Wilderness is a place where nature and natural forces prevail. It is more than beautiful scenery. It is the sum total of all the living and non-living natural history of our planet. It is the dynamic interaction of all the plants, animals, rocks, water, and air - unaffected by the activities of modern man. The pressures to maintain our contemporary society have greatly diminished our last few wilderness areas. Sometimes we rationalize that it's enough if a place is undeveloped and presents us with a postcard-perfect landscape. Since wild animals are seldom seen, it's easy not to notice their absence. But each missing plant or animal, seemingly insignificant in itself, creates a vacuum over time. What we once perceived as wild is no longer so. It is something less. That eternal ambiance, the essence of true wilderness, slowly drifts away unnoticed. We are left with a beautiful landscape which was once so much more. - BD