The Wilderness Society (United States)

For other uses, see The Wilderness Society.
The Wilderness Society
FormationApril 30, 1937; 87 years ago (1937-04-30)[1]
FoundersBob Marshall, Benton MacKaye, Aldo Leopold, Bernard Frank, Robert Sterling Yard, Harvey Broome
53-0167933[2]
Legal status501(c)(3) nonprofit organization[2]
Headquarters1801 Pennsylvania Ave NW, 2nd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20006, U.S.
Coordinates38°54′21″N 77°02′14″W / 38.905927°N 77.037329°W / 38.905927; -77.037329
Membership
1+ million[3]
Jamie Williams[4]
Executive Vice President
David Seabrook
Chief of Staff
Elvis Cordova
SubsidiariesThe Wilderness Society Action Fund (501(c)(4))[5]
Revenue (2017)
$30,081,869[5]
Expenses (2017)$31,030,390[5]
Endowment$19,919,430 (2017)[5]
Employees (2016)
165[5]
Volunteers (2016)
125[5]
Websitewww.wilderness.org
Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox organization with unknown parameter "leader_name5"
Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox organization with unknown parameter "leader_title5"

The Wilderness Society is an American non-profit land conservation organization that is dedicated to protecting natural areas and federal public lands in the United States. They advocate for the designation of federal wilderness areas and other protective designations, such as for national monuments. They support balanced uses of public lands, and advocate for federal politicians to enact various land conservation and balanced land use proposals. The Wilderness Society also engages in a number of ancillary activities, including education and outreach, and hosts one of the most valuable collections of Ansel Adams photographs at their headquarters in Washington, D.C.[6]

The Wilderness Society specializes in issues involving lands under the management of federal agencies; such lands include national parks, national forests, national wildlife refuges, and areas overseen by the Bureau of Land Management. In the early 21st century, the society has been active in fighting recent political efforts to reduce protection for America's roadless and undeveloped lands and wildlife.[7]

The organization was instrumental in the passage of the 1964 Wilderness Act.[8] The Wilderness Act led to the creation of the National Wilderness Preservation System, which protects 109 million acres of U.S. public wildlands.[9]

  1. ^ "The Wilderness Society". MyBusiness, AccessDC. District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "The Wilderness Society". IRS.gov. Internal Revenue Service. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  3. ^ "Homepage". The Wilderness Society.
  4. ^ "Our Leadership". The Wilderness Society. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax" (PDF). IRS.gov. Internal Revenue Service. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  6. ^ "About Us | The Wilderness Society". www.wilderness.org.
  7. ^ "About Us | The Wilderness Society". www.wilderness.org. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  8. ^ "Howard Zahniser: Author of the Wilderness Act". Wilderness.net. University of Montana. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  9. ^ National Park Service. "Wilderness - Death Valley National Park (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2024-03-25.