Officials from the Flathead National Forest are hosting a public gathering to provide information about events surrounding next year’s 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act.
The public is invited to a no-host breakfast on Friday, Nov. 22, to learn about a number of events around the Flathead Valley next year to mark the anniversary and to help connect people to the wilderness. The breakfast will start at 7 a.m. at the Night Owl restaurant in Columbia Falls.
The Wilderness Act preserves more than 100 million acres of wildlands nationwide, including the Mission Mountains, Great Bear, Scapegoat and Bob Marshall Wilderness areas on the Flathead National Forest.
On Sept. 3, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Wilderness Act, which established the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) and set aside an initial 9.1 million acres of wild-lands for the use and benefit of Americans. Over the past 50 years, Congress has added over 100 million acres to this unique land preservation system. The 1964 Wilderness Act defines “wilderness” as areas where the earth and its communities of life are left unchanged by people, where the primary forces of nature are in control, and where people themselves are visitors who do not remain.
Multiple agencies and organizations are partnering to host a number of events during 2014. Spotted Bear District Ranger Deb Mucklow and Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation Executive Director Carol Treadwell will join the events next week to discuss the 2014 plans.
Those who plan to attend or have any questions should notify Public Affairs Officer Wade Muehlhof at [email protected] or (406) 758-5252.