Wilderness Technical Core Competencies
Using the Competencies
Wilderness stewardship requires a consistent foundation of knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs), whether an employee spends 10 percent or 100 percent of their time working in wilderness. The complexity of wilderness management remains the same and demands expertise across multiple disciplines.
The Wilderness Technical Core Competencies identify the KSAs needed to implement wilderness law, regulation, and policy across all levels of responsibility. Wilderness managers and other employees with any role in wilderness stewardship, no matter how limited, can use these competencies to identify gaps between existing and needed KSAs. With this information, they and their supervisors can develop and prioritize Individual Development and Training Plans. Agencies can also use these competencies to recognize training gaps and guide the development and delivery of training courses specifically designed to address them.
These competencies were developed through interagency collaboration and continue to be reviewed and refined as needed to ensure consistency with agency missions and Office of Personnel Management standards.
The Wilderness Technical Core Competencies are grouped into six areas of expertise that together cover the full range of knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for effective wilderness stewardship.
- Wilderness History, Law, Regulation, and Policy – Focuses on interpreting and applying the history, laws, and agency policies of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
- Managing Special Provisions – Covers management of the special provisions identified in the 1964 Wilderness Act and subsequent enabling legislation.
- Wilderness Planning – Addresses wilderness stewardship needs through programmatic and project-level planning processes.
- Wilderness Field Skills – Involves the field tasks required to implement wilderness stewardship in a variety of settings.
- Visitor Use Management and Monitoring – Guides how to manage and monitor visitor use in wilderness to protect resources and experiences.
- Natural and Cultural Resources Management and Monitoring – Involves stewardship and monitoring of natural and cultural resources within wilderness.
These competencies were developed through interagency collaboration and have been reviewed extensively since 2006. They are organized into three levels of expertise, aligned with Office of Personnel Management terminology and agency needs.
- Entry Level: Recognize wilderness stewardship components, identify opportunities and needs, and refer them to specialists as appropriate.
- Full Performance Level: Independently identify and analyze most wilderness stewardship needs, develop interdisciplinary solutions, and make recommendations. Individuals at this level may also train others.
- Expert Level: Provide leadership in addressing complex wilderness stewardship needs, develop programmatic interdisciplinary solutions, and recommend decisions and policy changes. Individuals at this level may also train others.
Individuals at the Full Performance and Expert Levels may also train other professionals and technicians in the principles, terminology, and field practice of the subject.
Use the information below to identify the skill level associated with your agency and position. This will help determine your expected level of wilderness expertise. Once you know your level, visit the KSAs & Training Resources tab to explore materials and training opportunities aligned with your development needs.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Entry Level
- Field Office wilderness staff
- Resource Specialists who frequently work in wilderness
Full Performance Level
- Field Office wilderness lead
Expert Level
- HQ-410 staff
- State wilderness lead
Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)
Entry Level
- Seasonal wilderness specialist
Full Performance Level
- Refuge Managers & Deputy Refuge Managers
- Refuge Operations Specialist
Expert Level
- National Wilderness Coordinator
- Regional Wilderness Coordinators
Forest Service (FS)
Entry Level
- Wilderness Rangers
Full Performance Level
- Wilderness Manager or Specialist
- Forest and District staff with wilderness as part of their duties
Expert Level
- Forest wilderness staff specialists with wilderness as a major part of their duties
- Regional Wilderness Program Managers
- National Wilderness Program Manager and Steering Committee Member
- WWSR Director
National Park Service (NPS)
Entry Level
- Seasonal wilderness & backcountry park rangers
Full Performance Level
- Permanent wilderness & backcountry park rangers
- Park wilderness specialists
Expert Level
- WASO Wilderness Staff and Regional Coordinators
Select a Competency Area and a Skill Level to display results.
After you make both selections, the page will list the relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) for that combination, followed by the corresponding training resources. You can further refine the results by selecting or deselecting specific KSAs to show only the training resources that support those items.