Wilderness Tracks
Intermountain Region
January 2010
Jedediah Smith Wilderness, Caribou-Targhee NF
(Send me a photo of your area to display in a future edition)
Congratulations!
For the 4th consecutive year, R4 had a 100%
completion rate for the 2009 Infra-Wild data
pull. Thank you for making sure your data
was entered and accurate.
10-Yr Wilderness Stewardship Challenge
2009 Update – 63% of areas to minimum
stewardship level.
The numbers are in for 2009 and it was a
exceptional year! Region 4 improved from 15 to
27 of 43 Wilderness areas managed to a
minimum Stewardship level. This is 63% of all
areas now at minimum stewardship level. We
also had a significant number of improvements
in individual element scores. Your efforts are
making a difference! The latest scoring sheet
and a reference map is attached for your use.
Take a moment to share these results with your
line officers.
10 yr Wilderness Stewardship Challenge website
The site is:
http://fsweb.wo.fs.fed.us/rhwr/wilderness/10ywsc/index_1
0ywsc.html
Contains National program information about the 10 Yr
Wilderness Stewardship Challenge
NFF Grant Deadline Approaches
In celebration of 2004’s 40th anniversary of the
Information you can use for
Wilderness, and Wild and Scenic Rivers.
Upcoming Events and Trainings
R4 Wilderness Manager’s Annual Meeting
th
March 9-11
Hampton Inn, Cedar City, Utah
Please make your reservations to attend this year’s
wilderness manager meeting.
Call: 435-586-5000 or make reservations online.
Group Code: Wilderness Meeting Forest Service
Per Diem Rate = $70
Special guest: Doug Scott, Campaign for America’s
Wilderness.
Field Trip to the new Cottonwood Forest Wilderness.
Many current topics! Agenda forthcoming.
Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training
Center Courses: see website for listings
http://carhart.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=courses
The 2009 ACNWTC progress report is attached.
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Interagency Regional Wilderness
Stewardship Course,
West Yellowstone, May 3rd – 7th. 2010
This course for District Rangers, Forest Staff, and
Wilderness Managers is specifically for R1 and R4.
Please plan to attend if you have not been to a Regional
wilderness training session before.
National Opportunities:
National Wilderness Stewardship Training,
June 22-26, 2010, Missoula Montana
This is the session for Forest Supervisors and Directors
and other senior-level officials. Some opportunities for
District Rangers. See attachment.
Wilderness Act, the U.S. Forest Service issued a
Stewardship Challenge, calling for all Wilderness Areas
in the National Forest System to meet baseline
management standards by 2014. At the end of Fiscal Year
2009, only 127 of 406 Wilderness areas meet the baseline
standard.
The National Forest Foundation, as the official nonprofit
partner of the Forest Service, is please to announce that it
is currently soliciting proposals for its 2010 Wilderness
Stewardship Challenge (WSC) Award Program to help
meet the Forest Service meet this challenge.
The NFF will provide matching grants of up to $50,000 to
nonprofit partners to implement stewardship projects
that directly support specific management needs in U.S.
Forest Service Wilderness Areas.
WSC Proposals are due hard-copy to the NFF on or
before Tuesday, January 26, 2010.
To learn more about the Wilderness Stewardship
Challenge Program, please visit
http://www.nationalforests.org/conserve/grantprograms/
ontheground/wilderness
_____________________________________
Wilderness Advisory Group
By Jeff Weise, Bridgeport RD, H-T NF
The latest WAG newsletter from Winter 2010 is attached.
Or visit the WAG home page for current information.
http://www.wilderness.net/NWPS/documents/FS/WAG_N
ewsletter_Winter2010.pdf
_____________________________________
Wilderness Information Management
Steering Group
By Nick Glidden, Dixie NF
We are working on testing the mobile application for its
spring release. The release is on time and we report on
this at the spring Wilderness Managers meeting.
The group is redesigning the Motor/Mech use
authorization form for INFRA reporting. And with the new
FIA agreement we have a draft paper on "what to do
when FIA contacts you to work on your forest".
Final testing of the legacy data migration tool is in
progress. This tool automates the process of transferring
your home-grown database to INFRA. A newsletter is
forthcoming within a month with more details.
Exit Strategies Conference
“Managing Human Waste in the Wild”
"The AAC and a select group of nonprofits and
government agencies are teaming up to host an
international conference on managing human waste in
wilderness settings. The three-day “Exit Strategies”
meeting will be held at the American Mountaineering
Center and Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado
next summer: July 30 to August 1."
