Your Wilderness Stories

Your Oregon Wilderness experiences are a living history.

Strawberry MountainThe Wilderness Act became the law of the land 50 years ago in 1964. Ten years later Oregon Wild came together to help facilitate the identification and passage of Congressionally-designated Wilderness areas in Oregon.

But even before Wilderness became something official as policy or legislation, it was always there, providing habitat for Oregon's wildlife, offering solace and enticing adventure to those hearty souls who met nature and wilderness on it's terms, and providing the long-term ecological benefits to the planet which wild places have done for centuries.

We want to hear your Oregon wilderness stories, whether they were outings or adventures before Wilderness legislation was passed, or whether it was a trek or outing you undertook this past summer. We want it all - your photos, videos, and memories to help compile a living history of Oregon wilderness.

Throughout 2014 we'll be meeting with wilderness advocates and fans to record their Oregon Wild stories, whether it was scaling a peak of ice and rock, descending to an alder-filled river valley, or spending time with family camping or fishing in one of Oregon's superlative-worthy wild places.

For the moment, you can e-mail your stories, photos, and more to: [email protected]

If you'd like to share your wilderness memories with us via mail, go ahead and send your materials to us at:

Wilderness Stories
c/o Oregon Wild
5825 N. Greeley Ave.
Portland, OR 97217

Thanks for helping us keep Oregon Wild for 40 years. We've got plenty of work to do this year and in the years to come - but four decades of conservation success is a legacy worth celebrating. Thanks for sharing your memories with us.

Return to the Wilderness Act 50th Anniversary page.

Cottonwood Creek

Photos (top to bottom): the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness in the Malheur National Forest was one of the original Wilderness areas in Oregon, made possible by the passage of the Wilderness Act in 1964 (photo by Eli Boschetto); Cottonwood Creek (by Aaron Theisen).