544 



Yearbook^ of Agriculture 1949 



those who argue that the least destruc- 

 tive mode of wilderness travel would 

 be in seaplanes, that would land on in- 

 terior waters and eventually take off, 

 leaving no trace. 



But wildernesses we must have, if 

 only to dream about and cherish as 

 saved specimens of the America we 

 love. And many groups whose chance 

 to see one of the great dedicated areas 

 is remote work constantly for the idea. 

 A "Wilderness Society" insists that wil- 

 derness is a necessary natural resource, 

 that mechanized civilization in terms 

 of sights and sounds must not be per- 

 mitted to clash with the values of 

 primeval environment, and that wil- 

 dernesses belong to the whole people 

 and must be defended. The Sierra 

 Club, the Appalachian Mountain 

 Club, and similar organizations have 

 long cooperated with public agencies in 

 keeping great areas inviolate. As time 

 goes on, the need for wilderness values 

 will increase. 



Almost no additional area can now 

 be recaptured and restored. Always the 

 priceless opportunity for renewal and 

 inspiration will justify the same effort 

 at conservation that is more readily ap- 



preciated in thinking of the material 

 values. 



As L. F. Kneipp, who was closely 

 associated with the early Forest Service 

 wilderness policies, has said, "It must 

 be an attractive and interesting sort of 

 solitude ; one which enriches and stim- 

 ulates the mind, which develops the 

 body by creating the need for physical 

 qualities which through all history 

 have commanded the admiration of 

 men, qualities of hardihood, endur- 

 ance, strength, resistance to adverse 

 natural forces, combined with skill in 

 interpreting and effectively conform- 

 ing to the laws of nature." 



SHIRLEY W. ALLEN is a graduate of 

 Iowa State College. Since 1909 he has 

 served in numerous capacities with the 

 Forest Service and for several years in 

 the 1930's as consultant to the National 

 Park Service. He was forester to the 

 American Forestry Association from 

 1924 to 1928 and since that time has 

 been professor of forestry at the Uni- 

 versity of Michigan. He has been the 

 American Forestry Association repre- 

 sentative on eleven of its trail rides into 

 wilderness country. 



TREASURES OF THE NATION 



CONRAD L. WIRTH, J. H. GADSBY 



Many of the great and spectacular 

 parks in the United States are included 

 in the national park system, which pre- 

 serves for always and for everybody the 

 outstanding scenic, historic, and scien- 

 tific treasures of the Nation and pro- 

 vides places for unusual experiences. 



The national parks had their begin- 

 ning in 1872 with the establishment of 

 the Yellowstone Park. Gradually some 

 other areas of paramount importance, 

 such as Yosemite, Mount Rainier, and 

 Sequoia, were set aside by Congress to 

 preserve areas of scenic grandeur from 

 commercial exploitation, because their 

 special and unique qualities made them 

 the concern of all the people. Also es- 



tablished were the national monu- 

 ments the areas of diverse size and 

 interest that are notable for scientific 

 or historic reasons. 



Congress recognized the need for co- 

 ordinated administration of the areas 

 in 1916 by creating the National Park 

 Service in the Department of the In- 

 terior. Congress then stated the ideal 

 when it enjoined the new bureau to 

 "conserve the scenery and the natural 

 and historic objects and the wildlife 

 therein and to provide for the enjoy- 

 ment of the same in such manner and 

 by such means as will leave them unim- 

 paired for the enjoyment of future 

 generations." 



