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View Full Version : Wilderness Questions?? Any Daniel Boones out there?


bird dog
01-21-2006, 09:15 PM
O.K. NO gogle searches please, just guesses

1Which state (lower 48) has the the most Wilderness by acreages (forget Alaska It is #1) You may be suprised?

2 Does Arkansas rank above or behind Hawaii in total wilderness acreage?

3 Also, how far do you think is the farthest point from a road in the lower US (as the crow flies)? I was surprised by this too.

BTW, wilderness is defined here by federally designated, and there are only six states without any wilderness, so its not just western states.....


Wilderness is an indispensable part of American history. Native Americans depended on the bounty of wildlands for survival and held Earth and its wild places as sacred. The great western explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were inspired by the untamed beauty of wild places that became the forge upon which our distinctive American national character was created. After just 200 years from the time of Lewis and Clark, the essential wildness of America had virtually disappeared. As Americans realized that the long-term health and welfare of the nation were at risk, a vision for conservation emerged.

In 1964 our nation's leaders formally acknowledged the immediate and lasting benefits of wild places to the human spirit and fabric of our nation. That year, in a nearly unanimous vote, Congress enacted landmark legislation that permanently protected some of the most natural and undisturbed places in America. The Wilderness Act of 1964 established the National Wilderness Preservation System, the system of all America's wilderness areas, to "secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness."

The United States was the first country in the world to define and designate wilderness areas through law. Subsequently, countries around the world have protected areas modeled after the Wilderness Act. Wilderness is part of our history and heritage and is passed as a legacy to future generations. Indispensable to the American past, the legacy that is wilderness will remain indispensable to the American future.

bird dog
01-22-2006, 09:57 PM
Seems that everyone is stumped so here is a hint for question # 1. This state has a large population also.

longbow hunter
01-23-2006, 03:32 PM
I'm certainly stumped, but not afraid to guess. :thumb:

1. California
2. Behind Hawaii
3. No idea :smack:

WarblerWatcher
01-23-2006, 05:50 PM
+1 what longbow hunter said! :thumb:

Hilltop
01-23-2006, 05:58 PM
1 california

2 ahead

3 60 miles

bird dog
01-23-2006, 07:40 PM
Pretty good so far, but not 100%.

Answers later tonight.

moose
01-23-2006, 07:40 PM
I'll take a stab.

1. Okla

2. behind

3. 110

bird dog
01-23-2006, 10:32 PM
Answers:#2

State Acres Percent of Total Wilderness Acres
Alaska 57,522,294 53.95%
California 14,085,258 13.21%
Arizona 4,528,913 4.25%
Washington 4,317,132 4.05%
Idaho 4,005,712 3.76%
Montana 3,443,038 3.23%
Colorado 3,389,935 3.18%
Wyoming 3,111,232 2.92%
Nevada 2,891,637 2.71%
Oregon 2,273,612 2.13%
New Mexico 1,635,026 1.53%
Florida 1,422,245 1.33%
Utah 902,612 0.85%
Minnesota 815,952 0.77%
Georgia 486,530 0.46%
Michigan 249,218 0.23%
Virginia 177,214 0.17%
Hawaii 155,509 0.15%
Arkansas 153,654 0.14%

North Carolina 111,419 0.10%
New Hampshire 102,932 0.10%
Texas 85,333 0.08%
West Virginia 80,852 0.08%
South Dakota 77,570 0.07%
Wisconsin 75,823 0.07%
Missouri 71,113 0.07%
Tennessee 66,349 0.06%
South Carolina 60,681 0.06%
Vermont 59,421 0.06%
Alabama 41,367 0.04%
North Dakota 39,652 0.04%
Illinois 32,782 0.03%
Oklahoma 23,113 0.02%
Maine 19,392 0.02%
Kentucky 18,097 0.02%
Louisiana 17,024 0.02%
Indiana 12,945 0.01%
Nebraska 12,429 0.01%
New Jersey 10,341 0.01%
Mississippi 10,126 0.01%
Puerto Rico 10,000 0.01%
Pennsylvania 9,031 0.01%
Massachusetts 3,244 0.00%
New York 1,363 0.00%
Ohio 77 0.00%

Answer #1 Calif.

Answer #3 20 miles (Yellowstone)


A common misconception is that Wilderness is found only in big western states or in Alaska. In fact, all but six states have federal designated Wilderness: Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Rhode Island.