The California Wilderness Preservation System

The California Wilderness Act was signed into law in 1974 to preserve suitable state lands in a natural wilderness condition for public use and enjoyment. The California Wilderness Preservation System currently includes six areas, ranging in size from 4,810 to 294,000 acres. Twenty other areas are under active consideration for wilderness designation. Although the California Wilderness Act was modeled after the federal act, there are significant differences between the two. The California Department of Parks and Recreation uses a variety of management strategies for wilderness areas, including designating campsites, establishing carrying capacities, and prohibiting certain activities. The 420,000 acres of state wilderness in California complement the 5.9 million acres of federal wilderness in California, in occupying different landscape types and vegetation not otherwise preserved.