This webpage, in full, comprises the 2024 NPS Wilderness Report. Click on the chapters below to expand and view corresponding text.
NPS/Hannah Schwalbe, NPS, and NPS/Neal Herbert
From NPS Management Policies 2006 - Chapter 6: Wilderness Preservation and Management
The National Park Service will manage wilderness areas for the use and enjoyment of the American people in such a manner as will leave them unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness. Management will include the protection of these areas, the preservation of their wilderness character, and the gathering and dissemination of information regarding their use and enjoyment as wilderness. The purpose of wilderness in the national parks includes the preservation of wilderness character and wilderness resources in an unimpaired condition and, in accordance with the Wilderness Act, wilderness areas shall be devoted to the public purposes of recreational, scenic, scientific, educational, conservation, and historical use.
On behalf of the Visitor and Resource Protection Directorate, Wilderness Stewardship Division, I am pleased to share the National Park Service (NPS) annual Wilderness Program Report. This report is required in accordance with Director’s Order 41 and serves as a summary of key accomplishments in NPS wilderness stewardship and management during 2024.
The expertise, time, and energy of wilderness stewards throughout the NPS, who contributed to achieving our legal mandate and policy requirements to preserve wilderness character in more than 70 million acres of NPS wilderness, is reflected within this report. The Wilderness Stewardship Division is comprised of a very small, yet highly productive staff, and through this forum I express my appreciation and respect for the talents of Erin Drake (Wilderness Communications and Outreach Specialist) and Rob Burrows (Wilderness Training Manager) and their dedication to the National Wilderness Program.
Also deserving special recognition are the members and liaisons serving on the National Wilderness Leadership Council (NWLC), including Dan Van der Elst, Wilderness District Ranger at Mount Rainier National Park, for his leadership and service as NWLC Chair for 2023 and 2024.
The “Excellence in Wilderness Stewardship” awards represent the most prestigious level of recognition for NPS wilderness stewards and champions. It’s an honor to recognize the achievements of the 2024 recipients for Individual, Team, and External Partner categories.
This is my 11th and final annual wilderness report. Effective February 28, 2025, I retired from the NPS following a career that began in 1977 as a Backcountry Ranger at Katmai National Monument (now National Park and Preserve), spanned five of our nation’s greatest wilderness parks, and culminated in 2014 with the great honor of serving as the NPS Wilderness Program Manager. I can best reflect on those years as a “dream career” come true.
In closing, I would like to share the following excerpt from NPS Management Policies 2006 that I believe best articulates our current and future responsibilities as stewards of NPS wilderness:
“The purpose of wilderness in the national parks includes the preservation of wilderness character and wilderness resources in an unimpaired condition, and in accordance with the Wilderness Act, wilderness areas shall be devoted to the public purposes of recreational, scenic, scientific, educational, conservation, and historical use.”
Sincerely,
Roger Semler
The expertise, time, and energy of wilderness stewards throughout the NPS, who contributed to achieving our legal mandate and policy requirements to preserve wilderness character in more than 70 million acres of NPS wilderness, is reflected within this report. The Wilderness Stewardship Division is comprised of a very small, yet highly productive staff, and through this forum I express my appreciation and respect for the talents of Erin Drake (Wilderness Communications and Outreach Specialist) and Rob Burrows (Wilderness Training Manager) and their dedication to the National Wilderness Program.
Also deserving special recognition are the members and liaisons serving on the National Wilderness Leadership Council (NWLC), including Dan Van der Elst, Wilderness District Ranger at Mount Rainier National Park, for his leadership and service as NWLC Chair for 2023 and 2024.
The “Excellence in Wilderness Stewardship” awards represent the most prestigious level of recognition for NPS wilderness stewards and champions. It’s an honor to recognize the achievements of the 2024 recipients for Individual, Team, and External Partner categories.
This is my 11th and final annual wilderness report. Effective February 28, 2025, I retired from the NPS following a career that began in 1977 as a Backcountry Ranger at Katmai National Monument (now National Park and Preserve), spanned five of our nation’s greatest wilderness parks, and culminated in 2014 with the great honor of serving as the NPS Wilderness Program Manager. I can best reflect on those years as a “dream career” come true.
In closing, I would like to share the following excerpt from NPS Management Policies 2006 that I believe best articulates our current and future responsibilities as stewards of NPS wilderness:
“The purpose of wilderness in the national parks includes the preservation of wilderness character and wilderness resources in an unimpaired condition, and in accordance with the Wilderness Act, wilderness areas shall be devoted to the public purposes of recreational, scenic, scientific, educational, conservation, and historical use.”
Sincerely,
Roger Semler
The NPS Excellence in Wilderness Stewardship Awards are the agency’s annual recognition of outstanding contributions to wilderness stewardship by an individual, team/group, and external partner, including any program or discipline that influences the preservation of wilderness character in the NPS. Award recipients are nominated by fellow NPS staff and selected by an interdisciplinary panel established through the National Wilderness Leadership Council. The award recipients were recognized during a servicewide awards ceremony in August 2024.
