BORN TO BE WILD INTEGRATING WILDERNESS INTO LAND CONSERVATION R. Van de Poll, EMC, Sandwich
WHAT IS WILDERNESS? A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain. Public Law 88-577 (16 U.S. C. 1131-1136) 88th Congress, Second Session September 3, 1964 The Wilderness Act
WHAT IS WILDERNESS? More Definitions (mostly from Merriam-Webster) - a wild and natural area in which few people live a tract or region uncultivated and uninhabited by human beings an area essentially undisturbed by human activity together with its naturally developed life community an empty or pathless area or region a part of a garden devoted to wild growth an area in which few people live that is not used for farming and is more or less in its natural state
WHAT IS WILDERNESS?
WHAT IS WILDERNESS? Gavin Emmons
WHAT IS WILDERNESS? Jeremy Youst
WHAT IS WILDERNESS? A. Holmgren
WHAT IS WILDERNESS?
WHY WILDERNESS? Spiritual connection to Nature Return to the Roots of our Biophilia Relaxation, rest, & peace Communion with the Elements Biogenetic Reserve Refugium for Biodiversity Maintenance of Biogenetic Processes Large landscape connectivity Climate Change Buffering Sequestration of Carbon Allowance for shifts in migration Promotion of the development of natural resistance to pathogens Moderation of the effects of extreme weather
WHERE IS WILDERNESS? Apollo 17 Mission Comet Lovejoy, Keith Garrett
WHERE IS WILDERNESS? NASA Earth Observatory
WHERE IS WILDERNESS? National Wilderness Preservation System 1964: 13 states, 54 areas, 9.1 million acres 2015: 44 states & Puerto Rico, 765 areas, 109,129.657 acres 1980 ANILCA largest single addition of 54 million acres 1984 largest number of additions in a single year (175) Source: www.wilderness.net
IS THERE E NOUGH WILDERNESS? GAP Analysis What is gap analysis? At its simplest, a gap analysis is an assessment of the extent to which a protected area system meets protection goals set by a nation or region to represent its biological diversity. Center for Biological Diversity Source: www.cbd.int
WHERE IS WILDERNESS? GAP Analysis Categories 1 = permanent, legal, no motorized, to be maintained in natural state, e.g. TNC Preserve 2 = permanent, legal, limited snowmobiling allowed, no extractive uses, e.g. USFWS NWR's 3 = permanent, legal, extractive uses, motorized recreation allowed, e.g. most conservation easements, town forests 3A = no legal protection but intended natural area based on institution, e.g. universities, most town forests, etc. 4 = no legal protection, allows conversion of > 50% to unnatural cover, e.g. town parks, county lands, etc. 9 = Unknown Source: www.cbd.int
GAP Analysis Categories In New Hampshire GAP 1: N = 721 102,630 acres, 5.7% of consland GAP 2: N = 1071 864,410 acres, 47.9% GAP 3: N = 5842 666,087 acres, 36.9% GAP 3A: N = 791 80585 acres, 4.5% GAP 4: N = 513 19182 acres, 1.1% GAP 9: N = 997 73317 acres, 4.0% WHERE IS WILDERNESS? Source: NH GRANIT 2013
GAP 1 does not include White Mountain National Forest Wilderness (110,054 acres): 1) Great Gulf Wilderness (USFS) 5554 acres Designated by Wilderness Act of 1964 2) Pemigewasset Wilderness (USFS) 45,000 ac. Designated by New Hampshire Wilderness Act of 1984 3) Presidential Range - Dry River Wilderness (USFS) 29,000 ac. Designated by New Hampshire Wilderness Act of 1984 4) Sandwich Range Wilderness (USFS) 35,800 ac. 25,000 designated in 1984, 10,800 added in 2006 through New England Wilderness Act 5) Wild River Wilderness (USFS) 23,700 acres Designated by New England Wilderness Act of 2006 WHERE IS WILDERNESS?
WHERE IS WILDERNESS? NH Conservation Land By GAP % 1.1% 4.5% 4.1% 5.7% NH Conservation Land By GAP % (incl. WMNF Wilderness) 4.5 % 1.1 % 4.1 % 11.8 % 36.9% 47.9% 36.9 % 41.8 % GAP 1 GAP 2 GAP 3 GAP 3A Gap 4 GAP 9 GAP 1 GAP 2 GAP 3 GAP 3A Gap 4 GAP 9
Some Statewide & Regional Land Trust Examples 1) The Nature Conservancy Wilderness = GAP 1Reserves 21,259 acres 61 Sites Bunnell Preserve (10309 acres) Green Hills Preserve (4222 acres) Loveren s Mill Preserve (1201 acres) Bross Preserve (427 acres) Norton Pool (421 acres) GAP 2: N = 42 (4652 acres) WHERE IS WILDERNESS?
