This webpage, in full, comprises the 2022 NPS Wilderness Report. Click on the chapters below to expand and view corresponding text.
2022 NPS Wilderness Report Photo Collage
Sean Nielsen, NPS, NPS/Hayley Renee Cornell Morton, NPS/Jacob Holgerson, and NPS
From National Park Service Management Policies 2006 - Chapter 6: Wilderness Preservation and Management:
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 purpose of wilderness in the national parks includes the preservation of wilderness character and wilderness resources in an unimpaired condition and, in accordance with the Wilderness Act, wilderness areas shall be devoted to the public purposes of recreational, scenic, scientific, educational, conservation, and historical use.
A key responsibility of the Wilderness Stewardship Division (WSD) is to produce an annual wilderness program report, and I am pleased to introduce this 2022 edition, which summarizes accomplishments and achievements to meet the NPS legal and policy mandate to preserve wilderness character.
One of my most coveted activities is to acknowledge the work and dedication of NPS wilderness stewards and practitioners. I’d like to begin by thanking the members and liaisons serving on the NPS National Wilderness Leadership Council (NWLC). A special “tip of the flat hat” to Shauna Potocky, who completed her term as Chair of the NWLC in 2022, as well as to all members who make the NWLC a special group of wilderness supporters and advisors.
Special recognition is warranted for our cadre of Regional Wilderness Coordinators and park-based wilderness coordinators throughout the service. My acknowledgements would not be complete without highlighting the dedication and commitment of WSD staff members Erin Drake, Quinn Brett, and Tim Devine, who have made one of the smallest divisions in the NPS one of the most productive. Tim Devine retired in late December 2022 and in doing so leaves behind a legacy of wilderness stewardship that is further highlighted in the ‘Training and Development’ section.
Each year the NPS recognizes staff and partners who represent the “best of the best” in wilderness stewardship through the NPS Excellence in Wilderness Stewardship Awards. The 2022 recipients, including Mark Kinzer (individual award), Congaree National Park (team award) and Jillian McKenna (external partner award) were honored at a ceremony hosted by the National Park Foundation in Washington DC in August 2022.
In 2022, interdisciplinary NPS work groups completed the work of developing two important new policies, Cultural Resources in Wilderness: Guidance for Considering and Managing Historic Structures in NPS Wilderness and Guidelines for Evaluating Ecological Intervention Proposals in NPS Wilderness. These policies were subsequently approved for inclusion in Reference Manual 41.
No new wilderness areas were designated by Congress in the NPS in 2022, thus our inventory of designated wilderness remains at over 44.5 million acres located in 61 wilderness areas within 50 national parks. This equates to approximately 39% of the total acreage within the 111-million-acre National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS). The NPS manages the most acres of wilderness in the NWPS.
In closing, I’d like to encourage all NPS staff to consider how to best integrate preservation of wilderness character into their respective daily operations and to invite all NPS employees to find some time to immerse yourself in a wilderness setting as a means of inspiring your professional growth and personal wellness.
Sincerely,
Roger L. Semler
2021 National Wilderness Stewardship Award Recipients include Congaree National Park (represented by Steve Akins, second from left), Mark Kinzer (middle), and Jillian McKenna (second from right). NPS photo.
The NPS Excellence in Wilderness Stewardship Awards are the agency’s annual recognition of outstanding contributions to wilderness stewardship by an individual, team/group, and non-governmental partner, including any program or discipline that influences the preservation of wilderness character int he NPS. Award recipients are nominated by fellow NPS staff and selected by an interdisciplinary panel established through the National Wilderness Leadership Council. The award recipients were recognized during a virtual awards ceremony hosted by the National Parks Foundation in August 2022.
2021 Individual Award: Mark Kinzer
Mark works in Atlanta, GA where he has served as the NPS South Atlantic-Gulf Regional Wilderness Coordinator for several years. His work in 2021 exemplifies the scope and scale of his efforts to advance Servicewide wilderness stewardship and understanding. Mark serves as the Vice Chair on the NPS National Wilderness Leadership Council and leads two work groups that are developing guidance for wilderness operations that intersect with Wilderness Act legal requirements. Regionally, he has supported and collaborated with southeast wilderness parks to complete wilderness eligibility assessments and planning efforts. Mark’s generous leadership and technical expertise paired with his collaborative spirit makes him a truly valued wilderness steward.
