Wilderness and Wild

and Scenic Rivers Program

Fiscal Years 2006-2007 in Review
2 Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Program

Welcome From the Director

I

n my first year as Director of the Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers 

Program, I have been to every region, several more than once, to gain a 

clearer understanding of the issues and challenges you face and what I can 

do from Washington, DC, to help you address those challenges. I have learned a 

great deal in my travels. In this unprecedented time in the history of the Forest 

Service, severe fire challenges and constrained budgets make managing our 

Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers an uphill struggle. I’ve learned that it’s 

more important than ever to make tough choices about priorities, work together 

to capitalize on opportunities to advance the program, and stay informed about 

each other’s efforts. I’ve also learned that it’s important to celebrate our accomplishments, while 

remaining realistic about our challenges. That’s what this report is all about. 

This document highlights accomplishments of the Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers 

Staff and acknowledges challenges that remain in four key areas: (1) improving integration and 

coordination with other program areas and agencies, (2) measuring performance and increasing 

our accountability, (3) developing a skilled workforce, and (4) extending and enhancing our 

capacity. These themes define where my staff and I are placing time and energy to “make a 

difference” in our wilderness and wild and scenic rivers management and to clear the way to 

make your jobs more successful and rewarding. I will use this report to brief internal and 

external audiences in a concerted effort to improve integration, involvement, and partnerships 

to accomplish our priority work assignments. I encourage you to use it to inform your 

audiences and expand awareness and support of our program.

I have been informed—and enlightened and inspired—by the stewardship I’ve seen from 

you, in the fjords of Alaska; the river canyons of Washington, California, and Idaho; the 

mountain forests of New Mexico, Colorado, and Montana; and the waters of Minnesota 

and South Carolina. Your resilience in spite of ever-limited resources and challenging 

organizational changes is testament to the passion you have for these special places. And that 

passion is contagious! I wake up every day keenly aware of the “trust” we have all taken on 

to thoughtfully and vigorously protect land and water and grateful for the host of river and 

wilderness “pros” like you who are doing just that. Thank you for your support and for all that 

you do to preserve wilderness and wild and scenic rivers!

Chris Brown

Forest Service, Washington Office

(202) 205-0925

cnbrown@fs.fed.us
Fiscal Years 2006-2007 in Review 3

Current Units of the Wilderness and Wild and 

Scenic Rivers Systems

Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage 

Wilderness Act (10/17/2006)

Wilderness Name Acreage

 Mount Lassic Wilderness 7,279

 Sanhedrin Wilderness 10,571

 Yuki Wilderness 36,522

New England Wilderness Act of 2006 (12/1/2006)

Wilderness Name Acreage

 Glastenbury Wilderness 22,425

 Joseph Battell Wilderness 12,333

 Wild River Wilderness 23,700

White Pine County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act of 2006 

(12/20/2006)

Wilderness Name Acreage

 Bald Mountain Wilderness 22,366

 High Schells Wilderness 121,497

 Red Mountain Wilderness 20,490

 Shellback Wilderness 36,143

 White Pine Range Wilderness 40,013

The Forest Service, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, 

manages significant portions 

of both the National Wilderness 

Preservation System (NWPS) and the 

National Wild and Scenic Rivers System 

(NWSRS). The U.S. Department of the 

Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, 

National Park Service, and U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service manage the other 

units of these important congressional 

designations.

At the end of fiscal year (FY) 2007, the 

Forest Service managed 418 wildernesses, 

totaling 35.3 million acres. This acreage 

represents 18.3 percent of all National 

Forest System (NFS) lands and 32.9 

percent of all lands in the NWPS.

FY 2006 saw a single Forest Service addition to the NWPS with establishment 

of the 10,000-acre El Toro Wilderness 

on the Caribbean National Forest in 

Puerto Rico. This addition was significant, in part, because it adds such 

diversity to the system: El Toro is the 

first tropical wilderness managed by the 

Forest Service. It hosts an incredible diversity of plants and wildlife, including 

50 varieties of orchids and the endangered Puerto Rican Parrot.

