Last month, we celebrated the anniversary of our first year in existence as the Not In Wilderness Coalition. The most important thing we’ve learned: building a brand new nonprofit organization from the ground up is no easy task. But for a handful of passionate and mission-driven folks… Well, it’s still no easy task.

We’re excited about the progress we’ve made, and about the Coalition we are building. We also know we’ve got a long way to go. If you’ve been curious about what we’ve been up to behind the scenes, buckle up.

Here is a full report of where we’ve been, where we are at, and where we are headed next.

WHERE WE’VE BEEN ON THE TRAVELING ROADSHOW:

• November 2025: First event at Highlander Brewery in Salmon

• December 2025: First panel discussion at the IOGA Annual Meeting in Wallace

• December 2025: Second panel discussion at the America Outdoors Convention in Salt Lake City

• December 2025: Dual fundraiser day with Rise & Shine Espresso and a Pint Night at The Hub Taproom in Salmon

• January 2026: Two nights of events in the Wood River Valley

• February 2026: Two nights of events in Boise

• February 2026: Event in Riggins

• February 2026: Event in McCall

  That’s 10 events in total so far, and we’re not done yet! Thank you to all who have come out so far to support. And an extra thank you to those who have joined the coalition, donated time/money/event space/beverages, and engaged in some AWESOME discussions.

WHERE WE’VE BEEN OTHERWISE:

Aside from the traveling roadshow, the NIWC crew has been on the move. We headed up the East Fork of the Salmon River at the beginning of 2026, where our team spent the weekend going over strategic planning, refining our mission, values, and goals, and defining what success looks like for our Coalition.

Our official mission statement is: “Leading conversations to safeguard the integrity of the Wilderness experience in the face of technological intrusion.”

We’ve also built an online Zeffy platform for people to join the Coalition and donate to the cause, we’ve created a clear vision for the organization, we’ve created this blog platform, we’ve figured out how to Zoom versus how to Google Meet (and how computers work in general, sometimes.) Mostly, we’ve spent a lot of time in a room together, figuring it out as we go.

The biggest project we are working on right now is this: at the IOGA Annual Meeting in December of 2025, we got together with Middle Fork & Main Salmon outfitters to begin developing a set of Wilderness Technology “Common Courtesies” to be printed, distributed, and utilized by river users of the Frank Church in 2026.

WHERE WE ARE AT:

Wilderness Technology: Code of “Common Courtesies.” These guidelines are intended to serve as a voluntary, light-handed, self-governing approach to technology in Wilderness. The primary goal of this project is to provide an educational resource about responsible technology use and etiquette in a Wilderness setting to river users in the Frank Church. The broader goal is to set reasonable standards in place which preserve the integrity of the Wilderness experience, for ourselves and with respect for other users. We came up with several drafts of these guidelines over the last few months, received our first rounds of feedback, and we are now in the final stages of that process.

We expect these guidelines to be distributed to 20,000+/- river users this summer in the Frank Church (hopefully in a cool sticker format for your water bottles and ammo cans!) In the future, we hope to expand the reach of this project to other Wilderness areas in Idaho, and from there, driving this train to the nationwide level.

Traveling Roadshow. The show’s not over yet! We’ll be heading to Moscow on April 16, Missoula on April 22, we’ll be at Redside Rendezvous in May in Salmon, and wherever the wind blows us otherwise. From there… it’s river season!

Guide Ambassador Program. We are launching our first official program! The Guide Ambassador Program, which is made up of a handful of passionate, long-time guides, was created to bring more boots-on-the-ground type of Wilderness-employed folks into the conversation. Our Guide Ambassadors will be doing outreach and engagement within the guiding community, at the deepest of grassroots levels. They’ll be sparking conversations amongst their crews, writing and collecting testimonials to share, and empowering guides to set the example when it comes to technology and Wilderness. The voice and influence of guides is powerful, and it is a fundamental aspect of this conversation. We are excited to have these guides representing the mission of NIWC.

Advisory Panel & Board of Directors. We’ve been so lucky to have some incredibly talented people join us in an advisory capacity throughout the last year. Some of these folks have joined our Board of Directors, and others have joined our new Advisory Panel (and we are bringing even more awesome people on board this year!) This group has been instrumental to our success thus far, and their efforts have immensely helped NIWC grow.

