Wilderness Character Monitoring in the NWRS

July 18, 2012

NWRSWilderness Character Monitoring Initiative

Interagency Wilderness Policy Council agreed that all 4 agencies would complete Wilderness Character Baseline Assessments by 2014

Team chartered by the Chief, NWRS

Endorsed by Regional NWRS Chiefs

Partnering with Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, NPS, and FS

Funded by the NWRS Natural Resources Program Center

Now on second year of funding

NWRS Wilderness Character Monitoring Team

Dr. Peter Landres Sarah Aicher

Mitch Ellis Steve Henry

Dr. Peter Dratch Brian Anderson

Steve Hicks Nancy Roeper

Dr. Pat Heglund Andrew Gude

Elaine Johnson

Jill Webster

Karen Lindsey

NWRS Wilderness Character Monitoring Initiative

Interagency Framework: Keeping It Wild

USFS Technical Guide for Monitoring Selected Conditions Related to Wilderness Character; BLM Implementation Guide

Wilderness Fellows do the work Recruit and select Hired by SCA 3-Day interagency training – NRPC

Wilderness Fellows - Tasks

3 months per refuge (16) Identify and prioritize measures Gather pre-existing data; new information Enter data Prepare report

Wilderness Fellows - Tasks

Prepare report History of refuge wilderness Purposes of the refuge Measures used (and not used) Describe data source(s) and protocols Conclusions about measures and trends Effort expended

Wilderness Fellows – Resources and Support

Thumb Drive

Sharepoint site

List of contacts

Weekly phone calls

Facebook, Blogspot, Tumblr

Cabeza Prieta Measures

Quality: Untrammeled

Indicator #1: Actions authorized by the federal land manager that manipulate the biophysical environment

Cabeza Prieta Measures

Quality: Natural

Indicator #3: Plant and animal species and communities

And That’s Not All……

Wilderness Stewardship Guidance

Wilderness Act (P.L. 88-577)

Wilderness Regulations (50 CFR 35)

Wilderness Stewardship Policy (610 FW 1 - 5)

What’s Different This Year

American Conservation Experience 6 Fellows – 12 refuges; 1 National Seashore

Two FWS biologists conducting assessments 5 refuges

Interagency training and wilderness character assessments

2011 WF assistant

What’s Different This Year

Wilderness Character Monitoring InitiativeFuture Steps and

Adaptive Management

Complete Baseline Assessments by 2014 – Designated Wilderness

Complete Baseline Assessments by 2015 – Proposed Wilderness

Refuges incorporate Wilderness Character Monitoring into monitoring plans

Refuges develop monitoring schedules

Wilderness Character Monitoring InitiativeFuture Steps and

Adaptive Management

Use combination of Wilderness Fellows and Refuge staff to monitor trends

Trend analysis used to design Management Response

Increase efforts to bring the best of the WFs into the NWRS

Interagency database moved to an online application

Questions?