The Bureau of Land Management has been managing a wilderness program since 1976, when the President signed a law, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), which directed the agency to conduct a study of its remaining roadless areas.

The uniquely American idea of wilderness has become an increasingly significant tool to ensure long-term protection of natural landscapes. Wilderness protects the habitat of numerous wildlife species and serves as a biodiversity bank for many species of plants and animals. Wilderness is also a source of clean water. It has long been used for science and education as well as for higher education purposes, providing sites for field trips, study areas for student research, and serving as a source of instructional examples. Recreation is another obvious appeal of wilderness, and wilderness areas are seeing steadily increasing use from people who wish to experience freedom from the Nation’s fast-paced industrialized society.