Wilderness in the news

The Thanksgiving weekend was a busy one for wilderness in the news. From Maine to Nevada, wilderness management, legislation and designation were all hot topics. It's amazing to see how much press wilderness gets on a daily basis in the media but just as amazing are the number of people who just aren't aware of wilderness. Couple that with a National Wilderness Preservation System that is under a variety of threats and you begin to get a sense of the challenges we wilderness stewards face on a daily basis. That said, the more wilderness stays on the front burner, the better!

To see what's affecting wilderness areas (existing or proposed), check out these links from the past few days:

From the Naples, Florida Naples News: http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2010/nov/24/wilderness-area-big-cypress-shrink-off-road-atv/

From the Las Cruces, New Mexico Las Cruces Sun News: http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_16713762

From the Crestview, Florida Crestview Bulletin News: http://www.crestviewbulletin.com/news/managing-12265-northwest-wilderness.html

From the Grand Forks, North Dakota Grand Forks Herald: http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/184863/

From the Petroleum News: http://www.petroleumnews.com/pntruncate/67082282.shtml

From the Waterville, Maine Morning Sentinel: http://www.onlinesentinel.com/opinion/letters/Wilderness-protection-bills-deserve-support-.html

National Forest Foundation - Grants for Wilderness Stewardship

Wilderness Stewardship Challenge

In 1964, Congress established the National Wilderness Preservation System, under the Wilderness Act. The legislation allows certain federal lands to be set aside as Wilderness Areas - lands generally 5,000 acres or larger that exist mainly in their "natural" state. The Wilderness Act describes these areas as places "...where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain." The U.S. Forest Service is one of four federal agencies charged with management of the National Wilderness Preservation System, with responsibility for 35 million acres of wilderness areas, or 33% of the overall Wilderness system and 20% of Forest Service land.

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, the U.S. Forest Service issued a Stewardship Challenge, calling for all Wilderness areas in the National Forest System to meet baseline management standards by 2014. To meet this standard, Wilderness Areas are measured on 10 stewardship elements and must achieve 60% of the total available points. As of the end of Fiscal Year 2008, only a small fraction of Wilderness Areas met this standard. The National Forest Foundation (NFF), as the official nonprofit partner of the Forest Service, has increased the resources available to meet this challenge since its inception, providing matching grants of up to $50,000 to nonprofit partners for the implementation of on-the-ground conservation projects that directly benefit National Forest Wilderness Areas.

For 2011, two types of federal grants will be available: (a) requiring a 1:1 nonfederal cash match, or (b) requiring a reduced match of 50% in nonfederal in-kind contributions. Only organizations with an operating budget under $150,000 are eligible to apply for a reduced-match grant. Within this category, priority will be given to smaller organizations, provided the same quality of work.

The NFF encourages organizations to conduct the highest priority work to help meet the Challenge. The NFF will provide weighted advantage for (a) work in Wilderness Area(s) that do not meet the minimum stewardship level and for (b) work that advances or helps meet any individual stewardship element(s) that are not managed to the baseline standard.

For more information or to apply, please visit: http://nationalforests.org/conserve/grantprograms/ontheground/wilderness/application

Why we need wilderness

For the past several months wilderness has been a hot topic in Colorado. Discussion about new wilderness designations and of those involved has reached a fever pitch. Amidst all the discussion, the fundamental idea of wilderness often gets lost in the shuffle.

A recent article in the Sky-Hi Daily News zeroed in on the need for wilderness, and specifically focused on the benefits and values of federally designated wilderness. From the article:

“We simply need that wild country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in. For it can be a means of reassuring ourselves of our sanity as creatures, a part of the geography of hope.” - Wallace Stegner's Wilderness Letter, December 3, 1960

Why Wilderness Matters

“A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized 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.” (The Wilderness Act).

There are 78,986 acres of congressionally designated “wilderness” on the National Forest Service lands in Grand County, and 92,888 acres of wilderness within Rocky Mountain National Park, offering hikers and backpackers the solitude they might not find on other public land.

