A unified approach to managing the country's wilderness areas has been agreed to by the land management agencies under the Interior and Agriculture departments, with goals of connecting more people to wilderness areas and completing wilderness inventories of lands that might be suitable for inclusion in the wilderness system.

The 2020 Vision: Interagency stewardship priorities for America’s National Wilderness Preservation System was signed this past weekend in Albuquerque, where a conference was held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of The Wilderness Act. As envisioned, the agreement is to guide the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Geological Survey, all under the U.S. Department of Interior; and the U.S. Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The document outlines interagency work and partnerships with non-government organizations for the management of wilderness. The plan emphasizes three broad themes:

* Protect wilderness resources.

* Connect people to their wilderness heritage.

* Foster excellence in wilderness leadership and coordination.

The 758 wilderness areas in 44 states and Puerto Rico encompass 110 million acres and showcase some of America’s most pristine landscapes—forested mountains, alpine meadows, rock peaks above timberline, tundra, lava beds, deserts, swamps, coastal lands, and islands. These areas provide a wide array of benefits, including cultural and historic connection to lands once inhabited by Native Americans; clean water and air; habitat for animals; healthy landscapes for rare and endangered species; and recreation activities that are in concert with wilderness values.

“The character of wilderness is unique because of its combination of biophysical, experiential, and symbolic ideals that distinguish it from other protected places,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “Wilderness can be a life-changing experience, and it is part of our mission to preserve wilderness for future generations. Our challenge is to offer this experience to an ever-diversifying public while remaining true to our stewardship mission.”

In 1964, about 9 million acres of Forest Service primitive and wild areas in 13 states immediately received permanent wilderness protection. Subsequent bills added more lands as wilderness. Today, nearly 5 percent of the United States is designated wilderness, with more than half of that land in Alaska.

“We stand on the shoulders of conservation giants like Arthur Carhart, Aldo Leopold, Bob Marshall and Howard Zahniser, who played significant roles in establishing what we now know as wilderness,” said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. “Today, we renew our commitment to interagency leadership so that our managers, partners, and volunteers have the tools, skills, and science they need to address a host of challenges as we work to ensure an enduring legacy.”

During the next five years, the agencies will focus on four priorities:

* Completing wilderness character inventories across the National Wilderness Preservation System using standardized interagency protocols and institutionalizing ongoing monitoring.

* Fostering relevancy of wilderness to contemporary society by inspiring and nurturing life-long connections between people of diverse cultures and wilderness.

* Strengthening commitment to and support of the interagency Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center and the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute to foster excellence in interagency leadership and coordination.

* Conducting climate vulnerability and adaptation assessments across the National Wilderness Preservation System to improved ecological resiliency across broad landscapes.

These interagency priorities will guide stewardship activities, projects, and events for all agency wilderness programs, the interagency Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, and the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center. The 2020 Vision updates a previous version and incorporates interagency research and management priorities.