This week marks the 60th anniversary of the Wilderness Act and the establishment of the National Wilderness Preservation System! Since it was signed into law in 1964, this groundbreaking federal legislation has been used by Congress to protect 112 million acres of our nation’s remarkable public lands across 44 states. In Utah, this includes such places as Dark Canyon, Canaan Mountain, the San Rafael Reef, Labyrinth Canyon, the High Uintas, and the Cedar Mountains.

Passage of the Wilderness Act created the most comprehensive means of protecting America’s public lands in perpetuity—and that’s worth celebrating! Reach out to your representative today and ask them to cosponsor a resolution recognizing the 60th anniversary of the Wilderness Act!

Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona (a longtime cosponsor of America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act) has introduced a Resolution Recognizing the 60th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act and the work of those who have advocated for and maintained the National Wilderness Preservation System. The resolution also acknowledges the importance of Traditional Indigenous Knowledge and tribal engagement in the designation and management of these wilderness areas, and celebrates wilderness as a gift to future generations.

Public lands have been stewarded by Indigenous Peoples since time immemorial and the Wilderness Act provides permanent legal safeguards for these natural areas, preventing development and the loss of more wild spaces. As a result, these lands can continue to mitigate the impacts of climate change, preserve critical habitats and biodiversity, and introduce new generations to the wonders of our natural world.

Please ask your representative to cosponsor the House resolution to honor what has been accomplished through the Wilderness Act over the last 60 years and to look forward to new strides in landscape-level conservation over the next six decades and beyond!