Technical Core Competencies

Wilderness Stewardship Specialists

& Non-Specialists

This document identifies interagency Wilderness Technical Core Competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) needed to implement wilderness stewardship law, regulation, and policy at three different levels of expertise for two different groups of employees; wilderness stewardship specialists and wilderness stewardship non-specialists.

Wilderness Stewardship Specialists are those employees having varying levels of responsibility for wilderness program planning, coordination, implementation, stewardship, and other activities.

Wilderness Stewardship Non-Specialists are those employees having varying levels of wilderness-related responsibilities but whose primary duty is not wilderness stewardship.

Wilderness managers and other employees having responsibility for wilderness, no matter how limited, can use these Competencies to identify gaps between existing and needed wilderness knowledge, skills, and abilities. With this information they and their supervisors can develop and prioritize Individual Training and Development Plans. These Competencies can be used by each agency to identify training gaps and to guide development and delivery of training courses specifically designed to bridge these gaps. Courses designed to help meet these Competencies can be found on www.carhart.wilderness.net. All courses provide between one and four academic credits for those working to meet 401 professional series requirements.

Levels of Expertise

Whether 10 percent or 100 percent of an employee’s time is dedicated to wilderness stewardship, the complexity of the job remains the same and requires expertise across a number of disciplines. Expertise needed varies, depending on position. Three different levels of expertise for wilderness stewardship specialists and non-specialists have been identified. Levels of Expertise are so named to ensure consistency with Office of Personnel Management nomenclature while accommodating agency differences.

Technical Core Competencies Page 2 of 18

Wilderness Specialists & Non-Specialists 4/14/2009

Wilderness Specialists Levels of Expertise

1.  Entry Level: KSAs needed to recognize wilderness stewardship components, opportunities and needs, and to refer opportunities and needs to appropriate specialists.

2.  Full Performance Level: KSAs needed to fully and independently identify and analyze wilderness stewardship opportunities and needs for most situations, to develop interdisciplinary solutions with appropriate specialists, and to make recommendations for making decisions. Individual may train other professionals and technicians in the principles, terminology, and field practice of the subject.

3.  Expert Level: KSAs needed to fully and independently identify and analyze wilderness stewardship opportunities and needs in complex situations, develop programmatic interdisciplinary solutions with appropriate specialists, and make recommendations for making decisions and policy changes. Individual may train other professionals and technicians in the principles, terminology, and field practice of the subject.

Wilderness Non-Specialists Levels of Expertise

1.  Recognition Level: KSAs needed to convey or implement basic wilderness stewardship principles.

2.  Coordination Level: KSAs needed to develop interdisciplinary solutions to wilderness stewardship issues with wilderness specialists.

3.  Leadership Level: KSAs needed for making wilderness decisions.

Competency Areas

Both wilderness stewardship specialists and non-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.

Technical Core Competencies Page 2 of 18

Wilderness Specialists & Non-Specialists 4/14/2009

To identify the skills you need to develop, simply identify your agency and position on the table on the next page. This will inform you if you are a Wilderness Stewardship Specialist or Non-Specialist and your expected level of expertise. With that information, go to each of the six Competency Areas 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.

These competencies were developed and extensively reviewed by an interagency team drawing from work originally produced by the Forest Service (FS) and by the National Park Service in the early 1990s in response to requests from the FS Corporate Training Office and from the Office of Personnel Management.

