Special Designations

Wilderness Areas

Definition

A unit of the National Wilderness Preservation System is a site designated by Congress and legally protected as wilderness in perpetuity. The Wilderness Act defines wilderness as an area "...where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain." Each unit "...has at least five thousand acres of land or is of sufficient size as to make practicable its preservation and use in an unimpaired condition" [PL.88-577; Sec.2(c)]. In Alaska, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (ANILCA) modifies the Wilderness Act relative to its application in the lower 48 states, but the basic definition is the same. See NPS Management Policies, Chapter 6, for modifications that apply in Alaska.

Policy and Program Objectives

The NPS Management Policies states:

The National Park Service will manage wilderness areas for the use and enjoyment of the American people in such a manner as will leave them unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness. Management will include the protection of these areas, the preservation of their wilderness character, and the gathering and dissemination of information regarding their use and enjoyment as wilderness. The public purpose of wilderness in the national parks includes the preservation of wilderness character and wilderness resources in an unimpaired condition, as well as for the purposes of recreational, scenic, scientific, education, conservation, and historical use. (6.1)

It is an NPS responsibility to maintain proposed or recommended wilderness areas (sometimes referred to as potential or suitable wilderness or study areas) so that these characteristics are not lost. This does not mean that every policy that applies to designated wilderness also applies to proposed or recommended wilderness.

Authorities

Legislation affecting wilderness area designations includes the Wilderness Act and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980.

Relationship to Other Guidance

In this Reference Manual, see Backcountry Recreation Management. See also NPS Management Policies, Chapter 6, Wilderness Preservation and Management, and DO 41 Wilderness Preservation and Management.

Program Guidance

NPS Management Policies state:

National Park Service lands will be considered suitable for wilderness if they are at least 5000 acres or of sufficient size to make practicable their preservation and use in an unimpaired condition, and if they possess the following characteristics (as identified in the Wilderness Act):
• The earth and its community of life are untrammeled by humans, where humans are visitors and do not remain;
• The area is undeveloped and retains its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation;
• The area generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of humans' work substantially unnoticeable;
• The area is protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions; and
• The area offers outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation.


(6.2.1.1)

In addition to the primary suitability criteria, there are other considerations that should be taken into account in determining suitability:

• A wilderness area may contain significant ecological, geological, or other features of scientific, educational, scenic, or historical value, although it does not need these things to be considered suitable for wilderness designation.
• Lands that have been logged, farmed, grazed, mined, or otherwise utilized in ways not involving extensive development or alteration of the landscape may also be considered suitable for wilderness designation if, at the time of assessment, the effects of these activities are substantially unnoticeable or their wilderness character could be maintained or restored through appropriate management actions.
• An area will not be excluded from a determination of wilderness suitability solely because established or proposed management practices require the use of tools, equipment, or structures, if those practices are necessary to meet minimum requirements for the administration of the area as wilderness.
• In the process of determining wilderness suitability, lands will not be excluded solely because of existing rights or privileges (e. g., mineral exploration and development, commercial operations, agricultural development, grazing, or stock driveways). If the National Park Service determines that these lands possess wilderness character, they may be included in the suitability determination so that they can be considered for designation as wilderness or potential wilderness.
• Lands containing aboveground utility lines will normally not be considered as suitable for wilderness designation, but they can be considered as suitable for "potential" wilderness designation if there is a long-term intent to remove the lines. Although relocation outside wilderness is preferable, areas containing underground utility lines may be included if the area otherwise qualifies as wilderness and the maintenance of the utility line, including use of mechanized and motorized equipment, is administered under minimum requirement procedures identified in the park's wilderness management plan. No new utility lines may be installed in wilderness, and existing utility lines may not be extended or enlarged except as may be allowed pursuant to section 1106 of ANILCA (16 USC 1133( c)).
• Historic features that are primary attractions for park visitors will generally not be recommended as suitable for wilderness designation. However, an area that attracts visitors primarily for the enjoyment of solitude and unconfined recreation in a primitive setting may also contain cultural resource features and still be included in wilderness. Historic trails may serve and be maintained as part of the wilderness trail system, as identified and coordinated within an approved wilderness management plan and the park's cultural resource plan. Structures of historical significance need not be deleted from wilderness area proposals. A recommendation may be made to include a historic structure in wilderness if (1) the structure would be only a minor feature of the total wilderness proposal; and (2) the structure will remain in its historic state, without development.
• Overflights do not make an area unsuitable for wilderness designation. The nature and extent of any overflight impacts, and the extent to which the impacts can be mitigated, would need to be addressed in subsequent wilderness studies.
  
(6.2.1.2)

See the Wilderness Act for further criteria.

Designation Procedure: Specifics on designation procedure can be found in DO/RM 41 Wilderness Preservation and Management. The following general steps are involved:

1. Congress, a general management plan, or other authority identifies area(s) in a park that might qualify for wilderness designation.
2. The NPS studies suitability of the area(s) and the management constraints involved, holds public hearings, and, where suitable, prepares a formal proposal and an environmental impact statement (EIS).
3. The formal proposal and EIS are transmitted to the Congress through the Secretary of the Interior and the President.
4. Congress holds hearings and makes a decision, through legislation.

Wilderness is usually confined to areas managed for their natural values, but may be in areas managed for cultural values or special uses.

Potential wilderness areas can have a variety of values, including scientific, educational, recreational, aesthetic, historical, biological, and geological. Normally, research should be conducted outside wilderness if feasible. However, some research can be wilderness dependent. The scientific value of Wilderness Areas derives from their relatively undisturbed natural condition and from the wealth of biological diversity they contain. Usually they provide excellent benchmarks of environmental quality. Research is allowed, provided it does not negatively impact the resource, intrude on the aesthetics, or conflict with preservation of wilderness values, including the visitor experience. Manipulative research (research in which conscious alteration of the existing condition is part of the experimental design) may be allowed only where management of the wilderness requires information that can be obtained only through experimental research within the wilderness. Restoration of the wilderness resource must follow any manipulative research conducted. All research and management projects must be conducted using "minimum requirement" protocols established in the park wilderness management plan.In resource management, only those practices compatible with preservation of wilderness values are permissible. Interpretation or education involving permanent facilities generally is not allowed within a Wilderness Area. The availability, location, and regulations on the use of Wilderness Areas should be made widely known to the public to promote enjoyment of these areas without harming their integrity. Primitive trails for foot and horse travel are permissible. Improvements for the convenience of users are not allowable. Only those structures necessary for meeting the purpose of maintaining the enduring resource of wilderness are permissible.

Each federal agency has the responsibility to ensure protection of wilderness values as part of its overall management responsibility. The NPS will administer and preserve wilderness through the auspices of an approved wilderness management plan. The wilderness management plan will clearly identify responsibilities for wilderness management within the park organization. Allocation of funds for park operations should ensure that adequate personnel and funds are available for protection, inventory and monitoring, and management of wilderness resources.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Director sends any approved wilderness proposal to the Department of the Interior for transmittal to the Congress.The Associate Director, Park Operations and Education, is responsible for Washington Office review of the wilderness plan. The Legislative and Congressional Affairs Division prepares any required legislation. Support office natural resource staff and/or cluster or regional natural resource program coordinators assist the superintendent as requested.The superintendent approves the wilderness management plan and is responsible for ensuring that it is in accordance with the Wilderness Act, and that the requirements of the plan are met.

The park's wilderness management coordinator is responsible for developing and implementing the park's wilderness management plan.