Prior to the adjournment of the 109th 

Congress, FY 2007 saw several bills 

passed designating new wildernesses in 

California, Vermont, New Hampshire, 

and Nevada, as well as adding additional 

acreage to existing areas. See figure 1 for 

wildernesses designated in FY07.

At the end of FY 2007, the Forest 

Service was responsible for managing 

101 wild and scenic rivers designated 

by Congress, and 3 State-administered, 

federally designated 

rivers that flow on 

NFS lands. These 

rivers total 4,389 

miles, almost evenly 

split between “wild” 

(1,453 miles), “scenic” 

(1,180 miles), and 

“recreational” (1,756 

miles) classifications. 

This total comprises 

61.3 percent of the 

number of rivers in 

the NWSRS and 38.4 percent of the 

river miles. 

The 109th Congress added a single 

river to the NWSRS. The Black Butte 

Wild and Scenic River in California 

was added by the Northern California 

Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act 

on October 17, 2006. This new addition totals 21 miles and contains both 

wild and scenic segments.

Figure 1. Wildernesses designated in FY 2007
Improve Integration and Coordination

4 Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Program

Wilderness and wild and 

scenic rivers management 

involves the intersection 

of many different program areas within 

the Forest Service, such as water and 

air resources; fish, wildlife, and plants; 

engineering; recreation; fire; and planning. 

Similarly, other Federal agencies have the 

same statutory responsibilities as the Forest Service, often managing adjacent sections of wildernesses and wild and scenic 

rivers. State and local agencies also have an 

important role to play, including the management of fish and wildlife, search and 

rescue actions, law enforcement activities, 

and protecting river values through these 

authorities. The successful stewardship of 

these special places depends upon close 

coordination and integration of various 

activities with other Forest Service staffs 

and related Federal and State agencies.

FY 2006-2007 

Accomplishments

 The Arthur Carhart National WIlderness Training Center (Carhart Center) 

conducted focused activities to target 

skill deficiencies and general wilderness 

awareness, including:

 Assessed agency and nonagency traditional skills base and needs in partnership with the Missoula Technology 

and Development Center. The existing skill base in Live Stock, Watercraft, 

Trails, Bridges, Water Impoundments, 

Sawing and Rigging is severely limited 

and, as skilled employees leave, the 

traditional skill deficit will continue 

to increase. Regional Recreation, 

Heritage, and Wilderness directors 

agreed that action must be taken to 

address this skill deficit.

 Conducted 14 forest or regional wilderness awareness workshops. More 

than 550 people, including forest 

staff from various resource disciplines 

and their key partners, attended the 

workshops. The workshops focused 

on the integration required to achieve 

the 10-Year Wilderness Stewardship 

Challenge and other wilderness stewardship objectives.

 In cooperation with the Interagency 

Wild and Scenic Rivers Coordinating 

Council (Council) (see sidebar) Wild 

and Scenic River program staff:

 Developed, printed, and distributed a 

Guide to Riverfront Property Owners 

(see figure 2) that describes the Wild 

and Scenic Rivers Act and NWSRS; 

explains how Section 7 of the act applies in planning and implementing 

projects in wild and scenic rivers; and 

shares techniques to protect economic, natural, and cultural values on 

private lands.

 Updated the NWSRS map and 

began development of an interactive 

map display. 

 Expanded the Web site to include all 

public laws amending the act and is 

in the process of adding examples of 

water resources project reviews to 

better serve field staff and the public.

 Developed a chapter, at the request 

of the Council of Environmental 

Quality, to explain the requirements 

of the wild and scenic rivers program 

for inclusion in a handbook for 

National Environmental Policy Act 

practitioners.

 Wilderness staff worked with various 

Forest Service staffs and governmental 

entities to:

 Complete a draft version of the 

Technical Guide for Monitoring Wilderness Character and conducted pilot 

tests in all nine regions, relying on 

Figure 2. Guide for Riverfront Property 

Owners
Fiscal Years 2006-2007 in Review 5

Interagency Wild and Scenic Rivers Coordinating Council existing data from seven different NFS 

directorates, including Engineering, 

Rangeland Management, and Recreation and Heritage Resources. The 

results formed the basis for a proposal 

to implement consistent monitoring 

protocols to track how well we are 

preserving wilderness character across 

the NWPS.

