Forum from the Archives: What Does Wilderness Mean in our Modern World?

KQED's Forum

KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 17 February 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A century ago, the United States designated its first wilderness area – a place to be forever preserved and protected from human impact. But what does “wilderness” mean in the era of smartphone technology that keeps us constantly connected and human-fueled climate change? And who gets to enjoy these “untrammeled” spaces? These are the questions posed by environmental journalist Marissa Ortega-Welch in her podcast “How Wild.” We talk with Ortega-Welch, an environmental historian, and an outdoor educator about the complex history and future of our wildest landscapes. And we hear from you: What does wilderness mean for you? Guests: Marissa Ortega-Welch, science and environmental journalist, host of the podcast "How Wild" Phoebe Young, professor of environmental history and chair of the history department, University of Colorado Boulder; author, "Camping Grounds: Public Nature in American Life from the Civil War to the Occupy Movement" Aparna Rajagopal, founding partner, The Avarna Group Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for Forum comes from Rancho La Puerta, a wellness resort in Baja, California, just an hour from San Diego.
0:07.6	Three, four, and seven-night summer packages include fitness classes, hiking, live music, mindfulness, and culinary adventures, featuring fruits and veggies straight off the vine.
0:18.9	Special rates and offers are available for summer stays and first-time guests.
0:23.8	Saver summer at Rancho LaPuerta, rancho LaPuerta.com.
0:28.3	Support for Forum comes from Broadway SF, presenting Parade, the musical revival based on a true story.
0:35.7	From three-time Tony-winning composer Jason Robert Brown comes the story of
0:40.0	Leo and Lucille Frank, a newlywed Jewish couple struggling to make a life in Georgia. When Leo is
0:46.9	accused of an unspeakable crime, it propels them into an unimaginable test of faith, humanity, justice,
0:54.1	and devotion.
0:55.8	The riveting and gloriously hopeful parade plays the Orpheum Theater for three weeks only, May 20th through June 8th.
1:04.2	Tickets on sale now at Broadway, sF.com.
1:09.0	From KQED.
1:28.3	Music from KQED. From KQED. From KQED. From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Alexis Madrigal with a special edition of Forum from the Archives. What is wilderness?
1:29.3	A hundred years ago, the federal government defined wilderness in a particular way,
1:33.3	based on notions of the landscape we now consider historically inaccurate.
1:38.3	But wilderness is also a vibe.
1:40.3	It's the way a particular landscape might make you feel, the solitude, the freedom, the absence of human infrastructure.
1:47.8	Marissa Ortega Welch set out to disentangle our expectations and the reality of wilderness management
1:53.0	in a podcast from KALW, How Wild. Lace up your boots, strap on your pack, we head out after this news.
2:23.2	Music Lace up your boots, strap on your pack. We head out after this news. Welcome to Forum. I'm Alexis Madrigal. You know, when I'm out in some remote place,
2:29.9	I hold two basically contradictory thoughts. One is, wow, I'm in nature, I'm in the wild,
2:36.3	I'm in connection with everything holy and sacred. And I'm also usually thinking about every extravagant human system that allows me to have that wandering free experience. The roads I took to
	...

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