFE FROM PREDATORS.

\h\h\hTHE CACTI’S ICONIC STATUS HAS DOWNSIDES--

\h\h\hCACTUS RUSTLERS SELL THEM FOR UP TO $500.

NOW, THE PARK SERVICE IMPLANTS MICROCHIP I.D. TAGS,

LIKE THOSE USED IN PETS, TO DETER PLANT POACHING.

\h\hARIZONA IS ALSO HOME TO ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S

\h\h\hMANY PROPOSED WILDERNESS AREAS...

THE GRAND CANYON.

IT WAS ESTABLISHED AS A NATIONAL PARK IN 1915,

\h\h\hBUT WILDERNESS ADVOCATES BELIEVE

IT NEEDS AN EXTRA LAYER \h\h\h\hOF PROTECTION.

THEY’RE CONCERNED ABOUT DEVELOPMENT AROUND THE PARK.

\hTHEY ALSO OBJECT TO NOISE POLLUTION

FROM MOTORIZED TOURS.

\hSOME LOCAL BUSINESSES OPPOSE WILDERNESS DESIGNATION.

THEY ARGUE LIMITATIONS

WILL EFFECT TOURISM \hAND THE REGION’S ECONOMY.

FOR NOW, HEATED DEBATES CONTINUE

\hABOUT ONE OF THE NATION’S MOST ICONIC PARKS.

\h\h\hTHE COUNTRY’S FIRST NATIONAL PARK

IS ALSO PROPOSED WILDERNESS.

\hTHREE MILLION PEOPLE VISIT YELLOWSTONE EACH YEAR

\h\hTO SEE ITS GEYSERS AND OTHER GEOTHERMIC DISPLAYS.

\hCOMPANIES ARE VYING TO DRILL FOR OIL AND GAS NEARBY.

BUT ENVIRONMENTALISTS BELIEVE

\hDRILLING WOULD DAMAGE KEY WILDLIFE HABITATS.

YELLOWSTONE IS ONE OF THE ONLY PLACES IN THE CONTINENTAL U.S.

WHERE ALL THE MAJOR PREDATORS \hARE STILL PRESENT.

IT’S ALSO HOME TO THOUSANDS \hOF ELK AND BISON,

\hWHICH WERE NEARLY EXTINCT IN THE LATE 1800s.

TODAY, YELLOWSTONE CONTAINS

\hTHE LARGEST BISON POPULATION IN THE COUNTRY.

THE ANIMALS \hHAVE INHABITED THIS LAND

SINCE PREHISTORIC TIMES.

FOR NOW, ENVIRONMENTALISTS \hCONTINUE TO PUSH

FOR WILDERNESS DESIGNATION

\h\h\h\hIN YELLOWSTONE AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

THEIR WORK CONTINUES THE EFFORTS

EFFORTS THAT NOW PROTECT

MORE THAN 100 MILLION ACRES \hOF LAND.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWILDERNESS PRESERVES THE COUNTRY’S ANCIENT HISTORY...

AND PROVIDES RESOURCES FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.

THE NATION’S WILDEST PLACES

REMIND US OF AMERICA’S \h\h\h\hPIONEERING SPIRIT

AND ITS EXTRAORDINARY LEADERS.

\hTHEY TELL STORIES OF MEN WHO CONQUERED MOUNTAINS...

AND WOMEN WHO BROKE THE MOLD.

MOST OF ALL,

AMERICA’S WILDERNESS IS THE PEOPLE’S WILDERNESS...

PROTECTED AND PRESERVED FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.