William Meadows, President

nitially, we intended this book to be simply the Southern conservation community's immediate and long-term recommendations to the U.S. Forest Service of land to be permanently protected as "Wilderness" in the National Wilderness Preservation System. Yet, as we asked our fellow Southerners "Why Wilderness?" we found a deeper connection to the Southern Appalachian wild lands than we ever expected.

The South has a historic land ethic. Traditionally a rural and agrarian culture, the Southern connection of family roots to the land cannot be overstated. In making this book, we found that generations of hunters, anglers, farmers, teachers, developers, hikers, mothers, urban ministers, grandfathers, and Wilderness activists alike have shared that ethic. Each person may have a different access point to it; each person may give it a different name - be it "land conservation," "stewardship," or "just keeping the land the way it is." But all who experience wilderness understand its essential role in Southern culture.

As we asked "Why Wilderness?" we found a widely shared respect for nature's spiritual and humanizing values. Many talked to us about the healing powers experienced in wilderness. Nearly all spoke of their connection to a larger community of life - greater than oneself and yet vital to one's individual well-being. Many said they met their true selves in wilderness and were made whole by the experience.

As a native Tennessean, I share this passion for the Southern Appalachians. As a Wilderness advocate, I'm excited about the way this book connects people and place: Kathryn Kolb's photography not only reflects the region's extraordinary beauty and unique visual identity, it captures the mystery, surprise, and untamed charm of this world just beyond our back yards. The maps amplify how little of our remaining wild lands are protected, and how much of it is so close to our fastest-growing urban centers. The Southern voices recorded here confirm how much these wild lands mean to us, whether we are urban ministers, suburban homeowners, or rural farmers.

his book reminds me of how far we've come since I became an environmental activist more than 30 years ago. We've passed the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. We've set aside 106 million acres of designated Wilderness. We've seen an infusion of ecological values in American life - from environmental studies in classrooms, to recycling, to the slow but sure growth of renewable technologies.

Still, time is running out for the last remaining wild lands of the Southern Appalachians. A decade of unprecedented growth has dramatically accelerated the inevitable collision between land conservation and urbanized sprawl. Today, only eight percent of our Southern Appalachian National Forests is permanently protected as Designated Wilderness. Amazingly, this is only about one percent of the entire Southern Appalachian region. With each new round of forest planning, fewer opportunities exist to preserve more of our wild lands.

Wilderness areas are the heart and soul of these wild lands. They represent the ideal, the wellspring of all that wild lands - and even parks, open spaces, and urban green areas - have to offer. As we allow potential Wilderness to be developed, mined, logged, or roaded, it loses that ideal character forever. Moreover, as more generations grow up without the experience of wilderness, its intrinsic spiritual, cultural, and personal values cease to imprint the fabric of our society, values whose loss undeniably impoverishes our way of life.

Wilderness molded American history and nurtured our most cherished values: freedom, independence, ingenuity, perseverance, and optimism.

Wilderness salves our Twenty-First Century souls. It provides our last refuge from the relentless pressures, noise, and pollution of urban and suburban life.

Wilderness rewards us with life-altering experiences of awe,  humility, wonder, solitude, selfreflection, and reverence found nowhere else in our lives.

nderlying all these values is interdependence - what wilderness teaches us about being a part of something greater than ourselves. People tell me that even the idea of Wilderness gives them a special comfort and confidence - knowing that in a world of constant change and shifting values, society has made a decision: we want to protect these places forever. At the same time, I cannot underestimate the importance of experiencing Wilderness firsthand. That is a primary reason why The Wilderness Society wants to create more opportunities for that experience. That means, simply, we need to preserve more of it.

This book is an excellent tool for bringing wilderness into people's lives - physically and philosophically. Use it to examine the role of Wilderness in your own life. Be confident in putting the question "Why Wilderness?" to your family, friends, and colleagues - I know you will be inspired by what you find.

William Meadows
President
The Wilderness Society
July 2004