In addition to the beauty of being surrounded by wilderness, there are long-term economic benefits.

Last August, The Wilderness Society reported the role wilderness plays in local economies: “Federally designated wilderness areas provide incredibly valuable services — like increasing local income and employment, boosting recreation and tourism and naturally filtering our air and drinking water. Economic studies show that wilderness can boost residential property values by almost 19 percent. Wilderness is also often a motivation for people to move to and stay in places, which leads to economic development.”

Read the full article here: http://www.tinyurl.com/23sm56r

Property Acquisition Helps Secure Washington's Wild Sky Wilderness

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash., Nov. 16 (AScribe Newswire) -- The Wilderness Land Trust and The United States Forest Service announce the protection of a 113-acre property in the Wild Sky Wilderness in Snohomish County, Wash., with the transfer of the property from The Wilderness Land Trust to the United States for inclusion in the 106,000-acre Wild Sky Wilderness.

The property is located in the Bitter Creek drainage a few miles upstream of the North Fork Skykomish River. The Skykomish drains a vast watershed on the edge of the Cascades just outside of Seattle. The property contains a thick canopy of Douglas fir, silver fir, cedar, and mountain hemlock and expansive views of the surrounding mountain peaks.

The transfer completes a process that started in August of 2006 when The Wilderness Land Trust purchased the property from a private seller. The Trust's acquisition of the property helped the Wild Sky designation move forward to a successful completion in 2008. The purchase also allowed the Forest Service to terminate an existing road right of way that had been used in the mid 1900s for timber harvests. The old road can now be used for a trail into the wilderness.

"This acquisition would not have been possible without the strong partnership of the Wilderness Land Trust and the support of the many within the environmental community. This is a wonderful legacy for the Wild Sky Wilderness," said Rob Iwamoto, Forest Supervisor for the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

"The Wilderness Land Trust is pleased to assist the Forest Service with this transaction. With the private property now becoming part of the wilderness and the road going away, the quick-growing Cascade forest will soon return the Wild Sky to its natural condition," said David Kirk, Senior Lands Specialist for the Trust. "These transactions take a while, but the long-term result of secured wilderness makes it all worthwhile. I highly recommend a hike up into this area."

The Wilderness Land Trust acquires unprotected private land within wilderness, returning it to public ownership to guarantee that future generations can enjoy the enduring resources of wilderness. The Trust is a small, highly specialized non-profit organization established to buy and protect wilderness land. Since it was founded in 1992, the organization has preserved more than 344 parcels comprising more than 31,000 acres of wilderness inholdings in 76 designated and proposed wilderness areas. Read more at http://www.wildernesslandtrust.org

Wilderness and politics

It's a fact that wilderness, wilderness stewardship, wilderness management, wilderness designation and even support for wilderness is at times directly linked to politics. Even something as pure as wilderness isn't immune to political swings and changes over time. An article recently published in Seattle PI Local looks at how a changing Natural Resources Committee Chair could have impacts on wilderness in the coming years.

From the article:

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Congressman Doc Hastings, a soft-spoken conservative who toes the Republican party line on most issues, generally doesn't garner much public attention outside his sweeping U.S. House district in central Washington. That's likely to change with GOP control of the chamber come January.

Hastings is set to take over the Natural Resources Committee, a panel that has jurisdiction over most federal land and water policy, covering national parks, wilderness areas and American Indian reservations.

Issues in those areas resonate across large swaths of the American West, not just in Hastings' 4th District, which stretches from north-central Washington to the Oregon border.

In a telephone interview this week, Hastings noted that he has yet to be named chairman, but said he's pleased his colleagues named him ranking member beginning in 2009. Hastings, 69, first won his seat in 1994 and has won re-election, often handily, in each election since.

