In 1964 President Lyndon Johnson signed the federal Wilderness Act into law, culminating decades of effort and compromise. Over the past 60 years, Congress has designated millions of acres as Wilderness, including over 57 million acres in Alaska. During that time the concept of Wilderness and how it is managed has changed. For instance, the original definition of Wilderness as being ‘untrammeled by man’ is challenged by the fact of thousands of years of Indigenous use. On this Outdoor Explorer host Paul Twardock discusses the past, present and future of the Wilderness Act with James Edward Mills, an African American filmmaker, and Karlin Itchoak, United States Fish and Wildlife Service Assistant Regional Director of Refugees in Alaska and an Alaskan Native. Alaska Wilderness Film Week is 11/12 to 11/15 and will feature “American Ascent,” James Mills film about the first all African American ascent of Denali.
HOST: Paul Twardock
GUESTS:
James Edward Mills, filmmaker
Karlin Itchoak, United States Fish and Wildlife Service Assistant Regional Director of Refugees in Alaska
LINKS:
Alaska Wilderness Film Week
National Park Service Alaska Wilderness
Wilderness Connect
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wilderness
James Edward Mills “The Joy Trip Project”
Paul Twardock is a Professor of Outdoor Studies at Alaska Pacific University, where he has worked since 1988. He is the author of Kayaking and Camping in Prince William Sound and help found the Alaska Sea Kayaking Symposium/Paddle Sport Fun Day. At APU he teaches a variety of undergraduate classes included Sea Kayaking, Recreation Program Design, Nordic Skiing, The Business of Recreation, and Wildland Ecosystems and Human Impacts. Paul received his BS in Outdoor Recreation from Western Illinois University, went to work instructing for NOLS in Alaska, then received his MBA from APU. Paul’s research includes monitoring of campsites in Prince William Sound and Chugach State Park for human impact, trail use in Chugach State Park, and the Alaska Recreational Boating Safety Incident Database. His passions include sea kayaking, river boating of all sorts, hiking, mountain running, climbing, skiing of any kind, and birding. One of his last adventures involved a mule ride.
Paul is one of several hosts for Outdoor Explorer