Note: Award recipients are recognized for accomplishments from the prior year, meaning awardees highlighted in this report are based on 2023 accomplishments.
At the regional level, Dan has been a regular and active participant in monthly wilderness community of practice calls, generous with his expertise while expressing genuine interest in learning from others in the region. Dan also instructed at the interagency regional wilderness stewardship training in Vancouver, WA.
At the national level, Dan completed his third year as the co-chair of the NPS National Wilderness Leadership Council and then volunteered to serve an additional year as the chair to provide continuity. In addition to being an effective organizer for the Council’s regular business, Dan led and participated in several interdisciplinary workgroups, including the research permits in wilderness and programmatic minimum requirement analysis work groups. Outside the Council, Dan has been a champion for wilderness access, challenging the Recreation One Stop Program to develop reservations systems that provide various access opportunities. Dan has taken the time to build meaningful relationships with stakeholders throughout the wilderness community. By using these connections, Dan was able to gather important knowledge about individual user groups, specific issues of concern, and recent data to inform discussions and provide NPS leadership with advice on wilderness issues.
Across all levels, Dan has encouraged respectful discussion of challenging issues, welcomed different voices, and built enthusiasm and pride in the wilderness stewardship portion of the NPS mission. It is for this approach, as much as his accomplishments, that he is richly deserving of recognition for excellence in wilderness stewardship.
GLBA has extremely dynamic conditions including isostatic rebound and all the associated conditions that result from a landscape that changes annually. Therefore, the BWMP outlines a set of “management progressions” that provide clear guidance to future managers about which tools and strategies should be employed to respond to increases in visitor use, or other changing conditions, to ensure that wilderness character, as well as the fundamental resources and values of the park, continue to be accessible and preserved.
Because of the dynamic nature of the landscape and human interactions with it, this project provided some unique challenges and tremendous opportunities to develop a backcountry and wilderness plan that approached these in a thoughtful and innovative way. A key component of this plan was seeking to both protect wilderness and recognize that the area is Homeland for Tlingit people. It is a sacred landscape that supports the enduring connection between past, present, and future generations of Tlingit who now live largely in nearby Hoonah and Yakutat. The planning team worked collaboratively with the Hoonah Indian Association and Yakutat Tlingit Tribe to revise past management approaches related to historic structures with a direct association to Tlingit people, enhance visitors’ respect for Homeland, and recognize traditional territory in appropriate ways.
It was also important to the planning team that the plan show, and not just tell, how integrated the Homeland values are to this wilderness. Each header to the plan is provided in English and Tlingit (including the literal translation of the Tlingit header). These headers serve as a consistent reminder that these areas are many things - they are Homeland, they are wilderness, and they are many other connections to many other people over time.
Combined, this commitment to representation, alongside robust civic and Tribal engagement to gather input on the plan at multiple critical milestones, yielded a truly one-of-a-kind plan for stewarding wilderness at Glacier Bay.
Further, the PCTA delivered timely, engaging, inclusive, and effective communications on travelling safely and minimizing wilderness impacts through multiple channels. This was especially important in a year with a persistent snowpack along much of the trail. PCTA also helped increase on-the-ground outreach and permit compliance for long distance hikers entering the High Sierra. Here, they adapted the southern terminus host and Crest Runner programs, augmenting agency staff with PCTA staff in targeted patrols in the Cottonwood Pass area. By contacting long distance hikers prior to entering the High Sierra early in the season (and prior to ranger mobilization), PCTA helped manage capacities and reduce wilderness character impacts from improper food storage, campfires, and poor campsite selection. They also provided important safety information, helping prevent emergencies that often negatively impact wilderness.
PCTA skillfully connects the NPS and the public, and has been an innovative and insightful partner in preserving wilderness character along the Pacific Crest Trail.
Note: Award recipients are recognized for accomplishments from the prior year, meaning awardees highlighted in this report are based on 2023 accomplishments.
2023 Excellence in Wilderness Stewardship Award Recipients include Dan van der Elst, the Glacier Bay Interdisciplinary Backcountry and Wilderness Management Planning Team, and the Pacific Crest Trail Association. NPS photo.
2023 Individual Award: Dan van der Elst
In 2023, Dan van der Elst was a leader in wilderness stewardship within Mount Rainier National Park (MORA), the Pacific West Region (Interior Regions 8/9/10/12), and across the NPS. At MORA, Dan serves as the Wilderness District Ranger where he has kept the effort to revise the park’s Wilderness Stewardship Plan alive, working across multiple disciplines and continuing to refine the plan’s content. Specifically, Dan's knowledge about climbing management and how to navigate resource protection while allowing for responsible visitor use was crucial. His years of experiences as a ranger in the field were of great value in discussions with staff members removed from day-to-day interactions with guides and visitors.At the regional level, Dan has been a regular and active participant in monthly wilderness community of practice calls, generous with his expertise while expressing genuine interest in learning from others in the region. Dan also instructed at the interagency regional wilderness stewardship training in Vancouver, WA.
