Wilderness and its Discontents: Wilderness Review Comes to Public Lands

Abstract:     
This paper explores numerous legal and policy issues raised by the review of federal public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for possible inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System. The review was mandated by Congress in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. BLM is the last federal land management agency to undergo such review, and and largest, in terms of acreage managed. BLM lands poses some of the most interesting issues because its lands have long been open for uses inconsistent with wilderness status, and are the least coherently configured on the landscape.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 87

Keywords: Federal lands, public lands, wilderness, wilderness review, land conservation, Bureau of Land Management

Accepted Paper Series