 Coordinate the development of a 

memorandum of understanding 

template for search and rescue 

operations in wilderness, consistent 

with the needs of the Western States 

Sheriffs’ Association.

 Propose revisions to a Senate amendment to the immigration and border 

protection bill concerning cost 

recovery for training, equipment, 

recurring maintenance, and restoration of natural and cultural resources 

to ensure that wilderness values are 

protected to the maximum extent 

possible.

 Revise the “Policies and Guidelines 

for Management of Fish and Wildlife 

in Wilderness” in collaboration with 

the Watershed, Fish, Wildlife, Air, 

and Rare Plants Staff; the Bureau of 

Land Management; and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

The approach of the 40th anniversary of the Wild and 

Scenic Rivers Act in 2008 provides 

an opportune time to recognize 

the contribution of the Council 

to river managers and the public. 

Until its inception in 1995, the 

wild and scenic rivers program 

was managed with limited coordination between the four Federal river-administering agencies 

(Bureau of Land Management, 

National Park Service, U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service, and Forest 

Service). There was no forum for 

identifying and clarifying matters of national and interagency 

consistency relative to implementation of the act. 

For example, before the Council’s technical paper on evaluating 

water resources projects under 

Section 7 of the act was completed in 1997 (29 years after passage 

of the act), there was no standard 

interpretation or evaluation processes for this key provision. Each 

of the Council’s additional technical papers and other products 

have made a similar contribution 

to consistency in interpretation 

and implementation of the act, 

and provided direct (easily accessible) support to river managers 

in their day-to-day administration of wild and scenic rivers. 

The Council is represented by 

one national and two field staff 

from each of the four wild and 

scenic rivers administering agencies. While not a decisionmaking body, its products provide 

practical information for river 

managers and the public, and 

serve as the basis for further individual agency actions. Recently, 

the Forest Service incorporated 

significant portions of the Council’s “The Wild and Scenic River 

Study Process” technical paper 

into its directives system. This is 

an excellent example of how the 

Council has increased interagency 

consistency in both process and 

outcome. 

The Council has remained 

responsive to the needs of river 

managers through its structure—

two-thirds field representation—

and by seeking continual feedback during its 10-plus years of 

operation. Its many products 

have been developed in response 

to the complex provisions of the 

act and the needs expressed by 

river managers and the public. 

See http://www.rivers.gov/.
Challenges That 

Remain

 The vital role Forest Service programs 

have in wilderness stewardship has not 

been fully realized by many. Wilderness 

is sometimes viewed as a constraint to 

core missions, as opposed to an integral 

component of overall program responsibilities. This lack of awareness is a 

barrier to achieving integrated management of wilderness.

 Stewardship of wild and scenic rivers is challenged by a general lack of 

understanding of congressional intent 

and key provisions of the act. Similar 

to wilderness, it is often viewed as a 

recreation program rather than as the 

primary Federal conservation tool to 

protect rivers’ free-flow, water quality, and outstanding natural, cultural, 

and recreational values. Nor is the act’s 

encouragement of effective basinwide 

management through increased public 

understanding of, and appreciation for, 

river values and river conservation well 

integrated into broader agency strategic 

goals and priorities.

Interagency Wilderness Policy Council

The Interagency Wilderness Policy Council (Council) was 

established to improve interagency coordination in administering 

the Wilderness Act, thereby enhancing protection and management of the Nation’s wilderness 

resource to benefit current and 

future generations. The Council 

consists of policy-level representatives of the four Federal wilderness management agencies and 

research representatives from 

the Forest Service and the U.S. 

Department of the Interior.

The goals of the Council are to: 

(1) identify and clarify issues of 

national significance concerning preservation and stewardship of the NWPS and wilderness study areas in order to 

recommend and advocate 

coordinated agency actions;

(2) provide a national interagency 

forum to coordinate and improve consistency in the interpretation and implementation 

of the Wilderness Act to the 

fullest extent practicable;

(3) increase internal and external 

awareness, understanding, and 

support for the NWPS; and

(4) review and evaluate the effectiveness of agency efforts 

to improve preservation, 

stewardship, and support for 

the NWPS.

