United States
Department
of Agriculture
Forest Service
Rocky Mountain
Research Station
Proceedings
RMRS-P-15-VOL-2
September 2000
Wilderness Science in a
Time of Change Conference
Volume 2: Wilderness Within
the Context of Larger Systems
Missoula, Montana
May 23–27, 1999
Abstract
McCool, Stephen F.; Cole, David N.; Borrie, William T.; O’Loughlin, Jennifer, comps. 2000.
Wilderness science in a time of change conference—Volume 2: Wilderness within the
context of larger systems; 1999 May 23–27; Missoula, MT. Proceedings RMRS-P-15-VOL-2.
Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station.
Thirty-eight papers related to the theme of wilderness in the context of larger systems are
included. Three overview papers synthesize existing knowledge and research about wilderness
economics, relationships between wilderness and surrounding social communities, and relationships between wilderness and surrounding ecological communities and processes. Other papers
deal with wilderness meanings and debates; wilderness within larger ecosystems; and social,
economic, and policy issues.
Keywords: boundaries, ecological disturbance, ecosystem management, regional analysis,
wilderness economics, wilderness perception
RMRS-P-15-VOL-1. Wilderness science in a time of change conference—Volume 1:
Changing perspectives and future directions.
RMRS-P-15-VOL-2. Wilderness science in a time of change conference—Volume 2:
Wilderness within the context of larger systems.
RMRS-P-15-VOL-3. Wilderness science in a time of change conference—Volume 3:
Wilderness as a place for scientific inquiry.
RMRS-P-15-VOL-4. Wilderness science in a time of change conference—Volume 4:
Wilderness visitors, experiences, and visitor management.
RMRS-P-15-VOL-5. Wilderness science in a time of change conference—Volume 5:
Wilderness ecosystems, threats, and management.
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Please specify the publication title and number.
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Publications Distribution
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Cover art by Joyce VanDeWater, Rocky Mountain Research Station
Conference symbol designed by Neal Wiegert, University of Montana
Wilderness Science in a Time
of Change Conference
Volume 2: Wilderness Within the
Context of Larger Systems
Missoula, Montana
May 23-27, 1999
Compilers
Stephen F. McCool
David N. Cole
William T. Borrie
Jennifer O’Loughlin
Contents
Stephen F. McCool
David N. Cole
Page
Wilderness Within the Context of Larger Social and Biophysical Systems .....1
1. Overviews ................................................................................................................................................. 3
John B. Loomis
Economic Values of Wilderness Recreation and Passive Use:
What We Think We Know at the Beginning of the 21st Century ................ 5
Gundars Rudzitis
Rebecca Johnson
The Impact of Wilderness and Other Wildlands on Local Economies
and Regional Development Trends ......................................................... 14
Peter S. White
Jonathan Harrod
Joan L. Walker
Anke Jentsch
Disturbance, Scale, and Boundary in Wilderness Management .................... 27
2. Wilderness Meanings and Debates ...................................................................................................... 43
Chad P. Dawson
Ed Zahniser
The Influence of the Adirondacks on the Wilderness Preservation
Contributions of Robert Marshall and Howard Zahniser .......................... 45
Karen M. Fox
Navigating Confluences: Revisiting the Meaning of “Wilderness
Experience” .............................................................................................. 49
Paul A. Gray
Robert J. Davidson
An Ecosystem Approach to Management: A Context for
Wilderness Protection .............................................................................. 59
Dayle C. Hardy-Short
C. Brant Short
Science, Economics, and Rhetoric: Environmental Advocacy and
the Wolf Reintroduction Debate, 1987-1999 ............................................ 65
Roger W. Kaye
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: An Exploration of the
Meanings Embodied in America’s Last Great Wilderness ....................... 73
Thomas A. More
James R. Averill
Thomas H. Stevens
How Valid are Future Generations’ Arguments for Preserving
Wilderness? ............................................................................................. 81
3. Wilderness Within Larger Ecosystems ................................................................................................ 87
Gregory Aplet
Janice Thomson
Mark Wilbert
Indicators of Wildness: Using Attributes of the Land to
Assess the Context of Wilderness ......................................................... 89
Mike Bader
Wilderness-Based Ecosystem Protection in the Northern
