As a field ecologist, my observations are not entirely scientific or empirical but I hope they are objective. First, a Wilderness designation does not generally prevent mining since the Federal Mining Act of 1872 precedes and supersedes the Wilderness Act of 1964. Second, designated Wilderness Areas vary so much ecologically it is difficult to generalize about conditions of air, water, and biota. Generally, however, it has been my observation that designated Wilderness Areas tend to have these qualities in comparison to adjacent non-wilderness lands:
1. Wilderness tends to be structurally and biologically more diverse and resilient. 2. Wilderness source streams and lakes tend to be cleaner in terms of pathogens, pollutants and silt (but grazing is still allowed in wilderness areas, so don't drink downstream from the sheep herd -- and even high altitude wilderness streams may contain giardia). 3. The greatest risks to headwaters are from soil disturbance due to road construction and mining, steep slope soil movement due to tree removal, chemical-laden seepages and runoff from mined areas, over-grazing, and riparian area disturbances. Except for mining and grazing, these activities do not occur in designated Wilderness Areas. 4. Certain species assemblages are much more likely to exist and be productive in designated Wilderness Areas or in areas with wilderness conditions, e.g., wolverine, fisher, lynx, brown and grizzly bears, Capercaillie, Northern Spotted Owl and some of its prey species, bull trout. 5. Several species are less likely to conflict with humans and human enterprises when they inhabit large, contiguous wilderness areas, e.g., cougar, grizzly bear, wolves. Hope this helps a little, and I'm sure others on this list will provide more specific information. Warren W. Aney Senior Wildlife Ecologist 9403 SW 74th Ave Tigard, OR 97223 (503) 539-1009 (503) 246-2605 fax -----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] On Behalf Of Jonathan Brown Sent: Thursday, 28 April, 2011 14:15 To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Media Inquiry: Wilderness Hello- My name is Jonathan Brown. I'm a reporter with Colorado Public Radio and I'm working on a story about federal designations of wilderness. I'm trying to get a scientific/empirical response to this question: "What do federal wilderness designations do?" We already know they prevent road building, construction of any kind, motorized use, drilling, mining, timber harvesting and humans can only visit, not remain. But what - if anything - is the result of all this? Are the air and water cleaner? Fauna and flora healthier somehow? Do wilderness areas protect headwaters, as many proponents claim? Again, I'm looking for an empirical response to these questions and I'm hoping someone out there can provide substantive answers. Thank you- Jonathan Brown Colorado Public Radio (303) 871-9191 x 456 jbr...@cpr.org