WHERE WE ARE HEADED NEXT:

We expect this upcoming summer to be a major turning point; it will present us with the nexus between where we are and where we should be going next. Our pilot project of the Wilderness Technology: Code of “Common Courtesies” is a first attempt at making real progress towards achieving our mission. We’re excited to see how it goes, and to adjust accordingly. We’ve got ideas, momentum, and purpose; and for what we lack in funding, we are making up for with passion. We’ve also got a full season of river trips ahead!

For now, we’ll keep on roadtripping across Idaho and beyond, we’ll start more conversations about technology and Wilderness, we’ll keep gathering stories, and we’ll keep building the Coalition. Our strength is in numbers, and our foundation is the love we share for Wilderness.

So. Where we are headed next is, in many ways, up to you. The purpose of this coalition is to decide together what direction we want to go. That is the fundamental reason that “Coalition” is in our name: We believe in a unified effort when it comes to solutions about the future of technology and Wilderness.

We believe our work is based in collaboration and open-mindedness towards ALL possibilities. We believe the way forward should be guided by ALL Wilderness stakeholders. We believe we can continue shaping the platform for ALL voices to be heard.

We hope every Coalition member & supporter gives themselves the opportunity to make their voice heard. We are listening. And, as always, we sincerely thank you for being on this journey with us.

Abigail Hudson, Senior Guide in the Frank

NIWC Development & Fundraising Coordinator

Got an opinion? Idea? Story? Question? Spare change?

Send me an email at abbyh@notinwilderness.org

I’m staring out the window, post-breakfast at one of the main street restaurants in Riggins, Idaho. It’s a very surreal moment, after yet another all-round very surreal Riggins evening experience the night before. I love Riggins! My breakfast began with a half a block walk from the motel to the restaurant, the “Cattlemen’s.” As I entered the front door, the sign taped to the window said something to the effect of “turn off your phone, and/or take your calls outside.” I had missed the early morning fishermen rush and the restaurant was empty, save the mature gal behind the counter and I assumed a cook in-hiding somewhere. The place reeks of the past, in an oh so refreshing way. I can’t exactly nail the era but definitely many decades before. The gal behind the counter was the waitress—no “servers” here! Her directions as to where I should sit were stereotypically gruff enough as to not disappoint the mood. Only topped by her gracious smile and instantly warm demeanor once I was ordering.

My meal was on plates from the past. On a table from the past, prepared and served by seemingly women from the past. The bacon wasn’t Falls Brand, the potatoes probably home grown, and right on cue the waitress told me to be sure to eat the jam as it was home made. Of course, it was! All that and a hot tea, plus I was eventually joined by one of my good friends and employees who I had spotted cruising by on the only road through town, his tea and a hefty tip, totaled fifteen bucks. Again, I just love Riggins.

Back to my surreal window moment, I just felt like there was an NIWC blog forthcoming in all of this. The Riggins experience had begun the afternoon before when we hit the Little River Bait and Tackle Shop, our venue for our scheduled Riggins NIWC evening event. A makeshift bar, a cooler of beer for sale, a wall full of tackle, scattered barstools and chairs, a usable big screen TV for our presentation, and a wonderful burning potbellied stove centrally located, which I hung out by most of the evening. It was the perfect venue for the vibrant Wilderness discussion that was sure to come from those Wildernessy folks who would choose to attend.

This would be our 10^th NIWC talk since beginning them in Salmon, Idaho just below the 45^th parallel, several months ago. Then on around the south of the Frank back up to the 45^th again near Riggins. The northern half of the state has yet to come but it’s in the works. It was yet another eclectic group, full of passion, desire and thoughts on how to preserve the Wilderness experience in light of today’s technological challenges. We sold books, signed up new members and made new friends. But this is Friday night in Riggins, and that usually means that the experience is far from over.

