GREATER GILA
“First and Wildest: The Gila Wilderness at 100” edited by Elizabeth Hightower Allen
Nearly one hundred years ago, the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico became America’s first designated Wilderness area. The centennial is coming up in 2024, and Torrey House Press released an anthology of writing, a collection of essays called “First and Wildest: The Gila Wilderness at 100.” Click here to watch a short film about some of the writers who contributed to the anthology.
The Center for Western Priorities had the pleasure of speaking with two of the authors featured in the book about their personal experiences and connection to the Gila Wilderness. Leeanna Torres was born and raised in New Mexico and worked as a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist in the Gila, which she wrote about in her essay. Joe Saenz is an Apache backcountry guide in the Gila. He wrote about his work as well as his tribe’s connection to the area in his essay. We also spoke with Madeleine Carey with Wild Earth Guardians about the future of the Gila Wilderness and the proposal to protect the Greater Gila bioregion. Listen to the podcast to hear more about each of them and what’s next for the Gila.