This is a word cloud. The bigger the word, the more times it was used in activists' stories.
- I am a 75-year-old woman who celebrated her 50th anniversary with a great trip to Alaska. We started with Denali where we saw the mountain in sunlight at 1 a.m. Then we camped on the North Slope with a Nature Conservancy group. And, finally, we toured the southwest Tongass National Forest by boat. What a great state. It should stay wild for future generations to enjoy.
– Shirley D., Maine
- I am a recently retired surgeon and mountaineer. I have spent time in many remote places in the world– Antarctica, Patagonia, the high mountains of the Himalaya and Karakorum. In Alaska, America ‘owns’ some of the most spectacular wild places on earth–it is our duty and privilege to enjoy and protect them.
– Michael S., Pennsylvania
- I am a Girl Scouts of the USA Instructor of Trainers. I attempt to inspire people younger than I that we have a responsibility to our planet’s future!
– Chanda V., New York
- I am chairman of the Maryland Wildlands Committee that helped to set aside close to 40,000 acres of lands representing the various landscapes across our state that are now the equivalent of the National Wilderness system. I am passionate about the preservation of valuable ecosystems and Alaska is blessed with the greatest lands needing wilderness protection.
– Ajax E., Maryland
- I am a doctoral candidate in quantitative biology at the University of Texas at Arlington. I have never been to Alaska though I have friends and family who have been there. I have wanted to go nearly all my life and explore the wilderness there but have been unable to do so. I dream of it. I need Wilderness more than I can express. It is a deep part of me; it is essential to my being, even when I am not there. I miss it greatly when I am away.
Ann M., TX
– Ann M., Texas
- I am just an old woman who wanted something left of nature for my grandchildren. At the rate everything is being destroyed because of greed I worry about even their survival. I have been an active advocate for the environment and animals for 50 years now and have seen things get worse at an alarming rate. May God help His Creation.
– Barbara W., Kentucky
- I am wardrobe supervisor for a company that does entertainment on cruise ships, so protecting the Alaskan Wilderness is a big deal to me. Of course, for the obvious reasons of wanting to preserve beautiful places for younger generations to see and for business reasons. I know it’s selfish… but Alaskan cruises are a huge source of income for my workplace.
– Lynn C., California
- I am the Environmental Adventure Program director in Western North Carolina. I have always had a passion for the wilderness and an even greater passion to share it with others. We can learn so many lessons from the wilderness and it is important to share these lessons with others. What a great thing it is to have fun outside, while learning about it, protecting it, and sharing it with others. I have seen some amazing sights in all of my journeys and know the importance of keeping those sites beautiful!
– Kara R., North Carolina
- I am a retired Navy officer, outdoorsman, environmentalist, and outdoor retail shop owner. So many of our towns and counties in the Lower 48 fail to see and heed the planning and growth mistakes of others. I like to think we’ll be smarter in Alaska and that the Alaskan wilderness will be preserved.
Keith B., CO
– Keith B., Colorado
- I am a lifelong hunter and fisherman who grew up on a farm in Illinois. I’ve been dedicated to environmental preservation for most of my life. I believe we will soon have an administration and a Congress that cares about preservation. Alaska is a treasure, and if our country treats Alaska that way, we can at long last be an exemplary leader to the rest of the world. I hope we can pass this on to our descendants.
– Larry B., Illinois
- I am a wildlife biologist who knows that Alaska’s wilderness is a summer nesting site for many migratory birds, some of which are threatened by the loss of wild habitat all along their summer and winter migratory routes. If Alaska is not protected, the world will loose more of its diversity, leading to an unhealthier world.
– Peggy D., South Dakota
- I am a lawyer living in New Jersey. I have never visited Alaska and likely will never do so. But there is a certain psychic pleasure in knowing that somewhere there is a pristine wilderness untouched by commercial exploitation. It is also immensely important to conserve our wilderness areas to prevent the extinction of species and preserve biodiversity.
– Gene H., New Jersey
- I am a scientist, an educator, a mountaineer. I fell in love with wildness when I was 17. A day after high school graduation, I flew north to the Kenai Penninsula for my summer job. I try to explain Alaska to my friends and family. All I can say is this: Alaska has taught me how to think, how to be in this world. It is my constant context and my source of grace and humility.
– Erica L., Washington
