This document is part of the Wilderness Interpretation and Education Toolbox on http://www.wilderness.net/toolboxes/
A Comprehensive Strategy & Process for
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW)
Information & Education Program Implementation
Christina J. Boston
Assistant Wilderness Program Manager
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
Superior National Forest
8901 Grand Avenue Place
Duluth, MN 55808
Clemson Class of 2003-2004
July 30, 2004 – Final Copy
This Paper was prepared as a student in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the
Professional Development for Outdoor Recreation Management Program at Clemson
University. It in no way reflects USDA Forest Service policy nor are the opinions
expressed those of anyone other than the author.
Abstract
AUTHOR:
Christina J. Boston
Assistant Wilderness Program Manager
Superior National Forest
8901Grand Avenue Place
Duluth, MN 55808
(218) 626-4346
TITLE:
A Comprehensive Strategy & Process for Boundary Waters Canoe Area
Wilderness (BWCAW) Information & Education Program Implementation
ABSTRACT: The Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) represents less
than one percent of the acreage of the National Wilderness Preservation
System (NWPS), but receives 10% of the use in the entire NWPS. This
provides a great challenge to Superior National Forest wilderness
managers who are directed by the Forest Service Manual to “use
information, interpretation and education as the primary tools for
management of wilderness visitors” (FSM 2323.12). A strategy and
process for implementing the Superior National Forest’s BWCAW
information and education program is needed in order to accomplish this.
In a review of existing and templates for wilderness education strategies
and action plans an existing model plan or template that contained all of
the elements that essential for the best possible BWCAW wilderness
education strategy and action plan was not found. A new template was
developed that took the best components of other plans and wove them
into a new unified wilderness information and education strategy
including vision, guiding principles, goals, objectives, key messages, key
audiences, message delivery opportunities, partnership, monitoring,
evaluation, reporting and action plan development components.
A draft Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) Information
and Education Strategy was created using this template. This strategy will
provide a basis for consistent vision, goals, objectives and key messages
while allowing for the flexibility that comes with shifts in national policy
and direction and changing emphasis areas
Keywords:
Wilderness education, Wilderness information, Communication planning,
Education strategy
2
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Page 4
I. Problem Statement
Page 6
II. Management Setting
Page 10
III. Alternatives
Page 14
IV. Process
Page 15
V. Future Needs
Page 25
VI. References
Page 26
Appendix A: Draft Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
(BWCAW) Information and Education Plan.
3
Page 30
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Title:
A Comprehensive Strategy & Process for Boundary Waters Canoe Area
Wilderness (BWCAW) Information & Education Program Implementation
Author:
Christina J. Boston
Assistant Wilderness Program Manager
Superior National Forest
8901Grand Avenue Place
Duluth, MN 55808
(218) 626-4346
Summary:
The Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) represents less
than one percent of the acreage of the National Wilderness Preservation
System (NWPS), but receives 10% of the use in the entire NWPS. This
provides a great challenge to Superior National Forest wilderness
managers who are directed by the Forest Service Manual to “use
information, interpretation and education as the primary tools for
management of wilderness visitors” (FSM 2323.12). A strategy and
process for implementing the Superior National Forest’s BWCAW
information and education program is needed in order to accomplish this.
Three alternatives were considered by Superior National Forest wilderness
management staff. The first alternative, to continue to implement BWCA
Wilderness information and education activities without a wilderness
education plan, was not acceptable because although the Forest
implements a wide range of wilderness information and education
activities, there is no overall strategy or plan to guide the program. This
has resulted in a lack of good coordination, monitoring, evaluation and
prioritization of activities. The second option was to finalize, adopt and
implement the existing draft Wilderness Education Plan developed in
1998. While the 1998 draft BWCAW Wilderness Education Plan has good
components, there are some shortcomings and missing elements necessary
for a good wilderness information and education strategy and process. It
was decided for these reasons that the third alternative, to create a new,
updated strategy for the BWCA Wilderness information and education
program, would be the selected course of action. The third alternative
provides an opportunity to create a comprehensive BWCAW information
and education strategy that will serve as a meaningful and useful tool for
the Forest, as well as a model for others to use in developing wilderness
education plans.
In a review of plan templates and existing wilderness education strategies
and action plans an existing model plan or template that contained all of
the elements that essential for the best possible BWCAW wilderness
education strategy and action plan was not found. A new template was
4
developed that took the best components of other plans and wove them
into a new unified wilderness information and education strategy. The new
design includes the following components:

A purpose and need statement that outlines why a wilderness
information and education program is important and mandated.

A vision statement to clearly paint a picture of where we want this
strategy to lead.

Guiding principles to keep in mind at all stages of program
development.

Goals for the wilderness information and education program directly
relating to the goals of the BWCAW Management Plan and
Implementation Schedule.

A full set of objectives where each objective clearly states a particular
set of knowledge, awareness or skills and the associated measurable
action the audience will take when the objective is being achieved.

For each objective, a full set of key messages which are necessary to
communicate to audiences in order to achieve that particular objective.

A full set of key audiences, including internal, external and partner
audiences, and a general description of each one.

A full set of message delivery opportunities, including descriptions
and examples, to consider during the action planning process.

A statement emphasizing the importance of developing partnerships to
assist with the planning and implementation of wilderness information
and education activities and identifying specific types of assistance
partners may be able to provide.

