ralph swain usfs rocky mountain region wilderness & rivers program manager 303-275-5058...

RALPH SWAINUSFS ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGIONWILDERNESS & RIVERS PROGRAM MANAGER303-275-5058RSWAIN@FS.FED.US

DIVERSITY OF NWPS

WILDERNESS ACT WAS SIGNED INTO LAW SEPTEMBER 3, 1964

54 Wildernesses – 9.1 Million Acres

NWPS IS SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

NWPS IS SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

NWPS IS THE SIZE OF MINNESOTA IF ALASKA’S WILDERNESSES ARE EXCLUDED

WHICH AGENCY HAS THE LARGEST NUMBER OF ACRES IN THE NATIONAL WILDERNESS

PRESERVATION SYSTEM?

Forest Service

National Park Service

Bureau of Land Management

Fish and Wildlife Service

WHICH AGENCY HAS THE LARGEST NUMBER OF ACRES IN THE NATIONAL WILDERNESS

PRESERVATION SYSTEM?

Forest Service(37 million acres)

National Park Service(44 million acres)

Bureau of Land Management(9 million acres)

Fish and Wildlife Service(20 million acres)

WHICH AGENCY HAS THE MOST WILDERNESS AREAS IN THE NATIONAL WILDERNESS PRESERVATION SYSTEM?

Forest Service

National Park Service

Bureau of Land Management

Fish and Wildlife Service

WHICH AGENCY HAS THE MOST WILDERNESS AREAS IN THE NATIONAL WILDERNESS

PRESERVATION SYSTEM?

Forest Service(445 units)

National Park Service(61 units)

Bureau of Land Management(224 units)

Fish and Wildlife Service(71 units)

FIRST FS WILDERNESS

Gila WildernessEstablished June 3,1924 through efforts led by

then-forest supervisor Aldo Leopold.

First administratively established wilderness to be created by FS; not designated by Congress.

FIRST FWS WILDERNESS

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness, NJSeptember 28, 1968

FIRST NPS WILDERNESSES

Craters of the Moon Wilderness, IDPetrified Forest Wilderness, AZ

October 23, 1970

FIRST FS WILDERNESS

Scapegoat Wilderness, MTAugust 20, 1972

FIRST BLM WILDERNESS

Santa Lucia and Wild Rogue WildernessesEndangered American Wilderness Act, 1978

Santa Lucia Wilderness

Wild Rogue Wilderness

LARGEST WILDERNESS

Texas

Montana

Colorado

AlaskaWrangell-Saint Elias Wilderness (9 million acres)

SMALLEST WILDERNESS

Rhode Island

Alaska

Puerto Rico

FloridaPelican Island Wilderness, 5.5 acres

LARGEST CONTIGUOUS WILDERNESS OUTSIDE ALASKA

IdahoFrank Church-River of No Return Wilderness

2.3 million acres

LARGEST LEGISLATIVE WILDERNESS OUTSIDE ALASKA

California/NevadaDeath Valley Wilderness

3.1 million acres

IN THE WESTERN STATES, MORE THAN 50% OF THE WATER SUPPLY COMES FROM

WILDERNESS AREAS

SAND DUNES

Nordhouse Dunes, MI

Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune, NY

Great Sand Dunes Wilderness, CO

Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness, MI

SAND DUNESNORDHOUSE DUNES WILDERNESS,

MI

SAND DUNESOTIS PIKE FIRE ISLAND HIGH DUNE,

NY

Designated in 1980, 1,380 acres

SAND DUNESGREAT SAND DUNES WILDERNESS,

CO

Richard Hebhardt

SAND DUNESSLEEPING BEAR DUNES

WILDERNESS, MIDesignated March 13, 2014

32,556 acres

EASTERN FORESTDOLLY SODS WILDERNESS, WV

Kenneth Greenwood

EASTERN FORESTJOYCE KILMER-SLICKROCK

WILDERNESS, NC

Bill Lea

TUNDRAGATES OF THE ARCTIC

WILDERNESS, AK

TUNDRAMOLLIE BEATTIE WILDERNESS, AK

DESERT

COASTALKING RANGE, CA

Longest stretch of

undeveloped coastline

in US outside of

AK

COASTALSWANQUARTER WILDERNESS, NC

SWAMPSBRADWELL BAY WILDERNESS, FL

SWAMPSBIG LAKE WILDERNESS, AR

SWAMPSGREAT SWAMP WILDERNESS, NJ

WILDLIFEGLACIER BAY WILDERNESS, AKMT. EVANS WILDERNESS, CO

David Bahr Verdon Tomajko

WILDLIFEST. MARKS WILDERNESS, FL

GULF FRITILLARY BUTTERFLY & SNOWY EGRET

Piping Plover

WILDLIFEBRIGANTINE

WILDERNESS, NJ

PEAKSMT. REGAN

SAWTOOTH WILDERNESS, ID

PEAKSLONGS PEAK

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK WILDERNESS, CO

Ethan Welty

PEAKSCAPITOL PEAK

MAROON BELLS-SNOWMASS WILDERNESS, COMT. WHITNEY, JOHN MUIR WILDERNESS, CA

Nate Zeman Nolan Nitschke

100 year old hemlocks

UNAKA MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS, TN

Mt. Haleakala (peak) 10,023 ft – home to the silver plants that bloom only once in their lifetime

HALEAKALA WILDERNESS, HI

GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS, TX

CAVESCARLSBAD CAVERN WILDERNESS,

NM

Sl

CAVESLAVA BEDS WILDERNESS, CA

TROPICAL RAINFORESTEL TORO WILDERNESS, PR

Designated in 2005, 10,254 acres – first wilderness in U.S territory