Ideas worth spreading

The case for keeping the wilderness wild

36,961 views | Francis Sanzaro • TEDxMileHigh

With record numbers of visitors, our National Parks & wilderness areas face a novel debate — do we keep the wild wild? Or do we put up signs & guardrails to make the mountains more like extensions of our urban environments? Rock climber and near-death survivor Francis Sanzaro argues that the wilderness should be a place to encounter and overcome adversity.

With record numbers of visitors, our National Parks & wilderness areas face a novel debate — do we keep the wild wild? Or do we put up signs & guardrails to make the mountains more like extensions of our urban environments? Rock climber and near-death survivor Francis Sanzaro argues that the wilderness should be a place to encounter and overcome adversity.

This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxMileHigh, an independent event.

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About the speaker

Francis Sanzaro

Writer & Rock Climber

Dr. Francis Sanzaro is an author and essayist with an extensive background in rock climbing. He grew up in Baltimore, trained as a gymnast, and studied Mathematics at Colorado State University, only to pursue journalism and poetry – go figure. His first book, "The Boulder: A Philosophy for Bouldering," is a rich, textured philosophy of sport. He's the former Editor-in-Chief of Rock and Ice, Ascent, and Gym Climber magazines and is an advisor for Gear Lab. He's currently writing, "Zen of the Wild," a book exploring the intersections of neuroscience and nature. He lives in the mountains of Carbondale, Colorado, with his wife and two children.

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This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxMileHigh, an independent event.

Read more about TEDx.