A plan for monitoring implementation and accomplishment of
wilderness information and education activities.

Direction for including formative and summative evaluation.

Direction for accomplishment reporting.

A detailed process for implementation of the strategy that includes
identifying annual priorities as a subset of the objectives in the
strategy, determination of the key audiences for those objectives,
determination of the best message delivery opportunities for targeting
those key audiences and development of an annual action plan based
on the selected message delivery opportunities. The resulting action
plans will include the following for each action planned: objectives
addressed by the action, key messages, targeted key audiences, a
timeline of tasks required to complete the action including responsible
parties, estimated staff time and estimated costs, output goals and
monitoring activities, and an evaluation plan.
A draft Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) Information
and Education Strategy was created using this template. This strategy will
provide a basis for consistent vision, goals, objectives and key messages
while allowing for the flexibility that comes with shifts in national policy
and direction and changing emphasis areas.
5
I. Problem Statement
The foundation for a wilderness education and information program can be found in the
Wilderness Act of 1964. The Act states that wilderness “…shall be administered for the
use and enjoyment of the American people in such a manner as will leave them
unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness, and so as to provide for the
protection of these areas, the preservation of their wilderness character, and for the
gathering and dissemination of information regarding their use and enjoyment as
wilderness.”
The importance and purpose of wilderness education has been further defined in “A
Wilderness Agenda: Thinking Like A Mountain”, a strategic framework for addressing
current management challenges and for guiding the Forest Service Wilderness program at
all levels of the agency well into the future. It states that “Wilderness is a cornerstone of
our Natural Resource Agenda, providing clean water and air, naturalness, critical habitats
for endangered and non-endangered plants and animals, solitude, scenic beauty, and
economic benefits to communities through tourism and recreation. Wilderness is a
benchmark for determining our nation’s environmental and spiritual health.” The Agenda
further identifies outreach, education and training as one of six major emphasis areas in
the strategy that are “critical to improving our overall ability to care for the Wilderness.”
The Agenda further states that for wilderness to survive we must “communicate
effectively internally and externally to develop support across a broad spectrum. To
accomplish this we must understand the needs of people in relation to Wilderness, reach
out to a more diverse populace, and define our messages in ways that touch people’s
lives.” The following are strategies to accomplish this goal:

“Recognize at all levels of the Agency that support for wilderness will entail
efforts on three main fronts: increasing internal awareness and an understanding
of why and for what purposes the American public has preserved Wilderness;
increasing public awareness of the benefits and connections with Wilderness;
increasing support by elected officials.”
6

“Increase public support for Wilderness through active outreach to traditional
and non-traditional groups. In partnership with others, develop and implement a
unified approach to increase awareness, understanding, appreciation and support
of Wilderness. Target critical groups including: schoolchildren; adults from
diverse cultural, geographic and social backgrounds; mass media; elected
officials, and Wilderness visitors.”

“Encourage internal support for Wilderness by strategically focusing training to
meet the needs of our workforce at all levels of the agency and by supporting
organizational leaders who have wilderness backgrounds.”

