Wilderness Society
Records, 1977-1983

SC18664

Quantity:	12 Boxes (4.0 cubic ft.)
Access:	Open to research
Acquisition:	Gift; Harold A. Jerry, 1985
Processed By:	Fred Bassett, Senior Librarian, Manuscripts and Special Collections, June 1987; revised June 2017

View catalog record

Historical Note:

The primary purpose of The Wilderness Society is the preservation and protection of wildlands in the United States. Founded in 1935, the not-for-profit organization has been involved in major conservation battles. Foremost among the society's achievements was the enactment of the Wilderness Act of 1964, which established a national wilderness preservation system. It organizes citizen conservation groups to help shape government decisions on land use policy; monitors federal actions affecting wilderness; testifies before Congress on land preservation issues; and educates the public about conservation issues.

Biographical Note:

Harold A. Jerry (March 2, 1920-June 9, 2001) was a practicing attorney and active in New York State politics and government. He was elected as a Republican to represent the Elmira area in the New York State Senate from 1959-1962. Thereafter he held appointed posts in the Rockefeller administration involved with the formation of policies that led to the creation of Adirondack Park Agency, and served on the Public Service Commission from about 1973 to 1995. He was also an active member of the Wilderness Society, in which he was elected to the governing council on November 4, 1977. Later he was appointed to its executive committee on September 18, 1978; elected treasurer on September 11, 1979; and elected president of the society on October 24, 1980. He resigned as president and member of the governing council on September 30, 1982.

Scope and Contents Note:

These records consist chiefly of material generated by Harold A. Jerry while serving on the governing council and executives posts of The Wilderness Society from November 1977 to October 1982. Records include correspondence, memoranda, financial records, policy reports, and printed material. These records concern primarily administrative activities and functions of the organization, but do offer some insights into policy positions.

These records are organized into ten series that largely reflect the order of the files as originally maintained by Harold A. Jerry. Within each series, documents are primarily arranged chronologically or by topic.

Related Collections:

This repository also holds a series of personal papers created by Harold Jerry in regards to his interest in legislation and public policy related to the conservation of land and resources in Adirondack Park (SC21605). Harold Jerry's career in New York State government is largely documented in New York State Archives record series B1830 entitled Harold A. Jerry Professional Papers, 1963-1990.

Series Description

Series	Description
1	Organization Papers, 1978-1983 Papers relating to the organization and structure of The Wilderness Society. Includes a manual on the rules and regulations of members, officers, and staff; and an overview of policies and administrative procedures.
2	Correspondence, 1977-1983 Incoming and outgoing letters of Harold A. Jerry regarding The Wilderness Society's policies and activities. Includes memoranda from the executive director and members of the governing council.
3	Governing Council Papers, 1977-1983 Papers relating to the administration of The Wilderness Society's business, policies, and programs. Includes the minutes, agendas, and reports of executive committee and governing council meetings.
4	Budget and Financial Papers and Records, 1978-1982 Proposed annual budgets prepared by the budget and planning committee. Includes monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements and records of revenues and expenditures.
5	Long Range Planning Papers, 1978-1982 Papers relating to the preparation of four-year financial and operational plans for the organization. Includes working papers, drafts, and final documents.
6	Membership and Funding Operations Papers, 1977-1982 Papers generated by the development committee in efforts to raise funds through membership, corporate, and foundation grants.
7	Policy Studies, Reports, and Papers, 1979-1983 Topics and issues of importance during the time period of the papers. These papers reflect The Wilderness Society's perspective on federal government policies concerning Alaska, national parks, and national forests.
8	Papers of Programs and Departments, 1977-1982 Papers and reports of various committees of the governing council (conservation education, litigation, etc.)
9	Program and Policy Evaluation, 1977-1979 Northern Rockies Action Group study of the organizational structure and operations of The Wilderness Society.
10	Printed Material, 1977-1982 Booklets, newsletters, and pamphlets published by The Wilderness Society and other conservation organizations. Files of periodicals and news clippings on conservation and environmental issues.

