Michael Frome contributes a moving piece for Soul of the Wilderness, discussing the wilderness as a sanctuary for us and future generations: “Wilderness areas are not playgrounds, nor theme parks, but sanctuaries, meant to be forever.” Franco Zunino contributes an international perspective on his work to bring the concept of wild nature to Italy and the mountainous wilderness landscape he and partners work to protect.
In this issue of the journal, Alan Watson contributes perspectives from the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute on the wilderness values in the circumpolar north. Tarun Chhabra contributes an international perspective in his article on the Toda people of the upper Nilgiri plateau in southern India. The Toda culture has a rich and sacred connection to wild nature, specifically the buffalo and its milk and the wildland plants used in rituals, medicine and daily activities. The Wilderness Digest section announced the Bureau of Land Management primitive skills team winning the first Corrigall Wilderness Stewardship award.
In this issue of the IJW, Kevin Proescholdt presents events and milestones of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, the most visited unit in the US National Wilderness Preservation System. David Parsons contributes to the Wilderness Digest with News from the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute. Parsons describes how science is essential for understanding and managing wilderness areas, and in turn how wilderness provides opportunities to scientifically explore (relatively) pristine areas.
In this issue’s Soul of the Wilderness article, David Cole addresses the conflicting, desirable and important values of wilderness: wild, natural, un-crowded and free. John Shultis contributes commentary on how humans, while ultimately fearing that technology will destroy man-kind, increasingly rely on technological innovations to enjoy wilderness experiences. Ken Cordell and Jerry Stokes provide a perspective from the Forest Service on the social value of wilderness.
Luna Leopold, son of Aldo Leopold, contribute to this issues Soul of the Wilderness. He talks about the experience of fear in a wild-landscape, and the clarity this provides in the context of modern life, science and technology. A team of authors (Arsuffi et. al.) provide a stewardship article on the San Marcos River Wetlands Projects, including restoration efforts and environmental education projects.
A very interesting study is featured in the Science and Research section of this IJW. “Health-Related Knowledge and Preparedness of High-Altitude Wilderness Hikers in Colorado,” surveyed 126 hikers in Rocky Mountain National Park as to their knowledge of common wilderness-related illnesses and their level of preparedness for these issues. A large percentage of those interviewed were not prepared or knowledgeable about high-altitude risks. The majority of respondents were not adequately acclimated to the altitude prior to beginning their excursion.