January is Roadless Month on The Wild Idea.

Throughout the month, we’re exploring the landscapes, communities, and ideas shaped by America’s roadless public lands — and what’s at stake as these protections face renewed threats.

Why? Because decisions being discussed right now affect public land forever.

Join us all month long for conversations about roadless landscapes across the country, from the Southern Appalachians to the Tongass, the Gila Wilderness, and beyond. Check back for new episodes, resources, and opportunities to engage all month long, and please follow us on social media or share this episode with a friend. 

This episode grounds the Roadless Rule in a real place with a long memory — and a future that depends on decisions being made right now.

As The Wild Idea continues Roadless Month, hosts Bill Hodge and Anders Reynolds travel to the birthplace of the modern wilderness idea: the Gila Wilderness in southwest New Mexico. Designated administratively in 1924, the Gila was the first government-protected wilderness in the world, shaping conservation policy decades before the Wilderness Act and influencing how Americans understand wild, roadless land today.

Joining the conversation are Bjorn Fredrickson, Conservation Director of New Mexico Wild, and Raul Turrieta, Deputy Chief Assessor for Grant County and longtime community leader in the Gila region. Together, they explore why the Gila was chosen as the world’s first wilderness, how its roadless character continues to define both the landscape and the surrounding communities, and why it remains central to today’s debates over the Roadless Rule.

Bjorn traces the ecological and historical significance of the Gila — from Aldo Leopold’s early vision to the role roadless landscapes play in biodiversity, wildlife connectivity, and climate resilience. Raul offers a deeply rooted local perspective, reflecting decades of lived experience, community conversations, and cultural connection to the forest that many in Grant County consider their backyard.

The discussion also examines the pressures facing the Gila today, including renewed mining claims, military flight proposals, legacy logging impacts, and increased motorized recreation. Rather than abstract policy debates, this episode grounds the Roadless Rule in a real place with a long memory — and a future that depends on decisions being made right now.

Today we discuss:

• Why the Gila became the world’s first designated wilderness
• Aldo Leopold’s legacy and the origins of the wilderness idea
• What makes the Gila ecologically unique in the American Southwest
• The role of roadless areas in wildlife connectivity and climate resilience
• Community perspectives from Grant County and Silver City
• Mining, military overflights, grazing, and motorized recreation pressures
• How rescinding the Roadless Rule would impact the Gila
• Why roadless protection remains essential for the future of wild lands

Links & Resources

Policy & Legislation:

• The Roadless Rule (U.S. Forest Service, 2001)
• The Wilderness Act (1964)
  

Organizations & Advocacy:

• New Mexico Wild
• Grant County, New Mexico

Places & Landmarks:

• Gila Wilderness
• Gila National Forest
• Aldo Leopold Wilderness
• Continental Divide National Scenic Trail
• Pinos Altos, New Mexico

Other episodes to explore:

• Kristin Gendzier: The Roadless Rule’s Southern Roots
• Sarah Francisco: From Working Lands to Wild Lands in the Southern Appalachians
• Chris Wood: Why We Have The Roadless Rule (Redux)
• Roadless Month at The Wild Idea

A lifelong resident of Grant County, Raul Turrieta is a community leader and radio host who brings local, bilingual perspectives to land use, culture, and conservation issues surrounding the Gila.

Bjorn Fredrickson grew up in Seattle, Washington and spent his childhood and young adult years frequenting public lands across the West. He earned B.A and M.S. degrees in environmental studies and science from Yale University, as well as a graduate certificate in wilderness management from the University of Montana.

In the initial chapter of his career, Bjorn spent 13 years working with the U.S. Forest Service, working on management issues related to recreation, wilderness, wild & scenic rivers, and more. In his role as Conservation Director, he leads several of New Mexico Wild’s federal lands advocacy campaigns, oversees the organization’s stewardship, outreach, and GIS programs, and contributes heavily to public lands defense efforts, among other miscellaneous responsibilities.

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