Perry Brown | Ivins, UT
Perry Brown is a former professor of over 45 years at Utah State, Colorado State, Oregon State and the University of Montana.
Why does wilderness matter to you?
Wilderness has been a significant part of my life beginning with 1950s summer vacations to Mammoth Lakes and surrounding mountains, including what is now the John Muir Wilderness. Those experiences blossomed into personal and professional wilderness experiences. As I wrote several years ago for a book edited by Dan Dustin, “Wilderness is A Fountain of Discoveries.” It is beauty, quiet, mystery, sacrifice, contrast, satisfaction, fantasy, families, testing oneself, laboratory, mind filling, mindless, and things yet undiscovered. Without it, we lose many of life’s pleasures and mysteries.
My experiences span Maine to California. Whether in Grand Gulch in Utah, the Boundary Waters in Minnesota, the Wind Rivers in Wyoming, or the Sierra in California, wilderness is inspiring and refreshing. It is a place to rejuvenate the soul, to find contrast with a busy life, to contemplate family and the world, and to experience beauty. It is a place to learn.
Share a story about a special experience you have had in wilderness.
I have had many special experiences in wilderness such as sharing a research excursion with one of my sons in the Weminuche Wilderness in Colorado and experiencing his excitement and development, being with graduate students in the Popo Agie of Wyoming and feeling their excitement and wonder, or having a surprise wake up of mountain sheep canvassing our campsite in Colorado’s Rawah Wilderness. There also was the rare experience of chairing the committee and learning from luminaries such as Stewart Udall and Bill Meadows for the Pinchot Institute’s assessment of wilderness management as we approached the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. These and more were special experiences.
What are your hopes for the future of wilderness?
First, I hope for a reinvigorated interest in wilderness and all that it provides to us. Second, I hope that we are good stewards of what we have now and that we add to this legacy protecting additional lands that provide the fountain of discoveries about nature and us.
