culture vs. wilderness??

I totally spaced yesterday and forgot to post a blog. So, I figured I would relate this week's post to Wednesday's reading about Adirondack Great Camps. Debates about whether we should preserve Great Camps like Santanoni or let the land return to wilderness parallels many other debates in the park. For instance, people also debate whether to remove or maintain railroad tracks and fire towers on Adirondack peaks. In each case, one side believes that camp buildings, railroad tracks, and fire towers have no place the wilderness, and others argue that these structures are worth preserving for the history and culture that they represent. These arguments place wilderness and culture in stark opposition, making them mutually exclusive. I wonder, though, if this must be the case. Defining wilderness as land without signs of human influence is problematic, since humans are animals and since other animals (such as beavers and deer) also alter the environment.