Kobuk Valley wilderness character baseline assessment: Building blocks for wilderness stewardship
Landres N. 2016. Kobuk Valley wilderness character baseline assessment: Building blocks for wilderness stewardship. Natural Resource Report. NPS/KOVA/NRR—2016/1103. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
This report is the baseline assessment of wilderness character for the Kobuk Valley Wilderness. The intent of the assessment is to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of a) the key features of the Kobuk Valley’s wilderness character, and b) how the wilderness character of Kobuk Valley is changing over time. Together, this information provides a holistic understanding of the Kobuk Valley Wilderness and what sets it apart from other public lands, and other wilderness areas, nationwide. This baseline assessment defines 19 measures of wilderness character that will be used to monitor change in the wilderness character of Kobuk Valley into the future. For each of these 19 measures, the measures’ relevance to the wilderness character of Kobuk Valley is described, as are specific monitoring protocols to assure consistent monitoring methods over time. The measures were identified based on national guidance, and selected at the local level through a collaborative and iterative process with park staff. The legislative mandate of the Wilderness Act of 1964 is to preserve the wilderness character of the area, a mandate affirmed in National Park Service policy. To inform how wilderness character is changing over time, this report specifies the current status of the measure, as well as the trend in each measure since the designation of the Kobuk Valley Wilderness in 1980. Overall, wilderness character across the Kobuk Valley Wilderness has had a downward trend since 1980. An in-depth summary and discussion of the trends in wilderness character since designation for each quality of wilderness character is described in the Conclusions section of this report. This report is intended to serve as a standalone document to assist in ongoing wilderness character monitoring for the Kobuk Valley Wilderness. Ultimately, the purpose of this baseline assessment is to help improve wilderness stewardship and preserve the area’s wilderness character.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Landres, Nyssa
- Date of Issue
- 2016-01
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- KOVA , NRSS
- Keywords
- Alaska, baseline, Kobuk Valley, KOVA, Wilderness, wilderness assessment, wilderness character
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Human Use | Visitor and Recreation Use | Visitor Use , Ecological Framework: Human Use | Cultural Landscapes | Cultural Landscapes , Ecological Framework: Landscapes | Fire and Fuel Dynamics | Fire and Fuel Dynamics , Ecological Framework: Landscapes | Landscape Dynamics | Land Cover and Use , Ecological Framework: Landscapes | Soundscape | Soundscape , Ecological Framework: Landscapes | Viewscape | Viewscape/Dark Night Sky