"The idea of wilderness needs no defense.  It only needs more defenders."    -Edward Abbey

Image taken during the bison slaughter activities on the
borders of Yellowstone National Park.

I strongly believe in the need to proactively preserve our remaining wilderness. We’ve already lost so much. Consider that nearly 100,000 grizzly bears used to roam the lower 48 states (there are now about 1,000), almost 60 million (yes, million) bison roamed the Great Plains (only a few, small free-ranging herds remain), and hundreds of millions of wild salmon migrated up the Columbia River and it’s tributaries.....all the way into Idaho where they were a major food source for grizzly bears and people.

Whether you view the issue as a matter of faith (stewardship of creation), as a need to preserve wilderness for future generations, to preserve hunting opportunities, or simply because it’s the responsible thing to do, it takes action and influence to make it happen. Without your voice, short-term economic interests generally win out over wilderness. There are examples of successes where government and citizens worked together to preserve wilderness. The recovery of the bald eagle in the lower 48 through pesticide restrictions, increasing whale populations achieved by international protections, and the Wilderness and National Park systems in the lower 48 are a few striking examples.

Unfortunately, the work isn’t ever complete. Your visit to this website shows your appreciation for nature. Writing letters to government officials, donating money to conservation organizations, and giving your time to work on a local trail project or wildlife refuge are all ways you can help.

At Wilderness Wonders, we donate a percentage of our annual profits to organizations we believe are effectively and intelligently working to preserve wilderness. This is the least we can do to help ensure the scenes represented in the photographs live on.

Many challenges lay ahead. Predictions of rapid climate change would likely decimate polar bear populations; bison continue to be slaughtered by the state of Montana as they wander outside of the safety of Yellowstone park; rampant building of new roads in virgin forests upset the wilderness balance in multiple ways, etc. You get the idea. The latest crunch is the rise in energy prices.  Will we have the foresight to protect pristine wilderness instead of filling short-sighted need to drill for every last drop of oil? 

Please don’t take our wilderness treasures for granted and help ensure we leave a legacy of balanced, sensible use of our natural resources and remaining wilderness areas.

Thanks for your help....
Tony Newlin