At the national level, Dan completed his third year as the co-chair of the NPS National Wilderness Leadership Council and then volunteered to serve an additional year as the chair to provide continuity. In addition to being an effective organizer for the Council’s regular business, Dan led and participated in several interdisciplinary workgroups, including the research permits in wilderness and programmatic minimum requirement analysis work groups. Outside the Council, Dan has been a champion for wilderness access, challenging the Recreation One Stop Program to develop reservations systems that provide various access opportunities. Dan has taken the time to build meaningful relationships with stakeholders throughout the wilderness community. By using these connections, Dan was able to gather important knowledge about individual user groups, specific issues of concern, and recent data to inform discussions and provide NPS leadership with advice on wilderness issues.
Across all levels, Dan has encouraged respectful discussion of challenging issues, welcomed different voices, and built enthusiasm and pride in the wilderness stewardship portion of the NPS mission. It is for this approach, as much as his accomplishments, that he is richly deserving of recognition for excellence in wilderness stewardship.
Team Award: Glacier Bay Interdisciplinary Backcountry and Wilderness Management Planning Team
In 2023, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (GLBA), in collaboration with the NPS Denver Service Center and Alaska Regional Office, completed a Backcountry and Wilderness Management Plan (BWMP) and Environmental Assessment. This plan sets the framework for the NPS to manage the 2.6 million acres of designated wilderness lands and waters in GLBA and outlines strategies to respond to current and potential future changing visitor use patterns while providing broad guidance for both the terrestrial and marine wilderness areas.GLBA has extremely dynamic conditions including isostatic rebound and all the associated conditions that result from a landscape that changes annually. Therefore, the BWMP outlines a set of “management progressions” that provide clear guidance to future managers about which tools and strategies should be employed to respond to increases in visitor use, or other changing conditions, to ensure that wilderness character, as well as the fundamental resources and values of the park, continue to be accessible and preserved.
Because of the dynamic nature of the landscape and human interactions with it, this project provided some unique challenges and tremendous opportunities to develop a backcountry and wilderness plan that approached these in a thoughtful and innovative way. A key component of this plan was seeking to both protect wilderness and recognize that the area is Homeland for Tlingit people. It is a sacred landscape that supports the enduring connection between past, present, and future generations of Tlingit who now live largely in nearby Hoonah and Yakutat. The planning team worked collaboratively with the Hoonah Indian Association and Yakutat Tlingit Tribe to revise past management approaches related to historic structures with a direct association to Tlingit people, enhance visitors’ respect for Homeland, and recognize traditional territory in appropriate ways.
It was also important to the planning team that the plan show, and not just tell, how integrated the Homeland values are to this wilderness. Each header to the plan is provided in English and Tlingit (including the literal translation of the Tlingit header). These headers serve as a consistent reminder that these areas are many things - they are Homeland, they are wilderness, and they are many other connections to many other people over time.
Combined, this commitment to representation, alongside robust civic and Tribal engagement to gather input on the plan at multiple critical milestones, yielded a truly one-of-a-kind plan for stewarding wilderness at Glacier Bay.
External Partner Award: Pacific Crest Trail Association
The Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) has been a long-standing partner in wilderness preservation in the Pacific West Region (Regions 8/9/10/12). They have worked closely with national parks and forests in the Sierra Nevada to manage visitor impacts where the Pacific Crest Trail and John Muir Trail overlap. In 2023, the PCTA initiated and collaborated on several important projects to support interagency wilderness stewardship. From assisting with a two-day visitor use management workshop to meeting with NPS and US Forest Service staff to identify visitor use issues and collaborate on solutions to hiring a Southern Sierra regional representative, the PCTA has shown a consistent commitment to improving the visitor experience on this long-distance trail.Further, the PCTA delivered timely, engaging, inclusive, and effective communications on travelling safely and minimizing wilderness impacts through multiple channels. This was especially important in a year with a persistent snowpack along much of the trail. PCTA also helped increase on-the-ground outreach and permit compliance for long distance hikers entering the High Sierra. Here, they adapted the southern terminus host and Crest Runner programs, augmenting agency staff with PCTA staff in targeted patrols in the Cottonwood Pass area. By contacting long distance hikers prior to entering the High Sierra early in the season (and prior to ranger mobilization), PCTA helped manage capacities and reduce wilderness character impacts from improper food storage, campfires, and poor campsite selection. They also provided important safety information, helping prevent emergencies that often negatively impact wilderness.
PCTA skillfully connects the NPS and the public, and has been an innovative and insightful partner in preserving wilderness character along the Pacific Crest Trail.