Read the full article here: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_hastings_congress.html

Industrial air pollution - external threats to wilderness mount

Some of the biggest threats to federally designated wilderness come from outside the wilderness boundary. There are times when those who steward wilderness can adequately address these threats and times when the specific threat is linked to a much bigger environmental issue. A recent op/ed piece in the Duluth News Tribune discusses how industrial air pollution is impacting the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, what the causes are and some potential solutions. As wilderness stewards, we have to be aware of both internal and external threats in order to effectively manage and protect the life sustaining benefits and values of wilderness.

From the Duluth News Tribune:

Haze generally is thought of as a city problem. Unfortunately, haze and industrial air pollution also invade our national parks and wilderness areas. One in three national parks across the country suffers from air pollution levels that exceed health standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In Minnesota, haze hangs over the splendor of Voyageurs National Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, not only spoiling pristine views but also making the air unhealthy for visitors, plants and wildlife.

Full article here: http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/183307/group/Opinion/

Society signs national Memorandum of Understanding with US Forest Service

The Society for Wilderness Stewardship recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the USDA Forest Service. This national level MOU is designed to foster "cooperation between the Society and the Forest Service to identify and collaboratively resolve issues related to stewardship of the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS)." The MOU was signed by Society Board Chair, Don Hunger and Deputy Chief of the US Forest Service, Joel Holtrop.

"It's great to have the USDA Forest Service support the Society for Wilderness Stewardship. This MOU acknowledges our commitment to a professional society supporting the environmental, economic and educational benefits of America's National Wilderness Preservation System. We look forward to a strong partnership with the Forest Service," said Chair Don Hunger.

The Society is pursuing MOU's with other federal land management agencies that manage wilderness, including the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service and the US Fish & Wildlife Service to achieve a shared vision of proper stewardship for lands managed under the NWPS.

30 years of Wilderness: Designation has helped define Kenai Peninsula

In an interesting retrospective article, managers from the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge – 1.35 million acres of which are federally designated wilderness – look at the history of the refuge, the significance of the wilderness designation and the future of the lands protected under the Wilderness Act that compromise the refuge. Specific management topics such as invasive species, fire and traditional use of wilderness are discussed.

From the Peninsula Clarion:

Rick Johnston spoke to a small audience inside a cabin on Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Images of moose, bears and past managers hiking through the forest were cast onto the back wall by a projector while the longtime Fish and Wildlife Service employee spoke about the genesis of the refuge. When Johnston first came to work there, it was called the Kenai Moose Range. The title changed 30 years ago when the Alaska National Interests Land Conservation Act turned the game sanctuary into federally designated Wilderness.

Wilderness comprises more than two-thirds of the 1.95 million-acre refuge. By the Wilderness Act's definition, the 1.35 million acres on the refuge are "untrammeled by man" and have no established signs of civilization. The Wilderness Act was passed in 1964, but the refuge didn't become the refuge until 1980 passage of ANILCA.

No permanent structures can exist in the Wilderness; historic cabins, however, and related structures can be protected under the National Register of Historic Places. The act allows hiking and camping, but bans generators, chainsaws and any kind of motor-powered or mechanical device. Anyone who stays within the lands is bound to practice "leave no trace" camping.
The spike in the Peninsula's population and changes in the planet's climate could drastically alter the refuge's untouched lands, but Supervisory Biologist John Morton said that they're still deliberating on solutions for the unmanaged expanses.

Read the full article here: http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/stories/101110/new_718960679.shtml

Wilderness is a necessity...

"Wilderness is a necessity ... They will see what I meant in time. There must be places for human beings to satisfy their souls. Food and drink is not all. There is the spiritual. In some it is only a germ, of course, but the germ will grow."

- John Muir, conservationist and founder, The Sierra Club

Very large protected areas preserve wilderness but ignore rare species

Study finds that the areas are most important for a limited range of land cover types

Protected areas are generally seen as a triumph for the preservation of nature, yet the reality on the ground is more complex.