Box and Folder List:

Box	Folder	Description
		Organization Papers, 1978-1983
1	1	History and Charter
1	2	Organization Manual, 1981
1	3	Proposed Reorganization Plans, 1978-1979
1	4	Proposed Reorganization, 1981-1982
1	5	Members and Staff, 1977-1983
1	6	Personnel Policies
		Correspondence, 1977-1983
1	7	1977
1	8	January-February 1978
1	9	March-April 1978
1	10	May-June 1978
1	11	July-August 1978
1	12	September 1978
1	13	October-December 1978
1	14	April-June 1979
2	1	July-December 1979
2	2	January-April 1980
2	3	May-June 1980
2	4	July-August 1980
2	5	September-October 1980
2	6	November 1980
2	7	December 1980
2	8	January 1981
2	9	February 1981
2	10	March 1981
2	11	April 1981
3	1	May 1981
3	2	June 1981
3	3	July 1981
3	4	August-September 1981
3	5	October 1981
3	6	November 1981
3	7	December 1981
3	8	January-February 1982
3	9	March 1982
3	10	April 1982
3	11	May-June 1982
3	12	July 1982
3	13	August-September 1982
3	14	October-December 1982
3	15	1983
		Governing Council Papers, 1977-1983
		Executive Committee Minutes, 1977-1982:
4	1	1977
4	2-3	1978
4	4-5	1979
4	6	1980
4	7	1981
4	8	1982
		General Business Meetings, 1977-1982:
4	9	November 1977: Yosemite National Park, California
4	10	May 1978: Washington, D.C.
4	11	September 1978: Jackson Hole, Wyoming
4	12	April 1979: Washington, D.C.
5	1	September 1979: Pinkham Notch, N.H.
5	2	March 1980: Washington, D.C.
5	3	October 1980: Hudson, Wisconsin
5	4	June 1981: Denver, Colorado
5	5	December 1981: Washington, D.C.
5	6	June 1982: Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada
5	7	Monthly Reports, 1979-1980
5	8	Quarterly Reports, 1981-1982
5	9	Travel Records, 1978-1982
5	10	Survey of Conservation Organizations, 1978
		Budget and Financial Papers and Records, 1978-1982
		Budgets, 1979-1982
6	1	Budget, 1979
6	2	Budget, 1980
6	3	Budget – Revised, 1981
6	4	Budget, 1982
		Work Plans, 1981-1982
6	5	1981 Work Plans
6	6	Office of the Executive Director and Chairman Work Plans, 1982
6	7	Office of the Executive Director and Chairman Work Plans, 1982 (continued)
6	8	Public Education Department Work Plans, 1982
		Balance Sheets and Expense Records, 1978-1982:
6	9	1978
6	10	1979
6	11	January-June 1980
6	12	July-December 1980
7	1	January-June 1981
7	2	July-December1981
7	3	January-June 1982
7	4	July-December 1982
		Financial Statements - Annual, 1977-1981:
7	5	1977
7	6	1978
7	7	1979
7	8	1980
7	9	1981
7	10	Office Building Purchase Papers, 1982
7	11	Projected Financing of Office Building - Statement, 1982
		Long Range Planning Committee Papers, 1978-1982
7	12	Committee Meetings, 1978
7	13	Committee Meetings, 1979
		Long Range Plans:
8	1	1980-1984 (Drafts)
8	2	1980-1984
8	3	1981-1985
8	4	1982-1986 (Draft)
8	5	1982-1986 (Revised Draft)
8	6	1982-1986
		Membership and Funding Operations Papers, 1978-1982
		Development Committee Papers, 1978-1982:
8	7	1978
8	8	1979
8	9	1980
8	10	1981
8	11	1981 – Annotated Corporate List
8	12	1982
8	13	Capital Fund Campaign Audit, 1982
9	1	Membership Marketing Survey and Results, 1981
9	2	Grant Applications, 1979-1982
9	3	Grant Proposals, 1979
9	4	Grant Proposals, 1980
		Policy Studies, Reports, and Papers
		Alaska:
9	5	Minutes of 1963 Annual Meeting at Camp Denali, Mt. McKinley National Park, 1963 [sic]
9	6	Coalition Policy Papers, 1980-1981
9	7	Land Conservation Legislation, 1980-1981
9	8	Coalition Press Releases and Articles, 1978-1982
9	9	Clean Air Study - New York State Airshed, 1981
9	10	Energy Conservation
9	11	Environmental Movement Study, 1978
9	12	Forestry: "Reform the Unfair Federal Timber Magnet," 1982
9	13	1872 [sic] Mining Law - Report, 1977
		National Parks and Federal Lands, 1979-1982
9	14	Bureau of Land Management Wilderness Review, 1982
9	15	Land and Water Conservation Fund, 1982
9	16	National Heritage Act, 1979
9	17	National Parks Legislation, 1979-1982
9	18	[James] Watt and the National Parks - Report, 1982
		Studies in Natural Resource Policy, 1982:
10	1	"Revenue and Expenditure Trends on America's Federal Lands: The Case for a Public Lands Budget"
10	2	"Potentially Producible Petroleum and Natural Gas in the United States and the Western Overthrust [sic] Belt"
10	3	"Coal and Wilderness: A Case Study of Comparative Values in the Proposed Cranberry Wilderness, West Virginia"
10	4	Resources Policy Committee draft statements, 1980
10	5	Resource Policy Statement Revised Draft, 1981
10	6	Resource Policy Statement Final Draft, 1981
10	7	Notes and Comments, 1981
10	8	Alternative Budget Proposals for the Environment, 1981
10	9	Alternative Budget Proposals for the Environment, 1982
10	10	Press Kit, Alaska, 1981
10	11	Press Kit, Federal Land Management, 1981
10	12	Press Kit, National Parks, 1981
10	13	Press Releases, 1978-1982
10	14-15	Speeches
10	16	Miscellaneous
		Programs and Departments - Papers, 1977-1982
11	1	Conservation Department Papers, 1980-1982
11	2	Conservation Management Report, 1982
11	3	Economic Policy Department Papers, 1981-1982
11	4	Education Department Papers, 1982
11	5	Education Program Report, 1980
11	6	Field Program Report, 1977-1978
11		Litigation Committee Papers, 1979-1982:
11	7	Memoranda, 1979-1982
11	8	Litigation, 1979-1982
11	9	Legal Docket, 1980
11	10	Report on The Living Wilderness, 1982
11	11	Regional Representative Program Report, 1982
		Program and Policy Evaluation, Northern Rockies Action Group, 1977-1978
11	12	Outline: Study of the Wilderness Society, 1978
11	13	Report: Selective Management Audit, 1978
11	14	Working Papers, 1977-1978
11	15	Survey Forms, 1977-1978
11	16	Proposed Implementation of Recommendations, 1979
		Printed Material: Booklets, Brochures, and Pamphlets
11	17	The Living Wilderness, April/June 1977 The Living Wilderness, April/June 1978
11	18	Newsletters: Wilderness Report, Vol. 13, No. 2, May 1976 Wilderness Report, Vol. 14, No. 9, December 1977 Wilderness Report, Vol. 15, No. 1, January 1978 Wilderness Society Annual Report 1978
11	19	A Handbook on the Wilderness Act (Washington, D.C.: Wilderness Society, 1964) Brief of The Wilderness Society as amicus curiae in the case of Cecil D. Andrus, Secretary of the Interior, and James T. McIntyre, Jr., Director, Office of Management and Budget v. Sierra Club, et al. in the Supreme Court of the United States, October Term, 1978
11	20	Miscellaneous Pamphlets of The Wilderness Society
12	1	Organization Handbook, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1980
12	2	Cahn, Robert. The Fight to Save Alaska ([New York]: Audubon, 1982)
12	3	Publications of Conservation Organizations (10 pieces)
		Journal and Periodical Articles
12	4	1977
12	5	1978-1980
12	6	1981-1982
		News Clippings
12	7	1977-1980
12	8	January-June 1981
12	9	July-December 1981
12	10	1982
		Press Releases
12	11	From other Conservation Organizations
12	12	Department of Interior
12	13	Congressmen and Senators
12	14	Magazines: Newsweek (June 29, 1981) and New Yorker (May 4, 1981)