Sometimes it"s nice to get away. Thanks to environmentalist Howard Zahniser, Americans can do that in one of the country"s many wildernesses—areas sheltered from human activities. While conservation efforts like the creation of national forests and parks began in the late 1800s, untamed wilderness had dwindled to only 2.5% of the nation"s land by the 1960s. To reverse this trend, Zahniser wrote most of what became the Wilderness Act. Signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on September 3, 1964, it today protects more than 109 million acres—5% of the land in the US.
Wilderness Act anniversary
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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China s colorful terraced pools
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International Day of Color
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Infant Sumatran orangutan, Indonesia
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Celebrating a Paris landmark
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‘Ciao’ from Varenna
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It’s World Migratory Bird Day
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Hispanic Heritage Month
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A perfect day to fly your flag
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Hello, spring!
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National Bison Day
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Whoopin it up!
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It s not always sunny in Abu Simbel…
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Sunlight sets Iceland s Eyjafjallajökull aglow
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A bridge that rocks
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It’s oh so quiet
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Happy Independence Day!
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Replica of a Viking home in Dublin National Botanic Gardens, Ireland
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Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
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Holey moley–it’s National Doughnut Day!
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Lionfish off the coast of Indonesia
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Earth Science Week
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Colorful cows of the reef
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Longtailed widowbird at Rietvlei Nature Reserve, South Africa
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Night of the ‘Cold Moon’
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Ancient storage in the Grand Canyon
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Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
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The Easter Bunny’s story
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Celebrating National Panda Day
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Welcome to the Year of the Pig
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A duckling swimming in a water meadow, Suffolk, England