LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County may have been the first in the United States to give official notice to a year of nationwide celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the landmark federal Wilderness Act.

After passage by an overwhelmingly nonpartisan Congressional vote, this legislation was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 3, 1964.

It created America’s National Wilderness Preservation System, federal lands to be preserved permanently for “the use and enjoyment of the American people in such manner as will ... provide for the protection of these areas and the preservation of their wilderness character.”

To commemorate the occasion, shortly after 9 a.m. on Tuesday, newly elected Board of Supervisors Chair Denise Rushing read a resolution proclaiming the significance of our National Wilderness Preservation System to “America’s cultural, scientific, historical, cultural and spiritual heritage,” reflecting on the “profound influence of the great outdoors on our lives and our national character” and committing to “preserving them for generations to come.”

All or part of four designated wilderness areas (Cache Creek, Sanhedrin, Snow Mountain, and Yuki) lie within the borders of Lake County.

Rushing presented the proclamation to Sierra Club Lake Group Chair Ed Robey, who thanked the members of the board for their resolution, and expressed his gratification at the county’s extremely prompt recognition of this significant anniversary.

He then informed them that the Redwood Chapter, Lake Group’s parent organization, has prepared a guidebook to the 21 state and federal wilderness areas in northwest California, and promised to return on the earliest possible occasion to offer a complimentary copy to each supervisor.

Victoria Brandon is chair of the Sierra Club Redwood Chapter. She lives in Lower Lake, Calif.