“Emphasize that wilderness management must be holistic and integrated and
that people are not excluded from its value.”
Additional policy for utilizing information and education can be found in the Forest
Service Manual which directs us to “use information, interpretation and education as the
primary tools for management of wilderness visitors” (FSM 2323.12) and to “inform
wilderness visitors that they face inherent risks of adverse weather conditions, isolation,
physical hazards, and lack of rapid communications, and that search and rescue may not
be as rapid as expected in an urban setting in all publications and personal contacts”
(FSM2320.3).
All Forests are accountable for planning and implementing a wilderness education
program. This has been identified as one of ten key minimum stewardship requirements
in the Budget Formulation and Execution System (BFES) for managing a Forest Service
wilderness area. According to Dave Holland, USDA Forest Service Director of
Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness in his Clemson short course presentation, and as
reinforced by Dale Bosworth, Chief of the Forest Service in his remarks at the 2003
Annual George B. Hartzog Lecture, Clemson University, the Chief has issued a “10 Year
Wilderness Challenge” to meet the requirements to emphasize and encourage the
accomplishment of BFES elements, including the development and full implementation
of a wilderness education plan that includes monitoring to determine success of the
program.
7
The portion of the Superior National Forest Plan that contains the Boundary Waters
Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) Management Plan and Implementation Schedule
calls for the preparation and implementation of a BWCAW Education Plan that includes
reviewing and prioritizing problems, concerns and issues, developing goals and
objectives, identifying target audiences, identifying appropriate channels of
communication, designing key messages, and including evaluation strategies.
The purpose and need for a coordinated wilderness information and education effort as
directed nationally and locally is also supported by an independent review that was
requested by an interagency group of national wilderness management coordinators and
performed by a panel of diverse individuals from outside of government. In their report
“Ensuring the Stewardship of the National Wilderness Preservation System” they state
that “a well informed public that understands what wilderness is, and is not, is important
in providing a mandate for wilderness and its stewardship,” and that “being informed
implies the need for strong systems of education and training and of an open system of
information about wilderness.” The group further recommends that we “develop a means
for informing the American people about the National Wilderness Preservation System
and about their wilderness heritage” by formulating “a plan for public education and
communication about wilderness.
In addition to all of the aforementioned direction to implement a wilderness information
and education program, at the conclusion of the 2003 summer season Boundary Waters
Canoe Area Wilderness field crews reported emerging issues and worsening of known
issues that may potentially be addressed, in part, by improved wilderness education and
information activities (Cole, Petersen and Lucas, 1987).
A draft BWCA Wilderness Education Plan was completed in 1998 by a detailer from
another region with limited Forest Service staff involvement, but was never finalized or
implemented. As a result, although wilderness education and information activity is
occurring on Superior National Forest it is not well-coordinated, monitored, evaluated, or
8
prioritized. To address this problem, three alternatives were considered by Superior
National Forest wilderness management staff.
This paper describes the process used to evaluate the alternatives and develop the chosen
alternative which included developing new template that took the best components of
other plans and wove them into a new unified wilderness information and education
strategy. This new template was then applied in the development of a draft Boundary
Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) Information and Education Strategy, which
can be found in Appendix A. This strategy will provide a basis for consistent vision,
goals, objectives and key messages while allowing for the flexibility that comes with
shifts in national policy and direction and changing emphasis areas.
9
II. Management Setting
Three million acres of land, water, rock, and trees cover the Superior National Forest,
located in northeastern Minnesota's arrowhead region. The Forest spans 150 miles along
the United States-Canadian border. This three-million-acre Forest is a rich and varied
resource. The Forest provides pulpwood and sawtimber to the forest products industry.
Visitors can find recreation opportunities year round, including travel in the Boundary
Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Great glaciers carved the physical features of what is today known as the Boundary
Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) by scraping and gouging rock. The glaciers
left behind rugged cliffs and crags, canyons, gentle hills, towering rock formations, rocky
shores, sandy beaches and several thousand lakes and streams, interspersed with islands
and surrounded by forest.
The BWCAW is a unique natural area located in the northern third of the Superior
National Forest in northeastern Minnesota. Approximately 1.3 million acres in size, it
extends nearly 150 miles along the International Boundary adjacent to Canada’s Quetico
Provincial Park and bordered on the west by Voyageurs National Park. It contains over
1200 miles of canoe routes, 16 hiking trails and approximately 2000 designated
campsites. It offers freedom to those who wish to pursue an experience of expansive
solitude, challenge and personal integration with nature. Because this area was set aside
in 1926 to preserve its primitive character and made a part of the National Wilderness
Preservation System in 1964, it allows visitors to canoe, portage and camp in the spirit of
the French Voyageurs of 200 years ago.
The BWCAW is and has been popular throughout time because of its unique
characteristics:

One of the most unique features of the BWCAW is the great abundance and
arrangement of lakes and streams. Approximately 1175 lakes varying in size from 10
acres to 10,000 acres and several hundred miles of streams comprise about 190,000
10
acres (20%) of the BWCAW surface area. The opportunity for long distance travel by
watercraft offered through a series of interconnecting lakes, waterways, and portages
in a scenic forest environment was a primary force behind wilderness designation.
This type of experience is rare within the continental U.S. It is the only large lake
land wilderness in the National Wilderness Preservation System. Canoeists can
explore over 1200 miles of routes, including some that trace those used by Native
Americans and fur trading voyageurs.

BWCAW is the largest and only federal wilderness of substantial size east of the
Rocky Mountains and north of the Everglades.

BWCAW is one of four key protected areas in the international Quetico-Superior
Ecosystem that includes the BWCAW, Voyageurs National Park, Ontario’s Quetico
Provincial Park, and Ontario’s LaVerendrye Provincial Park. This ecosystem
stretches over 2,500,000 acres in size, creating an international wilderness of
immense biological, recreational, and intrinsic value to both the United States and
Canada. The combined protected area between the BWCAW, Voyageurs and Quetico
is 3,859 square miles – an area larger than Yellowstone National Park.

Geologically the BWCAW occupies the lower portion of the Canadian Shield. It is
located on the remains of the ancient Laurentian Mountains, some of the oldest rock
in North America. The Laurentian Divide separates two major drainage basins in the
BWCAW: the Hudson Bay and the Great Lakes. About 90% of the BWCAW lies
with in the Hudson Bay basin and the remaining 10% flows into the Great Lakes. The
BWCAW contains the highest point in Minnesota: Eagle Mountain (2,301 feet).

BWCAW is characterized as unique, pristine, endangered, rugged, primitive,
beautiful, and fragile. It is a place to explore, reflect, challenge oneself, and refresh
the human spirit. Visitor studies have indicated the six top motives for visiting the
BWCAW: nature appreciation, personal development, escape/solitude,
companionship, adventure and fishing. Canoeing, hiking, skiing, dog sledding,
fishing, hunting and camping throughout the seasons are a few of the recreational
activities the wilderness supports. This land has inspired countless artists,
photographers, poets, and writers.
11

BWCAW is the most heavily used wilderness in the country with approximately
200,000 visitors annually staying for 1.5 million “recreation visitor days”. BWCAW
represents less than one percent of the acreage of the National Wilderness
Preservation System (NWPS), but receives 10% of the use in the entire NWPS.
Approximately 65% of BWCAW visitors come from Minnesota.

