|
Click on one of the topics below to explore these other important aspects of Wilderness:
|
|
|
|
|
Four land management agencies, under two departments-the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture-have been given the awesome responsibility of managing the diverse National Wilderness Preservation System. While each agency maintains its own specific management mission, all have been successful in finding ways to mesh their independent missions with wilderness management goals and objectives.
Common to all wilderness-managing agencies is the guidance and direction that is provided by the Wilderness Act. Although other wilderness legislation is followed when applicable, the Wilderness Act bonds theses agencies together in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of America's wilderness system.
The congressionally designated wildlands of this country have been entrusted to the Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, and the National Park Service. All of these agencies strive to meet the challenge of managing the American legacy of wilderness for the use and enjoyment of the people today and in the future.
 Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management manages about 270 million acres, 7,796,842 of which are Wilderness. Among other activities,
the Bureau conserves these lands and their historical and cultural resources for the
public's use and enjoyment.
 Fish and Wildlife Service
The Fish and Wildlife Service conserves the nation's wild animals and their
habitats by managing a system of more than 500 national wildlife refuges and other areas,
totaling about 91 million acres of land and water, 20,702,350 of which are Wilderness.
 Forest Service
The Forest Service manages national forests and grasslands. It conducts forestry
research and works with forest managers on state and private lands. The Forest Service
oversees nearly 200 million acres of national forest and other lands, 35,479,099 of which are Wilderness.
 National Park Service
The National Park Service was established to protect the nation's natural,
historical, and cultural resources and to provide places for recreation. The Park Service
manages 51 national parks and more than 300 national monuments, historic
sites, memorials, seashores, and battlefields. It oversees 43,536,647 acres of Wilderness.
|
