Fifty years ago, Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law The Wilderness Act, at the time protecting more than nine million acres of wild lands throughout the nation.
Passed unanimously by the Senate and with only one dissenting vote in the House, the Wilderness Act reflected the widespread surge of indignation following major environmental abuses of clear-cutting, government-sponsored animal bounties, and industrial pollution.
Gary Ferguson reflects on 50 years of the Wilderness Act in an opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times. Quoting a study by ecological economists J.B. Loomis and Robert Richardson, Ferguson points out that "wilderness preserves in the Lower 48 states are providing air and water filtering, carbon storage and climate regulation services worth more than $3 billion annually. In addition, wilderness use supports some 24,000 jobs, and is part of an outdoor recreation industry that sees roughly $650 million each year in consumer spending."
Today, the system covers a whopping 109 million acres throughout the country. However, the bill is not updated to tackle the challenges brought on by human-caused climate change. In his piece, Ferguson pushes specific policy recommendations such as wilderness expansion and assisted migration to better address the issues facing conservation spaces today.
Hat tip to Jon Christensen for the article.
Read the full story: What the Wilderness Act has taught us
Environmentalists Disagree On Bikes in the Wild
Environmental groups are split over legislation that would remove the nationwide ban on bicycles in the wild.
California Lawmakers Move to Protect Waterways
Anticipating that the Trump EPA will reinstate a 2017 policy that excluded seasonal wetlands and waterways from environmental protections.
Commentary: Colorado Will Forge Ahead With Conservation Work
While federal policy may become less friendly to environmental efforts, support from state legislators and agencies can prevent the state from backsliding.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades
The city is examining ways to build more concrete infrastructure without getting entangled in 'decades-long' projects.
'Something we’ve never seen before:' rising utility rates could strain city finances nationwide
Data centers, climate change and other factors have caused utility rates in the United States to increase by 38% since 2020.
Trump to overrule local leaders, lease millions of acres of America’s Pacific Island territories’ seafloors to mining companies
International law says that the Indigenous people of America’s territories have a right to prior and informed consent regarding projects that impact their countries.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello