A Legacy of Conservation: The Naming of the Bob Marshall Wilderness by Ava Kamali

I have often wondered how national parks and wilderness areas gain their names. During my Conservation Across Boundaries course, I spent over a week exploring the beautiful landscapes located in Northwestern Montana. The Bob Marshall Wilderness, which we would refer to as “The Bob”, spans over 1.5 million acres in the western United States. It is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever experienced, filled with rich history and diverse ecosystems. As we hiked through this landscape, I was left wondering two things: How did this magnificent wilderness area come to be, and how did it gain its name?

On our second day of our trip, we circled up for our class discussion by the pristine lake located at the Wood Lake Campground. As we started our discussion, we were asked to give thought to the question: “How do you name something?”

This simple question led me to ponder its underlying complexity: how do we name something? When thinking about land, our group had wonderful responses to this question, mentioning the importance of honoring the cultures and history of an area before giving it a name. I believe that honoring the historical significance of an area is a key factor when it comes to naming something. It is important to choose a name that honors the history of the Indigenous peoples who originally inhabited the land. This beautiful wilderness area that we were set to
explore was originally home to many Native American tribes, including the Blackfeet and Salish people, who occupied the land for thousands of years. They knew the land, they had lived in harmony with it.

As we continued class discussion that day, we talked more about the arrival of European settlers bringing dramatic changes to the area. Things like logging and other forms of resource extraction began to alter the natural landscapes. Robert “Bob” Marshall, a conservationist and a wilderness advocate, was drawn to this wilderness area in Montana due to its untouched beauty and ecological biodiversity. He was a passionate advocate for the preservation of wilderness areas, being a co-founder of The Wilderness Society, which protected America’s wild lands. Bob only worked in Missoula for three years before moving to a different state. This led me to think further, was this long enough to honor a place of such beauty and rich history to this man?

I don’t think so.

Throughout our discussions I’ve learned that giving a name to a wilderness area, especially one as large as The Bob, is a significant decision that can influence public perception, engagement, and conservation across the area. No matter how deep we feel our own connection to the Bob Marshall Wilderness, we will never know or understand the land in the way that the Indigenous peoples do, as it was their home long before us, and long before colonization. When choosing a name for land as special as this, historical, geographical, and cultural factors should be considered. These tribal nations still continue to rely on and tend to this land as part of their
daily life. The land should be honored as theirs, as they had relationships with the land and ecosystems long before it gained attention from Bob Marshall. They understand this land better than we ever could.

I strongly feel that the name of this beautiful wilderness area should embody the area’s cultural heritage, while also celebrating its natural beauty. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t honor Bob Marshall, as he was a legacy who devoted his life to establishing and maintaining large wilderness areas in their natural state, I just wonder if this is the appropriate way to do so. There is so much more that this wilderness area could and should represent.