So, it’s off to the local bar/restaurant for dinner and spirits. The place is packed, mostly women? It’s February? It’s called “Women with Bait.” And there’s a lot of them. We’re told it will be an hour and a half to get fed, so we head down the street to the next establishment. More women! I now take the time to notice that many are out on the town in pajamas. Not Victoria Secret mind you, most are in flannel or fleece. I called it Grammys in Jammies. Some with ears and tails. There was one young lady in memorable pink pajamas, but I’m married, and I digress. Turns out that there is a flock of new female fisherwomen who hit Riggins weekly this time of year, obviously having their own Riggins experience.

The next night the NIWC crew presented at the McCall Library. The Community room, modern AV equipment, a stage, regimented chair structure, fluorescent lights, just the sort of place you would expect to have a City Council meeting. Our folks that night were forthcoming and engaging. Ideas and issues flowed as usual; however, I just couldn’t get past the notion of circling the chairs and starting a campfire in the center of the room. Where’s the beer cooler and the wood stove when you need it?

Lessons learned. We are certainly grateful to the McCall Library for the use of the room, and to all the other facilities that have allowed us to meet. It’s just that some places are more appropriate than others for certain events. Learning that, and now knowing that within NIWC and in life are important things to understand. Sometimes we just operate, feel better, are more efficient, content and successful when we simply stay in our own lane, at least as often as possible.

McCall is a perfect example of a place conflicted by who it was versus what it has become. It has done an admirable job retaining its historic character but the struggles to do so are obvious. In 83’ a buddy and I had just completed two weeks of backpacking around parts of the Frank. We came to McCall to do the things young men wish to do after such events. Our visit began with a bar of soap bought at the local grocery store and a bath in the lake off the end of the community dock on Main Street. Obviously, those days are over for places like McCall, and probably for good reason. But it doesn’t have to be the situation everywhere. Places that don’t change are becoming more valuable to this human process of ours by the day.

Back to my window. Kate, the owner/cook, came out to join me. She had penned and placed the sign on the door. She bought four of my books to sell at her counter to support NIWC. She said she was an “Old Hippie” and couldn’t stand to see the Wilderness “trashed.” Kate showed great pride in her establishment, and obviously in the way she chose to do things. I doubt she has any desire to compete with Dennys, IHOP and the like, nor is she likely to put forth any effort for her restaurant or herself to be what they aren’t. Much like Riggins itself--it’s not for everyone, but it’s “everything” for those who it is for.

I’m sure tens of thousands of people drive through Riggins each year, turning their noses up at the clutter of boats, river gear trailers, establishments and more all within arms-reach of the major highway through town. But those who stop and embrace it for what it truly is are blessed to have done so. Riggins thrives because it’s content with being who it is. No one drives to Riggins from far off places in hopes that it has somehow changed since their last visit. Quite to the contrary, they hope for simply more of the same. We can all get change anywhere, the “same” can often be oh so hard to find these days.

I love Kate, I love Riggins. I loved seeing the Grammys in Jammies. (I would like to add here that it is likely unwise for any unattended happily married man who wishes to stay that way to be hanging out in Riggins this time of year. Just sayin’). It’s a true lesson in the value of being steadfast in who you are, and not trying to be something you’re not. Whether that be a business owner, a town, or in NIWC’s case, a Wilderness. Those things I witnessed in Riggins work because they’re in Riggins. Such things attempted elsewhere probably just wouldn’t fly. And why should they? Everything has its own Lane, as should Wilderness.

Folks should visit Wilderness much like someone on a pilgrimage to Riggins. You show up for what it has to offer you. Not to change it, diminish it, or disrespect it. Do home things at home. Do Boise things in Boise. Wear your PJs at the bar in Riggins and leave all the town crap possible behind when you come to the Wilderness, for it has its own experience for you if you allow for it. If Kate, a small business owner in a little town like Riggins gets it, why shouldn’t/can’t the stewards, users, and lovers of designated Wilderness?

If you wish for your Wilderness experience of the past to be there for you in the present, and for the generations to come, please join us at www.notinwilderness.org Our strength is in our numbers. If you are already a member, consider compelling those in your life’s circle to do the same.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Steve Zettel, NIWC Founder & President, 45-year Outfitter & Guide of the Frank

Buy the book! Available on Amazon.

Proceeds go to the Not In Wilderness Coalition

LINK TO BOOK

You think to yourself: What a place to be. What a day we’ve had. And the trip is only halfway over! A week on the river, with my favorite people, away from the noise of it all. I needed this.

