2023-2028 Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex Education Plan

by Erynn Castellanos, BMWF Education & Partnership Specialist

Since 2021, we’ve been working closely with the Forest Service on a Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex Education Plan. The Mission of the Education Plan is to outline and implement consistent Wilderness education throughout the entire Bob Complex. The plan follows the standards provided in the Wilderness Stewardship Performance framework and contains a proactive means of addressing the Wilderness resource while connecting with audiences beyond the Wilderness boundary.

The main components of the education plan include goals, objectives, priority issues, and messaging discussed over several meetings held during 2021-2023. If you are an educator and you live on the fringe of the Bob, get in touch with us and we can help support with Wilderness education activities.

If you visit our full education plan found at the bottom of the page you can explore some of our topics, and visit some resources as references to continue education on these topics.

The first Wilderness Education Action Plan for the BMWC was developed in 1986. In 1991 the plan, as well as education efforts, were reviewed and new energy was put towards education efforts and the development of a new education plan was completed in 1994. The BMWC Recreation Management Direction (1987) emphasized information and education as a priority management action for limiting Wilderness impacts. Complex managers and citizen representatives on the Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) Task Force recommended the use of education over regulatory methods. Public and In-Service Education is recognized by complex managers as the Main Management Activity in the 1992 Recreation initiative and follows the values outlined in the “Five -Year National Recreation Action Plan”.

Contact Erynn Castellanos at erynn@bmwf.org for more information on the education plan or how you can add wilderness education to your own curriculum.