Wilderness and adjacent lands policy development and current management directions

The political and economic relationships that exist between federally designated wilderness and lands adjacent to wilderness have become extremely important issues in federal land management. This dissertation analyzed those relationships from several different perspectives. Information and data were gathered from a nationwide survey of federal wilderness managers, a review of comments included in the Utah Bureau of Land Management Statewide Wilderness Final Environmental Impact Statement, a review of the issue's legislative history, and a wilderness and adjacent land historical case study.; The survey results indicate that concerns about the impact of various adjacent land activities on wilderness are shared by a high percentage of wilderness managers with several of the most significant concerns being the result of conflicting intra-agency policies applied across administrative borders.; Qualitative judgments made by wilderness managers about the impact of adjacent land activities were significantly explained by several factors, including the training and background of the manager, levels of adjacent land economic activity, population pressures, management priorities, and wilderness characteristics.; The legal relationship between wilderness and adjacent lands has evolved significantly since the Wilderness Act (P.L. 88-577) was enacted in 1964. Agency management discretion in setting adjacent land policy has been eroding as legislative oversight has been increasing. Policy trends indicate that Congress will continue to be active in setting adjacent land policy for the foreseeable future.; Communities adjacent to wilderness may have important historical connections to a particular area and may favor wilderness designation. Communities adjacent to the Wellsville Wilderness Area in Utah favored designation primarily for soil and water conservation purposes. However, current residents of Mendon, Utah, were found to have a strong attachment to the area's scenic beauty while having little apparent understanding of the mountains' importance in providing them with a sustainable water supply.; Wilderness managers stated that wilderness protection is vital if ecosystem management is to succeed, and they anticipated that adjacent land issues will become even more important over the next decade. Wilderness managers were also in favor of acquiring state and private inholdings in order to reduce adjacency problems.