Then your brother checks the news and reads today’s headlines to the fireside group. People are listening, and the conversations begin to drift towards politics, war, and the global economy.

Your friends, who left their youngest child at home with the grandparents, are panicking because they got a text that the child has a fever today. They’re standing off to the side, arguing about whether or not they should leave the trip early because of this.

Your sister is checking her email. Work has been stressful for her lately. Before the trip, she told you how excited she was to get away for a week, to spend quality time with her family and friends, and to let go of some of the stress she’s been carrying lately. But thankfully, since she brought a mini Starlink with her, she doesn’t have to take a break from work!

Someone suggests music. Great idea! Let’s get the guitar out and play some songs. But the Bluetooth speaker comes out instead. The guitar sits in its drybag untouched for the remainder of the trip.

Your teenage daughter is sitting next to you, scrolling on her phone. You ask her if she wants to play cards. She says no, not right now.

Your best friend says no, too. He’s busy checking the latest football scores on ESPN.

The kids down by the water stop skipping rocks because one of them brings out their iPad. They gather around the screen, and their attention is lost to anything else.

You look around. The sun has set, the campfire is almost burned out, and nobody noticed.

You think to yourself: I wish there was a place to get away from the noise of it all. If this isn’t it, what is?

Abigail Hudson, Senior Guide in the Frank,

NIWC Development & Fundraising Coordinator

I say this often when it comes to Wilderness: no news is good news. When I go on a 6-day Middle Fork trip, my partner won’t hear from me unless there’s an emergency. When he goes on a week-long hunting trip, I won’t hear from him until they’re packing an animal out. Why? Because no news is good news. It’s not that we don’t want to talk to each other! It’s because we both value our independence in Wilderness, and we value each other’s desire to be fully present in a Wilderness setting. We also get to spend a whole lot of time catching up and telling stories when we get home, and that time is meaningful to us.

A few years ago, the satellites in the sky went dark for a night. Twelve hours, maybe. I had no idea while it was happening, but I sure heard about it at Cache Bar. Several guides were lamenting over the inability to communicate with their significant other. For many of them, it had started arguments that couldn’t be resolved over a late inReach text. Their trip was significantly impacted by their impatience to get off the river and deal with it, and I was genuinely confused by this. It didn’t make sense to me why the fate of one’s relationship would rely on the whims of the satellite gods.

I’m not saying my way is right and the other way is wrong. But, the spectrum is incredibly wide when it comes to how guides use nonessential technology on Wilderness trips. I fall on the end of the spectrum that chooses not to use nonessential technology at work, and that is partially a byproduct of the company I work for. It is also a byproduct of my ingrained values and beliefs about Wilderness. I don’t seek to change that.

I also don’t seek to convince every guide on the Middle Fork or elsewhere that my way is the right way. I don’t seek to sound self-righteous in my beliefs, either. I fully understand that when you are out on the river all summer long, you want to be able to maintain your life and your relationships back home. You want to listen to music every once in a while. Sometimes, you have to communicate about logistics with the outside world: camp choices next week, did a creek explode and are we rolling boats for a fly-in, we’ll be at take out at 10am… And, some of us have businesses, marriage, children, and mortgages to manage. I get it. I am not a perfect Wilderness user, and I’ve worn the “hypocrite hat” about this topic before. (If you don’t get the reference yet, don’t worry.)

However, I know this. If nonessential technology in Wilderness becomes the norm in the guiding community, it will become the norm to everyone. Guides have a powerful and effectual influence when it comes to creating cultural norms and practices on the river, and we have a tendency to underestimate that influence. The public tends to listen to guides more readily because people seek moral/cultural guidance of how to be a “good” Wilderness user by observing the guides. Oftentimes, it feels like we are under constant supervision: by our outfitter, by our clients, by our crew, and by other Wilderness users. Whether we like it or not, we naturally fill the role of what a “good” Wilderness user is supposed to be.

Guides are on the front lines of this issue by default. That means we have the opportunity to lead by example when it comes to technology and Wilderness. I strongly believe that we also have the responsibility to lead by example; to inspire unified cultural norms and practices about technology use and etiquette, which uphold the character of the Wilderness experience for ourselves and for others.

