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Wilderness and Wilderness Study Areas
Wilderness designated in Title I - Subtitle F of the Act (Owyhee Public Land Management) is located in two BLM Field Offices, Bruneau and Owyhee, with some acreage in the Jarbidge Field Office also affected. FLPMA directed the BLM to inventory areas on public lands that meet the minimum criteria for wilderness designation under the Wilderness Act of 1972. These areas are called Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs). Congress also asked the BLM to provide recommendations about which WSAs would be most suitable for designation as wilderness. The BLM completed the Idaho Wilderness Study Report in 1991. The Report identified 67 WSAs totaling approximately 1.3 million acres on Idaho’s public lands. Idaho WSA Table | Idaho Wilderness Reports
For example, cross-country travel by off-highway vehicle (OHV) is not allowed in WSAs. WSAs are available for a variety of other recreation activities, such as hiking and hunting (in accordance with state hunting regulations). Consult the BLM brochure "Experiencing Your Wilderness Study Areas" (520kb PDF) to learn more about how the BLM manages various activities in WSAs. Remoteness is a characteristic of all Wilderness and WSAs, so it’s a good idea to contact the local BLM field office for access, resource and management information before you visit. Field Offices managing Wilderness: Bruneau | Owyhee | Jarbidge Field Office WSA Pages: Challis | Shoshone | Pocatello | Jarbidge | Salmon | Upper Snake | Burley | Four Rivers | Cottonwood | Coeur d'Alene
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Only Congress can designate Wilderness. Until congressional action, the BLM is required to manage each WSA to prevent impairment of the area’s suitability for wilderness designation. Certain historic uses, such as livestock grazing and mining activities on existing claims, can generally continue, but most uses that could impact the wilderness qualities of WSAs are restricted.