Understanding Wilderness: Untouched Land and How It Touches Us
Ian Dowdy
- Conservation Outreach Associate, Arizona Wilderness Coalition
The Wilderness Act of 1964 defines wilderness as "an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain." Wilderness provides habitat for plants and animals. It protects watersheds, provides space for recreation, and connects us with nature. Untouched places also have economic value. Without our areas of natural open space, Arizona would lose its appeal for developers, hunters, and tourists; military installations will be less viable; and the great outdoors would be lost to our children.
Join Ian Dowdy to learn more about wilderness in Arizona and what you can do to help protect it. Dowdy will pay special attention to the Sonoran Desert Heritage conservation proposal which will affect the West Valley.
Ian Dowdy is Conservation Outreach Associate with Arizona Wilderness Coalition. Prior to his work with the Coalition, he was a municipal planner and a consultant for master-planned communities. He received a bachelor's in urban planning and a master's in business administration from ASU and is certified by the American Planning Association.
8:30 - 10:00 a.m.
(breakfast will be provided)