2021 Team Award: Congaree National Park
In 2021, various park divisions at Congaree National Park came together to enhance wilderness stewardship on multiple fronts. From instituting a new programmatic minimum requirements analysis for evaluating tool use, to addressing mobility and other accessibility issues in the park’s wilderness area, to equipping staff and community partners with essential wilderness ethics, risk management, and first aid training, 2021 was a full year for wilderness stewardship in the park. This work alongside many other interdisciplinary efforts helped strengthen the park’s commitment to wilderness stewardship and equip staff and partners with the skills to thoughtfully manage wilderness in 2022 and beyond.
In 2021, Jillian McKenna interned and later worked as a contractor at Glacier National Park to assist with their wilderness character monitoring efforts. It was not long until she was leading development of the park’s Wilderness Character Baseline Assessment, a complex and highly interdisciplinary process. She simultaneously produced a wilderness character map that spatially depicts the condition of wilderness character throughout the park. Jillian also helped shape NPS national guidance for wilderness character monitoring by providing thoughtful feedback and lessons learned at Glacier, and readily offered her work in the spirit of collaborative learning. Her combination of skill, curiosity, and adaptability makes her a great wilderness champion and steward.
Status of Wilderness in the NPS
The NPS administers over 26 million acres of land that have been identified as eligible, proposed, and recommended wilderness. These other categories of wilderness were determined through processes outlined in NPS Management Policies 2006, Section 6.2 and have not yet advanced through the designation process. NPS wilderness stewardship policies require these lands to be managed to preserve wilderness character until wilderness legislation (or a decision to not designate lands) has been completed. Management decisions affecting these areas will be made in expectation of eventual wilderness designation.
National Wilderness Leadership Council Updates
The NPS Wilderness Leadership Council (NWLC) serves an advisory council to the Director on all matters pertaining to wilderness. The NWLC strives to enhance the agency’s ability to address critical wilderness stewardship issues. The NWLC maintained five work groups in 2022:
Climate Change and Wilderness - Developing strategies and guidance related to the effect of climate change in wilderness, with an emphasis on fire management in wilderness and the concepts of refugia and assisted migration.
Communicating the Benefits of Wilderness - Developing a resource brief that highlights distinctions of federal wilderness and a spectrum of wilderness benefits rooted in wilderness character.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in Wilderness -Developing internal communications guidance and best practices to improve DEI applications for wilderness. This includes supporting more inclusive spaces for all people to feel connected to NPS wilderness.
Nexus Between Minimum Requirement Analysis and NEPA - Updating guidance related to preparing NEPA documents for actions in wilderness and their interrelationship with Minimum Requirement Analyses.
Programmatic Minimum Requirements Analysis (MRA) – Developing guidance that will provide information on when to develop a programmatic MRA, positive aspects/negative aspects, and what makes the analyses effective.
The NWLC conducted their annual meeting in September 2022 in Katmai National Park and Preserve. This meeting provided members with opportunities to share program and work group updates, discuss emerging topics in wilderness stewardship, and develop the 2023 annual work plan.
Updates to NPS Wilderness Policy
In 2022, the Wilderness Stewardship Division, in collaboration with the NWLC and several interdisciplinary work groups, finalized two technical guidance documents for inclusion as level three policy in NPS Reference Manual 41: Wilderness Stewardship (RM41):
Cultural Resources in Wilderness: Guidance for Considering and Managing Historic Structures in NPS Wilderness
Guidelines for Evaluating Ecological Intervention Proposals in NPS Wilderness
Guidance on three additional topics continued to be drafted by active work groups in 2022, and will also be included within RM41 when finalized:
NPS Wilderness Character Monitoring Technical Guide
NPS Wilderness Interpretation and Education Strategy
Authorization process for fixed anchors in NPS wilderness
Together, these guidance documents expand on concepts, principles, and management requirements originally referenced in law and/or higher-level policy with the goal of equipping users with sufficient detail and clarity to successfully implement. The topics represent some of the most complex issues facing wilderness managers in the 21st Century.