Status of Wilderness in the NPS
The NPS is responsible for the stewardship of 61 designated wilderness areas, totaling over 44 million acres. Additionally, the NPS administers over 26 million acres of land that have been identified as eligible, proposed, recommended, and potential wilderness. These categories of wilderness were determined through processes outlined in NPS Management Policies 2006, Section 6.2 and have not yet advanced through the designation process.National Wilderness Leadership Council Updates
The NPS Wilderness Leadership Council (NWLC) serves as an advisory council to the Director on all matters pertaining to wilderness, striving to enhance the agency’s ability to address critical wilderness stewardship issues. The NWLC maintained several work groups in 2024, ranging from decision-making support for fire management in wilderness, to drafting guidance for researchers conducting scientific activities in wilderness, and developing support tools for the creation of programmatic minimum requirements analyses. Council members gathered at Grand Teton National Park in September 2024 for their annual meeting. This meeting provided members with opportunities to share program and work group updates, discuss emerging topics in wilderness stewardship, and develop the 2025 annual work plan.2024 Wilderness Character Interns
The Wilderness Stewardship Division partnered with the NPS Scientists-in-Parks Program (SIP) in 2024, hiring two interns to assist parks with their wilderness character integration efforts. The 52-week internship (split between 2024 and 2025) provides NPS conservation experience and developmental opportunities for college students and recent graduates, culminating in eligibility for the Public Land Corps hiring authority. These internships focus on supporting the development of park-specific wilderness character building blocks, including a qualitative narrative and quantitative monitoring framework. Each intern was assigned to two parks with wilderness, spending roughly half of their time with each park. For 2024, the interns helped Denali National Park and Preserve, Isle Royal National Park, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, and Shenandoah National Park develop their wilderness character building blocks.Interagency Wilderness Research
The Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute (ALWRI) is an interagency, national research facility located on campus at the University of Montana. Administered by the US Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, ALWRI is the only federal research group in the United States dedicated to development and dissemination of knowledge needed to steward the nearly 112-million-acre National Wilderness Preservation System. ALWRI has a long history of conducting and sharing science with the NPS in support of stewarding wilderness, as well as collaborating with other management, academic, non-profit, tribal, community, and other partners within the US and internationally. The 2024 ALWRI Annual Report addresses research highlights and accomplishments from the year.Rob Burrows joins Wilderness Stewardship Division as Training Manager
The Wilderness Stewardship Division welcomed their newest team member, Rob Burrows, as the Wilderness Training Manager and NPS representative at the interagency Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center. He began this new role in January 2024. Rob is an outstanding wilderness steward who brings an exceptional combination of wilderness planning, compliance and field operations experience, coupled with academic achievement. Rob’s body of work and commitment to preserving wilderness character will translate into a strong wilderness training program with an emphasis on new and innovative ways to empower wilderness practitioners and managers across the National Wilderness Preservation System. Read more about Rob’s background in Appendix A of this report.Wilderness Trainings for Individual National Parks
The Wilderness Stewardship Division facilitated ten national park (unit) wilderness trainings in 2024. Host sites included Colorado National Monument, Death Valley National Park, Glacier National Park, Isle Royale National Park, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Point Reyes National Seashore, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and Voyageurs National Park, where a total of 272 staff and partners received training. These trainings are designed to bring all staff who work in wilderness stewardship together and have informed discussions on advancing wilderness stewardship forward in the NPS. Presentations and activities focus on the Wilderness Act, NPS wilderness stewardship policies, the qualities of wilderness character, and the minimum requirements analysis process, as well as other park-specific wilderness stewardship issues.Virtual Wilderness Trainings
The Wilderness Stewardship Division partnered with NPS Learning and Development to offer two webinars as part of the Visitor and Resource Protection’s Superintendents Training Series in 2024. The “Preserving wilderness character through the minimum requirements analysis (MRA) process” webinar covered the two-step process used to determine and document if a proposed action which involves a prohibited use (as established in Section 4(c) of the Wilderness Act) is necessary to meet minimum requirements for the administration of the area for the purpose of wilderness. Legal, policy, and park operation implications of the MRA were discussed alongside an introduction to the Minimum Requirements Analysis Framework (MRAF). The MRAF is a revised MRA worksheet and instructions developed by an interagency work group established through the Interagency Wilderness Coordination Committee and is available for optional use by the NPS. Approximately 100 NPS staff attended this training. A second webinar focused on the newly released NPS Wilderness Interpretation and Education Strategy. Attendees learned how to use the Strategy to help inform thoughtful interpretation and education efforts in parks with wilderness. This national webinar was supplemented by six region-specific webinars to address place-based questions and implementation ideas. In total, these webinars reached more than 450 NPS staff and partners.Interagency Wilderness Training
