Wilderness And Individual Freedom Conference Proceedings, 1976, University of Oregon Outdoor Program

I participated in and have a copy of the proceedings for this unique national Wilderness conference sponsored by the University of Oregon Outdoor Program, Oregon Committee for the Humanities, and   A.S.U.O. Survival Center and Cultural Forum.

The Conference "to examine the public wilderness resource and its implications for the American citizen's future" was held at Mt. Hood, Oregon on March 4-6, 1976.

David Brower, Willi Unsoeld, Edward Abby, Roderick Nash, John Miles , Rick Applegate, Brock Evans, Roger Mellum, Dee Molenar, Roger Robinson and 143 others participated in this national conference organized by active wilderness users participating in the University of Oregon Common Adventure Outdoor Program. Todd True and Katy Flanagan were the conference organizers. 

The 116 page document is apparently available at the University of Oregon.

The following is a quote about the conference found on ERIC Institute of Education Sciences. (I separated the main topic sentences and bolded one section for emphasis.)

"A fundamental statement of the only philosophy that can really lead to protection of wild lands emerged from the proceedings of the March, 1976 Wilderness and Individual Freedom Conference--

there must be more citizen participation in wilderness decisions because there is a great diversity of wilderness users and because we cannot separate what happens in the wilderness from what happens in our lives. 

Some 113 (sic) participants attended the three day conference that featured keynote speakers, panel discussions, small group seminar discussions, and slide presentations. Proceedings of all these events are included in this document. 

The script of the multi-media slide presentation on wilderness and individual freedom is given.

 Personal, management and broad perspectives on the historical and philosophical foundations of the American wilderness dream are summarized from a panel discussion on that subject. 

One keynote address deals with the rights and freedoms that must be protected for the individual citizen's use of wilderness resources and a subsequent seminar discussion lays the foundation for a charter of essential wilderness freedoms.

 Other panel discussions and discussion groups work with the problem of individual freedom and wilderness preservation. 

Proceedings on the final conference day were directed toward the major conference question of "How can we maximize freedom and minimize impact in the wilderness resource?" (DS)"

The "Wilderness" Project Faire included 29 displays and sign up sheets developed by individuals and organizations inviting conference participants to become involved in planning and actualizing public Wilderness projects