2022 Wilderness Character Interns
The Wilderness Stewardship Division partnered with the NPS Scientists-in-Parks Program (SIP) and the Regional Office for Regions 6/7/8 in 2022, hiring two interns to assist parks with their wilderness character integration efforts. The 20-week SIP Program provides NPS conservation experience and developmental opportunities for college students and recent graduates, culminating in eligibility for the Public Land Corps hiring authority. Buffalo National River received the help of Shannon Lemieux Faydo, and Melanie Henderson-Sjoberg worked with Bryce Canyon National Park. Interns worked closely with park staff to receive interdisciplinary input and data to inform the development of the park’s Wilderness Character Building Blocks Report. Both parks will continue this work into 2023.
Wilderness Stewardship Planning
A Wilderness Stewardship Plan is required of all wilderness parks to guide management actions to preserve wilderness character in accordance with Director's Order 41, Section 6.3. In 2022, the following parks were engaged in wilderness stewardship planning efforts: Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Channel Islands National Park, Everglades National Park, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Isle Royale National Park, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Wupatki National Monument.
Physical Wilderness Accessibility Collaboration in Parks
Since 2021, a collaborative effort between the Wilderness Stewardship Division, the Park Accessibility for Visitors and Employees Program, and the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program focused on teaching parks how to assess trails to provide better information to visitors with disabilities. Four parks (Rocky Mountain National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Saguaro National Park, and Glacier National Park) received training on trail measurements using a High Efficiency Trail Assessment Tool, adaptive devices, and providing trail information to the disability community. Three additional parks are scheduled to receive this training in 2023.
In 2013, as part of a revision to Director’s Order 41, Section 7.2 was added to address climbing in wilderness. This was an important addition to the Director’s Order, as balancing recreational climbing opportunities, particularly those that may involve the placement of fixed anchors or fixed equipment, with preservation of wilderness character can present numerous management challenges.
Section 7.2 emphasized that wilderness parks with climbing “will exchange information on best practices, work together on Servicewide implementation, and communicate with stakeholders and wilderness users.” This directive also identified wilderness climbing education and impact monitoring as important component in climbing management programs. This emphasis on information exchange and climbing education led to the establishment of the NPS Wilderness Climbing Managers Network (Network) in 2018.
The Network is facilitated by the Wilderness Stewardship Division and while it focuses on wilderness climbing, NPS managers and practitioners from non-wilderness parks are also welcomed to participate. The Network meets virtually every month where members discuss updates on climbing management practices and planning activities, and often include guest presentations.
Interagency Wilderness Research
The Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute (ALWRI) is an interagency, national research facility located on campus at the University of Montana. Administered by the USDA US Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station, ALWRI is the only federal research group in the United States dedicated to development and dissemination of knowledge needed to steward the nearly 112-million-acre National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS). ALWRI has a long history of conducting and sharing science with the NPS in support of stewarding the NWPS, as well as collaborating with other management, academic, non-profit, tribal, community, and other partners within the US and internationally.In 2022, with input from many partners including the NPS, ALWRI completed a new Science Charter and Strategic Plan, and, in conjunction, adopted an updated mission statement: “Advancing wilderness stewardship through transformational science”. Over the next decade, the following Research Priority Areas will form the basis of the Institute’s research and are linked to each other through interrelated research questions.
Biodiversity Conservation: Develop an understanding of the values, opportunities, and challenges for wilderness to support biodiversity conservation in an era of unprecedented change.
Climate Change and Disturbance: Improve knowledge about the impacts and consequences of climate change and climate-disturbance interactions, including wildland fire, relevant to wilderness stewardship.
Stewardship Effectiveness: Examine the effects and effectiveness of wilderness stewardship decisions, including the potential for and effects of management interventions.
Relevance and Inclusivity: Expand our understanding of wilderness relevance, experiences, inclusivity, and use, amid social-ecological change.
Shared Stewardship: Improve our understanding of co-production approaches and abilities to harmonize multiple knowledge systems toward more inclusive wilderness stewardship.
Also, during 2022, ALWRI staff collaborated on roughly 40 projects related to conservation science and wilderness stewardship, many in conjunction with NPS partners. Highlights include:
ALWRI research scientists, along with a team of University of Montana collaborators and NPS managers, advanced the development of a social science survey that will serve to increase understanding of visitor perceptions while informing wilderness stewardship planning. The multipart survey’s programmatic section will cover issues likely relevant to all national parks, while a site-specific section will focus on addressing planning challenges in Everglades National Park.
