Stewart Brandborg Interview, July 14, 2007

Stewart Brandborg details the groundswell of support that the wilderness bill received and talks about the years leading up to the passage of the 1964 Wilderness Bill. He talks at length about his role in the Wilderness Society before and after Howard Zahniser’s death. Brandborg describes how the Society maintained its tax-exampt status as a non-profit, while lobbing the U.S. Congress to pass the wilderness bill. He mentions the creation of various national parks and the role of various Wilderness Society members in their creation. Brandborg discusses the members who formed the central leadership team at the Wilderness Society, including Ernest Oberholtzer, Olaus Murie, Mardy Murie, Harvey Broome, Sigurd Olson, and others. Brandborg recalls amusing anecdotes about time spent Zahniser. He discusses the years following the passage of the Wilderness Act, including Jimmy Carter’s re-election campaign. BRandborg details the development of the Society’s training session to encourage grassroots activism for conservation issues. He also discusses the Internal Revenue investigation of the Society’s 501c3 status. He describes the effect of Sigurd Olson’s health issues on the Wilderness Society.https://scholarworks.umt.edu/stewartbrandborgwilderness_oralhistory/1001/thumbnail.jp