Eastern Wilderness Act of 1974

The eastern wilderness act of 1974 made it possible for lands in eastern states that had recovered from past abuse to be eligible for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System.

Passed in 1964, the Wilderness Act (P.L. 88–577) established a system of wilderness areas called the National Wilderness Preservation Systems. Three federal agencies were given responsibility for managing wilderness lands: the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the Bureau of Land Management was later given responsibility for managing wilderness lands after passage of the Forest Land Policy and Management Act in 1976). Provisions of the Act [Page 506]specified criteria for the inclusion of new units in the system. Wilderness lands were to be “…primeval in character and influence… affected ...