ALWRI scientists and colleagues at Clemson University began initial work on a study of African American wilderness heritage in the southeast United States. This project is designed to serve as an information resource for wilderness managers as they seek to better understand key issues of relevancy and to identify ways to better represent diverse histories in communications, outreach, and education. To pilot this project, the ALWRI/Clemson University team has formed partnerships with American Rivers, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Forest Service, and the NPS, including Congaree National Park.
ALWRI staff collaborated with NPS managers in Alaska to co-create a research project that seeks to identify and understand the varied perspectives held by key wilderness partners, including federal and Tribal rightsholders, on meanings of wilderness in Alaska. Specifically, this research aims to elucidate the intersections between the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) and the Wilderness Act, both of which are used to govern a significant percentage of land management decisions across the State of Alaska. The team will conduct a comparative case at Wrangell – St. Elias and Denali National Parks and Preserves, seeking to identify converging perspectives that may support collaborative approaches to wilderness management.
ALWRI staff produced 21 peer-reviewed publications and technical reports; delivered numerous presentations to myriad audiences, including professional organizations, to academic seminar series; and engaged with wilderness managers across agencies and regions, throughout the United States. In recognition of their exemplary efforts, several of our scientists were granted awards by the Rocky Mountain Research Station. Kellie Carim was presented with “Best Early Career Scientist Publication”, Chris Armatas with “Outstanding Technology Transfer of Published Scientific Research,” and Lisa Holsinger with an award for “Outstanding Science Support”.
Longtime Wilderness Steward Tim Devine Retires
After more than 40 years of federal service, most of which included different forms of wilderness stewardship, Tim Devine retired at the end of 2022. Tim was the Training and Development Specialist for the Wilderness Stewardship Division since 2006, during which he instructed numerous wilderness courses for parks and programs alongside interagency courses on behalf of the interagency Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center. Prior to joining the Wilderness Stewardship Division, Tim worked in visitor and resource protection at different national parks, including Big Cypress National Preserve, Buffalo National River, and Everglades, Mount Rainier, Olympic, and Rocky Mountain National Parks. Tim’s deep knowledge of and passion for wilderness was evident in his instruction and collaboration with staff. Beginning in 2023, Tim is looking forward to a more flexible schedule where he plans to spend lots of time outside and traveling with family and friends.
Wilderness Webinars
The Wilderness Stewardship Division again partnered with the Stephen Mather Training Center for a two-part webinar series in 2022. As part of a larger NPS Visitor and Resource Protection Directorate’s Superintendents Training Series, the wilderness webinars focused on describing the mechanics of wilderness integration in the NPS. Part one of this series, ‘NPS Wilderness Stewardship Program Overview’ situated the role of the Wilderness Stewardship Division within broader landscape of NPS national offices and programs. This webinar highlighted law and policy that applies to all NPS wilderness areas and support programs, toured the interagency Wilderness Connect website, introduced the interagency Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center and Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, and shared nationally developed resources to help connect wilderness staff in all levels of the NPS with the information needed for effective and efficient wilderness stewardship.
Part two of the series, ‘Preservation of Wilderness Character’ emphasized the role of wilderness character preservation in overall wilderness stewardship. Definitions and concepts explaining the tangible and intangible qualities of wilderness character were provided, as well as an overview of the NPS Wilderness Character Building Blocks, which recognize, document, and track changes wilderness character over time.
Each webinar was offered two times in 2022 to park superintendents, interdisciplinary park staff, and regional and national program staff.
Unit Wilderness Workshops
The Wilderness Stewardship Division resumed offering national park (unit) wilderness workshops in 2022, after taking a hiatus during the pandemic, with sessions conducted at Mojave National Preserve and Haleakala National Park. These workshops focus on the Wilderness Act, NPS wilderness stewardship policies, the qualities of wilderness character, and the minimum requirements analysis process, as well as other park-specific wilderness stewardship issues.
Wilderness Training for US Border Patrol
Cooperation between the US Border Patrol and NPS has been ongoing for many years. This partnership includes providing wilderness training at the Public Lands Liaisons Agent annual meeting in Buffalo, NY. US Border Patrol participants in the 2022 training included agents from all 20 sectors and national offices. Agents use this information to do place-based training at their offices and advise agents on how to respect and protect wilderness while fulfilling their mission to protect the US border.
