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2011 Wilderness Stewardship Training Course Schedule | | Regional |
3/21/11 - 3/25/11: Tuscon, AZ
Coordinator: Chris Barns
5/23/11 - 5/27/11: Pack Forest, WACoordinator: Tim Devine 9/19/11 - 9/22/11: Gatlinburg, TN Coordinator: Karen Lindsey National
6/20/11 - 6/25/11: Missoula, MT |
| Wilderness Links | |
"Connect"
The Wilderness Professional's Social Network
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Evaluating Proposals for Scientific Activities in Wilderness
In cooperation with Dr. Peter Landres of the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, we have developed the Research and Scientific Activities Toolbox to help determine what types of scientific activities are appropriate inside wilderness. While scientific use is one of the stated purposes of wilderness, the legal mandate to "preserve wilderness character" sets a high standard for approving scientific activities inside wilderness, especially if any of the prohibited uses (i.e. motorized equipment such as chain saws or drills, installations such as gauging stations or data loggers, and landing of aircraft such as helicopters) are included in the proposal. Adding to the potential for disagreements between managers and scientists are common misperceptions: scientists may not understand the legal requirements for working in wilderness, while wilderness managers may not understand the benefits of the proposed research.
A useful resource found in the toolbox is A Framework to Evaluate Proposals for Scientific Activities in Wilderness, authored by Peter Landres, along with Mark Fincher and Lewis Sharman of the NPS. The framework was developed to provide a consistent and comprehensive approach for evaluating proposals for scientific activity in wilderness. This tool is composed of four sequential steps or filters and will allow managers and scientists to talk in a common language, understanding the needs and concerns of one another.
Visit the toolbox to find agency policy, guidelines for scientists, examples, additional resources, and references. |
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Minimum Requirements Analysis: Updated Tools & New Course
The Carhart Center has recently revised the Minimum Requirements Decision Guide (MRDG) Instructions and Worksheets to reflect lessons learned from managers who have used these tools to help make minimum requirements decisions. The changes clarify the instructions and definitions for each step but do not alter the overall process of format of the MRDG. These revised tools will be pilot tested by 16 interagency participants already registered for our new "MRA Live" online course that launches, January 2011.
The MRDG is used for analysis and decision-making whenever there is a proposal to take action in wilderness and especially when the "prohibited uses" from Section 4 (c) of the Wilderness Act are being considered. The MRDG contains a two-step process that first determines if any action is necessary in wilderness and then identifies/considers all possible alternatives to insure that motorized equipment, mechanical transport, landing of aircraft, structures, installations, and temporary roads are the minimum necessary tools. To help guide managers in completing Minimum Requirement Analyses, the Carhart Center is pilot testing an MRA Live course that combines traditional e-learning with instructor-led discussions, via Connect.wilderness.net, to generate meaningful exchanges of practical ideas and lessons learned among students and the instructor. Students will examine a sample MRDG to identify and discuss common errors, and create their own MRDG for instructor review.
Find the revised MRDG Instructions and Worksheets and other Minimum Requirements Analysis tools including agency guidelines and case study examples at: http://www.wilderness.net/mrdg/. |
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National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance:
Building a Wilderness Stewardship Community
By: Heather Day, NWSA Board of Directors
 | | Participants @ inagural meeting in Fort Collins, CO, March 2010 |
The National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance aims to create a strong, supportive community for wilderness by forming a national non-profit dedicated to promoting effective partnership between community-based wilderness stewardship organizations and the governement agencies charged with managing our National Wilderness Preservation System. This past March, sixteen wilderness stewardship organizations from around the nation -- representatives from six national NGOs, students, agency liaisons, and expert consultants, met in Fort Collins, CO, to discuss the value of creating a national network of stewards. These groups strongly believe that citizen involvement is a critical element of wilderness management, and has become even more vital with current economic constraints.
To achieve that goal, committee volunteers and Board members alike have been busy maintaining an active website, fundraising, reaching out to new organizations nationwide, and planning the upcoming conference in March. New organizations have been connected with experienced groups to share knowledge and skills, and the Toolkit, a comprehensive "How-To" manual for wilderness stewardship groups, is well under way. The Alliance is working to collect and provide helpful resources for stewardship groups in all stages of development, a vital step in promoting the efficient, effective, sustainable stewardship of our national wilderness areas.
Though the organization has its deep roots in working with Forest Service Wilderness, the Board of Directors recently visited Washington, DC, to visit with representatives from the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Fish and Wildlife Service to share goals and visions for the future of this organization on an interagency scale. All parties committed to strengthening the partnership, collaborating on mutual goals, and taking concrete action to elevate wilderness stewardship nationwide, giving NWSA the green light to pursue a truly nationwide, interagency network.
As a result, the NWSA is gaining momentum, members, and enthusiastic support from our agency partners. Sights are now set on the March 2011 conference in Las Vegas, NV, and speakers, plenary sessions, and field trips are being planned. Entitled "Building a Wilderness Stewardship Community", this event is action-oriented with skill-building workshops, interactive sessions, and engaging speakers.
Visit www.wildernessalliance.org for more information on the upcoming conference and the Alliance!
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If you have any questions, comments, or want to suggest a topic for the newsletter, please feel free to email us. We'd love to hear what topics are most interesting to you so we can focus on them. Until next time!
Sincerely,
Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center
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