Wilderness management planning in an Alaskan National Park: Last chance to do it right?

Like many wilderness areas, Denali National Park and Preserve faces a variety of challenges in its wilderness management planning. As an Alaska conservation unit that has been significantly expanded by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (ANILCA), Denali faces the additional responsibility of acknowledging that its management of controversial issues affects how other wilderness areas are managed throughout the state. Advocates of managing Denali as wilderness in its purest sense encourage the park to see its wilderness management planning as the "last chance to do it right." Other individuals and organizations advocate activities such as continued motorized uses in Denali wilderness. As a result, Denali's backcountry management plan addresses such issues as aircraft overflights and landings, snowmachine use, other motorized uses, and commercial and recreational uses. Wilderness management planning in Denali requires proper interpretation of ANILCA and accurate definition of types and levels of use. Success requires working with the public to develop innovative approaches to allocating uses, minimizing conflicting uses, and protecting remote yet accessible backcountry resources.