It appears that just about any place can qualify as
wilderness these days if the political will is there to make it so.
This certainly is the case for the Jerry Peak area in
Idaho.
The truly beautiful picture accompanying the Aug.
21 article, “Wilderness cliffhanger,” shows the area as emerald
green. Most of the year, though, the view would be yellow-brown and
water would be scarce. The picture also does not show the fences
and roads. Nor is it mentioned that the area has been grazed by
livestock as well as by antelope and mule deer. To my eye, it is no
different from other expanses of BLM rangeland common throughout
the West that have never been considered for wilderness
designation. Many of these are more scenic than the Jerry Peak
area. This country, which shows plainly the stamp of long-term
human use, is not wilderness in any sense most of us would use. Why
pretend that it is?
David McIntyre
Idaho Springs, Colorado
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline The wilderness has been ‘trammeled’.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
