WYOMING — The Wyoming Wilderness Association (WWA) announced the commemoration of two significant milestones in conservation history: 2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the Wyoming Wilderness Act and the 60th anniversary of the Wilderness Act.
According to WWA, these anniversaries present the opportunity to honor and celebrate Wyoming’s iconic wilderness areas, and highlight the need to protect the state’s remaining wildlands.
WWA will commemorate 40 and 60 years of wilderness across the Cowboy State with community events, a podcast about conservation and preservation, the photography display, “Celebrating Cloud Peak Wilderness” and the addition of new stories and testimonies from wilderness advocates in its historic archives.
The Wilderness Act of 1964 marked a pivotal moment in conservation history, establishing 54 wilderness areas across the nation, including three in Wyoming: Bridger, North Absaroka and Teton Wilderness areas. In 1984, the Wyoming Wilderness Act, a bipartisan effort led by Senators Alan Simpson and Malcolm Wallop and Representative Dick Cheney, added 880,000 acres of designated wilderness, including eight new Wilderness areas, five expansions and three new Wilderness Study Areas.
“The last 40 years have seen no new wilderness protections in Wyoming, leaving some deserving BLM wildlands unprotected. There’s a need to address historic prejudices associated with wilderness concepts and engage diverse voices, including Tribal partners, in safeguarding natural and cultural resources,” WWA said via press release.
