Wupatki at sunset / NPS

In 2013, National Park Service (NPS) Director Jonathan Jarvis approved a wilderness eligibility assessment of Arizona's Wupatki National Monument that found roughly 34,194 acres within the monument were eligible for wilderness designation. Wupatki is only 35,429 acres in size, so, the vast majority of the monument was considered eligible. Ever since, the monument has been managed to preserve the wilderness character of the area so that a future determination of wilderness designation wouldn't be affected. 

Wupatki is remote, rugged, and home to more than 2,600 known archaeological sites, many of which date to AD 1100 to AD 1225. It's one of the best-preserved concentrations of Pre-Columbian sites in North America and 13 different Indigenous tribes consider the area part of their ancestral homelands. The monument also boasts one of the largest intact grasslands in Northern Arizona.

And now, the NPS is seeking public feedback public on a draft Wilderness Study and Environmental Assessment (EA) through Dec. 12. The study/EA includes four alternatives examining if and where congressionally designated wilderness should be proposed within the monument.   

The Environmental Assessment (EA) follows the National Environmental Policy Act, aiming to assess possible impacts on local resources and values. In 2013, the National Park Service (NPS) evaluated the park’s eligibility for wilderness designation. Since then, 34,194 acres (96.5% of the monument’s land) have been managed according to NPS Wilderness Policy.

In this latest plan, the NPS recommends reviewing 33,916 acres (about 95.7% of the monument) as potential wilderness, pending approval by the NPS director and the Secretary of the Interior. Lands previously deemed ineligible for wilderness will remain ineligible. Additionally, 283 acres that were previously eligible but lack key wilderness characteristics are now also marked as ineligible.

For more details on the draft Wilderness Study and EA, please visit the project website. A virtual public meeting will be held on November 20, 2024, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. MST to review the draft study and answer questions. This meeting will explain the study, the planning process, and how you can provide feedback. To join, visit https://parkplanning.nps.gov/WUPAwild and click “Meeting Notices” for the meeting link.

The park especially welcomes comments that bring in fresh information, questions, or ideas to improve the study’s alternatives and make it more robust.