Into the Wilderness Question

Is it Biological or Psychological?

 

People have been debating the nature of wilderness since the early 1970s, when huge numbers of backpacking baby-boomers took to the hills of wild America. Some say an area is a wilderness only if human activity is utterly undetectable. However, Thomas Heberlein, a UW-Madison sociologist, says it is not the state of the plants, animals, and terrain that determines whether a given area is a wilderness— it’s the state of mind of people who go there. Wilderness areas are socially constructed entities, Heberlein says.

"People who are interested in preserving wilderness want to see it as a biological fact, one that can be defined in terms of the biological and the physical environment. And many of us are saying that wilderness is really a social construction. It exists in the minds of people and in society, and that’s really where you have to look to understand wilderness," Heberlein said.

Heberlein’s view stems from the 22 years of research he has conducted on boaters visiting the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. He first surveyed their opinions about the islands and the experience of boating there in 1975. Then, with Sea Grant support, he surveyed them again 1985 and 1997. He found that physical changes—the addition of docks, marinas, and other development—have not affected visitors’ willingness to describe the area as a wilderness. In each survey, about 63% agreed with the statement, "I would consider the Apostle Islands a wilderness." During those 22 years, however, boaters have become more likely to say the area shows signs of environmental damage by humans.

Heberlein says these data show that "wilderness" is not an all-or-nothing idea for visitors to the Apostle Islands.

"In the public’s mind, wilderness doesn’t have to be pristine. It can have a little bit of environmental degradation, it can perhaps have some docks, or it can have occasional moments of crowding, and still be a wilderness," he said.

Crowding is also a psychological phenomenon, Heberlein says, and is therefore better analyzed by surveying people than counting them. From 1975 to 1985, the number of visitors to the Apostle Islands doubled, but 1985 visitors felt less crowded than those of 1975. From 1985 to 1997 the number of visitors remained constant, yet the more recent visitors felt more crowded than those of 1985.

"So crowding, like wilderness, is really a psychological construct, and it can’t be tied directly to the number of visitors," Heberlein said.

These findings have helped park officials base management decisions on appropriate criteria, Heberlein said.

"Without having these scientific data available, the park service, which tends to be fairly preservationist oriented, might have been pushed by preservationist groups to oppose mainland development, saying the resource just can’t take it. And our data shows that even the recreational experience is not being affected by the numbers of people who enter the system."

At some point, of course, higher numbers of boaters would generate greater feelings of being crowded, but Heberlein says the system has not reached that point.

This summer, Heberlein will begin looking at the economic impact of the sailing industry on the mainland shore.

- John Karl

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Last updated 28 March 2000 by Karl
All contents copyright 1999 University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute

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