From www.nmwild.org:

You have often heard that the idea of wilderness needs no defense, but that it only needs more defenders.

Such is the case today, when we find ourselves humbled by the passing of Stewart Udall.

Stewart Udall, former Secretary of the Department of Interior during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, passed away peacefully with his children by his side on March 20, 2010.

Mr. Udall was a driving force in helping to define and cultivate a conservation ethic amongst the modern day American consciousness. He was a consistent advocate for the preservation of wilderness and a leader that stood up for the land; recognizing that future generations can only inherit what we pass on to them.

Stewart Udall lived a life dedicated to public service. From 1955-1961 he was a Congressman from Arizona. During his tenure at the Department of Interior, the Wilderness Act was passed and signed into law. New Mexico’s Gila was the first wilderness placed into the new National Wilderness Preservation System. Mr. Udall played a central role in establishing the National Trails System, the Endangered Species Act, the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Wild and Scenic River System.

During his time as Interior Secretary he also developed the National Seashores and Lakeshores as part of the National Park System.  He and his son, New Mexico Senator Tom Udall, took an epic raft trip through Glen Canyon just before a dam was constructed, decimating an iconic American river.

In 1963, Stewart Udall wrote a landmark book, “The Quiet Crisis,” which studied the history of our nation’s tortuous relationship between man and the land.

Mr. Udall retired to Santa Fe and remained active in many conservation efforts, including writing editorials of support for Otero Mesa, the opening introduction to our 2009 Wild Guide, and helping numerous conservation groups with fundraising efforts.

Please join us in sending our condolences to Senator Tom Udall, and to saying thank you for his father’s remarkable and selfless career in fighting for the land.

Senator Tom Udall
(202) 224-6621

We may have lost a defender of wilderness, but the idea lives on, and the spirit for wild lands protection will be forever indebted to the perseverance demonstrated by Secretary Stewart Udall.

For Wilderness,

Stephen Capra
Executive Director
New Mexico Wilderness Alliance