Fourth of July Lode added to Mount Baker Wilderness

The Wilderness Land Trust recently completed the transfer of 21 acres of previously private lands to public ownership within Washington’s Mount Baker Wilderness, adding them to the designated wilderness area. 

Nationwide, there are over 275,000 acres of private property, known as inholdings, within designated wilderness areas. Unlike the surrounding wilderness, the acreage is not protected and can be developed with homes, resorts, timber, and mining operations. The Wilderness Land Trust works with willing sellers to purchase these properties and protect them to benefit public access, wildlife habitat, and healthy watersheds.

The property, known as Fourth of July Lode, sits high in a fragile alpine ecosystem and contains one of 13 glaciers remaining in the Mount Baker Wilderness.

The Trust first purchased the property from a private owner whose family had owned it since the early 1900s gold rush. After transfer to public ownership, the designated wilderness now enjoys the highest level of protection available to public lands. Only an act of Congress can allow alteration of the land, not executive orders or other administration directives.

In total, the Trust has protected 44 properties totaling 1,970 acres in Washington.

More info: https://wildernesslandtrust.org/