"An American Indian Wilderness" by Louis Owens.

An American Indian Wilderness A short story by Louis Owens The Reflective Lone Ranger In Louis Owens' essay "An American Indian Wilderness" the author projects a self-reflective and, in the end, pessimistic persona. As a young man Owens works as a park ranger in the American Wilderness of Washington State. He has the task of burning down an old log shelter in the wilderness, to return the surrounding area back to its natural state. After …

…a recreational aspect of our lives, rather than being part of the whole, as the original Indians used to be. We as humans should take this very seriously and stop ourselves from expanding our "American Wilderness" farther and farther, pushing nature more and more away from us. Owens' as the 'Lone Ranger' understands the intricate balance between us and nature and that at some point "The Great Mother" will either fight back or die forever.