The BWCAW has a rich human history beginning with sites from the Paleo-Indian
culture from 10,000-12000 years ago. There are numerous cultural resource sites in
the BWCAW resulting from Woodland period (500 BC – 1650 AD) and historic
Native American settlements and activities. These include camping sites, villages,
wild ricing sites, cemetery areas, pictographs, and sites of spiritual and traditional
importance. The BWCAW also contains evidence of a number of historic European
and early American activities ranging from the fur trade up to and including early
logging and settlement of the area.

The BWCAW is a Class I air quality area as defined by the Federal Clean Air Act. It
is the only wilderness in the country that has an airspace reservation. The airspace
reservation was created by an Executive Order in 1949 signed by President Truman.
The White House is the only other airspace reservation in the country.

The BWCAW provides a unique place for types research and education that can’t be
accomplished in more developed places. The types of research have included plant
and animal ecology, animal behavior, paleoecology, geology, fire history, and
limnology. The BWCAW is also an important place of education for students
learning natural history, scientific study, and primitive skills.

BWCAW contains the largest contiguous areas of virgin forest remaining in the
eastern United States. It lies at the transition between the southern most edge of the
boreal forest and the Great Lakes Forest providing aspen, birch, spruce, fir and pine
forest habitat. In these woodlands, humans and wildlife enjoy a variety of woodland
wildflowers and berries, including the Showy Lady Slipper, blueberries, raspberries,
and wild cherries

Superior National Forest, including the BWCAW, was recently named by the
American Bird Conservancy as one 100 Globally Important Bird Areas. The
BWCAW provides critical habitat to many species of neo-tropical migrating birds –
12
birds which breed in North America and migrate to Central and South America in the
winter The year-round resident bird population includes raven, pileated woodpecker,
gray jay, chickadee, ruffed and spruce grouse, and the great horned owl. Summer
residents include several species of warblers, white-throated sparrow, red-eyed vireo,
cedar waxwing, bald eagle, common loon, merganser, black duck, northern goshawk,
broad-winged hawk, osprey and peregrine falcons, an endangered species.

The BWCAW provides important habitat to many wildlife species at all levels of the
food chain including a large, stable gray wolf population, red fox, lynx, fisher, pine
martin, mink, otter, weasel, black bear, moose, beaver, red-backed salamander,
southern bog lemming, northern leopard frogs, bats, white tailed deer, black bear,
beaver, porcupine, snowshoe hare, red squirrel, and chipmunk. Fish population
includes lake trout, walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, perch,
crappie, whitefish, sucker, sturgeon, burbot, and many species of minnows. As any
summer visitor will tell you the BWCAW is also home to a wide array of abundant
insect life.
Because of its unique characteristics the BWCAW was included in a list of the 50
greatest places to visit in a lifetime put together by the National Geographic Society in
1999. The NGS identified destinations that “no curious traveler should miss” and the
BWCAW was included alongside places such Antarctica, the Amazon, the Grand
Canyon, the Giza pyramids, the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal.
Appendix A contains a good summary of current knowledge of BWCAW wilderness use
and visitors taken from the Superior National Forest Final Environmental Impact
Statement for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Plan and Implementation
Schedule.
13
III. Alternatives
The following alternatives were considered by Superior National Forest wilderness
management staff:
Alternative 1: Continue to implement BWCA Wilderness information and education
activities without a wilderness education plan.
Alternative 2: Adopt and implement the existing draft Wilderness Education Plan
developed in 1998.
Alternative 3: Create a new, updated strategy for the BWCA Wilderness information and
education program
Although, the Superior National Forest implements a wide range of wilderness
information and education activities these are not well-coordinated, monitored, evaluated,
or prioritized. With a five-year trend of reduced budgets for the Superior National Forest
wilderness program and increasing expectations of accountability it does not serve the
wilderness resource, the Superior National Forest or the public to continue to operate a
disjointed program of work. While portions of the current education program are
excellent and, in fact, highly recognized and praised locally, regionally and nationally,
the overall program lacks a planning and implementation strategy. For these reasons
Alternative 1 is unacceptable.
While the 1998 draft BWCAW Wilderness Education Plan has good components, there
are some shortcomings and missing elements including the following:

It is designed to be more of a guide with information, suggestions, and inventories
of existing programs rather than a strategy or action plan.

It expresses BWCAW interpretive themes from the Forest’s interpretive plan,
Leave No Trace messages, and some basic messages about wilderness concepts
and wilderness values, but the organization of these messages is confusing and
14
inconsistent and they do not represent a full range of information and education
messages.

Some key audiences are listed but they are not segmented as much as is necessary
to really target specific messages, they are not described, and the list is not
complete.

It contains a good inventory of wilderness information and education activities
that were being conducted at the time the plan was prepared but does not include
a full range of message delivery opportunities to consider.