Collaboration with the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center
The NPS supports the interagency Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center (Carhart) by providing a wilderness training specialist along with financial support for Carhart operations. Carhart provides a variety of interagency wilderness trainings, including face-to-face classroom instruction, online courses, blended learning opportunities, and webinars. A variety of training opportunities and resources are available on Wilderness Connect.
Interagency Trainings
In 2022, Carhart offered both in-person and virtual training courses to help address wilderness stewardship throughout the interagency National Wilderness Preservation System.
National Wilderness Leadership Training (Montana)
National Wilderness Interpretation and Education Training (virtual)
National Preserving Cultural and Wilderness Resources Training (Hawaii)
Regional Wilderness Stewardship Courses (Utah, Colorado, and Virginia)
Southwest Regional Wilderness Course (virtual with local field trips)
Poop, Trash, Crowding, and Other Wilderness Woes (Webinar)
Climbing in Wilderness: Making Connections Across Agencies (Webinar)
READing BAER in Wilderness (Webinar)
Wilderness Blended Learning Opportunities
The Carhart Center offers 38 online courses from individual courses such as the Wilderness Act of 1964 and wilderness planning to suites of courses in Natural Resources, Cultural Resources, and Visitor Use Management.The Wilderness Management Distance Education Program (WMDEP) is offered by the University of Montana in partnership with the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center. WMDEP offers the only accredited undergraduate and graduate Certificates university courses for a comprehensive study of wilderness management in the country. WMDEP is a valuable tool for understanding the wilderness resource and the issues surrounding its management-includes topics from philosophy and ecology to recreation and planning.
Continuing to Examine Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Wilderness
The NPS Wilderness Stewardship Program continued to support Servicewide conversations related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in NPS wilderness. The NPS National Wilderness Leadership Council’s DEI work group continued in 2022, with a focus on collecting trainings, tools, and best practices to equip council members and other staff with tangible ways to improve the inclusivity and equity of their wilderness stewardship work. The Wilderness Stewardship Division continued content reviews of NPS.gov/wilderness and the NPS National Wilderness Stewardship Program Intranet Site, identifying areas that can convey more inclusive wilderness themes through messaging and imagery. The Alaska Region’s Backcountry and Wilderness Advisory Group developed a new wilderness training curriculum to meet the needs of present-day multicultural America. And many wilderness parks are diversifying wilderness storytelling that recognizes many forms of connection, like this StoryMap for wilderness character at Canyonlands National Park. The NPS Wilderness Stewardship Program recognizes that much work remains to ensure wilderness reflects the experiences, connections, and identities of our country and world, and is committed to continuing this work.
Integrating Wilderness into 2022 Servicewide Communication Themes
Servicewide communication themes, identified by the NPS Office of Communications, offer coordinated prompts to highlight thematic content for outreach in digital, physical, and in-person spaces. The Wilderness Stewardship Division collaborated with the Office of Communications and NPS Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate to integrate wilderness messaging into several monthly or day-specific outreach themes, including National Park Week, National Public Lands Day, 58th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act, and Explore Nature’s ‘I didn’t know that!?!’ social media series. Content was posted on NPS.gov park and subject websites and NPS social media accounts.
September is Proclaimed as National Wilderness Month
President Biden again proclaimed September 2022 as National Wilderness Month, stating, “... our Nation’s wilderness boasts national treasures that provide opportunities for discovery, wonder, and serenity. They are also the current and ancestral homelands of Tribal Nations and Indigenous peoples, many of whom have deep cultural, historic, and spiritual connections to these places. During National Wilderness Month, let us express gratitude for lands and waters that remain in their natural condition, acknowledge the importance of making public lands accessible to all Americans, and rededicate ourselves to conserving and protecting the earth for future generations.” To celebrate National Wilderness Month, the Wilderness Stewardship Division developed communications guidance to help parks, regional offices, and support programs celebrate wilderness throughout September, organized around four communication themes:
Wilderness in the NPS – and beyond!
Wilderness – stewarding in the 21st Century
Wilderness – I didn’t know that!?!
