Under the 1964 Wilderness Act:

“ There are now 106 million acres protected as wilderness. Alaska accounts for more than half of them, 58 million acres, which is 16 percent of the state. California has 14 million acres, or 14 percent of the state. The other states with the most wilderness acres are: Arizona, 4.5 million, or 6 percent of its land; Washington state, 4.3 million, or 10 percent; Idaho, 4 million, or 7.5 percent; Montana and Colorado, 3.4 million each, or 4 and 5 percent, respectively; Wyoming, 3.1 million, or 5 percent; Oregon, 2.3 million, or 4 percent; and Nevada, 2.1 million, or 3 percent.

“ President Bush so far has signed four wilderness bills by Congress adding 529,604 acres, nearly all in Nevada; 14,000 acres are in Colorado. The most acreage was added during Jimmy Carter’s years in the White House. Carter signed 14 wilderness bills covering a total of 66.3 million, mostly in Alaska. Ronald Reagan signed 43 bills adding 10.6 million acres. Lyndon Johnson siged six bills totaling 4 million acres. Bill Clinton signed 13 bills adding 9.5 million acres. George H.W. Bush signed 10 bills adding 4 million acres. Gerald Ford signed 12 bills adding 3.5 million acres and Richard Nixon signed 12 bills adding 1.3 million acres.

“ California has the most wilderness areas, 130, followed by Arizona, 90; Alaska, 48; Nevada, 42; Colorado, 41; Oregon, 40; Washington, 30; New Mexico, 23; Virginia, 18; Florida, 17; Utah, 16; Montana and Wyoming, 15 each; Georgia and Michigan, 14 each; North Carolina, 12, and Tennessee, 11. The rest of the states are in single digits or have no designated wilderness areas.

Sources: The Interior Department; The Wilderness Society; Wilderness.net