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Wilderness Character Toolbox

The Wilderness Character Toolbox is a 'work in progress' and represents only the information available. In addition to the resources provided here, you may also be able to obtain advice and recommendations through discussion on Wilderness Connect. Date of last update: 7/24/12.

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Introduction to Wilderness Character

Presentation on Preserving Wilderness Character: Why, What, and How
A presentation with notes that describes why it is important to preserve wilderness character, what wilderness character is, and how it would be used to help wilderness stewardship.

Keeping It Wild: An Interagency Strategy to Monitor Trends in Wilderness Character Across the National Wilderness Preservation System
This publication was developed by an interagency team to help improve wilderness stewardship at all administrative levels-from on-the-ground management to national policy review. This interagency strategy was designed to apply to every wilderness regardless of administering agency, size, geographic location, type of ecosystem, permitted uses, or any other attribute.

Tables of Indicators and Measures for the Interagency Strategy
Tables from the Interagency Strategy publication listing the management questions, indicators, possible measures, and data sources for each of the four qualities of wilderness character.

Applying the Concept of Wilderness Character to Wilderness Planning, Monitoring, and Management
This publication shows planners, wilderness and resource staff, and project leaders how the concept of wilderness character could be directly applied at the local level to develop management plans, fulfill NEPA compliance, develop monitoring, and be used in several other wilderness management tasks. A fully developed hypothetical example of a Decision Memo is provided. Although the title states that it is written for National Forests, the publication is written generally and would directly apply to all four wilderness managing agencies.

Agency-Specific Guidance

Mapping Wilderness Character

Mapping Wilderness Character in the Death Valley Wilderness
A GIS-based approach was used to identify the state of wilderness character in the Death Valley Wilderness (DEVA). A set of measures were identified by DEVA staff to be used as the basis for developing the model and selecting data inputs. These data inputs were derived from a variety of spatial datasets, and were entered into the model using a common relative scale. Each data input was weighted by DEVA staff to reflect its importance in relation to other data inputs. The model was used to generate maps for each of the four qualities of wilderness character, which were added together to produce a map of wilderness character for DEVA. This spatial model will be used to assess outcomes of different planning alternatives on wilderness character, and will for a basline from which to track change over time in wilderness character.
Mapping Wilderness Character in the Death Valley Wilderness - Technical Report
This document provides the technical aspects and the methodology used to map the quality of wilderness character in Death Valley National Park (DEVA). It is written to support the parent document above.

Monitoring Changes in Wilderness Character
This presentation describes what wilderness character is; why it is important to monitor; and what indicators to use in tracking changes.

Narrated PowerPoint Presentation (66.2 MB)
This narrated Power Point (.pptx) file is about 44 minutes long and, depending on the speed of your Internet connection, may take a while to download.
Presentation Transcript (4.22 MB)
This is the same version as the narrated presentation, only it does not have sound and instead has the transcription in the notes section of each slide.

Wilderness Character and its Application to Wilderness Stewardship Webinar Series
This webinar series is delivered by the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, and University of Montana Wilderness Institute.

Session 1: The Foundation and Qualities of Wilderness Character
This webinar was held on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 11:00 AM, Mountain Time. The 90-minute session featured Peter Landres, research ecologist with the Leopold Institute, and defined wilderness character and explored each of its five qualities. Peter also explained the importance of wilderness character and its application to wilderness stewardship.
Session 2: Making Decisions: Evaluating Impacts and Tradeoffs to Wilderness Character
This webinar was held on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 11:00 AM, Mountain Time. The 90-minute session featured Peter Landres, research ecologist with the Leopold Institute, evaluating the tradeoffs of effects to the different qualitites of wilderness character as a result of management action. Karen Lindsey presented a case study to illustrate these concepts on Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout reintroduction.
1. Recording (windows media video, 27.1 MB)
2. PowerPoint (Peter Landres)
3. PowerPoint (Karen Lindsey)
4. Questions and Answers
Session 3: Integrating Wilderness Character with Land Management Planning Efforts
This webinar was held on Wednesday, May 2, 2012 at 11:00 AM, Mountain Time. The 90-minute session featured Peter Landres, Ecologist at the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute; Linda Merigliano, Wilderness Program Manager on the Bridger-Teton National Forest; and Charlie Callagan, Wilderness Coordinator at Death Valley National Park. The webinar focused on how wilderness character should be integrated into agency planning efforts that have the potential to affect wilderness character.
1. Recording (windows media video, 25.3 MB)
2. PowerPoint (Peter Landres)
3. PowerPoint (Linda Merigliano)
4. PowerPoint (Charlie Callagan)
5. Wilderness Stewardship Plan Handbook: Planning to Preserve Wilderness Character
6. Olympic Wilderness Character Narrative
7. Lake Clark Wilderness Character Narrative
8. Questions and Answers
Session 4: Wilderness Character Monitoring
This webinar was held on Wednesday, July 18, 2012 at 11:00 AM, Mountain Time. The 90-minute session featured five presenters. Peter Landres, research ecologist with the Leopold Institute, gave an overview of the "Keeping is Wild" strategy. The following four presenters described the status of wilderness character monitoring within their agencies: Chris Barns, Bureau of Land Management Representative to the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center; Nancy Roeper, Fish and Wildlife Service National Wilderness Coordinator; Steve Boutcher, Forest Service Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Information Manager; Chris Holbeck, National Park Service Midwest Region Wilderness Coordinator.
1. Recording (windows media video, 30.5 MB)
2. PowerPoint (Peter Landres)
3. PowerPoint (Chris Barns)
4. PowerPoint (Nancy Roeper)
5. PowerPoint (Steve Boutcher)
6. PowerPoint (Chris Holbeck)

Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute's Wilderness Character Monitoring website