Wilderness Legislation

Many groups within the National Wilderness Coalition advocate for legislation to designate new wilderness and/or provide additional protection to existing wilderness or wilderness-quality lands. Below, you'll find a list of wilderness-related legislation NWC members are advocating for during the 119th Congress. Inclusion on this page does not imply endorsement by the National Wilderness Coalition.

  • Sponsor: Representative Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico

    State(s) impacted by the bill: Utah

    Bill summary: America's Red Rock Wilderness Act would protect over 8 million acres of federal public land as wilderness.

    For more information, contact: Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance

  • Sponsor: Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois

    State(s) impacted by the bill: Utah

    Bill summary: America's Red Rock Wilderness Act would protect over 8 million acres of federal public land as wilderness.

    For more information, contact: Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance

  • Sponsor: Representative Betty McCollum of Minnesota

    State(s) impacted by the bill: Minnesota

    Bill summary: To provide for the protection of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and interconnected Federal lands and waters, including Voyageurs National Park, within the Rainy River Watershed in the State of Minnesota, and for other purposes.

    For more information, contact: Save the Boundary Waters, Friends of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

  • Sponsor: Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota

    State(s) impacted by the bill: Minnesota

    Bill summary: To protect, for current and future generations, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and interconnected Federal land and waters, including Voyageurs National Park, within the Rainy River Watershed in the State of Minnesota, and for other purposes.

    For more information, contact: Save the Boundary Waters, Friends of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

  • Sponsor: Representative Joe Neguse of Colorado

    State(s) impacted by the bill: Colorado

    Bill summary: To provide for the designation of certain wilderness areas, recreation management areas, and conservation areas in the State of Colorado, and for other purposes.

    For more information, contact: Wilderness Workshop

  • Sponsor: Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado

    State(s) impacted by the bill: Colorado

    Bill summary: To provide for the designation of certain wilderness areas, recreation management areas, and conservation areas in the State of Colorado, and for other purposes.

    For more information, contact: Wilderness Workshop

  • Sponsor: Representative French Hill of Arkansas

    State(s) impacted by the bill: Arkansas

    Bill summary: To add ~2,200 acres to the existing Flatside Wilderness in Arkansas's Ouachita National Forest, and rename the are the Flatside-Bethune Woods Wilderness

    For more information, contact: Southern Environmental Law Center

  • Sponsor: Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon

    State(s) impacted by the bill: Oregon

    Bill summary: To designate 1.1 million acres of wilderness in Oregon's Owyhee Canyonlands and other purposes

    For more information, contact: Oregon Natural Desert Association

  • Sponsor: Representative Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania

    State(s) impacted by the bill: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon

    Bill summary: To designate 23 million acres of roadless lands as federal wilderness across the northern Rockies.

    For more information, contact: Western Watersheds Project

  • Sponsor: Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island

    State(s) impacted by the bill: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon

    Bill summary: To designate 23 million acres of roadless lands as federal wilderness across the northern Rockies.

    For more information, contact: Western Watersheds Project

  • Sponsor: Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon

    State(s) impacted by the bill: Oregon

    Bill summary: To designate certain land administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service in the State of Oregon as wilderness and national recreation areas, to withdraw certain land located in Curry County and Josephine County, Oregon, from all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws, location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and operation under the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws, and for other purposes.

    For more information, contact: Oregon Wild

  • Sponsor: Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner of Virginia

    State(s) impacted by the bill: Virginia

    Bill summary: To establish the Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area at ~90,000 acres, with embedded wilderness.

    For more information, contact: Southern Environmental Law Center, Virginia Wilderness Committee

  • Sponsor: Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner of Virginia

    State(s) impacted by the bill: Virginia

    Bill summary: To designate ~5,000 acres of wilderness additions to the Rough Mountain Wilderness and Rich Hole Wilderness of the George Washington National Forest.

    For more information, contact: Southern Environmental Law Center, Virginia Wilderness Committee