Bureau of Land Management:Identifying Land with
Wilderness Characteristics
By: Heather Evans
What is Wilderness?
Wilderness Act 1964• Land untrammeled by man, where man is a
visitor and does not remain• Generally affected by the forces of nature• Outstanding opportunity for solitude• Has at least 5,000 acres of contiguous land
with said features
-Wilderness.net
What are Lands with Wilderness Characteristics Managed by The
BLM?
Human Influence
•Substantially natural, with no signs of human influence:
Recreation• Land must provide ample opportunity for
solitude and primitive recreation:
No sights, sounds, or human destruction
Supplemental Size
Areas must have at least 5,000 acres of contiguous land without roads
Road or Route
Was the route initially constructed?Has the route received mechanical maintenance?Does it receive regular and continuous use?
Supplemental value?
Evidence of human use?
Supplemental Values
• Cultural sites • Historic sites
Are these significant impacts to naturalness?
Old vehicle bodyCommunication
site
How does GIS Contribute?
Determine BLM Administered Lands
USFS Acreage: 15,070 Acres
State Acreage:3,380 Acres
Private Acreage750 Acres
Exclude Lands not
Administered By BLM
USFS Roadless Areas administered
under three categories:
1B: Road const & re-const
prohibited.
1B-1: Admin endorsed for
wilderness mgt
1-C Temp Road const & re-const is
allowed.
Aerial Photography identify possible intrusions
Review the area using
aerial photography
1
1
1
1: Vegetation Manipulation 22
2
2: Vehicle route
Reviewing aerial photos provides an overview of potential intrusions and other uses in the area such as stock ponds or mining activity.
My Map
• Layers: Rich County, BLM, Roads
• Measuring Tool: Road width averages
• Buffer: road layer• Creation of New
Layers/Attribute fields
• Exploded: 5,000 contiguous acres
What I Found
• 269 County, State, and Private roads in Rich County
• 8 polygons with at least 5,000 contiguous acres
• BLM officials must do field work to inventory found polygons
Thank You
• Scott Festin
• West Desert District BLM GIS Specialists and Recreation Planners
• Utah GIS Portal