What is a “Wilderness Study Area?
The 1976 Federal Land Management Policy Act required the Bureau of Land Management to identify potential wilderness areas under its jurisdiction. In 1991, the agency released its statewide wilderness study report, which identified 7.1 million acres of potential wilderness areas across California. These areas are known as “wilderness study areas.” They are equivalent to roadless areas within National Forests.
A wilderness study area (WSA) is designated to allow an area to be studies and considered by Congress for possible designation as wilderness. WSAs are to be managed in a manner so as not to impair their suitability — or their untrammeled nature — for preservation as wilderness. WSAs may eventually gain true wilderness status, or they may eventually be denied wilderness protection.
