North America has one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. In the United States alone, there are deserts, wetlands, rolling hills, plains, and mountain ranges. But what has been done to preserve America's incredible biodiversity? There have been many attempts in the past, as well as in recent years. Many people want to preserve America's wilderness, as Ann Malaspina discovered. “Indeed, taxpayers, like those in Florida who support the wilderness corridor, are increasingly willing to pay the price to preserve open spaces” (Malaspina 70). The National Wildlife Refuge system was started to preserve wildlife. While great efforts have been made in the past, America's wilderness is rapidly disappearing, and many people and organizations, including the government, are trying to preserve our precious and diverse ecosystems. In the mid-1900s, there was a great need for protection. In A Wilderness Bill of Rights, William O. Douglas discusses the need for protected parks and forests in California. When California became a state, there were 1,900,000 acres of redwoods throughout the Golden State. By 1965, only 250,000 acres remained, while only 50,000 acres were protected. At the rate they were being cut down, the unprotected redwoods would be gone in fifteen years (Douglas 51). This demonstrates the dire need for wilderness protection. California's redwoods are extremely historic. They have been there for thousands of years and are different from all other trees. They are irreplaceable and would have a huge impact on California's biodiversity. State forests were, and still are, very important to keeping individual ecosystems alive and thriving. In California, alo... middle of paper... zoos and enclosures, and there have even been recent hatches in the Grand Canyon. This demonstrates another recent success that continues today. Over the years, there have been many successes in preserving America's wilderness. Founded by President Theodore Roosevelt, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has done much for conservation. The National Wildlife Refuge System was started, and although refuges take away more than half the land that hunters pay to protect and hunt, they have done much to protect America's diverse ecosystems. America's wilderness is rapidly disappearing, and many people and organizations are working to slow the pace. As conditions have improved, many species have been saved from extinction. Wilderness is starting to come back to life, even if land protection systems are not perfect.