A special Wilderness Area

Tonight we are camping along the Gila River in the Gila Wilderness Area.

 The Gila Wilderness Area is special. It's the world's first wilderness area, dedicated in 1924.

 Aldo Leopold, a famous early conservationist and author, saw how special this area is and worked diligently to make sure it was preserved.
The Wilderness Act was enacted in 1964 (before that the Gila was designated a wilderness area by the Forest Service. In 1964, with the passing of the Wilderness Act, it became federally designated).

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