Comment from Emily Eckart

I am writing to express my opposition to any amendments to the National Park Service’s wilderness stewardship policy under Director’s Order 41 that would diminish current protections for wilderness study areas, lands with wilderness characteristics, or areas that are recommended, proposed, and eligible for wilderness designation. These policies are far more significant than the phrase “non-binding guidance” implies. They fulfill the agency's statutory obligation, established by the Wilderness Act and foundational public land laws, to manage wild and roadless terrain in a way that preserves its suitability for formal wilderness status until Congress makes a final determination. They keep a finite legacy of wild country intact so that future lawmakers retain the option to safeguard it permanently. Once roads, motorized vehicles, or commercial logging are introduced to these places, the wilderness character that qualifies them for protection is lost forever; no future legislative vote can restore it. This type of degradation is permanent in a way that almost nothing else in public lands policy is. The agency has provided no good justification for overturning decades of established conservation standards. A policy shift of this magnitude, enacted without a well-documented foundation and in defiance of overwhelming public opposition, would be entirely arbitrary. I request that the existing frameworks be maintained in full, that no modifications lower the standard of care for these lands, and that our wild spaces continue to be protected as they always have been. As a Utahn, designated wilderness areas such as Lone Peak, Mount Olympus, and Mount Timpanogos are incredibly important to me, and are one of the best things about living in this state. I am deeply grateful for the lasting protection the Wilderness Act has provided these landscapes, as immersing oneself in completely untouched nature is one of the most meaningful experiences a person can have. I have seen firsthand the growing public demand for access to these primitive settings. The public has a right to see existing wilderness fully defended and to ensure that additional lands can be set aside for future generations. Undermining the stewardship of areas that qualify for future protection would compromise a defining American heritage: the fact that we still enjoy true wilderness because previous generations worked to save it. Visitors travel from all over the world to experience these open landscapes, and having them in our own backyard is an incredible privilege. I strongly urge you not to ruin these irreplaceable assets with industrial development, road building, or shortsighted commercial concessions.