Members of the Council on a field trip into the Flat Tops Wilderness on the White 

River National Forest in Colorado in September 2007.

6 Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Program
Measure Performance and Increase Accountability

Through the Wilderness Act of 

1964 and the Wild and Scenic 

Rivers Act of 1968, the public 

placed great trust in the Federal land 

management agencies to be wise stewards 

of untrammeled wilderness and freeflowing rivers. In recognition of this 

trust, and the need for transparency 

and accountability, the Wilderness and 

Wild and Scenic Rivers Program is 

responsible for defining the components 

and outcomes of successful stewardship 

programs, and then measuring 

accomplishments annually. 

FY 2006-2007 

Accomplishments

 Made progress toward achieving the 

Chief’s 10-Year Wilderness Stewardship Challenge (10YWSC)(see figure 

3). The goal of the Chief’s 10YWSC 

is to have all Forest Service wilderness 

areas managed to a “minimum stewardship level” by 2014, coinciding with 

the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness 

Act. Overall, the number of wildernesses reporting as being managed to 

this base level increased from 48 (11.8 

percent of all wildernesses) in FY 2005 

to 67 (or 16.5 percent of the total) in 

FY 2007. Wildernesses must score 60 

points to be considered meeting this 

standard. The average wilderness score 

has risen from 34.7 in FY 2005 to 42.3 

in FY 2007.

 Implemented a number of other 

initiatives to further the goals of the 

10YWSC, including:

 Each region developed a strategy 

for achieving the 10YWSC. The 

approaches used, however, differ 

widely. For example, in FY 2006, 

national forests in the Eastern 

Region competed for $50,000 with 

proposals to bring their wildernesses up to standard.

 The Wilderness Advisory Group 

(WAG) developed a number of 

documents to communicate the 

goals of the 10YWSC and to assist field units with meeting the 

challenge. Specifically, the WAG 

developed the: 

 “Wilderness Stewardship: The 

10-Year Wilderness Stewardship Challenge” brochure to 

communicate the goals of the 

challenge, describe its elements, and challenge agency 

staff and partners to take part 

and help make the 10YWSC 

a success (see figure 4). 

 “10-Year Wilderness Stewardship Challenge Guidebook” to 

help field managers consistently interpret and report 

their accomplishment on the 

10 elements. 

10 Year Wilderness Stewardship Challenge

R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R8 R9 R10

FY 05 46.2% 19.6% 13.5% 13.5% 9.6% 0.0% 10.1% 8.2% 0.0%

FY 06 46.2% 37.0% 0.0% 21.6% 19.2% 0.0% 10.1% 24.5% 0.0%

FY 07 46.2% 37.0% 1.9% 40.5% 21.2% 0.0% 10.1% 18.4% 0.0%

Fiscal Years 2006-2007 in Review 7

Figure 3. 10-Year Wilderness Stewardship Challange (Percent of wilderness meeting standard)

Figure 4. Wilderness Stewardship brochure
 Established the first baseline for “rivers 

meeting statutory requirements.” The 

Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers 

Staff, working in cooperation with regional program managers, developed a 

performance measure to gauge accomplishment in the wild and scenic rivers 

program. This measure, “rivers meeting 

statutory requirements,” tracks agency 

progress at meeting the requirements 

of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, 

such as a detailed description of the 

outstandingly remarkable values and 

development of a comprehensive river 

management plan. The reporting tool 

was incorporated into Infra-WSR, a 

new module in Infra, with the first 

reporting accomplished in FY 2006.

The FY 2007 reporting indicated that 45 

rivers—or 43.3 percent of the rivers for 

which the Forest Service has a management responsibility—have currently met 

the requirements of the act.

Challenges That 

Remain

 There are many competing priorities, 

and the trajectory of funds making it 

to the ground for wilderness stewardship is down. Progress on the 10YWSC 

remains challenging and, at the current 

rate, the 10YWSC may not reach its 

100-percent goal by 2014.

