President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Wilderness Act into law 50 years ago today, with no North Georgia lands included in the bill. That has changed over time, with Congress designating 117,000 acres in the Gainesville-based Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Today, officials estimate some 300,000 people annually visit the forests’ 10 wilderness areas, recreation program manager John Campbell said.