The world's largest protected areas encompass vast amounts of wilderness but do not extensively overlap the highest priority areas for conservation or include unusually large numbers of birds, amphibians, or mammals, according to an analysis published in the November issue of BioScience. The study, by Lisette Cantú-Salazar and Kevin J. Gaston of the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom, nonetheless describes anecdotal evidence that some very large protected areas play an important conservation role, by preserving natural species assemblages and populations of regional concern.

Cantú-Salazar and Gaston examined in detail the 63 protected areas that each extend over 25,000 square kilometers or more (about the area of Vermont). These huge areas are found in all continents except Antarctica, and are preferentially found in areas where there are few people. The findings thus seem to support the idea that such areas are created in places where they will least inconvenience people, rather than where they would do the most for conservation.

Yet very large protected areas are also likely to include particular land-cover types, such as snow and ice, bare areas, and areas with sparse vegetation. Examination of individual cases reveals that several ecoregions of high conservation priority are partly included in very large protected areas, including the Guianan Highlands Moist Forests, the Tibetan Plateau Steppe, and the Eastern Himalayan Alpine Meadows. Their preservation is therefore important. And many of the largest protected areas are vulnerable, Cantú-Salazar and Gaston conclude. Some have inadequate management. Others are threatened by incursions for logging, fishing, grazing, and mining, and the effects of climate change and political instability.

###

By noon EST on 1 November 2010 and until early December, the full text of the article will be available for free download through the copy of this press release available atwww.aibs.org/bioscience-press-releases/.

Contact: Timothy M. Beardsley
tbeardsley@aibs.org
202-628-1500 x226
American Institute of Biological Sciences

Colorado: Wilderness proposal still in limbo

There has been significant press about proposed wilderness in Colorado. While the issue can be polarizing, it does keep wilderness and wilderness issues on the forefront in many areas, which can be a good thing.

From the Summit Daily News:

U.S. Rep. Jared Polis' newly introduced and pared-down Eagle and Summit County Wilderness Preservation Act has received mixed criticism from Summit County citizens. It's been labeled a controversial bill, with some standing firm against it and others saying it's a commendable effort at mediation and compromise. “The Eagle and Summit County Wilderness Preservation Act seeks to add new designated wilderness areas in the White River National Forest within Summit and Eagle Counties to the National Wilderness Preservation System,” Polis' website said. “Designated areas would hold the highest level of land protection, with public access and usage still available, but certain types of development and activities prohibited.” The goal of the legislation is to preserve Colorado's wild areas by designating some as wilderness under the Wilderness Act of 1964 and designating others as special management or companion use areas. The bill was introduced on Sept. 29, just before Congress voted to adjourn for the fall campaign. It's on hold until the House reconvenes, which could be with an entirely different makeup of Democrats and Republicans. Polis' constituents include Summit County, which is in Colorado's 2nd Congressional District. It's unknown when action will take place, as nothing can be done while the House is in recess.

The basics

Nearly 88,000 acres in Eagle and Summit counties would be designated as wilderness while another 78,000 would be deemed “special management areas” under the Eagle and Summit County Wilderness Preservation Act. Special management areas have greater protection than most public lands but aren't as strict as rules for wilderness. Several high-profile areas were taken out of the original proposal, such as Elliot Ridge in Summit County, which has been a contentious area in discussions. The goal, Polis' website says, is to create consensus, bringing users together to establish ways to protect Colorado's gems while allowing various types of recreation where appropriate and bolster the Colorado economy without unintended conflicts. By bringing different users together, from snowmobilers to hikers, several areas have been removed from the original Hidden Gems proposal. Several environmental groups suggested the congressman carry a bill that created 244,000 wilderness acres — not including additional land in Pitkin and Gunnison counties. Areas not included in wilderness designation include 12,150 acres on Basalt Mountain as well as an extension of wilderness on Elliot Ridge. Areas of Hoosier Ridge didn't get the high level of protection, either.