 The current performance measure 

for wild and scenic rivers captures the 

statutory requirements necessary to 

frame implementation of key provisions of the act. It was not intended to 

reflect the agency’s ability to actively 

manage based on resulting direction 

and, thereby, protect river values. A 

measure to evaluate active management, tied specifically to direction 

in the act, is under development for 

implementation in FY 2008.

8 Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Program
Fiscal Years 2006-2007 in Review 9

The Wilderness and Wild and 

Scenic Rivers Program can 

only be successful if it has a 

trained and skilled workforce capable 

of professionally developing and 

implementing stewardship programs. 

FY 2006-2007 

Accomplishments 

Training and Education 

Activities

Wilderness Training: [see sidebar] 

 Conducted 13 interagency wilderness 

stewardship training courses for more 

than 550 employees to encourage a 

more consistent interpretation of the 

Wilderness Act between the four Federal 

wilderness management agencies. 

 In collaboration with field staff 

and wilderness managers, gathered 

materials and developed and posted 

16 online “toolboxes” on Wilderness.

net (http://www.wilderness.net), the 

interagency wilderness Web site. 

These toolboxes provide outlines, 

guidelines, templates, and other 

informational resources to help 

managers implement the 10YWSC 

and address other specific stewardship 

issues. This approach of sharing 

successful examples helps the agency 

make progress on the challenge while 

reducing costs. 

 Produced a shortened (24-minute) 

version of the popular video “American 

Values: American Wilderness” to 

introduce wilderness to visitors at 

visitor and interpretive centers. 

Wild and Scenic Rivers Training:

 Developed wild and scenic rivers 

course curricula through the Council 

for Section 7 of the act and the study 

process. Course content was derived 

from the Council’s technical reports 

on each topic area. 

 Using these curricula, conducted 

interagency training in California, 

Oregon, and at the River Management 

Society Biennial Symposium in Nebraska 

for approximately 150 students. 

 Conducted wild and scenic rivers 

training at the Forest Service’s Eastern 

and Southern Region’s University. 

 Conducted an Interagency River 

Manager’s Workshop in Missoula, 

MT, in May 2007 [see sidebar].

Develop and Promote a Skilled Workforce

The Carhart Center was established in 1993 to preserve the 

values and benefits of wilderness for present and future 

generations by connecting agency employees and the public 

with their wilderness heritage through training, information, 

and education. Using an interagency team approach, the staff 

of seven works with experts within and outside the agencies to 

develop comprehensive interagency solutions to critical wilderness stewardship issues. Training is tied directly to core technical 

competencies and offered in the classroom and on the computer. 

Materials are developed in direct response to agency needs and distributed electronically. By coordinating with wilderness managers from 

each agency and by leveraging limited resources across agencies, duplication of effort, staff, and funding is virtually eliminated. The Carhart 

Center is jointly staffed and funded through an interagency partnership 

between the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service, and Forest Service. Oversight is provided by 

national wilderness program leaders from each of these four agencies. 

The interagency staff of Carhart Center 

(from left to right): Tim Devine, National 

Park Service representative; Lisa Eidson, 

Wilderness.net Webmaster; Tom Carlson, 

Forest Service representative; Karen Lindsey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service representative; Connie Myers, director; Elaine 

Poser, administrative specialist; Chris Barns, 

Bureau of Land Management representative; Shirley Chase, administrative support

Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center
Awards

Wilderness Award Winners for 

2005 and 2006

National wilderness awards recognize 

individuals and groups that have “improved service to the public, championed 

new techniques or ideas in wilderness 

stewardship, and improved the wilderness 

resource.” The Chief presents the awards 

each year at a National Leadership Team 

ceremony in Washington, DC. Not all 

AWARD CATEGORY 2005 RECIPIENT 2006 RECIPIENT

Aldo Leopold Award for Overall Wilderness Stewardship Program

Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and the 

Eldorado National Forest, Region 5

Mary Emerick, Tongass National Forest, Region 

10

Bob Marshall Award for Individual Champion of Wilderness Stewardship

Internal Liese Dean, Sawtooth National Forest,

Region 4

Beth Boyst, White River National Forest, Region 2

External Mark Hesse, Executive Director, Rocky Mountain 

Field Institute, Colorado Springs, CO

Wilderness Recreation Forum Core Team, Region 2

Wilderness Education Leadership Award

Internal Sierra Nevada Wilderness Education Project 

Board of Directors, Central and Southern Sierra 

Wilderness Managers Group

John Kramer, Gila National Forest, Region 3

External Brent Pettey, Stanislaus Wilderness Volunteers Superior National Forest and Partners, Region 9

