Gainesville USFS office to mark 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act

GAINESVILLE - The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) office in Gainesville and several other organizations are planning an event in downtown Dahlonega to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act.<br /> <br /> It is to be held Sept. 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Hancock Park and will feature a keynote address from former U.S. Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth.<br /> <br /> President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 signed the Wilderness Act into law, which established the National Wilderness Preservation System. Officials say Congress has added more than 100 million acres to the land preservation system since the bill was signed into law.<br /> <br /> The law established areas that are controlled by nature and are left unchanged by human visitors.<br /> <br /> Georgia has all or portions of 14 Wilderness Areas, ranging from the mountains to the coast. North Georgia's Chattahoochee National Forest is home to 10 of them, covering more than 117,000 acres. They include the Cohutta, Mark Trail, Brasstown, Southern Nantahala, Tray Mountain, Rich Mountain, Raven Cliffs, Blood Mountain and Ellicott Rock Wilderness Areas.<br /> <br /> You can read more about plans for the celebration and the Wilderness Act by clicking on the link below.<br /> <br /> (AccessNorthGa.com's Ken Stanford contributed to this report.)