This document is contained within Wilderness Awareness Toolbox on Wilderness'net' Since other relate

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• This document is contained within Wilderness
  Awareness Toolbox on Wilderness.net. Since other
  related resources found in this toolbox may be of
  interest, you can visit this toolbox by visiting
  the following URL http//www.wilderness.net/index
  .cfm?fusetoolboxessecawareness. All toolboxes
  are products of the Arthur Carhart National
  Wilderness Training Center.

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Green Mountain National Forest Wilderness An
Enduring Resource
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What We Will Do

• Lay out the locations and some of the highlights
  of the six Green Mountain National Forest
  Wilderness areas.
• Discover the public purposes of wilderness.
• Examine wilderness character and some of the
  unique qualities found in Vermont Wildernesses.
• Explore the role of Wilderness Rangers on the
  Greens and how they work to monitor and protect
  wilderness from threats to an enduring resource.

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• 400,000 plus acres exist on the Green Mountain
  National Forest.
• 60,000 acres is designated as Wilderness.
• 15 of the Green Mountain National Forest is
  Wilderness.

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What We Have.
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Breadloaf Wilderness Named after Bread Loaf
Mountain at 3,835 feet. Climb Vermont's
Presidential Range Mounts Wilson, Roosevelt,
Cleveland, and Grant. Moose and black bears live
here in considerable numbers. Contains 17.4 miles
of the Long Trail, four shelters and major side
trails.
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Big Branch Wilderness Named after Big Branch
Stream. Located just west of the Peru Peak
Wilderness. Separated by snowmobile Corridor
7. Contains about 6 miles of the AT/LT. 100 foot
suspension bridge crosses Big Branch Stream. Big
Branch and Lost Pond Shelters are on AT/LT.
Lies in the White Rocks National Recreation area.
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Peru Peak Wilderness Named after the highest
mountain in the area. Contains 4 miles of the
Appalachian/ Long Trail. Styles Peak has a view
and Peru Peak is wooded. Pete Parent Peak, a
3,000-footer that, unlike most in Vermont, has no
marked path to the top. Griffith Lake and Peru
Peak shelter are located in between Big Branch
and Peru Peak wildernesses with a Green Mountain
Club Caretaker.
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Lye Brook Wilderness Ranges from 900 feet to
2900 feet above sea level. The western section
is extremely steep, facing west-northwest towards
U.S. Route 7 and Manchester. The Appalachian/Long
Trail skirts the northeast corner for about 3
miles. South Bourn Pond shelter removed in
2005. Remnants of railroad grades and old logging
roads remain.
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• George D. Aiken Wilderness
• Named after the late senator who helped secure
  the Eastern Wilderness Act of 1975.
• Sits on a plateau rising as high as 2,300 feet.
• Land of ponds, meadows, hills and brushy forest.
• Popular for cross country skiing and snow shoeing
  in the winter.
• Like Bristol Cliffs, is managed without
  designated trails.

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Bristol Cliffs Wilderness
Named for unique cliffs on west side. Like the
Aiken, is managed without designated trails.
North Pond and Gilmore Ponds. Plane crash on
South Mountain. Home to bears, moose, grouse,
peregrine falcons and the tallest hobblebush in
the state!
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The 1964 Wilderness Act Sec. 4(b)  
wilderness areas shall be devoted to the public
purposes of recreational, scenic, scientific,
educational, conservation, and historical use.
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devoted to the public purposes of recreational,
scenic, scientific, educational, conservation,
and historical use
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devoted to the public purposes of recreational,
scenic, scientific, educational, conservation,
and historical use
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devoted to the public purposes of recreational,
scenic, scientific, educational, conservation,
and historical use
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devoted to the public purposes of recreational,
scenic, scientific, educational, conservation,
and historical use

Leave No Trace Puppet Show and Hands-on Activity
Station
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devoted to the public purposes of recreational,
scenic, scientific, educational, conservation,
and historical use
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devoted to the public purposes of recreational,
scenic, scientific, educational, conservation,
and historical use
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Why Monitor Threats to Wilderness?
A loss of naturalness and wildness maybe
incremental but ultimately, in the long term, it
is dramatic. Long term monitoring is essential
to preserving what we have today and tomorrow.
The Wilderness Act of 1964 mandates the Forest
Service to preserve wilderness character.
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Wilderness Character
 ..may be described as the combination of
biophysical, experiential, and symbolic ideals
that distinguish wilderness from all other lands.
These ideals form a complex set of
relationships between the land, its management,
and the meanings people associate with
wilderness.
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Ten Year Wilderness Stewardship Challenge