The NPS supports the interagency Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center (Carhart) by providing a wilderness training specialist along with financial support for Carhart operations. Carhart provides a variety of interagency wilderness trainings, including face-to-face classroom instruction and online courses. Current training opportunities and resources are available on Wilderness Connect. In 2024, Carhart focused on in-person training courses to help address wilderness stewardship throughout the interagency National Wilderness Preservation System, including one National Wilderness Leadership Training (Montana), three Regional Wilderness Stewardship Courses (Nevada, New Mexico, and Montana), and one Managing Historic Structures in Wilderness Training (Colorado).Rollout of Content Checklist and Guidance for National Park Wilderness Overview Webpages
In collaboration with regional wilderness and web managers and the NPS.gov team, the Wilderness Stewardship Division released guidance and a content checklist for park wilderness overview webpages. Wilderness overview webpages created using the guidance are now consistently located on the wilderness park’s NPS.gov website by first clicking on “Learn about the Park” followed by “Wilderness”. The webpage provides place-based introductory information about federal wilderness, with links to other pages on the website related to technical and logistical wilderness details like trip planning or current management projects. Creation of these wilderness overview webpages will continue in 2025.Internal Wilderness Communication Resource Developments
The Wilderness Stewardship Program developed several communication resources for internal audiences in 2024. The Wilderness Character Building Blocks Tile, housed on the National Wilderness Stewardship Program SharePoint Site, succinctly describes key components for each of the three building blocks first described in Keeping It Wild in the NPS: Integrating wilderness character into park planning, management, and monitoring (2014). Regions 8/9/10/12 organized their wilderness digital archives, developing a folder structure and naming convention for archived electronic documents that are relevant to parks with wilderness in the region. Updates made to the Harpers Ferry Center’s Editorial Style Guide emphasize the importance of integrating the NPS wilderness communication best practices into all external and internal NPS communication products, including websites, brochures, exhibits, and signs. Together, these resources support NPS staff in their efforts to uphold mandates of the Wilderness Act and related NPS policy, including wilderness character preservation and information sharing.Presidential Proclamation for National Wilderness Month and 60th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act
President Biden again proclaimed September 2024 as National Wilderness Month, stating, “America’s beautiful natural landscapes are part of our Nation’s identity, history, and heritage. One century ago, the Gila Wilderness was established as our country’s first designated wilderness area, protecting this national treasure and beginning a new era of Federal conservation. Across our Nation, designated wilderness areas protect some of our most precious sites — soaring mountains, winding rivers, expansive deserts, and lush forests. These special places unite us, inspire us, and connect us to something bigger than ourselves. During National Wilderness Month, we recommit to the essential work of protecting our Earth, celebrate our country’s natural places, and continue our work to ensure that every community has access to nature’s gifts.”To support servicewide recognition of National Wilderness Month and the 60th anniversary of the Wilderness Act (on September 3, 2024), the Wilderness Stewardship Division developed communications guidance to help parks, regional offices, and support programs celebrate wilderness throughout September, organized around the themes of the 60th anniversary and wilderness benefits. Equipped with this communications guidance, parks created new content on NPS.gov, social media posts, visitor center displays, and outreach events to celebrate 60 years of federal wilderness.
Additionally, the NPS Natural Resources Stewardship and Science Directorate created a Leave No Trace (LNT) edition of the "I didn't know that!" NPS.gov article series, with each article highlighting one of the seven LNT principles, paired with colorful graphics that summarized key takeaways from each article. This series was rolled out incrementally over the summer and promoted on the NPS Explore Nature social media accounts.
Two staff from the Wilderness Stewardship Division attended the 12th World Wilderness Congress, hosted by the Sicangu Lakota Treaty Council in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Staff presented on wilderness character mapping, hosted a poster session on the qualities of wilderness character, and participated on a wilderness character monitoring panel comprised of interagency representatives.
And to conclude National Wilderness Month, the Wilderness Stewardship Division hosted the third installment of the Women in Wilderness Webinar Series. This conversation-style webinar for NPS staff and partners featured a panel of seven women who work in a variety of roles and locales on behalf of NPS wilderness. From field work to public outreach to policy implementation, the panelists represented many facets of contemporary wilderness stewardship work. Panelists were asked questions that prompted reflections on their careers, lessons learned, and hopes for the future of wilderness stewardship. This webinar reached 78 employees.