Traditional Skills and Minimum Tool Leadership Award

Ian Barlow, Michelle Mitchell, and Harold Shenk,

National Forests in Florida, Region 8

John Glenn, Region 5

Excellence in Wilderness Stewardship Research Award

Research Institute of Arctic Biology, Regional Resilience and 

Adaptation Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Research application Dr. Peter Landres, Aldo Leopold Wilderness 

Research Institute.

Line Officer Wilderness 

Leadership Award

Mary Peterson, Medicine Bow-Routt National 

Forest, Region 2

Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness District Ranger 

Council: Dan Ritter, Chuck Oliver, Dave 

Campbell, Cindy Lane, Chad Benson, and Joe 

Hudson, Region 1

Excellence in Wilderness 

Stewardship Award

Steve Boutcher, Wilderness and Wild and Scenic 

Rivers Staff, Washington Office

Recipients of the 2006 

Wilderness Awards, accompanied by Gail Kimbell, Chief, 

and Chris Brown, Director 

of Wilderness and Wild and 

Scenic Rivers. From left to 

right: John Kramer, Lee 

Lambert, Denny Bschor (for 

Mary Emerick), Cindy Lane, 

John Glenn, Chuck Oliver, 

Chief Gail Kimbell, Beth 

Boyst, Steve Boutcher, Anne 

Vickery, Chris Brown, Duane 

Lula, and Craig Mackey.

10 Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Program

award categories are presented each year. 

The following are the award categories 

and recipients for 2005 and 2006.
The Forest Service sponsored the 2007 Interagency River Managers Workshop—Relationships Along 

a River—in Missoula, MT, 

from May 21 to 24. Cohosted by 

the Northern Region and Montana 

Fish, Wildlife and Parks—with 

special thanks to the Bureau 

of Land Management and the 

River Management Society—this 

workshop was developed by river 

managers for river managers. 

Concurrent sessions focused on 

three river management themes, 

with activities that engaged and 

challenged attendees:

n Restoration/Stewardship

n Community Involvement/

Partnerships

n Recreation

Over 150 people from the Federal 

river management agencies, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and other agencies participated. Participant 

course reviews revealed that the primary goal—to develop a workshop that all river managers would find 

useful—was met and exceeded!

2007 Interagency River Managers Workshop

Greta Movassaghi

Fiscal Years 2006-2007 in Review 11

Wild and Scenic River Award 

Winners for 2006 and 2007:

Each year the River Management Society, 

a nonprofit organization dedicated to 

the protection and sound management 

of North America’s river resources, 

recognizes contributions to the art and 

science of river management through 

its awards program. In addition to the 

three categories awarded by the River 

Management Society (River Manager of 

the Year, Outstanding Contribution to 

River Management, and Outstanding 

Contribution to the River Management 

Society), the Interagency Wild and Scenic 

Rivers Coordinating Council has, since 

2000, sponsored the Frank Church Wild 

and Scenic Rivers Award. Recent Forest 

Service recipients of these awards include:

Frank Church Wild and Scenic 

Rivers Award (2006)

n Darryl Mullinix, forest engineer 

(retired), Nez Perce National Forest, 

Region 1. For leadership in promoting 

and protecting wild and scenic rivers 

and advancing program awareness. 

River Manager of the Year (2007)

n Greta Movassaghi, natural resource 

specialist, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie 

National Forest, Region 6

For exemplary leadership in managing 

the Skagit Wild and Scenic River.

