DOINews: BLM: Arizona Celebrates Wilderness Act 50th Anniversary

Visitors walk along a trail between 25 activity stations at Sabino Canyon Recreation Area to learn about wilderness at the Wild for Wilderness Festival.

This is one of the amazing views along the trail between activity stations at the Wild for Wilderness Festival at Sabino Canyon. Pusch Ridge Wilderness is in the distance.

A child visits with BLM outreach recreation planner Todd Murdock to learn about wilderness and get her bingo card stamped.

Kids eager to make their own “tree cookie” learn how to use of the cross-cut saw under the leadership of Coronado National Forest wildlerness/trails forestry technician Gregg Sasek on the other end of the saw. Assistants from the National Park Service and CNF hold down the log.

The BLM's Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness is a place of spectacular geology, lush riparian vegetation, and diverse wildlife.

On Nov. 8 thousands of participants and dozens of partner organizations including the Bureau of Land Management took part in the Wild for Wilderness Festival at Sabino Canyon, Ariz. The day-long celebration, which commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, sought to raise awareness of wilderness, engage youth, and increase cooperation among wilderness organizations.

The event included a wide variety of activities for all ages. For example, Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists led nature walks and interacted with children using wildlife puppets. Smokey Bear posed for photos with kids and the young at heart. Nature photos by local youth were displayed in the visitor center, where movies about wilderness ran throughout the day. Acoustic musicians played at three locations and great food was available. And volunteers staffed Pima County's “Living with Urban Wildlife” educational trailer.

In addition, activity stations were set up along a two-mile trail, and each offered attendees a chance to learn about wilderness, outdoor recreation, history, and nature. The stations were hosted by sponsoring partners plus a number of local and regional organizations.

The BLM hosted two activity stations along the trail. At one station, Arizona State Office and Safford Field Office staff taught children how to create a wilderness journal and gave them copies of the Wilderness Explorer Handbook. The other station focused on the Youth in Wilderness program hosted by the Tucson Field Office, which hosted more than a dozen Pascua Yaqui youth at the event.

The most popular activity was a cross-cut-saw demonstration at the end of the trail. Participants learned how to work as a two-person team to cut a log slice called a “tree cookie.” Fire staff then branded it with U.S. Forest Service and Wilderness 50 logos.

Each wilderness-management agency spoke at the event about the importance of wilderness and engaging youth. Tim Shannon, BLM's Gila District manager, highlighted the bureau's role in wilderness protection, noting that BLM manages 47 of Arizona's 90 wilderness areas totaling 1.4 million acres.

“The future is bright … the future is our next generation of wilderness supporters,” Shannon said. “Most importantly, it is the children … the children and the grandchildren that are learning about wilderness from you.” He closed by saying that “I know that the future of Arizona wilderness is in good hands.”

Wild for Wilderness was the result of more than a year of planning by seven main partners: the BLM, the U.S. Forest Service, the Sierra Club, the National Park Service, Friends of Sabino Canyon, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Arizona Wilderness Coalition.

Story and photos by Diane Drobka, Wild for Wilderness Festival Team, BLM
Dec. 11, 2014

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