It contains no direction for preparing an action plan

It provides suggestions for evaluation but not a strategy for the full range of
monitoring, formative evaluation and summative evaluation necessary to develop
the most effective programs possible.
It is for these reasons that a decision was made by Superior National Forest
wilderness program managers to pursue Alternative 3 rather than Alternative 2.
Alternative 3 provided an opportunity to improve on the format of the existing 1998
Draft BWCAW Wilderness Education Plan and create a comprehensive BWCAW
information and education strategy that will serve as a more meaningful and useful
tool, as well as a model for others to use in developing wilderness education plans.
Nationally, wilderness managers have identified a need for good templates for
creating wilderness education plans, and Alternative 3 provides an opportunity to
work with the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center using the new
BWCAW strategy as a model. Alternative 3 also provides an opportunity to include
in the strategy an emphasis on identifying new partnerships and building on existing
ones to assist in the delivery of BWCA Wilderness information and education, an
increasingly important and effective tool for accomplishing work. The critical role of
partnerships to assist management of the complex and heavily used Lake Allatoona
with research and stewardship, as presented by Eric Petersen in his remarks at the
Clemson Short Course, is a good example of the types of partnership relationships
that can be developed.
15
IV. Process
In addition to the information I obtained through the courses I attended as part of the
Clemson Recreation Management short course, I began my project by gathering
information on the following topics: existing wilderness education and information
strategies and action plans, templates for wilderness education plans, education program
evaluation research, partnerships, process models, conservation education and
interpretive planning, public relations, and communication theory. I also reviewed all
pertinent agency directives, policy, guidance, plans, standards and monitoring documents.
In addition to presenting at the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center’s
Wilderness Education and Interpretation Workshop in March 2004, I was also able to
attend the “Developing your I&E Plan for wilderness” presentation by Troy Hall from
the University of Idaho.
In a review of templates for and existing wilderness education strategies and action plans
I did not find an existing model plan or template that contained all of the elements that I
believe are essential for the best possible BWCAW wilderness education strategy and
action plan. Shortfalls included action plans with no higher strategy, strategies that were
based solely on problem areas, absence of key messages, monitoring or evaluation
components, and focus on activity objectives and goals without links to broader program
goals and objectives.
I determined a need to develop a new template that would take the best components of
other plans and weave them into a new unified wilderness information and education
strategy. The new design would need to include the following components:
1. A purpose and need statement that outlines why a wilderness information and
education program is important and mandated.
2. A vision statement to clearly paint a picture of where we want this strategy to
lead.
3. Guiding principles to keep in mind at all stages of program development.
16
4. Goals for the wilderness information and education program directly relating to
the goals of the BWCAW Management Plan and Implementation Schedule.
5. A full set of objectives where each objective clearly states a particular set of
knowledge, awareness or skills and the associated measurable action the audience
will take when the objective is being successfully achieved.
6. For each objective, a full set of key messages which are necessary to
communicate to audiences in order to achieve that particular objective.
7. A full set of key audiences, including internal, external and partner audiences, and
a general description of each one.
8. A full set of message delivery opportunities, including descriptions and
examples, to consider during the action planning process.
9. Statement emphasizing the importance of developing partnerships to assist with
the planning and implementation of wilderness information and education
activities and identifying specific types of assistance partners may be able to
provide.
10. A plan for monitoring implementation and accomplishment of wilderness
information and education activities.
11. Direction for including formative and summative evaluation.
12. Direction for accomplishment reporting.
13. A detailed process for implementation of the strategy that includes identifying
annual priorities as a subset of the objectives in the strategy, determination of the
key audiences for those objectives, determination of the best message delivery
opportunities for targeting those key audiences and development of an annual
action plan based on the selected message delivery opportunities. The resulting
action plan should include the following for each action planned:

Objectives addressed by the action

Key messages

Targeted key audiences

Timeline of tasks required to complete the action including responsible
parties, estimated staff time and estimated costs

Output goals and monitoring activities
17

Evaluation plan
I believe this strategy will provide a basis for consistent vision, goals, objectives and key
messages while allowing for the flexibility that comes with shifts in national policy and
direction and changing emphasis areas such as the current “Four Threats” expressed by
Dave Holland, USDA Forest Service Director of Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness in
his Clemson short course presentation and addressed in detail by Chief Dale Bosworth in
his George B. Hartzog lecture (October 2003). I also believe this strategy will provide the
flexibility necessary to be responsive to the types of organizational change that Mike
MacDonald of Georgia Southern University discussed in his Clemson short course
presentation such as retirements, changing administrations, fluctuating budgets and
changing/emerging technologies.
Next, I created a draft Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Information and
Education Strategy using the new template. A list of issues and concerns had been
included in the original 1998 BWCAW Education Plan. I engaged other Forest staff in
updating the list of issues by sending out the list to wilderness managers, wilderness
rangers, heritage crews, information specialists and permit issuers and giving them an
opportunity to comment. I only received a handful of comments and added a few more
items to that list based on those comments. Issues and concerns included the following:
Physical Impacts:
 Campsite and portage compaction and erosion
 Litter
 Water pollution--soap, food scraps, fish entrails, and disposal of human waste
 Campfire scars
 Collection of fire wood--denuding of areas around campsites
 Pet fecal matter from winter use
 Damage to live vegetation
 Wildlife concerns--bears, loons, T&E species
Social Impacts:
 Noise across lakes and at campsites
 Crowding at portages
 Heavy use of wilderness--understanding of reasons for quota system during
summer months
18



Party size limitations
Motor users
Safety--water safety, emergencies, ability to get help
Internal--Agency:
 A need to educate all Forest employees on concepts of wilderness and
wilderness appreciation
 A need to train temporary workforce on BWCAW rules and regulations,
permit issuance, Leave No Trace
 A need to educate cooperators who issue permits
Information/Education:
 A need to educate wilderness users on the rules and regulations of the
BWCAW
 An effective program to educate and remind repeat users of rules and
regulations
 A need to educate all wilderness users on the value of wilderness and
wilderness ethics
 A need for User Education Plan with all programs incorporated and consistent
messages
 Training programs established to train youth camp leaders and large groups
 Ability to evaluate education programs for effectiveness
External Threats:
 Introduction of exotic species
 Air/water quality concerns
Cultural:
 Treaty Rights with the local tribes
 Protection of archeological sites
Law Enforcement:
 Reduce number of violations
 Bottle and can violations
 Authority of personnel
Other:




Winter use--cross-country skiing, ice fishing, dogsledding
How to educate large groups
Primitive Management Areas
Dispersal--utilizing non-wilderness sites. How to direct users to nonwilderness sites where they can get a semi-primitive experience.
19
I also asked Cooperators, approximately 80 businesses that issue BWCAW wilderness
permits, for general feedback and ideas about the Forest’s wilderness information and
education program. An open-ended questionnaire was enclosed with the January edition
of the Coop News newsletter that is sent to all Cooperators. Only three Cooperators
responded and comments were minimal.
Working closely with the wilderness program manager, I created the vision statement,
guiding principles and goals using pieces I liked from other plans I reviewed, modifying
them to suit the BWCAW. I developed the objectives utilizing the updated list of issues
and concerns, the existing BWCAW interpretive themes from the Forest’s interpretive
plan, and the social, ecological, and management standards in the BWCAW Management
Plan. I also found comments made during the Clemson recreation short course by Rob
Bixler of Clemson University, regarding the importance of skill development and positive
environmental experiences as key to facilitating environmental socialization, helpful
when formulating specific objectives that further the vision of developing active and
informed wilderness stewards.
I created a complete list of BWCAW key audiences, developed a brief description of
each and categorized them as internal, external or partners. I also created a complete
listing of message delivery opportunities with descriptions and local examples for each.
To create this listing I reviewed existing lists of communication methods (Meyer and
Thomas, 1991; Newsome and Scott, 1985; Regneir, Gross and Zimmerman, 1994;
National Park Service, 2002; and Fazio and Gilbert, 1986) and developed a composite of
these.
One of the recurrent themes throughout the Clemson Recreation Short Course was the
need to look “outside the box” at new and different ways to accomplish our programs of
work and partnerships are an important piece of the puzzle. Additionally, the Superior
National Forest has recently placed an emphasis on partnerships by hiring a Forest
Partnership Coordinator. For these reasons, a partnership section was included in the
strategy outline and this section was developed primarily to emphasize the importance of
20
partnerships as part of the overall strategy and to suggest types of assistance partners can
offer.
For the development of the monitoring plan in the strategy, it was important to me to use
an existing reporting system rather than to develop a new database specifically for that
purpose. The two existing options that were available were the USDA Forest Service’s
INFRA corporate database system’s wilderness module and the USDA Forest Service
Conservation Education (CE) Reporting System. The Conservation Education Reporting
System is a performance measurement system for in-time conservation education
program and activity reporting that can track both fiscal year funding activities and
calendar year accomplishments. It can be found at the following web address:
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/con_reports/login.cfm. This web-based reporting form includes
sections for each entry on program, funding, audience, evaluation, photographs, and
partnerships. The CE Reporting System also has some reporting capabilities.
While I was already familiar with INFRA capabilities, I had never used the CE system. I
participated in a two-hour orientation training on how to use the CE system and found
that “wilderness” was not one of the topic areas you could select when submitting a
report. I suggested to the application managers that if wilderness were added to the topic
list the system could be used for reporting wilderness education activities. The CE system
offered a more thorough reporting system. It also has the added benefit that planned
activities may be entered prior to accomplishment and public program and material
opportunities will be displayed as results of searches by the public looking for education
activities in your area. Therefore, it is not only a tracking tool, but also a means of
promoting the availability of any offerings a Forest has to the public. For these reasons I
choose the CE reporting system as the tool to use for monitoring.
For completion of the evaluation component of the strategy I contacted Georgia
Jeppesen, an Education Specialist with the Division of Education Outreach for the US
Fish and Wildlife Service - National Conservation Training Center who provided me with
course materials and references from an Education Program Evaluation course that she
21
taught at the Training Center. She helped to guide me to the evaluation literature that was
most relevant to this project. Initially I had hoped to provide specific evaluation methods
for our most common types of information and education activities and materials. It
became quickly apparent that the time and expertise that would be needed to develop
evaluation direction at that level of detail was beyond the scope of this project. Instead, I
utilized the evaluation literature (Bond, Boyd and Rapp, 1997; Frechtling, Stevens,
Lawrenz, and Sharp, 1993; Thompson and Hoffman) to help me to better specify the
types of evaluation that will need to be developed later as part of annual action plans.
To develop the final piece of the strategy, priority setting and annual action plan
development, I followed the outline I created in the template, but experimented with
several different formats for this section including tables and flow charts. I wanted to be
sure that this key piece of the strategy will be very clear to those working to develop
action plans each year. In the end, it seemed a simple step-by-step description of the
process supplemented with examples for each step and a suggested format worked best.
