The nature and scope of wilderness education in the Pacific Northwest states of Washington and Oregon

The purpose of this study was to determine the nature and scope of wilderness education as it is currently practiced in the Pacific Northwest states of Washington and Oregon. Wilderness education was defined as education aimed toward increasing and enhancing the understanding, enjoyment, appreciation, and/or preservation and protection of wilderness.;A questionnaire was sent to representatives from federal management agencies, college and university programs, conservation and preservation groups, environmental education and recreation organizations, and wilderness-related commercial enterprises. Their opinions were solicited regarding wilderness education audiences, content, goals, techniques, settings, evaluation methods, success levels, satisfaction levels, collaboration efforts, and areas in need of improvement or expansion.;It was concluded that current education and recreation-oriented wilderness users in the middle adult-age level comprise the primary target group for wilderness education. Content regarding the values and uses of wilderness is addressed by close to two-thirds of the respondents and 59 percent also address outdoor skills, ethics, and responsibilities. Over 70 percent of the respondents include the goals of fostering a general ethic of environmental concern and increasing responsible visitor behavior in their wilderness education efforts. Informal presentations and programs are the most frequently used delivery techniques and field sites are used as the primary setting. Most respondents use informal observations for evaluation. Moderate success levels are indicated overall. With over 60 percent of the respondents only somewhat satisfied with their wilderness education efforts, increasing the numbers of individuals involved and reaching out to other target groups are seen as the areas most in need of improvement or expansion. Collaboration among practitioners is indicated as an important endeavor.;Essentially, wilderness education in the Pacific Northwest states of Washington and Oregon is a moderately successful multi-focussed endeavor. While providers target a broad array of audiences through a variety of approaches, much more needs to be done to enhance the field of wilderness education and increase its success in reaching its goals.