Wilderness Visitor Management: Diversity and Agency Policies

Abstract

Abstract Since its inception in 1964, the National Wilderness Preservation System has been managed without formal coordination among its three major agencies--the Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Because of the different missions and guiding philosophies of these agencies, management guidelines for wilderness also vary. Regulation of visitor activities within wilderness units well illustrates this diversity. In 1978, a nationwide survey of all units within the Wilderness System revealed very substantial differences among agencies in their regulation of visitor activities. By subordinating management styles to agency goals, each agency has emphasized some of the Wilderness Act's objectives and deemphasized others. This current diversity provides a desirable range of opportunities for activities appropriate to wilderness use, but coordination of agency efforts seems desirable and would enhance efforts for attainment of all Wilderness System objectives.