Appendix B contains the current draft Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
(BWCAW) Information and Education Strategy.
The following additional steps are required to complete this project:
1. Key message development has not yet been completed. I will need to work with key
staff from various resources areas and with wilderness staff to develop and refine the
appropriate key messages for each objective. The workload involved in this task is
more than I was able to complete within the project timeline. Key messages will be
carefully crafted to be succinct, clear, and relevant to the audience. Key messages will
include the why, how, where and when for actions or behaviors we are asking of the
audience.
2. I will initiate a wider review of the strategy by key audiences, those involved or
invested in the implementation of the wilderness information and education program,
22
in order to facilitate fine-tuning of the plan and to gain consensus of the vision,
guiding principles, goals, objectives, and key messages that were developed by the
wilderness management staff and select members of the key audiences. Internally this
review will include Assistant District Rangers for Recreation and Wilderness,
Wilderness Field Crews, Wilderness Permit Supervisors Group, Visitor Information
Program (VIP) Group, Key Resource Area Specialists (Air, Wildlife, Non-Native
Plants, etc.), Fire Information Officers, Law Enforcement Rangers, Special Uses
Staff, and the R9 Regional Wilderness Specialist. Externally the review will include
BWCAW Cooperators, BWCAW Outfitters and Guides, Friends of the Boundary
Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Ideally, all of these groups would have had more initial involvement in the
development of the strategy, but other higher staff priorities, time limitations of the
course and timing impacted the ability to have a fully facilitated process. Even
without the limitations of the course, it may be difficult to gain the involvement of
others beyond reviewing and commenting on the strategy. In absence of the ideal
level of involvement from others I tried to use as many existing bits of information, as
appropriate, that had already received review and approval, such as the BWCAW
Management Plan and Implementation Schedule, the 1997 draft BWCAW education
plan, and materials from existing BWCAW wilderness education activities. I also felt
confident in my ability to proceed without the ideal level of involvement because of
my comprehensive understanding and involvement in the full range of wilderness
management work on the Superior National Forest and my broad experience in the
field of wilderness education.
3. Once finalized, I will present the plan to the Superior National Forest Leadership
Team and obtain the Forest Supervisor’s approval to begin implementation of the
strategy.
4. Next, the plan will be distributed to all those involved or invested in the
implementation of the wilderness information and education program.
23
5. Implementation will begin with the development of the first annual action plan using
the process described in the strategy.
24
V. Future Needs
1. Even once implementation has begun there will still be some critical research needs,
beyond the monitoring and evaluation directed in the strategy, which will help the
Forest to increase effectiveness of the wilderness information and education program.
Research needs include the following:
o Research on visitor preferences for receiving informational and educational
messages.
o Better research to help describe target audience characteristics.
2. Also, program evaluation expertise is needed to assist wilderness program managers
in the development of the best evaluation techniques for the various types of activities
to occur once implementation of the strategy begins.
3. Develop a local toolkit/resource center and provide training to ensure that those
developing information and education activities on the Superior National Forest have
access to information on the best practices for things such as designing web pages,
brochures, and displays; good interpretive writing and presentation skills; designing
activities that work for multiple learning styles/cognitive abilities; designing
curriculum to meet educational standards; and age appropriate activities and
approaches.
25
VI. References
Bixler, Rob (September 2003). Environmental Socialization: concepts for outdoor
recreation and management. Presentation given at the Clemson Recreation Short
Course, Clemson University, Clemson, SC.
Bond, S.L., Boyd, S.E. and Rapp, K.A. (1997). Taking Stock: A practical guide to
evaluating your own programs. Chapel Hill, NC: Horizon Research, Inc.
Retrieved in PDF format in 2004 from Horizon Research Inc. website.
http://www.horizon-research.com/reports/1997/taking_stock.php
Bosworth, Dale (October 2003). Chief of the US Forest Service speech at the Annual
George B. Hartzog Lecture at the Strom Thurmond Institute, Clemson University,
Clemson, SC.
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), Superior National Forest, USDA
Forest Service (1997, unpublished). Wilderness Education Plan.
Cole, David N., Petersen, Margaret E., and Lucas, Robert C. (1987). Managing
Wilderness Recreation Use: Common Problems and Potential Solutions. (General
Technical Report INT-230). Intermountain Research Station, USDA Forest
Service. Ogden, UT.
Conservation Education Program, USDA Forest Service. USDA Forest Service
Conservation Education Reporting System. Information retrieved in 2004 from
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/con_reports/ (available for official use only).
Conservation Education Task Force Report and Recommendations: Vision-to-Action
Strategy (May 1998, FS-618). Washington, DC: USDA Forest Service,
Cooperative Forestry.
Custer, Gallatin and Shoshone National Forests, USDA Forest Service (1994 draft).
Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Education Strategy.
Custer, Gallatin and Shoshone National Forests, USDA Forest Service (1995 draft).
Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Education Strategy.
Edwards, Curtis (July 1994). Interpretive Project Guide Book: A Region 6 Interpretive
Services Aid. Recreation Section-Interpretive Services, Pacific Northwest Region,
USDA Forest Service.
Fazio, James R. & Gilbert, Douglas L. (1986). Public Relations and Communications for
Natural Resource Managers. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.
26
Frechtling, J., F Stevens, F., Lawrenz, F., and Sharp, L. (1993). The User-Friendly
Handbook for Project Evaluation: Science, Mathematics and Technology
Education (Publication No. NSF 93-152). Arlington, VA: NSF.
Gulf Islands National Seashore, National Park Service, US Department of Interior (2003).
Gulf Islands National Seashore Wilderness Education Plan.
Hall, Troy (March 2004). Developing Your I&E Plan for Wilderness. Presentation given
at the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center’s Wilderness
Education and Interpretation Workshop, Eatonville, WA.
Holland, Dave (September 2003). Remarks to the Clemson Recreation Short Course at
Clemson University, Clemson, SC.
Hoosier National Forest, USDA Forest Service (Dec. 2003). Education Plan for the
Charles C. Deam Wilderness.
MacDonald, Mike (September 2003). Organizational Change: How to Flourish Within
It. Presentation given at the Clemson Recreation Short Course, Clemson
University, Clemson, SC.
Meyer, Kristen & Thomas, Susan (1991). Designing Your Wilderness Education
Plan/Strategic Plan: Wilderness Education. Milltown, MT: USDA Forest
Service, Recreation Staff and Wilderness Watch.
Newsom, Doug & Scott, Alan (1985). This is PR, The Realities of Public Relations (3rd
ed., pp. 152-153). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.
Northeast and Midwest Conservation Education Council Charter (regional leadership
review copy, Mar. 14, 2001). PDF file retrieved from USDA Forest Service,
Conservation Education program website in 2004.
http://na.fs.fed.us/spfo/ce/content/program_providers/strategy/northeastern_charte
r.pdf
Petersen, Eric (September 2003). The Urban Syndrome: The Corps of Engineers
approaches with Lake Alltoona Case Study. Presentation given at the Clemson
Recreation Short Course, Clemson University, Clemson, SC.
Pettey, Brent, Volunteer Wilderness Education Coordinator with approval by Bob
Wetzel, Wilderness Coordinator. Stanislaus National Forest Wilderness
Education Plan 2003-2004 (last update Oct. 18, 2003), Stanislaus National Forest,
USDA Forest Service.
Pinchot Institute for Conservation (Sep. 2001). Ensuring the Stewardship of the National
Wilderness Preservation System. A report to the USDA Forest Service, Bureau of
27
Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service and US
Geological Society.
Regional Conservation Education Strategy for the Northeast and Midwest (regional
leadership review copy, Mar. 14, 2001). PDF file retrieved from USDA Forest
Service, Conservation Education program website in 2004.
http://na.fs.fed.us/spfo/ce/content/program_providers/strategy/northeastern_strate
gy.pdf
Regnier, Kathleen, Gross, Michael, & Zimmerman, Ron (1994). The Interpreter’s
Guidebook: Techniques for Presentations and Programs. Stevens Point, WI:
UW-SP Foundation Press, Inc.
Rocky Mountain National Park, National Park Service, US Department of the Interior.,
“Wilderness Interpretation and Education,”.Backcountry/Wilderness Management
Plan and Environmental Assessment (Section 2.1.4.10).
Superior National Forest, Eastern Region, USDA Forest Service (1986). Superior
National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan.
Superior National Forest, Eastern Region, USDA Forest Service (1993). BWCAW
Management Plan and Implementation Schedule.
Superior National Forest, Eastern Region, USDA Forest Service (Aug. 1993). Final
Environmental Impact Statement for the BWCA Wilderness Management Plan
and Implementation Schedule (Amendment #3 to the Superior National Forest
Land and Resource Management Plan).
Tahoe National Forest, USDA Forest Service (2001). Wilderness Education Plan Granite Chief Wilderness.
Thomson, Gareth & Hoffman, Jenn. Measuring the Success of Environmental Education
Programs (not dated-website copyright 2004). Calgary/Banff Chapter, Canadian
Parks & Wilderness Society. Retrieved in PDF format in 2004 at
http://www.cpawscalgary.org/education/evaluation/
Tongass National Forest, Alaska, Region 10, USDA Forest Service (Nov. 14, 2003 draft).
Wilderness Education Plan - Juneau Ranger District & Admiralty Island National
Monument.
USDA Forest Service (June 21, 1990). Manual Title 2300: Recreation, Wilderness, and
Related Resource Management.
USDA Forest Service (November 2001). Rocky Mountain Region Wilderness Education
Plan FY 2002
28
USDA Forest Service (2000). A Wilderness Agenda: Thinking Like A Mountain.
Retrieved from USDA Forest Service, Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness
Resources webpage (original link no longer active)
http://fsweb.wo.fs.fed.us/rhwr/wilderness/key_documents/Thinking_Mountain_fi
nal_5_9_2000.shtml
USDA Forest Service. ‘Tech Tips’ for Development of RHWR FY2005 BFES Capability
Curves/Narratives and for Reporting RHWR FY2003 Accomplishments. Retrieved
in 2004 from USDA Forest Service Budget Formulation and Execution System
(BFES) Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness Resources Integrated Business
Systems website (for official use only).
http://www.fs.fed.us/rs/measures/Budget/Budget_Files/ofes_Wilderness_f605.doc
USDA Forest Service (undated draft). Wilderness Education Strategic Framework for
the National Forests of the Sierra Nevada.
Wilderness Act of 1964; Public Law 88-577 (16 U.S. C. 1131-1136); 88th Congress,
Second Session; September 3, 1964.
Wilderness Program, Ranger Activities Division, National Park Service, US Department
of the Interior (2002). Wilderness Education and Partnership Plan.
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Appendix B: Draft Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW)
Information and Education Plan.
30