DOI Unified Region 1
Assateague Island National Seashore continued to make progress towards improving wilderness character through invasive plant management activities within the recommended wilderness. The national seashore also continued working through planning and compliance processes for the future demolition and removal of the remnants of nine former hunting camps and related properties scattered throughout the recommended wilderness. Shenandoah National Park hosted a wilderness character intern to help draft their wilderness character building blocks. This includes the development of a wilderness character monitoring framework, where a baseline assessment is conducted from which future monitoring can be compared. This work will continue in 2025.DOI Unified Region 2
In 2024, the NPS continued development of a wilderness stewardship plan (WSP) for Everglades National Park (EVER). The WSP will provide long-term direction for preserving wilderness character, protecting natural and cultural resources, improving wilderness conditions (including support for necessary restoration efforts), and providing appropriate recreational opportunities for and encouraging public use and enjoyment of wilderness. In February-March of 2024, EVER conducted virtual meetings with the public and requested feedback during a pre-NEPA civic engagement period. Concepts were communicated using a StoryMap. Ongoing tribal engagement was initiated in early January 2024 in advance of initial civic engagement with the public, and early feedback informed the development of management strategies and actions.The record of decision (ROD) for the Big Cypress National Preserve Backcountry Access Plan and Wilderness Study EIS was signed in December 2024. The wilderness study concluded that no wilderness eligible lands would be proposed for wilderness designation. As required by NPS Management Policies 2006, all lands that have been found eligible but not proposed for designation would be managed to preserve their wilderness character, but activities proposed to occur on these lands would not be subject to a minimum requirements analysis. Addition lands in the national preserve that were proposed in 2011 are unaffected by this decision.
To improve communication and guidance with parks, the region’s Planning and Compliance Division developed a new SharePoint site in 2024, including a Wilderness Program Page. This page is intended to enhance awareness of wilderness and contacts in the region, provide links to supporting guidance, and connect with resources from the broader NPS Wilderness Stewardship Program.
DOI Unified Regions 3/4/5
After 32 years of dedicated service, Chris Holbeck retired in December 2024, leaving behind a lasting legacy within the NPS. Throughout his career, he made significant contributions to the NPS Wilderness Stewardship Program at both the national and regional levels. As the Regional Wilderness Coordinator, he played a key role in supporting parks by assisting with the development of wilderness stewardship plans and minimum requirements analyses. His leadership extended to education as well, where he shared his expertise by teaching and training others, helping to shape the next generation of NPS wilderness stewards. Beyond his work in wilderness management, Chris also made valuable contributions to other critical NPS programs, including post-fire resource management and abandoned mine land safety. His commitment to conservation, safety, and stewardship has had a lasting impact on the agency and the public lands he helped protect. Chris’ dedication, knowledge, and leadership will be greatly missed, but his contributions will continue to benefit NPS programs for years to come. We thank him for his service and wish him all the best in his retirement.Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore partnered with NPS Midwest Region and a private firm to complete a feasibility and alternatives analysis for hydrologic restoration in the Beaver Basin Wilderness. Restoration would remove barriers to brook trout passage and restore habitat in Lowney Creek, a designated coldwater stream. Implementation is planned for fiscal year 2026-2027 with support from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park (THRO) hosted a unit wilderness training in March 2024, where 25 employees participated. From that training, THRO stood up a Wilderness Steering Committee along with a charter and annual work plan. The first action of this committee was to develop a programmatic minimum requirements analysis (PMRA) for fire management, including suppression, fuels, and prescribed fire. This PRMA was completed and signed in July 2024.
National parks of the Midwest Region encompass the largest conservation herds of bison in the core of historic range on the Northern Great Plains. The US Geological Survey Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center and several midwestern parks are using satellite telemetry collars to monitor the movements of bison in national parks, estimate the true extent of their range, and relate their distribution to features of landscapes and topography. Results will help guide the development of population objectives that balance interest in bison conservation with protection of native plants and other wildlife. 2024 marked nine years of data collection at Badlands National Park, primarily within the Badlands Wilderness. This research has demonstrated that bison utilize 25 percent of the available habitat more than 75 percent of the time, a finding that will help staff determine appropriate carrying capacity estimates for the range for future bison management.
DOI Unified Regions 6/7/8
Valles Caldera National Monument made progress toward finalizing their Wilderness Eligibility Assessment in 2024, with publication in the Federal Register coming in 2025. Wupatki National Monument drafted a Wilderness Study/Environmental Assessment, which was released for public review and comment in Fall 2024. In addition, Pete Webster, Deputy Superintendent at Glacier National Park, received the Intermountain Region’s Leader in Wilderness Stewardship Award.Regional Wilderness Executive Committee
The Regional Wilderness Executive Committee (WEC) supports the preservation and protection of wilderness areas and wilderness character within the region. The WEC held its annual meeting September 2024 at Chiricahua National Monument. The meeting provided an opportunity for members to meet in a wilderness setting to discuss wilderness challenges and brainstorm solutions on where the WEC can help support the preservation and protection of wilderness areas and wilderness character within the region. The meeting also provided an opportunity to see local wilderness management issues with members from the park wilderness program. Also, during this time, the WEC welcomed new members, reflected on accomplishments from fiscal year 2024, made progress on updating the charter, and established a work plan for fiscal year 2025. The work plan will have a renewed focus on direct and regular connections with every wilderness coordinator throughout the region.DOI Unified Regions 8/9/10/12
Mojave National Preserve and Death Valley National Park hosted wilderness character interns that worked with park, regional, and national staff to draft wilderness character narratives and wilderness character monitoring plans.Haleakalā National Park completed preliminary planning to refine the scope of a future wilderness stewardship plan. The plan would align desired conditions for wilderness character with standards and monitoring programs. Staff identified the opportunity to streamline decision-making and compliance through programmatic minimum requirements analyses for their natural and cultural resource management and visitor and resource protection programs.