Wilderness Specialists
Agency
Bureau of Land Management / Fish & Wildlife Service / Forest Service / National Park Service
Entry Level / ·  Field Office wilderness staff / ·  Seasonal wilderness specialist / ·  Wilderness Rangers / ·  Seasonal wilderness & backcountry park rangers
Full Performance Level / ·  Field Office wilderness lead / ·  Refuge Managers & Deputy Refuge Managers
·  Refuge Operations Specialist / ·  Wilderness Manager or Specialist
·  Forest and District staff with wilderness as part of their duties / ·  Permanent wilderness & backcountry park rangers
·  Park wilderness specialists
Expert Level / ·  WO-172 staff
·  State wilderness lead
·  District wilderness lead
·  Carhart Rep / ·  National Wilderness Coordinator
·  Regional Wilderness Coordinators
·  Carhart Rep / ·  Forest wilderness staff specialists with wilderness as a major part of their duties
·  Regional Wilderness Program Managers
·  National Wilderness Program Manager and Steering Committee Member
·  WWSR Director
·  Carhart Rep / ·  WASO Wilderness Staff and Regional Coordinators
·  Carhart Rep
Non-Wilderness Specialists
Agency
Bureau of Land Management / Fish & Wildlife Service / Forest Service / National Park Service
Recognition Level / ·  Field Office non-wilderness staff / ·  Field Bio-technicians
·  Front office staff / ·  Non-wilderness field technicians and trail crews
·  Front office staff / ·  Seasonal resource technicians, rangers, and trail crews
·  Interpreters
Coordination Level / ·  Field Office non-wilderness program leads / ·  Resource Specialists
·  Planners
·  Education & Interpretation Specialists
·  Rangers / ·  Non-wilderness resource specialists
·  Engineers
·  Planners / ·  Natural or cultural resource specialists
·  Trail crew sups
·  Interpreters
·  Planners
·  Permanent Park Rangers
Leadership Level / ·  Field Office Manager and higher line officers / ·  Regional Chiefs
·  Refuge Supervisors / ·  Line Officers / ·  NWSC Members
·  Superintendents
·  Deputy and Assistant Superintendents
·  Division Chiefs
·  District Rangers

