Wilderness Character Monitoring in the NWRS July 18, 2012

NWRS Wilderness Character Monitoring Initiative Interagency Wilderness Policy Council agreed that all 4 agencies would complete Wilderness Character Baseline Assessments by 2014 Team chartered by the Chief, NWRS Endorsed by Regional NWRS Chiefs Partnering with Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, NPS, and FS Funded by the NWRS Natural Resources Program Center  Now on second year of funding

NWRS Wilderness Character Monitoring Team Dr. Peter LandresSarah Aicher Mitch EllisSteve Henry Dr. Peter DratchBrian Anderson Steve HicksNancy Roeper Dr. Pat HeglundAndrew Gude Elaine Johnson Jill Webster Karen Lindsey

NWRS Wilderness Character Monitoring Initiative Interagency Framework: Keeping It Wild USFS Technical Guide for Monitoring Selected Conditions Related to Wilderness Character; BLM Implementation Guide Wilderness Fellows do the work  Recruit and select  Hired by SCA  3-Day interagency training – NRPC

Wilderness Fellows - Tasks 3 months per refuge (16)  Identify and prioritize measures  Gather pre-existing data; new information  Enter data  Prepare report

Wilderness Fellows - Tasks  Prepare report  History of refuge wilderness  Purposes of the refuge  Measures used (and not used)  Describe data source(s) and protocols  Conclusions about measures and trends  Effort expended

Wilderness Fellows – Resources and Support Thumb Drive Sharepoint site List of contacts Weekly phone calls Facebook, Blogspot, Tumblr

Cabeza Prieta Measures Quality: Untrammeled Indicator #1: Actions authorized by the federal land manager that manipulate the biophysical environment

Cabeza Prieta Measures Quality: Natural Indicator #3: Plant and animal species and communities

And That’s Not All……

Wilderness Stewardship Guidance Wilderness Act (P.L ) Wilderness Regulations (50 CFR 35) Wilderness Stewardship Policy (610 FW 1 - 5)

What’s Different This Year American Conservation Experience  6 Fellows – 12 refuges; 1 National Seashore Two FWS biologists conducting assessments  5 refuges Interagency training and wilderness character assessments 2011 WF assistant

What’s Different This Year

Wilderness Character Monitoring Initiative Future Steps and Adaptive Management Complete Baseline Assessments by 2014 – Designated Wilderness Complete Baseline Assessments by 2015 – Proposed Wilderness Refuges incorporate Wilderness Character Monitoring into monitoring plans Refuges develop monitoring schedules

Wilderness Character Monitoring Initiative Future Steps and Adaptive Management Use combination of Wilderness Fellows and Refuge staff to monitor trends Trend analysis used to design Management Response Increase efforts to bring the best of the WFs into the NWRS Interagency database moved to an online application

Questions?