The Wilderness Act of 1964 governs use and management of our four wilderness areas in Summit and Eagle counties — Eagles Nest, Ptarmigan Peak, Holy Cross and Flat Tops — and as well as the other 799 congressionally designated wilderness areas in the U.S.

The act provides that “A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” The federal agencies that manage wilderness areas, like the U.S. Forest Service, are required under the act to manage them so as to maintain their “wilderness character.”

But what does “untrammeled” mean? And what is “wilderness character?” Untrampled? Unrestricted? Actually, neither of these. Howard Zahniser, author of the Wilderness Act, said the word means “not being subjected to human controls and manipulations that hamper the free play of natural forces.”  In wilderness areas we are not supposed to mess with Mother Nature. She is allowed to do what she wants, even if it’s not what humans want. Natural processes are allowed to govern, not human desires or manipulation.

In 2001, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provided a fuller explanation of what it means to maintain “wilderness character”: “Preserving wilderness character requires that we maintain the wilderness condition: the natural, condition of the land, biological diversity, biological integrity, environmental health, and ecological and evolutionary process.” 

The service went on to say: “But the character of wilderness embodies more than a physical condition. Wilderness character refocuses our perception of nature and our relationship to it. It  embodies an attitude of humility and restraint that lifts our connection to a landscape from the utilitarian, commodity orientation that often dominates our relationship with nature. We preserve wilderness character by our compliance with wilderness legislation and regulations, and also by imposing limits upon ourselves.” 

This has profound implications for how we should view and manage wilderness areas. We must allow natural evolutionary forces to freely operate and not try to manipulate nature to maintain certain conditions, whether that be the condition of the area when declared a wilderness or some condition desired by human users. This is summarized well by the phrase, “Wilderness managers are to be guardians, not gardeners.”  

Letting natural processes have their way can sometimes appear unappealing and result in conditions that are contrary to human preferences, but that is exactly what makes them wild and untrammeled. For instance, wildfires and natural insect outbreaks like pine beetle infestations can make wilderness areas unsightly to human eyes and less attractive for human use, but they are the means developed by nature to keep forests healthy over the long term. Interfering with such natural processes upsets the natural order and degrades the wildness of the wilderness. It creates gardens, not wild places.

This may present a dilemma when changes in wilderness areas are human-caused, such as climate change-exacerbated beetle infestations. Arguably, nature should be allowed to respond as she will. Once land managers turn into gardeners there is no stopping point and nothing “wild” will remain. When humans harm wilderness we need to stop the harm, not just put a bandage on the wound.

Humans may love to control and “improve” what they find. In our hubris, we think we know what is best. The Wilderness Act mandates self-restraint, humility, and even self-denial — all of which can be challenging. But perhaps therein lies the wisdom in Thoreau’s words “In wildness is the preservation of the world.”

Mike Browning is a board member for Eagle Summit Wilderness Alliance, and committee chair for the volunteer wilderness rangers.