Peggie dePasquale | Victor, ID

Peggie dePasquale is the National Forest Wildlands Director for the Wyoming Wilderness Association.

Why does wilderness matter to you?

Wilderness resonates with me. In a time when the concept of truth often somehow feels hard to grasp, wildlands are something we can all believe in. A mountain meadow filled with native wildflowers, clean air, a babbling snowmelt-fed stream, and a pika calling from the scree fields above, there is nothing more authentic than that; there is nothing more worth fighting for.

What are your hopes for the future of wilderness?

I hope and I believe that Wilderness can and will remain protected and wild for generations to come. I believe this because of the people I work with that care just as much as I do, and work just as hard as I do, to keep the dream of wild places a reality.