In celebration of the National Park Centennial, the 2016 Waterman Fund Essay Contest invited emerging writers to explore stories and connections between wilderness and management of public lands through the lens of the National Park System. After much deliberation and review, the Essay Committee felt that, while the essay contest received many fine essays exploring either wilderness or public lands, none of the submitted essays truly bridged the two with the depth that we felt the topic merited.

However, three essays stood out and we would like to publicly offer those writers special recognition here. We truly appreciate the energy, effort, and courage emerging writers put forth in submitting their thoughts on wilderness and wildness to the Waterman Fund Essay Contest, and we encourage all to continue writing and submitting in future years.

2016 Special Recognition Writers and Essays

• Lilace Mellin Guigard: Making Ourselves at Home in the Wilderness
• Dan Kriesberg: The Wonder of Yellowstone
• Corrie Parrish: Gateway Into the Wild