May 1, 2015

Fund for Wild Nature – Final Report 2014

BLM Lands with Wilderness Characteristics

Grant funds for 2014: $1500

With sincere gratitude to the Fund for Wild Nature, we are pleased to present this report for Wild Connections work on BLM Lands with Wilderness Characteristicsin 2014, and an accounting of how Wild Connections spent your generous grant of $1500 for this project.

Introduction and Background

For more than 20 years, Wild Connections has worked to identify, protect, and restore the lands that are needed to assure the survival of native species and the ecological richness of the upper Arkansas and South Platte watersheds of central Colorado. This work has primarily been on the Pike –San Isabel National Forest. However, interspersed with the National Forest land is approximately 350,000 acres of BLM (Bureau of Land Management) managed land. Together, the two agencies administer some 2.8 million acres of federal land in this region, including 445,600 acres of designated wilderness and, additionally, 771,000 acres of roadless area.

Most of these roadless areas and wilderness areas are on Forest Service lands, but there are four BLM Wilderness Study Areas as well as several hundred thousand acres of low elevation medium-sized BLM roadless areas. These low elevation lands are prime wildlife habitat for many species, and represent critical linkages as wildlife corridors to the higher Forest Service areas. Unfortunately they are under increasing pressure from motorized recreation and it is therefore very important that those lands with wilderness qualities be identified so they can be given some protection under the revised Resource Management plan.

In 2012, the Royal Gorge Field Office of the BLM initiated a directive to inventory the land that it manages and then begin revision of its Resource Management Plan. That revision process now is scheduled to start in June of 2015. As part of the process, the BLM sought citizen input and information on these lands. Wild Connections took on the task to field inventory and document the lands found to have qualifying wilderness characteristics as defined by the Wilderness Act.

Our initial field work started in 2013. In 2014, Wild Connections received a grant of $1500 from the Fund for Wild Nature as well as additional grants from others to complete our field work. With the completion of the field work, Wild Connectionshas positioned itself in 2015 to conduct a public advocacy campaign and public effort to assure the surveyed lands are properly considered for inclusion as protected lands by the BLM.

BLM LWCI Background

The BLM Royal Gorge Field Office has engaged in two concurrent processes. First, to complete a “Wilderness Characteristics Inventory“ of lands under its administration to identify areas which it found to contain qualifying wilderness characteristics. The BLM‘s official “Lands with Wilderness Characteristics Inventory“(LWCI) identified 70,765 acres as having wilderness qualities. With this initial inventory and with supplemental information from the public, BLM will revise the Resource Management Plan for management of the Royal Gorge area. That scoping process is now expected to begin in June 2015.

The Wild Connections Inventory Project

The project goal in 2014 was to complete mapping and describing of priority areas containing approximately 360,000 acres. Under the direction of our Mapping Coordinator, the project utilized college interns and trained volunteers. The lands qualifying as meeting wilderness criteria were observed and described. In addition to establishment of boundaries, the wilderness characteristics survey included observation of roads, trails, qualifying wildlife habitat, possible wildlife travel routes, and vegetation. To complete accurate surveys we used four “iPad Minis” with GPS capability and GeoJot+ software for precise boundaries. Pictures were correlated with locations with information stored in a common-use format for later use by our GIS mapping consultant, and for completion of detailed reports for each area and to be submitted to the BLM as well as for updating of our in-depth “Wild Connections Conservation Plan” document. The project goal is to have science-based information available to advocate

for and protect those lands that can fulfill that vision of connected wildlands in central Colorado with interconnection to the larger regional area.

The most notable accomplishment was fielding 48 volunteers and 4 interns who identified 230,000 acres of BLM land that had significant wilderness qualities, more than three times that identified by BLM in its surveys. A sample of these areas along the Arkansas River is shown on the map below. This demonstrates the power of trained citizen-scientists in providing hard data which will be used to hold BLM accountable to its mandate to protect lands in its jurisdiction.

Summary - 2014 Completed Activities

Project Administration, Volunteers and Staff Activities:

  • Coordinated all activities including planning field trips, recruiting and training interns and volunteers, working with our GIS contractor, maintaining regular contact with the Royal Gorge Field Office staff, and compiling data and writing reports.
  • Engaged four college interns for training and deployment in multiple trips to the more remote areas and assisting other volunteers on field trips
  • Maintained a recruitment list of 85 potential volunteer mappers
  • Trained and deployed 48 volunteers, in addition to the four interns, over seven mapping trips, primarily in more accessible areas
  • Maintained a mapping resources page on our website with manuals, best practices, technology, and area reports

Inventory Results Activities

  • Mapped the remaining 165,000 acres of BLM lands for wilderness characteristics and identified over additional 150,000 acres with significant wilderness qualities adding to the 2013 acreage for a total acreage with wilderness characteristics of 230,000 – well in excess of the BLM findings of 70,765
  • Used iPad Minis and Geo-Jot + technology toaccurately record boundaries, characteristics, and coordinates of photos integrated into accurate maps documenting wilderness characteristics
  • Produced GIS analysis and area maps with updated boundaries and 21 area maps of over 220,000 acres that were inventoried in the 2014 season

Documentation Activities

  • The mapping coordinator compiled documents and wrote reports for all the areas mapped in 2013 and 2014. A sample report for Reinecker Ridge is available at All reports will be available to the public once they have been sent to BLM. Report information included:
  • Summary of the geography, natural history, and review of Wild Connection’s Inventories
  • Wilderness Characteristics - minimum size requirement and affected boundaries
  • Discussion of how the area is primarily affected by forces of nature
  • Provision for outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation
  • Summary of supplemental values which describes biodiversity, wildlife, scenic views, geology, historical or cultural resources

Public Engagement Activities:

  • Conducted a total of 44 day-long or multi-day field trips with 141 participants and six leaders to wilderness lands in order to help inventory these wildlands and engage them in the lands management process

Evaluation:

  • The Wild Connections Board formed an ad hoc mapping team that worked with the Mapping Coordinator on a regular basis, evaluated progress, participated in field mapping, and reviewed the area reports. The team is preparing for 2015 a review and refinement of practices.

Finances

  • This project was underwritten by Patagonia, New-Land Foundation, Norcross Wildlife Foundation, Fund for Wild Nature, Pew Charitable Trust Western Lands Initiative and individual contributions.
  • Total expenses were approximately $46,000 for 2014.
  • The Fund forWild Nature funds were spent as stated on the attached Profit and Loss detail, summarized as follows:
  • Mapping Coordinator: $849.12
  • Mileage: $650.88

Wild Connections deeply appreciates your support of this project. The data, maps, and reports produced with your support will be essential to advocacy for protection of roadless areas and biodiversity as the Resource Management Plan process for management of the Royal Gorge

area gets underway in June 2015.

Sincerely,

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