The response

Mountain biking isn't allowed in wilderness areas, according to the language of the Wilderness Act. So, when several popular trails were included in the original Hidden Gems proposal, the Summit Fat Tire Society pushed back. According to a statement on the Summit Fat Tire Society website, for two years, they worked with Hidden Gems proponents to find common ground and balance areas where they didn't agree. What came out of the discussion was the idea of “companion designations,” which is a relatively new way to protect land while still allowing certain uses. “We believe companion designations offer the opportunity to protect lands around Wilderness but also create areas where bikes are allowed,” the Summit Fat Tire Society website says. Still, members of the Summit Fat Tire Society are working to fine-tune the boundaries and alignments of various designations “where we don't see eye-to-eye,” their statement says. “Where needed, we will work hard to continue to push for more protection and access to mountain biking. Until then, we're proud of the ultimate agreement to bring companion designation to fruition, which is really the definition of progress for any group,” the statement continues. Tom Jones, owner of Wilderness Sports and a resident of Evergreen who recreates in Summit County, also voiced support for the mountain biking compromises. “I support protecting as much pristine land as possible from motorized use,” he wrote in an e-mail. “Once it has been degraded by motorized access, it will never go back to the way it once was. Pristine land is absolutely a finite, limited resource.” Currie Craven, chair of the Friends of the Eagles Nest Wilderness, commended efforts to include all users in the federal proposal as it evolved from a citizen proposal. “It's a unique approach,” he said. As an advocate of encouraging stewardship of the forest above all else, Craven hopes bringing stakeholders together at the same table may dispel myths that different users “have horns and tails” and are people who enjoy recreation, too. “If people are working together and helping maintain the resources, ... people find out it breaks down barriers between user groups that may be somewhat arbitrary,” he said. Craven pointed to several areas where compromises were made, such as the companion designations for mountain bikers, “over the snow” motorized travel designations in some areas and not adjusting the motorized travel boundary at Elliot Ridge. Areas such as that around Hoosier Ridge have biological reasons for being established as wilderness, Craven added. Rare plant species there aren't found anywhere else on the planet, he said, which would mean it's probably not appropriate for snowmobile traffic. He felt that was honored in the proposal. Yet he personally wishes for more wilderness designations, such as the area above the Eisenhower/Johnson tunnels. “Maybe the definition of a compromise is that no one is happy,” Craven said, but he added that everyone had a say. “We're all Americans and this is all public land,” he said. “We have to consider what the generations in the womb of time will get.”

Consensus — and disagreement

Rick Warren, the president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Sierra Club, said he vocally supported Polis' proposal at a meeting months ago in Breckenridge. Now, he's glad to see give-and-take to form a bill that's palatable for many of the affected parties. “Hidden Gems did a good job,” he said. “When it first came out, there was a lot of push back from mountain bikers and snowmobilers. ... But they worked it out and there were concessions.” Chuck Ginsberg, president of the Summit County Off-Road Riders, said the wilderness proposal doesn't much affect the single-track motorcycle riders. But he still doesn't support it. He and other SCORR members believe better protection for land can come from the U.S. Forest Service's travel management plan, which began several years ago and isn't complete. “More thought has gone into it,” Ginsberg said. “I support a well-thought-out plan. We would have to make sacrifices, with many areas we're used to riding that could be off-limits. But I'm OK making sacrifices for something that's thought out.”

‘The real work begins'

State Sen. Dan Gibbs commends the work done to find common ground in the wilderness proposal, but said “the real work begins once the bill is introduced.” “I applaud Polis and stakeholder groups for coming together to find common ground” among user groups, he said. “It means dramatically different things for different people.” But now, it's up to Polis to present the bill on the House floor and translate conversations had in Summit and Eagle counties to the language of Washington, D.C. “I'll be interested to see how it will unfold,” Gibbs said. The reporting of the Aspen Times' Scott Condon contributed to this story. SDN reporter Janice Kurbjun can be contacted at (970) 668-4630 or at jkurbjun@summitdaily.com.