Some Statewide & Regional Land Trust Examples 2) Lakes Region Conservation Trust Wilderness = GAP 1 Reserves 12,302 acres 42 Sites Castle-in-the-Clouds (4,000 acres) North Ossipee Preserve (2875 acres) Red Hill Preserve (1719 acres) Dinsmore Mountain Preserve (264 acres) GAP 2: N = 33 (2526 acres) WHERE IS WILDERNESS?
Some Statewide & Regional Land Trust Examples 3) Society for the Protection of NH Forests Wilderness = Ecological Reserves 6838 acres 9 Sites Pierce Reservation, Pioneer Lake, Thurston Williams (4525 acres) Farnum Hill Reservation (758 acres) Taves Reservation (679 acres) Perry Reservation (528 acres) Includes some mngmt sites, e.g. Harmon Preserve GAP 2: N = 19 (3785 acres) WHERE IS WILDERNESS?
Some Statewide & Regional Land Trust Examples 4) NH Audubon Society Wilderness = GAP 1 Sanctuaries 3961 acres 76 Sites DePierrefeu Sanctuary (861 acres) Deering Wildlife Sanctuary (499 acres) Alice Bemis Thompson Refuge (306 acres) Chase Wildlife Sanctuary (280 acres) GAP 2: N = 8 (300 acres) WHERE IS WILDERNESS?
Some Statewide & Regional Land Trust Examples 5) Monadnock Conservancy Wilderness = GAP 1 Reserves (All but 1 CE s) 3,278 acres 31 Sites Woodland Hill Farm (408 acres) Lightening-Thunder Hill (347 acres) Campbell Pond (246 acres) Surry Mountain (209 acres) Horatio Colony Memorial Trust (199 acres) GAP 2: N = 10 (733 acres) WHERE IS WILDERNESS?
Some Statewide & Regional Land Trust Examples 6) Harris Center for Conservation Education Wilderness = GAP 1 Reserves (All but 1 CE s) 1904 acres 5 Sites Sidney Williams Woods (856 acres) Merrill Tract (282 acres) Ben Rice Easement (190 acres) North Pond (173 acres) GAP 2: N = 9 (258 acres) WHERE IS WILDERNESS?
Some Statewide & Regional Land Trust Examples 7) Upper Valley Land Trust Wilderness = GAP 1 Easements only 1328 acres 7 Sites Bear Pond Preserve (836 acres) Smith Pond Shaker Forest (200 acres) Lamphire Woods (95 acres) Jenckes (56 acres) GAP 2: N = 13 (481 acres) WHERE IS WILDERNESS?
Some Statewide & Regional Land Trust Examples 8) Ausbon Sargent Land Trust Wilderness = GAP 1 (All but 1 CE s) 640 acres 10 Sites Courser Easement (307 acres) Gross CE (101 acres) Clark Pond (89 acres) Maple Leaf CE (69 acres) GAP 2: N = 14 (434 acres) WHERE IS WILDERNESS?
Some Statewide & Regional Land Trust Examples 9) Squam Lakes Conservation Society Wilderness = GAP 1 Restricted Easements only 291 acres 4 Sites Beij Preserve (203 acres) Metcalf Preserve (85 acres) Kelsey Easement (1.9 acres) Twig s Island (.1 acres) GAP 2: N = 33 (2279 acres) WHERE IS WILDERNESS?
Some Statewide & Regional Land Trust Examples 10) Southeast Land Trust Wilderness = GAP 1 Restricted Easements only 206 acres 3 Sites Great Bog (195 acres) York Memorial Forest (9.6 acres) Trickey s Cove (.52 acres) GAP 2: N = 8 (320 acres) WHERE IS WILDERNESS?
Some Statewide & Regional Land Trust Examples 11) Bear Paw Regional Greenways Wilderness = GAP 1 1 site, Pinkney Preserve (167 acres) GAP 2: N = 15 (1107 acres) WHERE IS WILDERNESS?
Some Statewide & Regional Land Trust Examples 12) Upper Saco Valley Land Trust Wilderness = GAP 1 Restricted Easements only 156.4 acres (4 sites) CE #1 (86 acres) CE #2 (53 acres) CE #3 (16 acres) GAP 2: N = 4 (766.4 acres) All Easements Big Oak/White Lot Brook (500 acres) Black Brook (153 acres) CMR Properties (55 acres) WHERE IS WILDERNESS?
Some Statewide & Regional Land Trust Examples 13) Picataquog Land Conservancy Wilderness = GAP 1 (All but 1 CE s) 63.6 acres (1 site) Millimet (Weare) GAP 2: N = 8 (106.7 acres) All Easements except Thomas Lot (44 acres) WHERE IS WILDERNESS?