When I first started guiding, I would leave my cell phone at the guide house when I went on river trips. (But yes, I am young enough that I did own a cell phone twelve years ago.) I bring it with me now, even though it usually sits at the bottom of my ammo can all summer long. I still rely on my crappy digital watch as an alarm clock. I still forget to take pictures. I still forget my headlamp.

But times have changed. Expectations have changed. We used to be able to go into the Wilderness for a week and leave behind our day jobs, our partners, our to-do lists, our unanswered emails, and just… be fully present in the Wilderness experience. Now, because we have the ability to communicate with the “outside world” when we are in Wilderness, it feels like we are expected to do so.

And I promise you, if we willingly accept the presence of the “outside world” in Wilderness, we will lose the profound human experience that Wilderness allows us to have. For many guides, we will lose the sense of why we chose this profession in the first place. And for the next generations of guides, they might never truly experience a Wilderness without the “outside world” in the middle of it.

If nothing else sticks, I just hope that the next time you or someone you love is out in the Wilderness, just remember: no news is good news. Come home with stories to tell.

Abigail Hudson, Senior Guide in the Frank

NIWC Development & Fundraising Coordinator

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Inconveniently stumbling across someone’s inconsiderately placed human waste can most definitely ruin a Wilderness users’ moment for sure, but I would argue that someone’s inconsiderate use of technology can and will ruin someone’s, if not groups of someones’ entire Wilderness experience! As we rethink our pre-trip group orientations for 2026 and beyond, has the time come to insert such dialogue?

I have actually heard Wilderness outfitters state that they are apprehensive and uncomfortable telling guest what to do. Really? The average pre-trip orientation for an overnight Wilderness float trip will include countless pages of do’s and don’ts, signoffs, agreements, etc. well before the visitor even leaves home. Then there’s the typical “evening before” hour long orientation, with more do’s and don’ts. Then the “day of” safety talk, the talk from the managing agency folks, the talk about camp and it’s rules the first night out, where to put the dirty silverware?, where to put the plates? A seemingly never-ending week’s worth of guest directives. Private trips, same thing. Just that the delivery will most likely be less centralized, but delivered just the same. Why would we stop when we reach the topic that will most likely have the most profound effects on both the user as well as all other users in the potential fallout zone?

Being kind to yourself and considerate of others is no novel idea. It’s in the bible and most other notable religious doctrines, taught in kindergarten, as natural a law as has ever existed, and still I ask, why is it so difficult to address technology under this scenario, once again, realizing its profound potential negative outcomes? One real good reason just might be the ignorance or just flat-out disinterest in the potential and power of the Wilderness experience. Another could be simple intimidation of being intimidating, combined with hypocrisy. Simply put, many folks are just uncomfortable with telling folks what not to do, when they secretly or otherwise ascribe to the same desires. Imagine the shiftiness of a drug using participant during the drug using intervention of another.

Maybe it’s just best to take it out of the hands of the Wilderness user and put it back in the hands of the Wilderness creator. Not to disparage any sort of spiritual context, I simply mean those folks in 64’ who started this whole thing. Reading Congess’ definition of Wilderness [ LINK ] we see that the physical state of Wilderness is primarily there to maintain the more important spiritual values to the human race. This by no means invokes any sort of assertion or not, that congress had a religious aspect to its creation, just that the unexplainable emotional values of it were, are and should be paramount.

Maybe in lieu of more consternation of what is or is not appropriate within the Wilderness boundary as written, it just might be time to enhance the theme of the 64’ document to include the technological realities of 2026 and beyond. Getting something as involved as Wilderness definition or Acts of Congress totally correct, especially when we talk in perpetuity, may just be too much to ask. What we can do are the things necessary to adjust for perpetuity. Maybe we should equalize the effort spent controlling how we poop in the Wilderness experience to how we may be pooping on the Wilderness experience. How would you alter the description of Wilderness for the now, and for the then?

We invite you to join NIWC, and the conversation to preserve our true Wilderness experiences.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Steve Zettel, NIWC Founder & President, 45-year Outfitter & Guide of the Frank

Buy the book! Available on Amazon.

