OPED: ROBERT REDFORD -Why We Need a Bold Vision for Preserving Our Wilderness

I have welcomed several promising signs coming out of the Obama Administration, from the president's push for clean energy to Interior Secretary Salazar's efforts to block oil and gas leasing near some of Utah's most stunning landscapes.

But there is still something I am waiting to see: a bold new vision for preserving America's wilderness.

Why does wilderness matter right now? It matters to me personally because I believe that our last public wilderness areas, with their rugged beauty, uncharted terrain, and ability to test human strength, are essential symbols of the American spirit.

But it also matters legally. According to the Wilderness Act of 1964, once a landscape has been altered by human development--including natural gas pipelines, oil drill heads, or roads for seismic thumper trucks--it can never become a protected wilderness area.

This is exactly the cynical calculus the Bush administration used to convert America's public lands into money-making ventures for a few energy companies.

OPED CONTINUES HERE AT THE HUFFINGTON POST