郊狼丘，朱红悬崖国家纪念区，亚利桑那州，美国 Coyote Buttes, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona, USA (© James Hager/Getty Images)

郊狼丘，朱红悬崖国家纪念区，亚利桑那州，美国 Coyote Buttes, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona, USA (© James Hager/Getty Images)

一部守护荒野的法案 An act of wilderness

郊狼丘，朱红悬崖国家纪念区，亚利桑那州

波浪通常属于海洋。但在亚利桑那州北部，它们却从沙漠中涌起。郊狼丘是朱红悬崖国家纪念区的一部分，其盘旋起伏的砂岩地貌由远古沙丘和数百万年的侵蚀共同塑造而成，造就了一片即使静止不动也仿佛泛着涟漪的景观。

正是由于存在这样的地方，1964年《荒野法》才于9月3日签署成为法律，而今天正是纪念这一里程碑的日子。由于担心不断发展的国家可能会改变国土上几乎每一个角落，国会设立了国家荒野保护体系，以保护那些保留自然风貌，并为人们提供独处、探索和发现机会的土地。

该法案最初保护了54片荒野地区，占地910万英亩。六十多年后的今天，这一体系覆盖的全国土地已超过1.1亿英亩。从偏远森林到经自然雕琢的沙漠岩层，这些受保护的景观邀请游客体验美国的另一面——它并非由蓝图塑造，而是由时间本身铸就。

Coyote Buttes, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona

Waves usually belong to the ocean. In northern Arizona, they rise from the desert instead. The swirling sandstone formations of Coyote Buttes, part of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, were shaped by ancient dunes and millions of years of erosion, creating a landscape that seems to ripple even while standing still.

Places like this are one reason the Wilderness Act of 1964 was signed into law on September 3, a milestone commemorated today. Concerned that an expanding nation could transform nearly every corner of the country, Congress established the National Wilderness Preservation System to protect lands that retain their natural character and offer opportunities for solitude, exploration, and discovery.

The act initially safeguarded 54 wilderness areas covering 9.1 million acres. More than six decades later, the system now encompasses over 110 million acres nationwide. From remote forests to sculpted desert rock, these protected landscapes invite visitors to experience a side of America shaped not by blueprints, but by time itself.