Natural Resource Management in Wilderness

Series Overview

These courses are hosted by the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center.

Series Prerequisites

There is one strongly recommended prerequisite for this course of study, The Wilderness Act of 1964. It is also recommended that you take the Writing a Minimum Requirements Analysis course.

The Natural Resource Management in Wilderness: Fundamentals course is a prerequisite for all other courses in this series. Each subsequent course builds on concepts introduced in Fundamentals and, where applicable, other courses earlier in the series.

Fundamentals

This is the first in a series of twelve courses in the Natural Resource Management course of study. This course presents the legal foundation for managing natural resources in wilderness and relevant natural resource management concepts.

Challenges in Natural Resource Restoration

Managing natural resources is a challenging task given the pressures of legal mandates to keep wilderness natural yet untrammeled. This course discusses these qualities of wilderness character and the dilemma of managing them equally.

Monitoring

Wilderness management often involves monitoring in order to adapt quickly to threats. This course addresses the types of monitoring goals and methods used and why managers must weigh the costs associated with gathering precise and accurate data from monitoring efforts.

Evaluating Proposals for Scientific Activity

This course discusses the process to evaluate proposals for conducting scientific activity in wilderness and the decisions wilderness managers must make in order to preserve wilderness character with such activity.

Fish & Wildlife

This course explains the basis for fish and wildlife management in wilderness. It presents law, policy and other legal requirements for addressing various threats and issues involving fish and wildlife. This course also presents guidelines, principles and case studies that demonstrate a variety of management options.

Fish and Wildlife Inventory and Monitoring

This course explains the importance of monitoring fish and wildlife and demonstrates application of the basic concepts of survey sampling for fish and wildlife in wilderness. This information corresponds to Step 1 and Step 4, respectively, of the 8-Step Process for Developing a Monitoring Program outlined in the Natural Resource Management in Wilderness: Monitoring course.

This course, in addition to the other prequisites, should be taken after the Fish & Wildlife course.

Threatened and Endangered Species

This course presents guidelines managers can follow to satisfy requirements of the Wilderness Act, the Endangered Species Act, and agency policies when managing threatened and endangered species in wilderness.

Air Quality

This course explains the legal basis for managing air quality in wilderness and the various issues involved for management. This course isn't intended to qualify you as an air specialist, but to acquaint you—as a wilderness manager—with the laws and processes available to manage air quality in wilderness. Every agency has an air resource section with air specialists who are available to assist you with any air quality management issues you may have in your wilderness.

Soil and Water

This course discusses the importance of management and monitoring soil and water resources—inside and outside wilderness; the various laws relating to management; and identifies strategies for prevention, mitigation, and restoration of impacts on soil and water resources in wilderness.

Vegetation

This course defines the vegetation component of the wilderness resource, its value to wilderness, and mandated management policies, including threats and strategies for managing vegetation in wilderness.

Soundscapes

This course differentiates natural sound from noise in the acoustical environments that make up soundscapes in wilderness. It identifies threats and strategies for managing soundscapes in wilderness.

Night Sky

This course discusses the basis of night sky resource management, including the threats and principles for managing night sky in wilderness.

Registration

Wilderness E-Learning Courses Transitioning to New Platform

The Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center, in partnership with the Eppley Institute, has long provided wilderness e-learning courses for agency and public use. These courses are being updated and transitioned to a new platform hosted by the Wilderness Institute at the University of Montana.

If a course listed above does not currently include a registration link, you can use the links below to see all wilderness courses currently available at no cost.

View available courses on the University of Montana extended learning site

Browse wilderness courses through the Eppley Institute

During the transition: Courses remain available through the Eppley Institute for a fee.
After the transition: Courses are expected to be offered again at no cost on the new platform.

We appreciate your patience during this shift.

Questions? Contact info@wilderness.net.