The Colorado Wilderness Project

About
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The Colorado Wilderness Project is my personal attempt to create a collection of compelling landscape photographs from within all 44 federally managed wilderness areas in my home state of Colorado.

Most photographs for this project are taken on arduous backpacking expeditions into remote backcountry areas. These are parts of Colorado that most people have never seen, and therefore have not yet learned to appreciate. So far, I have captured 6 out of the 44 wilderness areas in Colorado.

My current progress can be viewed here.

Goals
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My main goals include:
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1. raising awareness about wilderness and its immense value to humanity
2. promoting conservation of federally managed wilderness areas
3. fostering a personal connection with nature
4. encouraging the public to embrace outdoor exploration and disconnection from technology as a means of mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing

By showcasing these wild places, I hope to inspire a collective commitment to preserving and celebrating Colorado’s wilderness, which contains some of the most spectacular landscapes in the world.

Outcome
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The outcome of this project will be a printed photo book with a chapter on each wilderness area. Each chapter will contain curated photographs of the area as well as a written content about the area’s background, significance (e.g. cultural, historical, ecological, etc.), and personal stories from my time exploring the area. I would like to donate copies of this book to libraries throughout Colorado and the rest of the United States. In doing so, I not only hope to inspire the next generation of explorers and conservationists, but also serve as a role model for young women who are still largely underrepresented in both landscape photography, outdoor adventure, and STEM fields.

What is Wilderness?

Wilderness in the United States refers to a specific designation for public lands set aside and protected by federal law to preserve their natural, unspoiled character. Wilderness areas represent the last places in America where one can experience nature in its purest form.
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The legislation that legally defined and designated wilderness areas in the United States is the Wilderness Act of 1964, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. According to this law, the term wilderness is defined 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.”

In other words, wilderness areas are truly wild places.

Unlike other public lands like National Parks or BLM lands, there are no roads, buildings, electricity, running water, or other manmade amenities. These areas are intentionally kept free from significant human development, and they are managed to maintain their wild and pristine condition.

There are over 803 designated wilderness areas in the United States (which is only about 4.5% of the land area of the US), and 44 of them are in Colorado.

The key characteristics of wilderness areas in the United States include:

Natural and Untrammeled: Wilderness areas must be largely unaffected by human activity, with minimal alterations to the landscape. They are places where nature remains in control, and human influence is limited to non-invasive recreational and conservation activities.
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Undeveloped: Wilderness areas have no permanent structures, roads, or other forms of infrastructure. They are typically accessible only by foot, horseback, or non-motorized watercraft.
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Solitude: Wilderness areas are places where visitors can experience solitude and a sense of being removed from the modern world. They offer opportunities for quiet reflection and connection with nature.
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Conservation of Ecosystems: These areas protect and conserve diverse ecosystems, rare and endangered species, clean water sources, and the ecological processes that sustain the natural environment.

Why is Wilderness Important?

Wilderness is important for a wide variety of reasons, both tangible and intangible.

The Wilderness Act recognizes many important benefits to wilderness, including “outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation,” and “ecological, geological, or other features of scientific, educational, scenic, or historical value.”

Some of the most significant aspects of wilderness include:
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Biodiversity Conservation: Wilderness areas serve as crucial refuges for a wide variety of plant and animal species. These areas provide essential habitats for a large variety of species to thrive.
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Scientific Research: Scientists use wilderness areas as natural laboratories to study ecosystems, climate change, and biodiversity. These areas provide insights into natural processes with minimal human interference.
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Recreation and Outdoor Education: Wilderness areas offer opportunities for outdoor recreation such as hiking, camping, backpacking, fishing, and wildlife observation. They provide a place for people to connect with nature and learn about the environment.
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Clean Water and Air: Wilderness areas protect and presesrve airsheds and watersheds that would otherwise be polluted by human activities.
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Aesthetic and Spiritual Value: Wilderness areas have intrinsic value for their natural beauty and as places where individuals can find spiritual and aesthetic inspiration.
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Historical and Cultural Significance: Many wilderness areas hold cultural and historical value for Indigenous peoples and other communities. Preserving these areas respects the traditions and histories of these groups.
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Geological Formations: Wilderness areas protect unique rock formations that preserve Earth's 4.5 billion year old history.

Threats to Wilderness

Although wilderness areas are protected by federal law, there are many factors that still threaten how well they are preserved.

These threats are what I would like to highlight with this project, and the biggest ones include:
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‍Climate Change: A major global concern not limited to the United States, climate change is a multifaceted, existential threat to wilderness areas. Deteriorating ecosystems within wilderness due to climate change have been easy to see over the last few years. In Colorado some of these devestaing changes include Mountain Pine Beetle kill and melting glaciers, to list only a few.
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Overuse: As interest in outdoor recreation increases, people have started to love wilderness to death. Excessive visitation and lack of education of (or regard for) Leave No Trace principles has caused backcountry areas to degrade significantly in the last few years.
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Invasive Species: Invasive species prey on or compete with native species for resources and can destroy or even eliminate populations of native flora and fauna.
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Pollution: Air, water, light, and sound pollution are increasingly introduced from surrounding cities and developing areas.
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Fire Supression: Natural wildfires are essential to healthy forest ecosystems, and suppressing them negatively alters plant and animal communities.