Please follow this link
[http://www.americanalpineclub.org/exitstrategies] to learn
more about the upcoming Exit Strategies Conference:
______________________________________
NineMile Training Center
Your source for traditional skills training like saws
sharpening, pack and riding stock, historic building
restoration, Leave No Trace, etc,.can be found at the
following link:
Ninemile Wildlands Training Center 2010
______________________________________________
National Univesity
The Forest Service National University offers a variety of
training opportunities and this year it will include a
wilderness workshop. The entire university is scheduled
for March 15-29, 2010 in Atlanta, GA. The wilderness
awareness and management workshop is scheduled for
8:00 am- 5:00 pm, Friday March 19.
More information on this workshop, including the
registration process, may be found on the attached flyer or
at:
http://fsweb.hcm.fs.fed.us/training/natl_univ/index.ph
p
______________________________________
Air Quality Website has Challenge Item #2
information, Jeff Sorkin, R2
The long awaited website for the wilderness template is
here! Please forward this link to wilderness managers and
other staff who are working on the 10-year challenge for
air quality.
http://fsweb.r2.fs.fed.us/rhwr/wilderness-nonmotorized/airquality/
There is a link to the wilderness.net site that has several
useful documents as well. (In the Toolboxes)
X-Cut Saw Program
Other Air quality Examples
Breaking News! – Gary Hayward is moving to a
new position and will be stepping down as our
Regional Cross Cut Saw Coordinator. A big thank
you to Gary for keeping this valuable program
moving forward for the last several years.
A new coordinator will be named shortly.
In the meantime, Dolly Chapman, H-T NF, is
offering a saw sharpening service as well as other
cross cut saw resources. See attachments.
______________________________________
NWPS Display available!
Information about how to reserve the new NWPS
displays is now online on wilderness.net and the Carhart
Center website. The displays are available on a first
come-first served basis and the borrower pays the
shipping cost.
For a good example of an updated forest-wide plan for
your wilderness folks to look at:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/whiteriver/projects/air-resourcemgmt-plan/index.shtml.
ELY Ranger District Air Quality Monitoring
Joshua Simpson has also taken the air quality task to
heart and has created an air quality monitoring site for the
Ely Ranger District. See webcam pictures of current air
quality conditions at:
http://www.fsvisimages.com/hisc1/hisc1.html
or
http://www.fsvisimages.com/whpi1/whpi1.html
Joshua says, “the first link is of the High Schells
airshed....from far left is N. Schell Peak, and far right is the
tip of Mt. Moriah....the second link is looking out at Currant
Mtn, Red Mtn, Bald Mtn, and White Pine Range
Wildernii…this has been a very cool project to work on
and it is super awesome to see it come to some sort of
fruition.....”
http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=display
________________________________
Wilderness Information Mgt Steering Team
Newsletter
Requests for 2011 MTDC proposals due.
Missoula Technology and Development Center is
soliciting requests for project proposals. This is a
great chance to propose problems for technical
fixes. See attached letters for details on how to
submit a proposal.
Social Networking has Arrived for Wilderness
Managers.
By Tom Carlson, ACNWTC
The wilderness social networking site, Connect, is now
available at: http://connect.wilderness.net. This social
network site is a partnership of the Arthur Carhart
National Wilderness Training Center, Aldo Leopold
Wilderness Research Institute, and the University of
Montana Wilderness Institute built through the Ning
platform and designed to connect federal wilderness
managers; related state, and local government agency
employees, academics, researchers, and K-12
educators; and, position-holding members of wilderness
related NGOs around the topic of wilderness
management and stewardship. Currently, it is the only
social network specifically designed for wilderness
professionals and their partners.
Initially, invitations for participation will be extended,
beginning December 1, to the more than 3,500 federal,
state, and local government employees who have
The Wilderness Information Management Steering Team
has just released the Winter 2008/2009 edition of their
semi-annual newsletter. It can be downloaded from -->
http://fsweb.wo.fs.fed.us/rhwr/wilderness/wimst/wimst_ne
wsletter_vol3issue1.pdf
______________________________________________
Revised On-line Training Courses for the 10Year Wilderness Stewardship Challenge
MISSOULA, MT (December 16, 2009) -- The Arthur
Carhart National Wilderness Training Center
announces the revision and launch of six e-learning
courses for wilderness stewardship through the
Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands including
The Wilderness Act of 1964, Minimum
Requirements Analysis, Wilderness Stewardship
Planning Framework, and Visitor Use Management:
Fundamentals, Strategies, and Monitoring.
Collectively, the courses will provide the necessary
tools, knowledge, and information for successful
completion of several elements in the 10-Year
Wilderness Stewardship Challenge.
“Our revised on-line courses are much more
interactive than before,” said Connie Myers, Director
of the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training
attended Carhart Center classroom and/or on-line
courses as well as the regional program managers, WAG
and WIMST members. Subsequent membership is by
request and participation hinges on their professional
connection to wilderness and we hope you will help
spread the word to others who may be interested.
