Definition Of Wilderness

Wilderness has many definitions, and they tend to change through time. Back when we were still exploring this country, it was seen as an evil place where it is hard to survive. This was until later on when we realized the potential abundance of resources that wilderness has to offer us. Once we started using and abusing the wilderness and its resources, there was a shift in definition from a place of resources to a place of beauty and rarity. Today, wilderness is defined as an area of land 5,000 acres or more, where man’s presence is not easily noticed, where you can be in solitude or have potential to recreate, and where there is perceived value for ecological, geological, or other features of scientific, educational, scenic, or historical value. …show more content…
It was necessary to stay away from the wilderness to survive, it was necessary to extract resources to continue to grow, and necessary to recognize its beauty before we got carried away with extracting it. Today, it is necessary to sit down and draw a line to designate what land is to be considered wilderness and what land is not in order to deter further development and harm of the land. This has never been the case before, and the United States was the first country to recognize that need of designation, no matter how silly it seemed. While wilderness designation has brought up a lot of other questions and concerns for the land and how we think of it, I do believe it is an essential part in preserving what land we have