WILDERNESS AREA

Land where the effects of man are not apparent. Large tracts of land that are set aside and allowed to develop without the intervention of man. Such activities as the construction of roads, development of recreational facilities, removal of trees, or hunting are prohibited. The 1964 Wilderness Act allows the U.S. government to set aside sections within the national forests, national parks, and national wildlife refuges as wilderness areas. Currently there are about 450 such areas within the United States totaling 90 million acres, two-thirds of which are in Alaska.