Rocky Mountains of the United States ..................................................... 99
Robert J. Davidson
Paul A. Gray
Sheila Boyd
George S. Cordiner
State-of-the-Wilderness Reporting in Ontario: Models,
Tools and Techniques ........................................................................... 111
ii
Steffen Fritz
Steve Carver
Linda See
New GIS Approaches to Wild Land Mapping in Europe .............................. 120
J. C. Haney
M. Wilbert
C. De Grood
D. S. Lee
J. Thomson
Gauging the Ecological Capacity of Southern Appalachian Reserves:
Does Wilderness Matter? ....................................................................... 128
Nathaniel P. Hitt
Christopher A. Frissell
An Evaluation of Wilderness and Aquatic Biointegrity in Western
Montana ................................................................................................. 138
Laskar Muqsudur Rahman
The Sundarbans: A Unique Wilderness of the World .................................. 143
Vinod Sasidharan
Climatic Change and Wildland Recreation: Examining the Changing
Patterns of Wilderness Recreation in Response to the Effects
of Global Climate Change and the El Nino Phenomenon ....................... 149
Janice L. Thomson
Dawn A. Hartley
Gregory H. Aplet
Peter A. Morton
Assessing Interconnections Between Wilderness and Adjacent Lands:
The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah ................... 153
4. Social, Economic, and Policy Issues .................................................................................................. 167
Carolyn Alkire
Funding Strategies for Wilderness Management ........................................ 169
Craig W. Allin
The Triumph of Politics Over Wilderness Science ...................................... 180
Ralf Buckley
Tourism and Wilderness: Dancing With the Messy Monster ....................... 186
Ralf Buckley
Wilderness in Australia: What’s Happening in a World Context .................. 190
Brian Czech
Economic Growth, Ecological Economics, and Wilderness Preservation ... 194
J. Mark Fly
Robert Emmet Jones
H. Ken Cordell
Knowledge of and Attitudes Toward Wilderness in the Southern
Appalachian Ecoregion .......................................................................... 201
Ville Hallikainen
The Finnish “Social Wilderness” .................................................................. 205
J. E. S. Higham
G. W. Kearsley
A. D. Kliskey
Wilderness Perception Scaling in New Zealand: An Analysis of
Wilderness Perceptions Held by Users, Non-users and
International Visitors .............................................................................. 218
David M. Johns
Biological Science in Conservation ............................................................. 223
Paul A. Lorah
Population Growth, Economic Security, and Cultural Change in
Wilderness Counties .............................................................................. 230
Pete Morton
Wildland Economics: Theory and Practice ................................................ 238
M. A. Nie
A Political Cultural Map to Future Wilderness, Monument and
Park Designation ................................................................................... 251
iii
Spencer Phillips
Windfalls for Wilderness: Land Protection and Land Value in the
Green Mountains ................................................................................... 258
Brijesh Thapa
The Relationship Between Debt-for-Nature Swaps and Protected
Area Tourism: A Plausible Strategy for Developing Countries ............... 268
Bryan K. Walton
Southern by the Grace of God: Wilderness Framing in the
Heart of Dixie ......................................................................................... 273
5. Dialogue Session Summaries ............................................................................................................. 279
Douglas W. Hodgins
Jeffrey E. Green
Gail Harrison
Jillian Roulet
From Confrontation to Conservation: The Banff National Park
Experience ............................................................................................. 281
Dan McDonald
Tom McDonald
Leo McAvoy
Tribal Wilderness Research Needs and Issues in the United States
and Canada ........................................................................................... 290
R. McGreggor Cawley
Wilderness, Natural Areas, and Ecological Reserves: Thoughts on
the Politics of the Big Outside ................................................................ 295
Laurie Yung
Meaningful Community Involvement in Protected Area Issues:
A Dialogue Session ............................................................................... 301
iv
1. Overviews
2. Wilderness Meanings
and Debates
3. Wilderness Within Larger
Ecosystems
4. Social, Economic,
and Policy Issues
5. Dialogue Session
Summaries