Trammeled Wilderness: The Myth of Pristine Nature in the Sierra Nevada

The Sierra Nevada Mountain Range of California has a complex and rich history of human management from prehistory to present-day.The 50th Anniversary of the drafting of the Wilderness Act coincides this year with the drafting of a new Wilderness Stewardship Plan (WSP) in both Sequoia/King's Canyon (SEKI) and Yosemite National Parks (YNP). What is on the table is a close look at the language of the Wilderness Act in terms of defining wilderness qualities and how that is articulated in wilderness policy making for the next 20-30 years. Specifically, the Park Service is under pressure from wilderness advocate groups who believe that designated Wilderness represents a pristine environment where "the works of man do not dominate the landscape," to paraphrase the 1964 Wilderness Act. Some of these works of "man" in question are the High Sierra Camps - semi-permanent structures and installations - that are located within Wilderness areas. As I outline in this paper, certain structures can exist in these areas; those structures have traditionally included trails, foot bridges, patrol cabins stock corrals and simple trailside shelters. Other structures include prehistoric and historic camps and some other infrastructure that align with an ethic of restraint that, I argue, exist at a limited, appropriate capacity and are largely diminished.