WHERE IS WILDERNESS? % GAP 1 by Land Trust* % GAP 2 by Land Trust 7.1 0.6 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.1 1.2 2.9 2.5 1.8 6.3 4.3 0.2 26.3 7.6 40.5 12.9 13.0 2.5 2.7 4.1 14.3 23.5 1.5 21.4 1.7 TNC LRCT SPNHF NHAS MC HC UVLT ASLT SLCS SELT Bear Paw USVLT PLC TNC LRCT SPNHF NHAS MC HC UVLT ASLT SLCS SELT Bear Paw USVLT PLC * Top 13 land trusts hold 52% of GAP 1 Lands in NH Source: NH GRANIT 2013
HOW DO WE INTEGRATE WILDERNESS INTO OUR LAND CONSERVATION PROJECTS? 1) Formulate Strategic Plan Establish firm basis for wilderness Advocate educate motivate Revise land conservation policies 2) Identify Target Sites for Protection Perform GIS assessment Contact NHNHB, NHF&G 3) Secure Dedicated Funding Donor options Consider partner organizations 4) Integrate Deed Restrictions that secures GAP 1 status in perpetuity
HOW DO WE INTEGRATE WILDERNESS INTO OUR LAND CONSERVATION PROJECTS? 1) Fee Ownerships o Ensure that purposes of transfer incorporate protective language: 2) Conservation Easements Recitals WHEREAS, Grantor wishes to ensure the perpetual preservation of the Protected Property as Forever Wild (as hereinafter defined) and protection of its natural values; WHEREAS, land preservation, the expansion of existing conservation areas and the establishment of wildlife linkages can be used to prevent further fragmentation and habitat loss, and to restore Ecological Integrity (Reed Noss and Allen Cooperrider, Saving Nature s Legacy, 1994) Definitions Forever Wild is a designation for land protected in its natural condition. The Ecological Integrity and wild character of the land are preserved and protected in perpetuity. Forever Wild land should be as free from human manipulation and disturbance as possible, with management actions, if any, primarily limited to ecological restoration or to preservation of natural communities and rare species at risk. Natural occurrences such as floods, weather events, and fire and native insect outbreaks should continue to influence the land over time, creating at times areas of downed, dead wood or early successional habitat. Conservation Purposes Grantor and Grantee acknowledge that the primary goal of this instrument is to maintain the Protected Property as conservation land whereby natural processes prevail, whole ecological systems may flourish, and diverse species are free to evolve in a relatively natural habitat.
HOW DO WE INTEGRATE WILDERNESS INTO OUR LAND CONSERVATION PROJECTS? 2) Conservation Easements Resticted Uses of the Burdened Property No use shall be made of the Protected Property, and no activity thereon shall be permitted which, in the reasonable opinion of Grantee, is or is likely to become inconsistent with the Purposes of this Easement. Permitted Use of the Burdened Property Low-impact, non-commercial, non-mechanized and nonmotorized recreation including bird watching, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and hiking, provided that such use does not increase to a level where it may be reasonably deemed to be inconsistent with the Purposes of this Easement Discretionary Consent Notwithstanding the prohibitions contained in Section III of this Easement, Grantee may consent to an activity that is otherwise prohibited thereunder based upon unforeseen or changed circumstances at the Grantee s sole discretion if the activity: (1) is non-commercial and not for economic benefit; (2) does not impair the conservation values of the Protected Property; and (3) is consistent with the Purposes as defined in Section II above; and (4) does not place at risk any flora or fauna, exemplary natural communities, critical wildlife habitat and/or unique ecological features. Any such act or use must be in compliance with the Management Plan. Such requests for permission shall be in writing and shall describe the proposed activity in sufficient detail to allow the Grantee to make the judgments listed above. Management Plan
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS Allowance for Ecological Restoration Manipulation for wildlife habitat enhancement Coordination with State Fire Marshall on wildfire & property damage Neighbor relations & potential violations from motorized use Careful monitoring of low-impact recreation esp. mountain bikes Hunting & fishing ALL TO BE SPELLED OUT IN A MANAGEMENT PLAN!!!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Northeast Wilderness Trust http://www.newildernesstrust.org/c onserving-your-land/conservationeasements/ David Patrick, TNC Don Berry, LRCT Wendy Weisiger, SPNHF Phil Brown, NHAS Rick Brackett, MC Meade Cadot, HC Jason Berard, UVLT Andy Deegan, Ausbon Sargent Pete Helm, SLCS Duane Hyde, SELT Dan Kern, Bear Paw William Abbott, USVLT Tom Jones, PLC
IN WILDNESS IS THE PRESERVATION OF THE WORLD