Senate Passes Feingold Measure Honoring 40th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act Resolution Applauds Extraordinary Wilderness Preservation Efforts of Individuals, Conservation Leaders, and Legislators December 10, 2004 Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) announced today that the U.S. Senate has passed a resolution he authored commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. Feingold was joined by a bipartisan group of Senators in sponsoring the resolution, which commemorates the Wilderness Act being signed into law on September 3, 1964. The original Wilderness Act was introduced by Senator Hubert H. Humphrey (D-MN) and Representative John Saylor (R-PA) and signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson. Wisconsin Senators Gaylord Nelson and Bill Proxmire were cosponsors of the original act. The act is essential in preserving and protecting wild areas through the National Wilderness Preservation System. "Forty years ago, this body took a strong stand to protect and preserve our cherished wilderness," Feingold said. "By passing this resolution commemorating the anniversary of the Wilderness Act, the Senate has once again made a clear statement of support for our environment and honored the hard work of people like Wilderness Society leader Sigurd Olson, writers Ralph Waldo Emerson, Isabella Bird and Henry David Thoreau, and Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter." The Wilderness Act was instrumental in recognizing the United States' natural heritage as a resource of value that should be protected. When first enacted in 1964, nine million acres were protected by Congress. Currently, over 104 million acres have been preserved. "The concept of wilderness is inextricably linked with Wisconsin," Feingold said. "Wisconsin has produced great thinkers and leaders in the wilderness movement such as Senator Gaylord Nelson, writer and conservationist Aldo Leopold, Sierra Club founder John Muir, and Wilderness Society leader Sigurd Olson. Through the hard work of these Wisconsinites and people from all over the country and across the political spectrum, we are preserving our treasured wild places for future generations."

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