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Abstract
The USDA Forest Service applied a performance management/ accountability system to the 407 wildernesses it oversees by defining and tracking critical work. Work elements were consolidated and packaged into the “10 Year Wilderness Stewardship Challenge.” The goal of the Challenge is to have 100 percent of wildernesses administered by the Forest Service managed to a defined level of stewardship by 2014, to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act. Positive results for wilderness have included greater visibility and improved competitive advantage in a time of tight budgets, increased awareness and involvement both within the agency and with public partners, improved stewardship and interdisciplinary involvement, and the development of new tools to facilitate success. It is important for managers to note several cautions before adopting a similar strategy: the elements selected for the performance management/accountability system should include disciplines outside of recreation but may not represent the entire job of wilderness management; “minimum stewardship” is not the ultimate goal for wilderness stewardship; the system should not be considered a “ticket punched”—planning for continued stewardship is vital; and consistency is key. An outline for applying this approach to other wilderness systems is presented in this paper.
Parent Publication
Keywords
wilderness,
biodiversity,
protected areas,
economics,
subsistence,
tourism,
traditional knowledge,
community involvement,
policy,
stewardship,
education,
spiritual values
Citation
Dean, Liese C. 2007. Tracking progress: Applying the Forest Service 10 Year Wilderness Stewardship Challenge as a model of performance management. In: Watson, Alan; Sproull, Janet; Dean, Liese, comps. Science and stewardship to protect and sustain wilderness values: Eighth World Wilderness Congress symposium; September 30-October 6, 2005; Anchorage, AK. Proceedings RMRS-P-49. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 380-384