Proceeds go to the Not In Wilderness Coalition

LINK TO BOOK

It could be argued that the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness has shaped our entire history of what Wilderness is meant to be. The 2.3 million acres of “the Frank” provide a vast landscape of opportunities: floating and fishing down pristine undammed rivers, hiking and horsepacking thousands of miles of trails, hunting along steep ridgelines and through rugged terrain, and the chance to create a true “Wilderness experience” within its boundaries. Without the Wilderness Act of 1964 and the subsequent acts which followed, the Frank would not exist. Wilderness would not exist. These acts of Congress originally defined Wilderness, and they have protected its definition against human development for over 60 years.

Historically, when we have faced an issue in the Frank that seemed to be a violation of acceptable practices, we have amended and changed the way we operate in order to maintain the “primeval character” of Wilderness. Fire rings became an issue, so firepans became a required item for users. Human waste became an issue, so portable toilet systems became a required item for users. To that end, when litter, campsite degradation, and artifact looting became an issue, the Leave No Trace principles were created. These are all enforceable regulations for a discernible reason; people recognized a tangible, visible problem that was degrading the principles of Wilderness, so we revised our terms of use.

We are now facing an issue that fundamentally differs from these prior revisions: the unregulated advancement of nonessential technology within Wilderness boundaries. It is an intangible, invisible force that is encroaching on Wilderness boundaries with no regard for what those boundaries might mean. The fundamental difference of this issue is that we cannot see the direct consequences of its presence on the environment, therefore we cannot measure the negative effects. However, we can see the direct consequences of technology’s presence on the experience of Wilderness, and we have begun to see the negative effects of that.

When we are discussing the broad term of “technology in Wilderness” it is important to specify what that means. “Technology in Wilderness” refers to several things; the first being communication technologies that allow users to access the digital world in a way that dilutes the Wilderness experience. This aspect of technology includes amplified speakers and lighting, especially in shared spaces between multiple user-groups. It also includes things like portable WiFi systems such as Starlink, satellite messaging on cell phones, access to social media, and any other forms of nonessential communication that one could think of (including technology that doesn’t exist yet.)

Along those lines, other forms of technology are present in Wilderness that should be addressed and managed. Aviation traffic has increased substantially, and with it, the amount of unnecessary flyovers within Wilderness boundaries. An example of an unnecessary flyover would be the “touch-and-go” style, where a plane lands on an airstrip in Wilderness and takes off immediately. This style of flying leads to another practice called “bagging,” where pilots attempt to land and take off from as many backcountry airstrips as possible in a given day. With the exponential increase of nonessential flights in Wilderness comes the subsequent increase in noise pollution. This causes disruption in the natural soundscape and has a considerable impact on Wilderness users, and wildlife.

Another aspect of this conversation revolves around medical technology in a Wilderness setting. This includes devices that rely on digital connection or require a continuous power source to operate, such as biomonitoring devices, some CPAP machines, GPS-based medical alert systems, injectors and monitors that require Bluetooth/smartphone apps to use, and digital first aid as a replacement for basic training. All of these forms of technology have the potential to create a false perception of the user’s safety in the backcountry, and they all shift the burden of liability onto agencies, outfitters, and rescue personnel if these devices fail in a Wilderness setting.

Here, it is important to make note of emergency devices. We cannot ignore the fact that life-saving technology has had distinctly positive impacts on maintaining a safe Wilderness experience. To be very clear: that is not what this is about. We can acknowledge that GPS and emergency communication devices are a valuable asset to backcountry safety, while also acknowledging these technologies can, over time, diminish the importance of a person’s experiential skills and knowledge. We can also acknowledge that there are a multitude of issues related to the increased ability to call on EMS and SAR agencies, and consequently, a measurable strain on personnel and resources. However, for the sake of this discussion we will exclude emergency technologies at this time.

For now, we must simply address the growing use of all nonessential technology within the Wilderness. As the presence of technology continues to infiltrate Wilderness boundaries, it will create and perpetuate the illusion that the Wilderness is a place that is smaller, simpler, and safer than it actually is, or is meant to be. There has always been some degree of inherent risk associated with a Wilderness trip, and that is the point. The Wilderness is not meant to be effortless. By definition, it is not supposed to be comfortable; it is not supposed to be convenient. It is not supposed to be predictable; and most of all, it is not supposed to be reliant on external digital systems to support the human experience within its boundaries.

