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Interagency Regional Wilderness Stewardship Training

Rocky alpine ridge with scattered evergreen trees and patches of snow under a clear blue sky.
English Peak rising above granite ridges and subalpine forest in the Marble Mountain Wilderness, California.

Regional Wilderness Stewardship Training Courses are four-day trainings that provide foundational knowledge of the Wilderness Act and its implementation, explore topics of regional relevance, foster networking among wilderness professionals, and strengthen connections to the wilderness resource.

Dates

May 4-7, 2026

Location

Training venue: Bureau of Land Management, Medford District Office, 3040 Biddle Rd, Medford, OR 97504

Hotel block: Comfort Inn Medford North

Trainer

Michelle Reilly, Fish and Wildlife Service Representative to the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center

Cost

Participants pay their own travel costs. Specific information about lodging will be provided when your registration is confirmed. A block of rooms will be reserved at the training venue.

Audience

The target audience is federal agency staff who are field-level decision-makers with wilderness stewardship responsibilities and/or who are field-going and conduct work in wilderness. 

Description

This course focuses on the National Wilderness Preservation System, agency policy, and sound wilderness management principles. The overarching mandate to preserve wilderness character, including its public use, is emphasized, as is the application of the Minimum Requirements Analysis process. The topics included in this training are selected for their regional relevance, though the topics will have relevance in other regions as well. Participants will learn to: 1) interpret and discuss the act that established the National Wilderness Preservation System, agency policy, related laws, special provisions, and the mandate to preserve wilderness character; 2) recognize and address changing regional issues affecting wilderness management; 3) apply wilderness stewardship principles to specific management challenges; and 4) demonstrate commitment to excellent wilderness stewardship and sound decision-making. Learning is enhanced by a one-day field trip to discuss stewardship issues, and the opportunity to network with wilderness professionals land management agencies and partners.

Learning Objectives

  1. Explore management approaches to issues held in common with other participants.

  2. Relate management decisions to the legal framework of the National Wilderness Preservation System.

  3. Recognize the qualities of wilderness character and how they are to be protected.

  4. Apply the Minimum Requirements Analysis process to current issues.

  5. Identify valuable online information and stewardship resources.

  6. Examine wilderness issues relevant to the region, for example, this may include:

    • Fire management in wilderness

    • Visitor use management in wilderness

    • Structures in wilderness (historical and others)

    • Prohibitions in wilderness (including emerging technologies) 

Prerequisites

The course requires completion of online training courses prior to attending. Please plan to dedicate 3-4 hours to this prework. 

How to Register

Staff from any federal agency who work in wilderness are invited to apply. Forest Service employees need to work with their line officer to be selected and approved at the regional level prior to registering. Non-federal agencies and partners are also welcome to register and will be selected if space allows. Participants are required to attend the entire training to receive credit.

Fill out this form to register. The Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center will notify those selected. 

Registration closes on April 2, 2026. 

Questions

Questions about the registration process, course content or logistics should be directed to the course coordinator, Michelle Reilly, michelle_reilly@fws.gov.