Monitoring Changes in Wilderness Character

1. Monitoring Changes inWilderness Character Why, What, and How

2. Monitoring Changes inWilderness Character Peter Landres Ecologist, USDA Forest Service Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute Chris Barns Wilderness Specialist, BLM National Landscape Conservation System Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center

3. Monitoring Changes inWilderness Character Review legal and policy mandates Outline practical stewardship rationale Define “wilderness character” Describe monitoring indicators The Interagency Wilderness Policy Council has said that the 4 wilderness managing agencies will have baseline monitoring for EVERY wilderness completed by 2014

4. Monitoring Changes inWilderness Character Interagency Wilderness Character Monitoring Team 2 from BLM 2 from FWS 2 from FS 2 from NPS 1 from USGS

5. Wilderness Character inLaw “…provide for…the preservation of their wilderness character…” The Wilderness Act, Sec 2(a) “…each agency administering any…wilderness shall be responsible for preserving the wilderness character…” The Wilderness Act, Sec 4(b) “…administer…to preserve its wilderness character…” The Wilderness Act, Sec 4(b)

6. Wilderness Character inAgency Policy BLM: 43 CFR 6300. Background 8560.02 and .06 FWS: 610 FW 1-5 FS: FSM 2320.2 and .14 NPS: NPS 6.1 and .3

7. Wilderness CharacterWhy Monitor? Fulfill purpose of the Wilderness Act & improve accountability Understand consequences of decisions and actions Integrate stewardship across all staff areas Provide enduring legacy information Guard against legal vulnerability

8. Wilderness Character inCourt “…an improper evaluation of the wilderness character of the area….” Barnes v. Babbitt (D. Ariz.) (2004) “‘Natural conditions’…are part of the ‘wilderness character’ to be preserved.” Wilderness Soc. v. USFWS (9th Cir. En banc) (2003) “…that action degrades the wilderness character….” Izaak Walton League v. Kimbell (D. Minn.) (2007) “[The decision] is in direct contradiction of the mandate to preserve the wilderness character.” OLYM Park Assoc. v. Mainella (West. D. WA) (2005)

9. Wilderness Character in Stewardship improved Wilderness “X” at time of designation stable Wilderness Character degraded more less Modern Human Influence

10. Wilderness Character in Stewardship improved Wilderness “X” at time of designation stable Wilderness Character degraded more less Modern Human Influence

11. Wilderness Character in Stewardship improved Wilderness “X” at time of designation stable Wilderness Character degraded more less Modern Human Influence

12. Wilderness Character in Stewardship improved Wilderness “X” at time of designation stable Wilderness Character degraded more less Modern Human Influence

13. Wilderness Character in Stewardship “The purpose of the Wilderness Act is to preserve the wilderness character of the areas to be included in the wilderness system, not to establish any particular use.” Howard Zahniser

14. Wilderness CharacterWhat Is It? Wilderness Character is more than the sum of its parts “an enduring resource of wilderness” not “resources” Wilderness “characteristics” ARE NOT THE SAME AS Wilderness Character

15. Wilderness CharacterWhat Is It? Wilderness Act of 1964 “wilderness character” Section 2(c) Definition of Wilderness Qualities of Wilderness Character

16. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled “…an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man…” “…affected primarily by the forces of nature…” Unmanipulated Free Uncontrolled Wild

17. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled

18. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled Degraded by actions that manipulate, control, or hinder “the community of life” Spraying weeds Killing predators Collaring Suppressing / lighting fires

19. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled Wilderness is essentially unhindered and free from modern human control or manipulation

20. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled Natural “...protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions….” Untrammeled: decisions or actions Natural: effects

21. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled Natural “...protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions….” Untrammeled: management decision Natural: condition of the land

22. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled Natural “...protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions….” Vegetation Wildlife Air, Water, Soil Ecological Processes

23. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled Natural Degraded by effects (intended or unintended) of modern civilization Non-native species Extirpation Pollution Interference with ecological processes

24. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled Natural Wilderness ecological systems are substantially free from the effects of modern civilization

25. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled Natural Undeveloped “…undeveloped…land retaining…primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements…” “...where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.”

26. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled Natural Undeveloped “We stand without our mechanisms that make us immediate masters over our environment.” “In order to assure that…growing mechanization does not occupy and modify all areas within the United States…” TheWilderness Act, § 2(a) Howard Zahniser

27. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled Natural Undeveloped Degraded by structures and tools that facilitate our ability to occupy or modify the environment Structures Installations Aircraft Motors Mechanical transport

28. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled Natural Undeveloped Wilderness retains its primeval character and influence, and is essentially without permanent improvement or modern human occupation

29. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled Natural Undeveloped Solitude or Primitive and Unconfined Recreation “…outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation…”

30. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled Natural Undeveloped Solitude or Primitive and Unconfined Recreation Traditional / Primitive Skills Challenge & Self-discovery Connection & Freedom

31. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled Natural Undeveloped Solitude or Primitive and Unconfined Recreation Degraded by settings that reduce these opportunities Encounters Facilities Restrictions

32. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled Natural Undeveloped Solitude or Primitive and Unconfined Recreation Wilderness provides outstanding opportunities for solitude or primitive and unconfined recreation

33. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled Natural Undeveloped Solitude or Primitive and Unconfined Recreation Unique “may also contain ecological, geological, … scientific, educational, scenic, or historical value.”

34. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled Natural Undeveloped Solitude or Primitive and Unconfined Recreation Unique May also be part of Natural quality Cultural Paleontological

35. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled Natural Undeveloped Solitude or Primitive and Unconfined Recreation Unique May also be part of Natural quality Cultural Paleontological

36. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled Natural Undeveloped Solitude or Primitive and Unconfined Recreation Unique Degraded by Loss of scientific knowledge Loss of existence / bequest / spiritual

37. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled Natural Undeveloped Solitude or Primitive and Unconfined Recreation Unique Wilderness may have unique qualities which must be protected consistent with a wilderness context

38. Wilderness Character: Qualities Untrammeled Natural Undeveloped Solitude or Primitive and Unconfined Recreation Unique

39. Wilderness Character: Qualities Five distinct and equally important qualities that are inter-related Each wilderness may have unique aspects of all five qualities Wilderness character is affected by stewardship decisions to take action or not to take action There are additional implications:

40. Wilderness Character: Qualities Implications for Management A single action may improve one Quality while degrading another Example: eradicating non-native invasive species Control of exotic plants may improve the Natural quality Control of exotic plants degrades the Untrammeled quality

41. Untrammeled Natural Wilderness Character: Qualities Implications for Management Spraying herbicides to eradicate nonnative plants Change Relative to 2010 Baseline ?? 2025 2020 2015

42. Wilderness Character: Qualities Implications for Management A single decision or action may degrade more than one Quality Example: artificial water sources for desert wildlife Decision to manipulate degrades the Untrammeled quality Altered water use patterns may degrade the Natural quality Presence of the structure degrades the Undeveloped quality Bighorn survival may improve the Natural quality

43. Wilderness Character: Qualities How to Monitor Primary purpose is to improve on-the-ground wilderness stewardship Applies to every wilderness Provides a national assessment of trends Uses 13 indicators that were selected to be relevant, credible, cost-efficient Uses at least one measure per indicator Uses data that already are (or should be) collected, or are available nationally

44. Wilderness Character: Qualities How to Monitor

45. Wilderness Character: Qualities How to Monitor

46. Wilderness Character: Qualities How to Monitor

47. Wilderness Character: Qualities How to Monitor

48. Wilderness Character: Qualities How to Monitor Determined by agency

49. Wilderness Character: Qualities How to Monitor Determined by agency

50. Wilderness Character: Qualities How to Monitor Determined by agency