All kinds of people enjoy the wilderness
Wheelchair-users are welcome, as are seniors, kids and families
In response to Dave Menicucci’s letter, “Wilderness Only For Able?” (June 12), I’d like to introduce some facts.
First, there are about 109 million acres in the lower 48 that have been designated — not bought — part of the National Wilderness Preservation System, and that represents 2.7 percent of our country. If the current U.S. population is 325 million and wilderness areas get about 12 million visitors per year, according to The Wilderness Society, that means that 3.7 percent of Americans enjoy and value the wilderness experience. Don’t you think the 3.7 percent who “own” the 2.7 percent designated wilderness should be able to protect and defend it?
Concerning access to wilderness areas, no vehicles are permitted, except for wheelchairs. According to The Wilderness Society, which answered this question on its website, “those with disabilities may use wheelchairs within a wilderness … .”
Furthermore, a report by the National Council on Disability found that a “significant majority of persons with disabilities surveyed very much enjoy the (National Wilderness Preservation System) and 76 percent do not believe that the restrictions on mechanized use stated in the Wilderness Act diminish their ability to enjoy wilderness.”
And don’t forget that if you can’t walk or use a wheelchair, horses are permitted in a wilderness areas. Ride one!
I suspect that Dave Menicucci has not visited a wilderness area or he would know you can see all kinds of people there. My husband and I see other seniors (we are both in our 70s.) You will see families with small children, including babies in backpacks. Last summer, we climbed Wheeler Peak, the highest point in New Mexico, and we might have been the oldest summiters, but the group included other seniors, families with young children, youth groups, scouts — you get the picture.
Finally, what about the “snobbish elitism” of the current environmental movement? Who are these elities? My husband and I started visiting wilderness areas when we were newly married and poor. We didn’t have enough money to go to the movies, but we discovered it cost nothing to hike and camp in a wilderness area. There are no fees and you don’t need a license. Check out the website for the Pecos Wilderness Area, just out of Santa Fe, to confirm these facts.
Now for the “chosen few who can walk freely.” I’m confused. To my mind, the only Americans who can’t walk freely enough to take advantage of a wilderness experience are possibly the obese among us. According to Time magazine, June 5, 2017, that is 40 percent of U.S. adults and 17 percent of our children. I am saddened and alarmed by these facts. Don’t we need more wilderness, more people active outside, more of us finding inspiration in our wild lands? What do you think, Dave?