We are losing sight of the reason Wilderness was created in the first place. Wilderness is a place that was never meant to promise safety beyond our own skills, abilities, and limitations. If we become reliant on technology to exceed those personal limitations, we will find that technology fails to compensate. Wilderness was also never meant to promise the comforts and constraints of the digital world. If we become adjusted to the presence of the digital world within Wilderness, we will forget how to experience the Wilderness without those comforts, and without those constraints. None of this is a criticism of the individual Wilderness user; it is a reminder that the realistic consequences of Wilderness have not changed, even though our digital capabilities have. Simply put, Wilderness visitors must be the ones that adjust to the conditions of Wilderness, rather than Wilderness adjusting to suit the conditions of its visitors.

The value of Wilderness lies in what it asks of us: discomfort, humility, self-reliance, and unpredictability. But there is also the value of what it has to offer us in return: disconnection. If we allow that exchange to collapse, we risk losing the very essence of what Wilderness was meant to be. There is no better landscape for this conversation to take place, and no better moment than in these early chapters of technological advancement.

Maybe Wilderness boundaries should determine our technological limits. Maybe Wilderness should remain experientially distinct from our everyday lives, and maybe, we should allow ourselves the opportunity to protect that experience; for ourselves, for future generations, and for the history of those who fought for Wilderness to exist. The choices we make will shape the future of Wilderness; not just in the Frank, and not just in the state of Idaho. What we decide will become a resounding echo that will carry across the future of Wilderness everywhere. Once again, it is time to revise our terms of use.

Abigail Hudson, Senior Guide

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By Steve Zettel

Buy the book! Available on Amazon.

100% of proceeds go to the Not In Wilderness Coalition.

LINK TO BOOK

We invite you to put on your thinking cap, belly up to the keyboard, and pen your thoughts on the issues that the use of such technologies does, can and will create amongst Wilderness users, while also creating some very succinct guideline ideas/examples to prevent or minimize such issues. Imagine most smartphones working deep within the Wilderness setting, just as they do at home. Now imagine a peaceful evening campfire with several phones ringing, or sitting in one of the many hot springs of the Frank and someone begins Podcasting to the world, or every boat or campsite blaring music while it only being enjoyed by those playing it. Guess what? You can quit imagining, it’s already happening, and will continue unless we can all (or at least most of us) agree on some basic communal guidelines.

The saying goes, “your rights end where mine begin” or vice versa, or in this case, thinking about how my actions could ruin someone else’s Wilderness experience, “my unnecessary desires should end when I might be ruining someone else’s day, week, experience, etc.” Thinking outside the box can be daunting. It can also be inspiring, fulfilling and in this case probably absolutely necessary. It will take creativity combined with rational thought processes to create the “Wilderness Technology Code of Ethics.”

There is a very large and very connected organization called Leave No Trace (LNT). They attempt to educate the public with best practices to experience public land. They have 7 core principles. Some believe we could follow this model while creating the guidelines in question. Some of us believe the LNT should create a #8 dealing directly with modern technology and the public land experience. Such consideration does not seem to be on the immediate forefront for LNT, nor any other group(s) that we are aware of, at least not in a very serious fashion. That leaves us! NIWC and you.

So, let’s take it seriously, be diligent and timely. Summer season is coming. When such guidelines are established and somewhat agreed upon, NIWC plans to take the lead on creating different ways to efficiently share said guidelines with the 20,000 +/- users of the Middle Fork and Main Salmon Rivers this summer. Our work can then be tested, reviewed, adjusted where necessary, and hopefully reinstituted for years to come.

It all begins now. We need your stories, your issues, ideas and your succinct remedies. What are your key points to technological common courtesy in Wilderness?

We invite you to join NIWC, and the conversation to preserve our true Wilderness experiences.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Steve Zettel

NIWC President & 45-year Outfitter and Guide of the Frank

Buy the book! Available on Amazon. 

100% of proceeds go to the Not In Wilderness Coalition

LINK TO BOOK

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