Wilderness – ‘for the permanent good of the whole people’
The Wilderness Stewardship Division also hosted the ‘NPS Women in Wilderness – Part 2’ online panel during National Wilderness Month, comprised of four pairs of women that work for the NPS and work in wilderness. Expanding on the first webinar of this series (in 2021), four of the original panelists invited a fellow woman collaborator to join them on the 2022 panel to discuss what collaboration in wilderness looks like. Panelists talked about a variety of team projects including wilderness fire management, remote emergency service response, and co-developed in-reach efforts for inclusive wilderness communications.
Internal Communication Updates for NPS Wilderness Practitioners
The Wilderness Stewardship Division maintains a portfolio of digital tools for internal communications on the NPS Wilderness Stewardship Program Intranet Site and Reference Manual 41: Wilderness Stewardship (RM41). In 2022, the Wilderness Stewardship Resource Brief Library, hosted on the intranet site, received several updates including a new Leave No Trace Resource Brief. These resource briefs give readers an introductory primer on key wilderness stewardship topics, packaged in an easily shareable format for use in staff meetings, training, and partner collaboration. Changes were also made to RM41, as the full website was moved to the NPS.gov subject site for wilderness to help consolidate and co-locate all public-facing NPS wilderness digital materials.
All 12 of the Department of Interior (DOI) unified regions have NPS wilderness areas. Clustered regions have an identified Regional Wilderness Coordinator that works closely with wilderness park staff and the Wilderness Stewardship Division. The following are 2022 highlights from each regional cluster:
DOI Unified Region 1
In 2022, Shenandoah National Park implemented a pilot ticketing system (from March through November) to manage visitation at Old Rag, one of the park’s most popular hikes and located within the designated wilderness. This pilot program was introduced to address congestion and visitor safety concerns, as Old Rag’s popularity has led to excessive crowding that affects the visitor experience and sensitive park resources like the wilderness character of the Shenandoah Wilderness. Accordingly, the ticketing system limited visitation to 800 people per day at Old Rag. Before starting the pilot, the park hosted a public meeting and gathered public comments on the proposed ticketing system in 2021. The pilot will be reinstated in March 2023 to give manages additional time to evaluate data. The park will host a virtual public meeting in April 2023 to share analysis of the data collected during the Old Rag pilot program to date. “We appreciate everyone’s cooperation while we tested a means to ensure a high-quality visitor experience and protect park resources at Old Rag,” said Park Superintendent Patrick Kenney. “We look forward to sharing the data and getting additional input, especially from those who have experienced Old Rag during the pilot.”
DOI Unified Region 2
In 2022, the NPS closed a dirt road that had traversed the middle of the Cumberland Island Wilderness for 40 years. South Cut Road had been used under a private legal right since the establishment of the wilderness in 1982, but the road was a magnet for unauthorized uses as well. When the right expired, and a major culvert washed out, Cumberland Island National Seashore decided to forego repairs and convert the road to a hiking trail, which had been the park’s ultimate objective for many years. Fast growing vegetation in the park’s humid climate should soon start to obscure the former road track. After years of work, Everglades National Park completed its Wilderness Character Baseline Assessment in 2022. This 152-page document provides a detailed assessment of wilderness character in the park and draws on the parks extensive research and monitoring efforts to identify measures ideally suited for monitoring the elements of wilderness character in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness.
DOI Unified Regions 3/4/5
In the last 10 years Badlands National Park has lost 72 percent (5000 acres) of prairie dog (PD) colonies to sylvatic plague, many of which are in designated wilderness. Prairie dog colonies are critical habitat for the endangered black-footed ferret. Colonies have not rebounded as expected, with some colonies only at 15% of their pre-plague size and other colonies remain extirpated. Black footed ferret have all but disappeared as a result. With this in mind, the park began planning to address this issue in 2022. Planning topics related to ecological intervention in wilderness include active restoration of prairie dog colonies, enhancement of existing colonies, and evaluation of methods for restoring plague-affected colonies. Prairie dogs will be translocated from boundary conflict areas to formerly plague-affected areas to restore and enhance those colonies. All disease vectors will be removed from prairie dogs before translocation and receiving areas will be treated against plague. A research design will be used to evaluate the efficacy of translocation. This project will increase habitat for endangered black-footed ferrets, reduce the need for poisoning prairie dog colonies, address private land boundary conflicts, and provide guidance for future management. Alongside the NPS, three other federal agencies - the US Geological Survey, US Forest Service, and US Fish and Wildlife Service - and several non-profit organizations are committed to restoring habitat for black-footed ferrets to increase numbers and advance recovery of an endangered species that is especially important at this recovery site.
