1. Wilderness Characteristics Guidance for the BLM
I. Introduction
II. Inventory Procedures
Planning
A. Background to LWCs in Planning
B. Factors to Consider When Protecting LWCs
C. Placing LWCs in the Land Use Planning Process
D. LWCs and Proposed Projects
ADVANCE SLIDE
Planning – Proposed Projects

2. Wilderness Characteristics Guidance for the BLM
Considering lands with wilderness characteristics
in the analysis of
Proposed Projects
You'll be able to follow this module better if you download the "LWCs and Proposed Projects Flowchart." If you haven't done so already, do it now. Hit the Escape button to stop this PowerPoint, but do not close the program. When you're ready to resume, Choose "Slide Show" from the navigation bar, and then select "From Current Slide."
ADVANCE SLIDE
Planning – Proposed Projects

3. No Yes or Yes Maybe No activity or project proposal
Is your inventory current?
Might it negatively affect WC?
activity or project
proposal
Yes or
Maybe
Yes No
proceed as usual
document no WCs affected
What happens when a project proposal comes into the office -- or is initiated by your office -- that might impact an area with wilderness characteristics? What do you do?
ADVANCE
 Well, first thing you'd better know is: would the project negatively affect wilderness characteristics if they were present?
If not, proceed as usual -- but be sure to document that no wilderness characteristics would be affected in the NEPA document authorizing the project.
If the project would -- or might -- affect wilderness characteristics, you need to know if they're present.
Is your inventory current?
If yes, you'll go on to the next step.
If no, you'll have to make it so, by following the process as described in Attachment 1 of the guidance and explained in the second group of modules in this training.
ADVANCE SLIDE
Planning – Proposed Projects

4. No Yes No All Yes Part Planning – Proposed Projects
Is only small unnatural part affected?
Inventory entire contiguous roadless area No
AK exception
Yes No
All
Is project identified as "fast track"?
Inventory decision: all or affected part?
Inventory only the affected portion of the contiguous roadless area
Yes
Part
The inventory process during projects can get a bit tricky.
ADVANCE
A few projects are labeled by the Washington Office as "fast-track" projects.
If you're looking at one of these, you may decide to inventory only those lands that might be directly affected by the project.
(But eventually you'll have to inventory the remainder of the inventory unit, so it might be more cost effective to do it all at once.)
If the project isn’t on the “fast track,” usually the only other, rare instance in which you wouldn't necessarily have to inventory the entire contiguous roadless area is if the proposal would only affect a very small portion of an inventory unit that is so disturbed as to obviously fail the Naturalness criterion for being included in an area with wilderness characteristics.
(And again, you’ll have to inventory the remainder of the inventory unit eventually, and it might save you time and effort to do it all at once.)
In all other instances outside of Alaska – for the vast majority of proposed projects where your inventory is not current you would have to inventory all of each roadless area, any part of which would be affected by the project. On the flowchart, you'll notice that the normal inventory process is represented by the heavier arrows. Other procedures are the exception, not the rule.
However, in Alaska there is another exception due to the vast scale and relative naturalness of most of the BLM lands in the state. We haven’t changed the printed flow chart, but in Alaska you could look at less than the entire inventory unit even if the small area affected is natural. This is where the watershed-boundary concept is advantageous. Perhaps in this case you’ll inventory just the affected watershed? In any event, you’ll have to inventory enough (that is, at least 5,000 acres) to know if wilderness characteristics are present and would be lost as a result of the proposed project.
Once you have completed your inventory, continue analyzing the project.
ADVANCE SLIDE
Planning – Proposed Projects

5. document no WCs affected
Is proposal in an LWC?
Does LUP address
LWCs?
Yes No
proceed as usual
document no WCs affected
When you have a current inventory (either because you just had to do one or it is otherwise up-to-date), you know whether the project is proposed in an area with wilderness characteristics.
ADVANCE
If it is not, you would proceed with the project as usual and document in the NEPA document authorizing the project that there are no lands with wilderness characteristics affected by the proposal.
If there are lands with wilderness characteristics present, you need to know if your current Land Use Plan addresses such areas.
ADVANCE SLIDE
Planning – Proposed Projects

6. Yes Yes No Planning – Proposed Projects Does LUP address
LWCs?
Is proposal in protected LWC?
Yes
Yes No
follow LUP
proceed as usual
document effects to WCs
mitigate as appropriate
If so, follow your land use plan to determine if the proposed project is in conformance. (The BLM NEPA Handbook (1790) details this process.)
ADVANCE
If the proposal is in an area with wilderness characteristics that is protected in the land use plan, the project would either be denied or reworked so that wilderness characteristics would not be negatively affected. In rare circumstances, the activity might be legally required. Document the effects to wilderness characteristics by the proposal, why degrading the wilderness characteristics is legally required, and mitigate as possible.
If the proposal is in an area with wilderness characteristics that is not protected in the land use plan, you will nevertheless have to document the effects to wilderness characteristics by the proposal. Mitigate if appropriate.
ADVANCE SLIDE
follow LUP
deny or rework proposal
Planning – Proposed Projects

7. Yes Yes No No Planning – Proposed Projects Is proposal in an LWC?
Does LUP address
LWCs?
Yes
Yes No No
proceed as usual
document no WCs affected
Consider amending LUP
otherwise, proceed as usual
document effects to WCs
mitigate as appropriate
On the other hand, if your current Land Use Plan does not address lands with wilderness characteristics, you will need to consider whether a Land Use Plan Amendment is appropriate. Plan amendments may be prompted in response to new or changed uses on the land, or to incorporate significant new information from resource assessment, monitoring, or research. The now-identified “lands with wilderness characteristics” may warrant the initiation of a plan amendment.
ADVANCE SLIDE
Planning – Proposed Projects

8. Planning – Proposed Projects
Review the hard copy of this flowchart to see how all these steps fit together. Repeat this module as necessary until the process seems like second nature.
ADVANCE SLIDE
Planning – Proposed Projects

9. Wilderness Characteristics Guidance for the BLM
Considering lands with wilderness characteristics
in the analysis of
Proposed Projects
This concludes your on-line training for maintaining wilderness characteristics inventories, and considering the results of these inventories in our planning efforts.
ADVANCE SLIDE
End of Module IIID
Planning – Proposed Projects