• Direction exists in either the Forest Plan or
  subsequent planning document, that updated or
  amended the Forest Plan, that addresses the
  natural role of fire in wilderness and considers
  the full range of management responses.
• The wilderness was successfully treated for
  non-native, invasive plants.
• Monitoring of wilderness air quality values is
  conducted and a baseline is established for the
  wilderness.
• Priority actions identified in a wilderness
  education plan are implemented.
• This wilderness has adequate direction,
  monitoring, and management programs to protect
  opportunities for solitude or primitive and
  unconfined recreation.
• The wilderness has a completed recreation site
  inventory.
• Existing outfitter guide operating plans for
  the wilderness direct outfitters to model
  appropriate wilderness practices and incorporate
  appreciation for wilderness values in their
  interaction with clients and others. Needs
  assessments are completed for new operations or
  for major changes to existing outfitter programs.
• The wilderness has adequate direction in the
  Forest Plan to prevent degradation of the
  wilderness resource.
• The priority information needs for the wilderness
  have been addressed through field data
  collection, storage and analysis.
• The wilderness has a baseline workforce in place.

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Some Wilderness Ranger Activities to Protect
Wilderness as an Enduring Resource

• Abandoned Property , Human-made Structures and
  Trash Removal.
• Campsite Condition Inventory and Monitoring.
• Wilderness Boundary Monitoring and Signing.
• Monitoring Motorized and Mechanical Equipment
  Trespass.
• Advanced Technology Following Geocaching.
• Monitoring Pre-existing Special Use
  Authorizations, Recreation and Non-recreation
  Special Use Permits.
• Finding and Documenting Illegal Trail Cutting.
• Invasive Species Inventory and Removal.
• Reports, Records and Data Entry.

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Abandoned Property , Human-made Structures and
Trash Removal
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Campsite Condition Inventory and Monitoring

• Digital Pictures
• GPS Locations
• Site Mapping, Measuring and Reference Points
• Inventory of Area Damages

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Wilderness Boundary Monitoring and Signing
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• Monitoring Motorized and Mechanical Equipment
  Trespass

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Advanced Technology Following Geocaching
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Monitoring Pre-existing Special Use Authorizations
Non- Recreation Special Use Permits Recreation
Special Use Permits
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Invasive Species Identification and Removal
Bush Honey Suckle
Japanese Barberry
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Knotweed
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Honey Suckle Popper
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Finding and Documenting Illegal Trail Cutting
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Where does all this information go???
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Where does all this information go???
B.
A.
C.
OR
Click to the next slide pleaseand quick -gt
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Where does all this information go???

• INFRA WILD National Reporting

• Wilderness Regulations Report Wilderness
  Management Records
• Special Uses Summary Report
• Wilderness.net Web Links Summary
• Wilderness.net Public Contact Summary
• Accomplishment Report Summary

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Wilderness Character Monitoring Tools

• It consists of developing two items
• Monitoring Selected Conditions Related to
  Wilderness Character A National Framework for
  Monitoring to improve wilderness stewardship .
• 2) A Technical Guide for Monitoring with
  Selected Conditions Related to Wilderness
  Character is being piloted this year in 2006 and
  being put into national implementation in 2007.

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What We Have Done

• Laid out the locations and some of the
  highlights of the six Green Mountain National
  Forest Wilderness areas.
• Discovered the public purposes of wilderness.
• Examined wilderness character and some of the
  unique qualities found in Vermont Wildernesses.
• Explored the role of Wilderness Rangers on the
  Greens and how they work to monitor and protect
  wilderness from threats to an enduring resource.

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Time for Reflection
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Where to Get More Information
www.wilderness.net

• Middlebury Ranger District, 1007 Route 7,
  Middlebury, Vermont 05753-8999. [phone].
• Rochester Ranger District, 99 Ranger Road,
  Rochester, Vermont 05767-9431. [phone].
• Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests
  Supervisors Office, 231 North Main Street,
  Rutland, Vermont 05701-2417. [phone].
• Manchester Ranger District, 2538 Depot Street,
  Manchester Center, Vermont 05255-9419. (802)
  362-2307.

Ken Norden Scott Haas