Lucia | Carbondale, Illinois

Lucia is an environmental activist, educator and musician.

Why does wilderness matter to you?

Wilderness matters to me because I strongly believe that we should have large tracts of public land that are not managed by humans, that are free to exist for all manner of living things. I also believe that other public lands such as National Parks and Forest Service lands should also be minimally managed. Lastly, I am part-wild myself, and I need/crave wild places.

Why does wilderness matter to your community?

Wilderness matters to my community because we are adjacent to the Shawnee National Forest and numerous Wilderness areas such as Lusk Creek, Panther's Den, and and Bald Knob. Most of my friends live in Southern Illinois because of the wild places.

Share a story about a special experience you have had in wilderness.

Anytime I am in wilderness, I struggle to leave and go back to city-life. If I was not a social creature and dependent on other humans for my survival, I would never come out of Wilderness! It fills me with awe and a longing for simpler living.

What are your hopes for the future of wilderness?

My hopes for wilderness are two-fold. First, I want the areas already designated as Wilderness to be forever protected. Second, I want more areas in the United States to be designated as Wilderness. Why? Because we, including all living things, need true wild places to exist in and to be in for periods of time, whether it's for a few hours or a week-long trek/camping experience.