Challenges That 

Remain

n Getting line and staff to attend 

wilderness and wild and scenic rivers 

training is challenging because it 

competes with other training that is 

required during a time of increasingly 

limited staff time and funding.

n In response to training challenges, 

some courses offered by the Carhart 

Center and the Interagency Wild and 

Scenic Rivers Coordinating Council 

will be delivered electronically via 

networked computers and individually 

paced learning with computer-based 

training modules. This blended 

approach to training presents a 

significant learning curve to course 

coordinators, instructors, and 

participants.
Extend and Enhance Capacity

The various challenges facing wilderness and wild and scenic rivers management due to declining 

budgets, decreasing staffing levels, and 

increasing demands are real and cannot 

be ignored. Our program needs to be creative in how we adapt to these changing 

times by being more efficient with our 

existing funds and bringing additional 

resources to bear on the complex task 

before us. One way to increase our capacity is to expand opportunities for working 

with our partners to accomplish essential 

work, such as restoration and visitor contacts. Another is to embrace new ways of 

doing business, such as automating work 

functions, which were done manually in 

the past or, perhaps more commonly, not 

done at all. 

FY 2006-2007 

Accomplishments 

Partnership Success Stories 

 Along with the Headwaters Institute, 

cohosted the Salmon RiverFest and 

Symposium in the summers of 2006 

and 2007 on the White Salmon Wild 

and Scenic River in Washington to 

celebrate the designation of the river 

into the NWSRS and to discuss the 

important values for which the wild 

and scenic river was established to 

protect. 

 In partnership with seven 

organizations, and with financial 

support from the National Park 

Service, pilot-tested North Cascades 

Wild, a 10-day experiential wilderness 

stewardship program for inner-city 

youth in the Pacific Northwest 

to build a constituency of caring, 

knowledgeable youth who will 

become the next generation of 

wilderness stewards. This effort, 

jump-started with Federal funding, is 

now being replicated with leadership 

and funding from North Cascades 

Institute.

 Helped secure grants and materials 

to assist the county and the nonprofit 

group Friends of Wilson Creek 

with the development of a visitor 

center for the Wilson Creek Wild 

and Scenic River in North Carolina. 

Additionally, a county and friends 

group worked cooperatively with 

the Forest Service on watershed 

restoration efforts and improving the 

trails system.

 Partnered with the Student 

Conservation Association to 

provide training for more than 30 

volunteers, resulting not only in 

the maintenance of 55 miles of 

trail in the Frank Church River of 

No Return Wilderness in Idaho, 

but also in the establishment of a 

Traditional Skills Development 

Team Partnership. This partnership 

includes the wilderness managing 

agencies and several national and 

regional trails and conservation 

organizations working together to 

standardize the curriculum, develop a 

national skills certification program, 

and train employees and citizen 

stewards in traditional tool use, while 

accomplishing project work.

 To use the Clarion Wild and Scenic 

River to encourage the growth of 

tourism and related businesses in 

north central Pennsylvania, formed 

a partnership with the Pennsylvania 

12 Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Program
Department of Conservation and 

Natural Resources and four counties 

and their municipalities. The 

partnership helps protect and conserve 

this national treasure and, specifically, 

responds to the recreational 

opportunities and challenges 

facing the Clarion. Forest Service 

participation resulted in developing 

an intergovernmental recreation 

assessment, compiling extensive 

resource inventories, and securing 

grants to improve river access and 

provide recreational amenities, such as 

designated dispersed campsites, two 

comfort stations, and a coordinated 

sign plan. 

New Ways of Doing Business 

 Developed and implemented a 

corporate database for wild and scenic 

rivers, known as Infra-WSR. The data 

are maintained by both the Washington 

Office and by data stewards identified 

for each wild and scenic river. This 

database replaces the traditional 

approach of keeping crib sheets, which 

quickly become obsolete, or having to 

contact forest staff to answer questions 

about candidate or designated wild and 

scenic rivers in response to information 

requests. Use of Infra-WSR will 

improve the quality and availability 

of information about wild and scenic 

rivers for agency management purposes, 

as well as for providing the public 

through the Internet. The three other 

Federal river-administering agencies are 

interested in replicating our design, and 

key nonprofit entities have recognized 

the Forest Service for this product. 

