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MAKING DECISIONS: EVALUATING IMPACTS AND TRADEOFFS ON

WILDERNESS CHARACTER

MAKING DECISIONS: EVALUATING IMPACTS AND TRADEOFFS ON

WILDERNESS CHARACTER

Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center, March 2012

Wilderness Character Webinar #2:

Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center, March 2012

Wilderness Character Webinar #2:

KEY REVIEW POINTS KEY REVIEW POINTS

• Wilderness character is composed of five qualities that are comprehensive, nationally consistent, and locally applied

• Wilderness character is composed of five qualities that are comprehensive, nationally consistent, and locally applied

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• This framework of wilderness character is a tool to improve discussion among staff, leading to informed recommendations and decisions

• This framework of wilderness character is a tool to improve discussion among staff, leading to informed recommendations and decisions

• These ideas are relatively new, so HOW they are implemented will likely improve over time

• These ideas are relatively new, so HOW they are implemented will likely improve over time

WILDERNESS STEWARDSHIP COMMONLY REQUIRES EVALUATING TRADEOFFS

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THERE IS NO SINGLE PATH TO EVALUATE TRADEOFFS, BUT THERE ARE TOOLS AND TIPS

THERE IS NO SINGLE PATH TO EVALUATE TRADEOFFS, BUT THERE ARE TOOLS AND TIPS

1. Minimum Requirements Analysis

2. Wilderness character baseline assessment

3. Account for all qualities, benefits and adverse impacts, in the short and long term

4. Identify “wicked” problems to ensure transparent and thorough evaluation

5. Both art and science may be needed because there is little agency guidance and no case law

1. Minimum Requirements Analysis

2. Wilderness character baseline assessment

3. Account for all qualities, benefits and adverse impacts, in the short and long term

4. Identify “wicked” problems to ensure transparent and thorough evaluation

5. Both art and science may be needed because there is little agency guidance and no case law

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TOOLS AND TIPS #1Minimum Requirements Analysis

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Step 1: Is action necessary?Step 2: What is the minimum activity?

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS ANALYSIS

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TOOLS AND TIPS #2Wilderness character baseline assessment

Baseline assessments in the National Wildlife Refuge System

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Undeveloped

Natural Solitude

Untrammeled

Can evaluate effects of all qualities together or any one quality, and the entire area or any one area

TOOLS AND TIPS #2Wilderness character baseline

assessment

TOOLS AND TIPS #3Account for all qualities, benefits and adverse

impacts, in the short and long term

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TOOLS AND TIPS #4Identify “wicked” problems to ensure transparent

and thorough evaluation

Right versus Right Dilemma

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TOOLS AND TIPS #5Both art and science are needed because there is

little agency guidance and no case law

TOOLS AND TIPS #5Both art and science are needed because there is

little agency guidance and no case law

• “Preserving wilderness character” is law and policy, but there is little guidance on HOW to do this and keep wilderness “in contrast” to all other areas

• There is no case law on the qualities of wilderness character or evaluating tradeoffs; the courts have only said “preserve wilderness character”

• Be comprehensive, thorough, and transparent to disclose effects and tradeoffs; explain in the decision document why the agency made the decision to preserve wilderness character as a whole

• “Preserving wilderness character” is law and policy, but there is little guidance on HOW to do this and keep wilderness “in contrast” to all other areas

• There is no case law on the qualities of wilderness character or evaluating tradeoffs; the courts have only said “preserve wilderness character”

• Be comprehensive, thorough, and transparent to disclose effects and tradeoffs; explain in the decision document why the agency made the decision to preserve wilderness character as a whole

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Please enter into the Q & A pane any questions you have about evaluating the

impacts and tradeoffs of management decisions on wilderness character

Please enter into the Q & A pane any questions you have about evaluating the

impacts and tradeoffs of management decisions on wilderness character

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KEY POINTSKEY POINTS

• Wilderness character does not drive decisions; it’s a tool to make informed recommendations and decisions

• There may be complex tradeoffs among the qualities of wilderness character and other laws and agency guidance

• There is no perfect knowledge; evaluating tradeoffs may (most likely will) require professional judgment so transparency is key for defensibility in preserving wilderness character as whole

• Wilderness character does not drive decisions; it’s a tool to make informed recommendations and decisions

• There may be complex tradeoffs among the qualities of wilderness character and other laws and agency guidance

• There is no perfect knowledge; evaluating tradeoffs may (most likely will) require professional judgment so transparency is key for defensibility in preserving wilderness character as whole

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Wilderness.net > Management Tools > Toolboxes > Wilderness CharacterFOR MORE INFORMATION: Wilderness.net > Management Tools > Toolboxes > Wilderness Character

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YOUR QUESTIONS AND ISSUES

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