Death Valley National Park (DEVA) had a very active year for wilderness stewardship. Efforts included actions outside wilderness to formalize designated roadside camping and installing a second Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant backcountry toilet that will help maintain sanitary conditions in adjacent wilderness. DEVA also worked to respond to flood damage across miles of unpaved backcountry roads which resulted in user-created detours through wilderness. Staff also restored areas within the wilderness impacted by illegal off-highway vehicle use and cannabis cultivation.
The region increased its wilderness expertise by bringing low-cost trainings to park staff and partners. The region hosted three wilderness unit trainings at Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, and Lassen Volcanic National Park (training a total of 87 staff) and eight community of practice virtual meetings.
The region continued to build its Resource Advisor capacity in 2024. Resource advisors deployed to six large wildfires affecting wilderness at North Cascades National Park Service Complex, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, and Crater Lake National Park. Resource Advisors helped preserve wilderness character through activities like preventing the introduction of non-native species, protecting cultural resources from fire, and implementing suppression repair plans.
DOI Unified Region 11
In 2024, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (GLBA) received the NPS Excellence in Wilderness Stewardship Award recognizing the team that developed its Backcountry and Wilderness Management Plan. GLBA also continued to advance co-stewardship conversations on Indigenous connections to wilderness, including the release of a 32-minute film that shares the long journey of healing between the NPS and the Hoonah Indian Association, “Healing Across the Waters: The Huna Tlingit Journey Back to Glacier Bay Homeland” (available on the national park's website).Wilderness character monitoring efforts at Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve saw a revival in 2024. Renewed staff presence at the Bettles Contact Station gave an additional boost to the monitoring work, with interpretive rangers participating in several patrols and assisting backcountry visitors at this remote ranger station.
The Alaska Region was delighted to support a wilderness character intern who began developing a wilderness character baseline assessment for Denali and Lake Clark National Parks and Preserves. Additionally, in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, the region hosted a Wilderness Film Night at the Anchorage Museum and coordinated an Outdoor Explorer radio episode that highlighted unique perspectives on the enduring value of wilderness.
Regional Backcountry and Wilderness Advisory Group
The Alaska Backcountry and Wilderness Advisory Group (BWAG) is a regional interdisciplinary team that advises on key wilderness stewardship issues across Alaska. Membership includes interdisciplinary representatives from all Alaska national parks with wilderness and regional office staff. In 2024, the BWAG promoted consistency between national parks on day-to-day stewardship efforts, completed a year-long social media campaign that highlighted a variety of Alaska wilderness benefits and values, and supported parks’ revisions of their wilderness overview webpages to promote a more relatable wilderness concept.NPS National Wilderness Leadership Council
The NPS National Wilderness Leadership Council (NWLC) serves an advisory council to the Director on all matters pertaining to wilderness. The council strives to enhance the agency’s ability to address critical wilderness stewardship issues. Comprised of park, regional, and national staff, this interdisciplinary council represents perspectives from a variety of positions and management levels. Each council member serves a three-year term, with staggered rotations occurring each year.2024 Chair: Dan van der Elst, Wilderness Coordinator – Mount Rainier National Park
2024 Co-Chair: Ethan McKinley, Superintendent – Joshua Tree National Park
Interagency Wilderness Coordination Committee
The Interagency Wilderness Coordination Committee (IWCC) works collaboratively to improve stewardship across the National Wilderness Preservation System. Comprised of wilderness program leads and USGS science/research support, the IWCC meets monthly to discuss high priority issues and initiatives for interagency wilderness stewardship.2024 Chair: Peter Keller, Bureau of Land Management
Interagency Wilderness Executive Council
The Interagency Wilderness Executive Council (IWEC) works collaboratively to improve stewardship across the National Wilderness Preservation System. Comprised of wilderness program leads from the NPS, Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and US Forest Service as well as the US Geological Survey science/research support, the IWEC meets monthly to discuss high priority issues and initiatives for interagency wilderness stewardship.2024 Chair: Cynthia Martinez, US Fish and Wildlife Service
The Wilderness Stewardship Division (WSD) is one of seven divisions in the WASO Visitor and Resource Protection Directorate. The WSD assists the Director in implementing national wilderness policy and provides servicewide leadership and subject matter expertise in all aspects of wilderness stewardship and management, including wilderness law, policy, training, and communications.
At the time of publishing this report, Roger Semler has retired from the NPS. Michael Michener is the acting Program Manager.
