Chapter 4: Who Manages Wilderness?

Bicycling and Wilderness: A Mountain Biker's Guide to Wilderness Advocacy

Since 1964, Congress has dramatically expanded the number and extent of Wilderness areas. The National Wilderness Preservation System as of 2005 included 677 Wilderness areas encompassing 106.5 million acres managed by four agencies: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Forest Service (FS), National Park Service (NPS), and Fish and Wildlife Service (F&WS). Unsurprisingly, the push for further expansion of the system has increasingly taken Wilderness campaigns into areas suitable for bicycling.

The two largest federal land agencies, the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service, also manage the most Wilderness areas: because their non-Wilderness lands generally do not have the same level of protection as those in National Parks, we often see Wilderness campaigns involving land in these two agencies. Unfortunately, these campaigns often focus on roadless areas with wonderful bicycling opportunities.

There are several ways to find out about current Wilderness issues in your region and across the country. As a starting point, we recommend the two sites linked below. A phone call or visit to the federal land agency office nearest you is also a terrific way to learn about current and planned Wilderness.

Wilderness.net is a good resource for further research on the Wilderness system.

Wilderness.org can help you locate some of the Wilderness campaigns currently underway.

A call to your local land manager can also help you locate the nearest Wilderness area. It can also alert you to areas that agency has recommended for Wilderness designation.

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	Chapter 4: Who Manages Wilderness? Bicycling and Wilderness: A Mountain Biker's Guide to Wilderness Advocacy Since 1964, Congress has dramatically expanded the number and extent of Wilderness areas. The National Wilderness Preservation System as of 2005 included 677 Wilderness areas encompassing 106.5 million acres managed by four agencies: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Forest Service (FS), National Park Service (NPS), and Fish and Wildlife Service (F&WS). Unsurprisingly, the push for further expansion of the system has increasingly taken Wilderness campaigns into areas suitable for bicycling. The two largest federal land agencies, the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service, also manage the most Wilderness areas: because their non-Wilderness lands generally do not have the same level of protection as those in National Parks, we often see Wilderness campaigns involving land in these two agencies. Unfortunately, these campaigns often focus on roadless areas with wonderful bicycling opportunities. There are several ways to find out about current Wilderness issues in your region and across the country. As a starting point, we recommend the two sites linked below. A phone call or visit to the federal land agency office nearest you is also a terrific way to learn about current and planned Wilderness. Wilderness.net is a good resource for further research on the Wilderness system. Wilderness.org can help you locate some of the Wilderness campaigns currently underway. A call to your local land manager can also help you locate the nearest Wilderness area. It can also alert you to areas that agency has recommended for Wilderness designation.


Help \| Site Map \| Copyright