Technical Core Competencies Page 18 of 18

Wilderness Specialists & Non-Specialists 4/14/2009

Wilderness History, Law, Regulation, and Policy (Wilderness Specialists) - KSAs needed to interpret and implement the history and laws of the National Wilderness Preservation System, and agency wilderness stewardship regulations and policies.
Entry Level / Knowledge and understanding of:
·  the Wilderness Act of 1964, other enabling legislation applicable to agency mission
·  the benefits and values of wilderness
·  agency regulation, policy, and guidelines
Full Performance Level / Knowledge and understanding of:
·  the Wilderness Act of 1964 and other significant enabling legislation, i.e. Eastern Wilderness Areas Act, ANILCA, Endangered American Wilderness Act, CO Wild Act, etc.
·  other legislation affecting the National Wilderness Preservation System, ie: American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA), Clean Air Act (CAA), Endangered Species Act (ESA), National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), etc.
·  the evolution of wilderness history, the wilderness concept and the people and events who influenced that evolution
·  agency wilderness regulations, policies, and guidelines
·  differences in policy between the four wilderness management agencies where applicable
·  key NGOs and their interpretation of wilderness law, regulation, and policy
Ability to:
·  apply the above knowledge to local wilderness issues and projects
·  interpret agency regulation and policy for unit staff
·  provide management recommendations to decision makers
Expert Level / Knowledge and understanding of:
·  same as Full Performance Level
·  local, Regional and National issues and politics with respect to wilderness
·  court decisions and their implication for interpretation of existing law, regulation, and policy
·  future trends in wilderness, including an understanding of how changes in society and technology may influence management direction
·  legislative affairs procedures and processes sufficient to work appropriately with external wilderness proposals
Ability to:
·  develop and interpret wilderness policy and implementation strategies
·  analyze and assess proposed legislation that would affect long-term wilderness management and benefits; facilitate appropriate department and agency interactions with proposed legislation
·  facilitate use of new stewardship methods and techniques
·  develop answers to questions and solutions for issues of law, regulation, and policy raised both internally and externally
·  coordinate with other agencies in the management of wilderness
Skilled in:
·  coordinating with agency attorneys and others to address litigation
·  coordinating with agency attorneys to obtain and implement legal opinions
Managing Special Provisions (Wilderness Specialists) - KSA needed to manage the special provisions identified in 1964 Wilderness Act and in subsequent enabling legislation.
Entry Level / Knowledge and understanding of:
·  the special provisions associated with the unit, such as grazing allotments, dams, mining claims, inholdings, ditches, and access to state or private lands, etc.
Ability to:
·  identify and report violation of approved uses
Full Performance Level / Knowledge and understanding of:
·  same as Entry Level
·  management practices, general technical considerations, law, regulation, and policy, associated with special provisions
Ability to:
·  same as Entry Level
·  respond to incursions, assess reports of non-compliance and other law enforcement cases of special provision uses
Skilled in:
·  coordinating with other specialists to determine appropriate management of special provisions
Expert Level / Knowledge and understanding of:
·  same as Full Performance Level
·  programs and issues to recognize potential precedent-setting situations
·  court decisions and their implication for interpretation of existing law, regulation, and policy
·  legal implications of management decisions
Ability to:
·  same as Full Performance Level
·  provide solutions where there are conflicting or unclear legislation and regulatory processes
Skilled in:
·  applying wilderness management regulations, policies, and principles and those of related programs to identify strategies and recommend or make decisions regarding special provisions
Wilderness Planning (Wilderness Specialists) - KSAs needed to address wilderness stewardship needs in programmatic and project level planning processes.
Entry Level / Knowledge and understanding of:
·  the specific unit's land management plan direction for wilderness
·  the relationship between wilderness and other unit management plans
·  the project planning process and its relationship to land management plan direction
Full Performance Level / Knowledge and understanding of:
·  same as Entry Level
·  the theory and concepts of Limits of Acceptable Change, Visitor Experience and Resource Protection, or similar planning processes
·  the unit land management planning process
·  agency or unit wilderness information database
·  the unit’s wilderness resource, values, and management issues
·  NEPA requirements
·  the wilderness resource and principles of management sufficient for representing it in interdisciplinary situations with other resource specialists
Ability to:
·  accomplish collaborative planning at both the project and program level
·  identify issues, develop and implement project plans
·  develop wilderness program action plans or implementation schedules
·  identify and communicate wilderness research and technology development needs
·  apply research
·  ensure that wilderness planning is interdisciplinary and integrated with other planning documents
Skilled in:
·  involving other government agencies and the public in the collaborative planning process where agency appropriate
·  interdisciplinary planning
·  wilderness information, education, and interpretation planning and implementation
·  developing partnerships
·  applying the minimum requirements analysis process
Expert Level / Knowledge and understanding of:
·  same as Full Performance
Ability to:
·  provide technical assistance for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other resource management planning activities
·  accomplish collaborative planning at the program level and identify and develop regional planning strategies and initiatives.
·  identify and assist with resolving regional scale issues
·  prioritize and communicate wilderness research and technology development needs
·  transfer knowledge from research results
·  review or respond to appeals and lawsuits on various wilderness issues
·  interpret effects to wilderness from changes in planning policies
·  provide advice in the evaluation and study process requirements for agency wilderness designation recommendations to Congress
·  complete analysis, devise new procedures, and provide advice on complex problems using technical information or resource data that is often inconclusive or unclear
Skilled in:
·  same as Full Performance
Wilderness Field Skills – (Wilderness Specialists) KSAs needed to accomplish specific field tasks in a variety of wilderness settings.
Entry Level / Knowledge and understanding of:
·  the wilderness resource
·  "Leave No Trace" principles and ethics
·  wilderness search and rescue procedures
·  agency fire management policy and operations, and minimum impact strategies and tactics (MIST)
·  wilderness rules, regulations and policies specific to the unit
·  the minimum requirement principle
·  revegetation or other practices and techniques needed to address impacts of use
·  law enforcement techniques if appropriate to agency
Ability to:
·  effectively communicate with wilderness users, inholders and adjacent land owners
·  act decisively and calmly under conditions of emotional and physical duress
·  collect evidence and prepare case reports on violations if appropriate to agency
·  safely navigate in a wilderness setting using the mode of travel appropriate for the setting, i.e., hiking, backpacking, packstock, canoe, skiing, snowshoe
·  implement revegetation or other techniques needed to address impacts of use