 With a long-term objective of increasing 

our ability to better protect wild and 

scenic river resources, developed a 

partnership agreement with American 

Rivers to help identify and recruit river 

and watershed groups with an interest 

in providing volunteer stewardship for 

Forest Service administered rivers. This 

project is a great fit with the mission of 

American Rivers, which is to protect, 

promote, and restore this country’s 

rivers. Several products were developed 

in this first year (2007), including 

an assessment of materials needed 

to cultivate and support stewardship 

groups, a listserve to effectively network, 

and plans for a training workshop for 

nascent stewardship groups at the May 

2008 River Rally.

Challenges That 

Remain 

 Relying on partners to accomplish 

essential work is increasingly 

becoming a standard practice. To 

succeed, we must move beyond the 

cliché of “doing it with partners 

and volunteers” and develop 

a stable system of long-term 

collaboration, shared workload, 

close communication, and mutual 

trust. This desired outcome requires 

appropriately skilled agency staff and 

the support of leadership to make 

the partnership program thrive. The 

Wilderness and Wild and Scenic 

Rivers Staff expects to be at the 

forefront of Forest Service partnership 

efforts in 2008 and beyond.

Fiscal Years 2006-2007 in Review 13

I

n celebration of the 40th anniversary of the 

Wilderness Act, the Forest Service issued a 

Wilderness Stewardship Challenge, calling for 

all wilderness areas in the NFS to meet the key 

elements of successful wilderness stewardship by 

2014. The National Forest Foundation (NFF), as 

the official nonprofit partner of the Forest Service, 

increased the resources available to meet this 

challenge by providing matching awards of up to 

$50,000 to nonprofit conservation organizations 

to implement on-the-ground restoration projects 

that directly benefit wilderness areas within the 

NFS. Since 2004, the NFF has awarded more than 

$985,000 to support these special areas through 

the award of 42 matching grants to 31 different 

nonprofit conservation organizations throughout 

the United States. Additionally, in 2006, the NFF 

initiated a special program to engage volunteers 

in wilderness restoration through a partnership 

with sporting goods retailer REI. The Wilderness 

Volunteer Program provided financial support for 

14 nonmatching awards totaling $100,000. Because 

organizations typically leverage NFF conservation 

awards at a ratio of at least 2 to 1, the estimated 

conservation impact of both programs is more than 

$2,050,000.

National Forest Foundation Grants
The many challenges that remain 

form the basis for our program in 

FY 2008 and beyond. At the risk 

of oversimplification, the Wilderness and 

Wild and Scenic Rivers Staff will focus on: 

Identity—How do we increase 

recognition of the significant 

contributions that the Wilderness and 

Wild and Scenic Rivers Program makes 

to the Forest Service mission and to 

our Nation’s health? How do we set a 

place for the program at the budget and 

staffing table? 

Integration—How do we increase 

integration with other program areas to 

ensure that we achieve the 10YWSC, the 

wild and scenic rivers program agenda: 

Free Flowing Forever, and Wilderness 

Character Monitoring? How do we 

ensure that the Wilderness and Wild and 

Scenic Rivers Program becomes part of 

the fabric of this agency? 

Integrity—What can we do to 

preserve the integrity of our wilderness 

and river systems and to support 

managers in making good decisions? 

Innovation—How do we capture the 

incredibly creative methods to increase 

field presence, skill level, and depth on 

the bench through partnerships and 

volunteers? How do we meaningfully 

engage nongovernmental organizations 

and citizen stewards in preserving 

wilderness and wild and scenic rivers? 

Fortunately, while small in number, the 

Wilderness and Wild and Scenic River 

Staff is large in experience and, with 

your help, is up to the challenge these 

issues present. By working together, the 

collective wilderness and wild and scenic 

rivers community can meet the challenges 

presented by these issues and so fulfill the 

laudable purposes of the wilderness and 

wild and scenic rivers acts.

The Challenge Ahead

14 Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Program
Year In Review 2006 13
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination 

in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national 

origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial 

status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, 

political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s 

income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all 

prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who 

require alternative means for communication of program information 

(Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET 

Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of 

discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call 

(800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal 

opportunity provider and employer.

United States Department 

of Agriculture

Forest Service

NWPS 

NWSRS

FS-882 

January 2008