Wild lands offer an opportunity for solitude "I am reminded of one aspect of wilderness that is personally critical.  The 1964 Wilderness Act includes as one of several qualifying criterion for wilderness: an area that 'has outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation.' The opportunity...

More appreciation for new BLM wilderness policy "The 'no more wilderness' policy adopted under former Interior Secretary Gale Norton did not serve our nation well. It would have been tragic for this policy to be continued only for the sake of commercial, primarily oil and gas, interests."  Letter-to-the-Editor – Pantagraph Protecting wilderness...

More praise for Interior Secretary Salazar's holiday announcement: "The question now — and it’s a big one — is whether the bureau will exercise its restored authority."  Editorial – The New York Times "Salazar realizes something that Utah’s leadership seems eager to forget, that wilderness can be at least as...

Headlines from yesterday's announcement by Interior Secretary Salazar: "It’s been too long in coming, but today Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is repealing a sneak attack on millions of acres of pristine public lands in the West launched by his Bush administration predecessor Gale Norton."  Read more – The Wonk Room...

Interior Secretary Salazar announces policy that would protect federal wild lands “'We were very pleased that the secretary recognized the importance of wilderness to all Americans,' said Heidi McIntosh, staff attorney for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. 'He set a very high standard that BLM will now have to implement.'...