How was the original BLM inventory inadequate?
The original inventory went seriously astray from policies set by Congress. Huge tracts were “inventoried” for wilderness suitability by helicopter without adequate fieldwork on the ground. Many inventory decisions violated the BLM s own policy. Large and pristine areas were dropped because of minor human impacts around the periphery that could have been eliminated by boundary adjustments. Contrary to BLM rules, the agency dropped areas from the inventory lands with potential real or imagined for mineral development. The BLM considered other areas unsuitable because portions of the roadless areas were flat of sparsely vegetated and “lacked opportunity for solitude,” ignoring the importance of wilderness for wildlife and ecosystem management.
