User:Eazze202/National Wilderness Preservation System

The goal of the Wilderness Preservation System is to protect undeveloped habitats and to help maintain the lives of threatened or endangered species. Many of the species found in the United States are represented in wilderness areas. There are a total of 419 terrestrial ecosystems in the U.S., where a majority of the wildlife in the U.S. reside. With 60% of all ecosystems somewhat protected by the NWPS, much of the wildlife in the U.S. also has an area in which to exist without significant human interaction.

Wilderness areas
On federal lands in the United States, Congress may designate an area as wilderness under the provisions of the Wilderness Act of 1964. Multiple agencies, including the BLM, the NPS, the FWS, and the U.S.FS, are responsible for the submission of new areas that fit the criteria to become wilderness to Congress. Congress then reviews these cases on a state by state basis and determines which areas and how much land in each area will become part of the WPS. There have been multiple occasions in which Congress designated more federal land than had been recommended by the nominating agency. Where as the Wilderness Act stipulated that a wilderness area must be "administered for the use and enjoyment of the American people in such a manner as will leave them unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness", the Eastern Wilderness Areas Act of 1975, which added 16 national forest areas to the NWPS, allowed for the inclusion of areas that had been severely modified by human interference.

Managing agencies



 * National Park Service


 * Established in 1916, this agency helps protect more than 400 national park units. They also aid local tribes and governments, as well as non-profit organizations and businesses, by preserving local history and revitalizing communities.


 * U.S. Forest Service


 * Established in 1905, this agency manages public lands in national forests or grasslands, which encompasses about 193 e6acre of land.


 * U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service


 * Established in 1940, this agency manages 95 e6acre of land, and 775 e6acre of marine area. It also regulates thousands of small wetlands and other special land areas. Some of their contributions include protecting and conserving endangered species and their wildlife habitats and enforcing federal wildlife laws.


 * Bureau of Land Management


 * Established in 1812 as the General Land Office and later combined with the Grazing Service to become the Bureau of Land Management in 1946, this agency manages 247 million acres of public land. This agency's National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) includes over 886 federally recognized areas and more than 27 e6acre of land in the U.S. They aim to protect wilderness areas, as well as wild and scenic rivers, national monuments, and historic trails. It safeguards cultural sites and many Indian preserves of the western states. The mission of the NLCS is to "conserve, protect, and restore these nationally significant landscapes that are recognized for their outstanding cultural, ecological, and scientific values."