A 1-page Connect.Wilderness.net Policies paper
explaining the purpose and function of the network is
attached. The Carhart Center worked closely with
appropriate FS staff to confirm that both the site and
participation by FS employees meets current agency
guidelines and policies. We also requested and received
review of the purpose, operation, and participation
policies from OGC and feel confident that official and
voluntary use of this site by FS employees, within the
Connect.Wilderness.net Policies, is appropriate.
As described in the attached Policies, the purpose of this
network is to advance stewardship of designated
wilderness areas on federal lands. To facilitate creative
thinking and the free flow of ideas throughout the
wilderness community both open and closed discussion
groups can be created. Open groups are accessible to
all network members while closed groups may be formed
by anyone with participation by request and invitation
only. The network will not be formally monitored however
the Wilderness.net Webmaster and the Carhart Center
Staff will participate and discourage inappropriate use of
the site if necessary.
Please help spread the word on this new tool for
wilderness stewardship let the conversations begin!
Current Offerings at Univeristy of Montana
RECM/FOR 404 Wilderness in the American
Context and RECM/FOR 560 American
Wilderness Philosophy and Policy This course
provides a broad perspective of what wilderness
is and how the idea developed, exposes the
student to some of the differing values, ethics,
and expectations of wilderness held by society,
and also examines the early history of wilderness
preservation that ultimately led to federal
protection in the U.S. Wilderness Act.
The course will run January 25 thru May 14,
2010. Registration deadline is Wednesday,
January 20, 2010. For more information (course
objectives, costs, books) see attached
announcement.
560 American Wilderness Philosophy and Policy (4
credits Graduate) counts toward UM’s Online Graduate
Certificate in Wilderness Management.
Center. “We have made a point to include numerous
case study examples within every course, making
broad ideas and principles relevant to current
challenges in the field.”
With less than 5 years left in the Challenge, these online courses provide an important resources for
wilderness managers seeking to make progress on
many of the elements. Listed in the table below are
the correlations between courses offered, expected
goals after completion of the courses, and elements
addressed through implementation of goals:
Participants in the on-line training courses are able to
take courses at their convenience and refer back to all
information, anytime. Trainees who achieve a grade
of 80% will receive a certificate via e-mail and
completion will be recorded in AgLearn. All Carhart
Center on-line training courses are free of charge.
Visit http://www.carhart.wilderness.net and click on
‘Online Courses’ to enroll today.
The Wilderness Act: A 2-hour foundational training,
developed by the Carhart Center staff, to provide an
understanding of the Wilderness Act.
Minimum Requirements Decisions: A comprehensive
2-hour session providing the tools and skills necessary for
anyone involved in determining whether use of motorized
equipment, mechanical transport, aircraft, structures, or
installations are necessary in wilderness. Completion of
the Wilderness Act training is required before taking this
course.
Wilderness Stewardship Planning Framework:
Develop and implement a plan that guides wilderness
stewardship decisions.
Wilderness Visitor Use Management Fundamentals:
Define visitor use management and identify methods for
preservation of wilderness character.
Visitor Use Management: Strategies: Design practical
application of strategies and tactics which address
biophysical and social impacts.
Visitor Use Management: Monitoring Impacts & Use:
Develop and implement a monitoring program for
campsites, trails, use, and encounters.
______________________________________
University of Montana Graduate Wilderness
Courses
The University of Montana is now offering a Graduate
Certificate in Wilderness Management. The certificate
provides students and professionals with training and
“We simply must band together, all of us who love
the wilderness. We must fight together---wherever
and whenever wilderness is attacked.”
Bob Marshall
Parting Note from George Duffy (retired)
See attachments for a stirring farwell letter from
George Duffy.
expertise in the key topics related to wilderness
management. Four online courses cover the history and
philosophy of the wilderness system, wilderness law and
policy, wilderness recreation management, wilderness
ecosystem conservation and resource monitoring, and
wilderness planning. Courses are offered as traditional
correspondence courses or interactive online courses
through the Wilderness Management Distance Education
Program in the College of Forestry and Conservation.
To earn a Graduate Certificate in Wilderness Management,
students must successfully complete the following courses:
RECM/FOR 560 American Wilderness Philosophy and Policy
4 credits
RECM/FOR 561 Managing Wilderness Ecosystems
4 credits
RECM/FOR 562 Managing Recreation Resources in Wilderness
Settings
3 credits
RECM/FOR 563 Wilderness Planning: Theory, Management
Frameworks, and Application
3 credtis
RECM/FOR 560, 561, and 562 can be taken in any order, but
RECM/FOR 563 serves as a capstone and cannot be taken until
the other three courses have been completed. In total, 14.0
credits are required.
For more information visit http://wmdep.wilderness.net/ or
contact Lisa Gerloff at lisa.gerloff@umontana.edu; 406-2435346.
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Your news and notes here!
Send items to rwelsh@fs.fed.us