DOI Unified Regions 6/7/8
In 2022, Big Bend National Park conducted a wilderness eligibility assessment on the North Rosillos addition to the park and found 63,505 acres meet the primary eligibility criteria for wilderness eligibility. This is in addition to park’s 538,250 acres of recommended wilderness.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park-Curecanti National Recreation Area signed a Finding of No Significant Impact for the Wilderness and Backcountry Management Plan and Environmental Assessment in 2022. The final plan will provide long-term direction and an integrated decision-making framework for the stewardship of designated wilderness and backcountry lands in the two parks.
Regional Wilderness Executive Committee
The Regional Wilderness Executive Committee (WEC) for DOI Regions 6, 7, and 8 supports the preservation and protection of wilderness areas and wilderness character within the region. For the first time since the pandemic, the WEC held a three day in-person annual meeting at Rocky Mountain National Park. New members were welcomed to the WEC committee, the annual work plan was developed, and different presentations on wilderness were given. The WEC and region support a wilderness character intern at Bryce Canyon to undertake the wilderness building blocks.
DOI Unified Regions 8/9/10/12
Erik Frenzel onboarded as the region's wilderness coordinator in 2022. This new position will focus half time on providing wilderness support to the region’s 21 wilderness parks, and half time on supporting planning projects throughout the region.
Channel Islands continued close collaboration with affiliated tribes in the development of the park's Backcountry and Wilderness Management Plan.
Several parks responded to large wilderness fires including the Washburn and Rogers Fires in the Yosemite Wilderness and the Chilliwack Complex Fire in the Stephen Mather Wilderness (North Cascades National Park), while other parks continued to respond to past fires. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park took proactive, emergency action in the Redwood Meadow grove of giant sequoia. By restoring natural vegetation structure following decades of fire suppression, the park hopes to reduce the likelihood of future high-severity fires, create conditions where future fires could be managed with a less-than-full suppression approach, and preserve the wilderness character of one of the few groves that was not impacted by fires in 2020 and 2021.
DOI Unified Region 11
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve released a Backcountry and Wilderness Management Plan for public review to provide tools for park managers to preserve its exceptional backcountry and wilderness visitor experiences and resources. The plan recognizes and honors the rich cultural tapestry of Indigenous use and occupation in the wilderness and supports the enduring connection between the Tlingit and their Homeland.
The Arrigetch Peaks, located in the Brooks Range within the Gates of the Arctic Wilderness, is one of the most visited areas of the park. During the summer, backcountry rangers designed and implemented a monitoring project in the Arrigetch with three main objectives: to determine levels of impacts in high use recreational areas, establish new study sites to detect changes over time, and to provide a baseline of acceptable change in high use areas. The results of the Arrigetch Brooks Range Impacts Monitoring and Repeat Photography Project highlight the potential for methodically tracking impacted sites in the park in order to inform park management decisions and preserve wilderness character.
Planning for Katmai National Park and Preserve wilderness and backcountry and the Alagnak Wild River made progress in 2022. This plan addresses issues related to visitor experience and crowding, wilderness and resource preservation, and commercial services. This plan also includes updates to zoning, desired conditions, the development of new monitoring protocols, and the identification of visitor capacity for all areas of the park’s backcountry and the Katmai Wilderness.
Alaska Backcountry and Wilderness Advisory Group
The Alaska Backcountry and Wilderness Advisory Group (BWAG) is a regional interdisciplinary team that advises on key wilderness stewardship issues across Alaska. Membership includes interdisciplinary representatives from all Alaska wilderness parks and regional office staff. In 2022, the BWAG supported parks developing park-specific Wilderness Character Building Blocks, promoted consistency between parks on day-to-day stewardship efforts, developed a new wilderness training curriculum to meet the needs of present-day multicultural America, and fostered connections to wilderness lands in more inclusive ways.
NPS Wilderness Leadership Council
The NPS Wilderness Leadership Council (NWLC) serves an advisory council to the Director on all matters pertaining to wilderness. The council strives to enhance the agency’s ability to address critical wilderness stewardship issues. Comprised of park, regional, and national staff, this interdisciplinary council represents perspectives from a variety of positions and management levels. Each council member serves a three-year term, with staggered rotation occurring each year.