Acreages cited reflect best available information based on NPS records. For some national parks, wilderness acreages reference updated boundary mapping in GIS that may differ from acreages cited in the designating legislation.
| National Park Unit | Wilderness Area | Acreage |
|---|---|---|
| Apostle Islands National Lakeshore | Gaylord Nelson Wilderness | 33,500 |
| Badlands National Park | Badlands Wilderness | 64,250 |
| Bandelier National Monument | Bandelier Wilderness | 23,267 |
| Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park | Black Canyon of the Gunnison Wilderness | 15,599 |
| Buffalo National River | Buffalo National River Wilderness | 34,933 |
| Carlsbad Caverns National Park | Carlsbad Caverns Wilderness | 33,125 |
| Chiricahua National Monument | Chiricahua Wilderness | 10,290 |
| Congaree National Park | Congaree National Park Wilderness | 21,700 |
| Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve | Craters of the Moon National Wilderness Area | 43,243 |
| Cumberland Island National Seashore | Cumberland Island Wilderness | 9,907 |
| Death Valley National Park | Death Valley Wilderness | 3,190,455 |
| Denali National Park and Preserve | Denali Wilderness | 2,146,000 |
| Devils Postpile National Monument | Ansel Adams Wilderness | 747 |
| Everglades National Park | Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness | 1,296,500 |
| Fire Island National Seashore | Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune Wilderness | 1,381 |
| Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve | Gates of the Arctic Wilderness | 7,154,000 |
| Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve | Glacier Bay Wilderness | 2,664,876 |
| Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve | Great Sand Dunes Wilderness | 32,643 |
| Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve | Sangre de Cristo Wilderness | 40,595 |
| Guadalupe Mountains National Park | Guadalupe Mountains Wilderness | 46,850 |
| Gulf Islands National Seashore | Gulf Islands Wilderness | 4,630 |
| Haleakalā Wilderness | Haleakalā Wilderness | 24,710 |
| Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park | Hawai'i Volcanoes Wilderness | 123,100 |
| Isle Royale National Park | Isle Royale Wilderness | 132,018 |
| Joshua Tree National Park | Joshua Tree Wilderness | 595,364 |
| Katmai National Park and Preserve | Katmai Wilderness | 3,323,000 |
| Kobuk Valley National Park | Kobuk Valley Wilderness | 176,000 |
| Lake Clark National Park and Preserve | Jay S. Hammond Wilderness | 2,592,000 |
| Lake Mead National Recreation Area | Black Canyon Wilderness | 17,146 |
| Lake Mead National Recreation Area | Bridge Canyon Wilderness | 7,894 |
| Lake Mead National Recreation Area | Eldorado Wilderness | 26,129 |
| Lake Mead National Recreation Area | Ireteba Peaks Wilderness | 22,209 |
| Lake Mead National Recreation Area | Jimbilnan Wilderness | 18,893 |
| Lake Mead National Recreation Area | Muddy Mountains Wilderness | 3,521 |
| Lake Mead National Recreation Area | Nellis Wash Wilderness | 16,672 |
| Lake Mead National Recreation Area | Pinto Valley Wilderness | 39,358 |
| Lake Mead National Recreation Area | Spirit Mountain Wilderness | 32,939 |
| Lassen Volcanic National Park | Lassen Volcanic Wilderness | 79,061 |
| Lava Beds National Monument | Lava Beds Wilderness | 28,460 |
| Mesa Verde National Park | Mesa Verde Wilderness | 8,500 |
| Mojave National Preserve | Mojave Wilderness | 695,200 |
| Mount Rainier National Park | Mount Rainier Wilderness | 228,480 |
| Noatak National Preserve | Noatak Wilderness | 5,814,000 |
| North Cascades National Park | Stephen Mather Wilderness | 638,173 |
| Olympic National Park | Daniel J. Evans Wilderness | 876,447 |
| Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument | Organ Pipe Cactus Wilderness | 312,600 |
| Petrified Forest National Park | Petrified Forest National Wilderness Area | 50,260 |
| Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore | Beaver Basin Wilderness | 11,740 |
| Pinnacles National Park | Hain Wilderness | 15,985 |
| Point Reyes National Seashore | Phillip Burton Wilderness | 27,315 |
| Rocky Mountain National Park | Indian Peaks Wilderness | 2,959 |
| Rocky Mountain National Park | Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness | 249,164 |
| Saguaro National Park | Saguaro Wilderness | 71,400 |
| Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks | John Krebs Wilderness | 39,966 |
| Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks | Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness | 768,088 |
| Shenandoah National Park | Shenandoah Wilderness | 79,579 |
| Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore | Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness | 32,557 |
| Theodore Roosevelt National Park | Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness | 29,920 |
| Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve | Wrangell-St. Elias Wilderness | 9,432,000 |
| Yosemite National Park | Yosemite Wilderness | 704,624 |
| Zion National Park | Zion Wilderness | 124,406 |
Last updated: May 1, 2025