Under the sunshine of an Alaska summer, glacial runoff flows over rocks and swells streams and rivers across the state. The waters allow salmon to make their annual spawning runs, which in turn feed the bears and eagles of Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. This pristine wilderness is a nature lover’s paradise. Photo by Zachary Spira-Bauer. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 8/16/16.
The Wilderness Act – enacted on September 3, 1964 – defines a wilderness as “an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” In the following 52 years, over 109 million acres of pristine forests, mountains, deserts and wetlands have been protected, giving all Americans the opportunity to escape into nature. Photo of the Steelhead Falls Wilderness Study Area in Oregon by Jeff Clark. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 9/3/16.