2022 Members
Danguole Bockus (Ecologist - Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park), Natalie Gates (Superintendent - Haleakala National Park), Mark Kinzer (Environmental Protection Specialist and Regional Wilderness Coordinator - Region 2), Tobias Miller (Roads and Trails Facility Manager - Great Smoky Mountains National Park), David Payer (Wildlife Biologist – Region 11), Shauna Potocky (Education Strategist – Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers Directorate), Mike Reynolds (Superintendent - Death Valley National Park), Jim Richardson (Superintendent - Lassen Volcanic National Park), David Smith (Superintendent - Joshua Tree National Park), Sally Sprouse (Chief Park Ranger - Capital Reef National Park), Mark Sturm (Superintendent - Katmai National Park and Preserve), Jason Theuer (Acting History and Culture Supervisory Manager – National Capital Region), and Dan van der Elst (Wilderness District Ranger - Mount Rainier National Park).
2022 Liaisons
Guy Adema (Deputy Associate Director - Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate), Wendy Berhman (Planner - Park Planning and Special Studies Division), Tim Devine (Wilderness Training and Development Specialist - Wilderness Stewardship Division and Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center), Susan Dolan (Cultural Landscapes Program Manager - Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science Directorate), Jennifer Flynn (Associate Director - Visitor and Resource Protection Directorate), Lindsay Gillham (Environmental Protection Specialist - Environmental Quality Division), Patrick Gregerson (Program Manager - Park Planning and Special Studies Division), Jay Lusher (Regional Fire Management Officer - Regions 6/7/8), Kerry Olson (Deputy Associate Director - Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers Directorate), Dan Pulver (Solicitor - Department of Interior), Roger Semler (Program Manager - Wilderness Stewardship Division), and Jason Taylor (Director - Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute).
Interagency Wilderness Steering Committee
The Interagency Wilderness Steering Committee (IWSC) works collaboratively to improve stewardship across the National Wilderness Preservation System. Comprised of wilderness program leads and USGS science/research support, the IWSC meets monthly to discuss high priority issues and initiatives for interagency wilderness stewardship.
2022 Membership
John Dennis (NPS), Katie Bliss/Tim Devine/T.J. Fisher (Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center), Peter Keller (BLM), Peter Mali (USFS), Nancy Roeper (USFWS), Roger Semler (NPS), Rudy Schuster (USGS), and Jason Taylor (Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute).
Interagency Wilderness Policy Council
The Interagency Wilderness Policy Council (IWPC) provides national-level wilderness guidance for federal agencies and is comprised of agency Associate/Assistant Directors. The IWPC meets periodically to identify common policy and guidance to be implemented across that National Wilderness Preservation System.
2022 Membership
Guy Adema (NPS), Katie Armstrong (USFS), Zachary Bowen (USGS),. Christopher Carlson (USFS), Jen Flynn (NPS), Mark Lambrecht (BLM), Cynthia Martinez (USFWS), and Shaun Sanchez (USFWS).
The Wilderness Stewardship Division (WSD) is one of seven divisions in the WASO Visitor and Resource Protection Directorate. The WSD assists the Director in implementing national wilderness policy and provides Servicewide leadership and subject matter expertise in all aspects of wilderness stewardship and management, including wilderness law, policy, training, and communications.
Organizational chart for the NPS Wilderness Stewardship Division.
*At the time of publishing this report (July 2023), Quinn Brett now works for US Fish and Wildlife Service and the 2023 Report will recognize Quinn’s important contributions to NPS wilderness.
Acreages cited reflect best available information based on NPS records. For some national parks, wilderness acreages reference updated boundary mapping in GIS that may differ from acreages cited in the designating legislation.
Acreages for each of the the 61 designated wilderness areas in the National Park Service.
National Park Unit
Wilderness Area
Acreage
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
Gaylord Nelson Wilderness
33,500
Badlands National Park
Badlands Wilderness
64,250
Bandelier National Monument
Bandelier Wilderness
23,267
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Black Canyon of the Gunnison Wilderness
15,599
Buffalo National River
Buffalo National River Wilderness
34,933
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Carlsbad Caverns Wilderness
33,125
Chiricahua National Monument
Chiricahua Wilderness
10,290
Congaree National Park
Congaree National Park Wilderness
21,700
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve
