California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 90

Introduced by Assembly Member Rendon

February 4, 2014

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 90—Relative to the Wilderness Act of 1964.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 90, as introduced, Rendon. Wilderness Act of 1964.

This measure would commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act of 1964 and proclaim the significance of continuing to protect national wilderness areas.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, In 1964 the United States Congress passed the
Wilderness Act of 1964 by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote,
and this farsighted legislation was signed by President Lyndon
Johnson on September 3, 1964; and

WHEREAS, The Wilderness Act of 1964 brought into being
America’s National Wilderness Preservation System, federal lands
to be “administered for the use and enjoyment of the American
people in such manner as will leave federal lands unimpaired for
future use and enjoyment as wilderness, and will provide for the
protection of these areas and the preservation of their wilderness
character;” and

WHEREAS, The Wilderness Act of 1964 made it the “policy
of the Congress to secure for the American people of present and
future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of
wilderness ... in order to assure that an increasing population,
accompanied by expanding settlement and growing mechanization,
does not occupy and modify all areas within the United States and
its possessions, leaving no lands designated for preservation and
protection in their natural condition;” and

WHEREAS, Wilderness, “in contrast with those areas where
man and his own works dominate the landscape,” is recognized
as “federal land retaining its primeval character and influence,
which generally appears to have been affected primarily by the
forces of nature, with the imprint of man’s work substantially
unnoticeable, and has outstanding opportunities for solitude or a
primitive and unconfined type of recreation”; and

WHEREAS, President Barack Obama said, in proclaiming
September 2009 as National Wilderness Month, “The mystery and
wonder of the wilderness is deeply rooted in our national character.
For many of the first Americans - American Indians and Alaska
Natives - the wilderness provided a source of sustenance and a
foundation for their ways of life. Later, as explorers and the
pioneers of a young country moved west, they found adventure
and new beginnings in the landscapes of our Nation. From our
earliest days, America’s identity has been tied to the powerful
waterfalls, soaring peeks, and vast plains of its land”; and

WHEREAS, President Obama also stated, “in the 21st century,
the importance of maintaining our wilderness heritage has only
grown. Protecting our wilderness areas and their riches - clean
water, stretches of undisturbed land, thriving wildlife, and healthy
ecosystems - is critical to the health of our environment and our
communities. Today, wilderness areas serve as places for us to
roam, hunt, fish, and find solitude. They are also strong engines
of local economies, providing tourism and recreation revenue for
communities”; and

WHEREAS, The Wilderness Act of 1964 marked a fundamental
cultural shift from a need to conquer nature to the need to preserve
it and is a modern philosophical expression of the human need to
find spiritual solace in nature; and

WHEREAS, California, inspired by the Wilderness Act of 1964,
has established its own exemplary state wilderness system, in
which state lands in a natural condition are preserved by law
similarly to our state’s substantial federal wilderness, allowing
Californians to take special pride and additional pleasure in
enjoying the benefits of wilderness; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature proclaims the significance
of our National Wilderness Preservation System to our nation’s
cultural, scientific, historical, and spiritual heritage and, during
the 50th anniversary year of the Wilderness Act of 1964,
encourages each Californian to embrace our nation’s legacy of
protecting and preserving our vast wilderness as a bequest for
generations to come and also for the benefit of our wildlife, from
the largest to the smallest creatures; and be it further

Resolved, That all Californians are urged to value wilderness
as a place where all can experience the spirit that shaped America,
and to honor the uniquely American qualities of the Wilderness
Act of 1964, a remarkable societal compact whereby the American
people decided to forego, in certain special places, the prevailing
trend toward development, thereby allowing nature, not human
machinery and invention, to have the upper hand; and be it further

Resolved, That, in this golden anniversary year of Wilderness
Act of 1964, the Legislature invites all Californians to visit and
enjoy our wilderness areas, to learn about their vast history, and
to aid in the continued protection of our precious national treasures;
and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.