Abstract

National forest wilderness policies have changed considerably in terms of which political institutions make key decisions and factors that help us understand why policy shifts occurred since the passage of the Wilderness Act in 1964. Despite early efforts by Forest Service officials to limit the size and number of wilderness areas within national forests, their influence was curtailed by an activist Congress that was strongly predisposed to protect roadless areas from the mid-1960s through the early 1990s. However, subsequent efforts to push state national forest wilderness bills were thwarted by a change in Congressional leadership less sensitive to environmental values and other factors. This was followed by a major venue shift involving one President's efforts to create new wilderness areas via rulemaking, and the subsequent President's attempts to reverse or limit the scope of such efforts. Over time, influence over national forest wilderness decisions is analyzed using the advocacy coalition framework to trace its evolution from an agency-based perspective to a lengthy period of Congressional dominance, and, more recently, to a process that is increasing influenced by the President.

Note

1.

The BLM received statutory authority to recommend wilderness for lands under agency jurisdiction in 1976, following the enactment of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act.

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