Competency Areas for Wilderness Stewardship Specialists

Wilderness stewardship specialists must demonstrate varying levels of skill in each of six competency areas:

1. Wilderness History, Law, Regulation, and Policy – KSAs needed to interpret and implement the history and laws of the National Wilderness Preservation System, and agency wilderness stewardship regulations and policies. 
2. Managing Special Provisions – KSA needed to manage the special provisions identified in 1964 Wilderness Act and in subsequent enabling legislation.
3. Wilderness Planning – KSAs needed to address wilderness stewardship needs in programmatic and project level planning processes.
4. Wilderness Field Skills – KSAs needed to accomplish specific field tasks in a variety of wilderness settings.
5. Visitor Use Management & Monitoring - KSAs needed to manage and monitor visitor use in wilderness.
6. Natural & Cultural Resources Management & Monitoring - KSAs needed to manage and monitor natural and cultural resources in wilderness.

To identify the skills you need to develop, simply identify your agency and position in the tables below. This will identify your expected level of expertise. With that information, click on any of the competency areas above to identify the competencies you need to acquire. You can use this information with your supervisor to develop and prioritize your Individual Development and Training Plan.

The competency areas above were developed and extensively reviewed by an interagency team in 2006, drawing from work originally produced by the Forest Service and by the National Park Service in the early 1990s in response to requests from the Forest Service Corporate Training Office and from the Office of Personnel Management. A review of these competencies and the trainings recommended to achieve them is currently underway. To contribute to this effort, please contact Dan Abbe.

Wilderness Specialists