Society for Wilderness Stewardship

You've seen it: trailheads packed two miles down the road, campsites closed indefinitely, trails eroding into gullies, invasive plants choking out native wildflowers. This is wilderness degradation. Without expert stewardship, America's wildlands face an uncertain future. 

Without active management, our precious wildlands risk irreversible degradation. That's where the Society for Wilderness Stewardship (SWS) takes a stand. For 20 years, we've worked with land management agencies and researchers to safeguard 350+ wilderness areas, delivering essential monitoring, training, and expertise that empower effective stewardship of these remarkable natural treasures.

Testimonial & WA Projects

Land managers across the country have lauded SWS for its support of high-quality wilderness management. Here in Washington, SWS has achieved several benchmarks for Washington communities. From training and bringing together hundreds of attendees at events like the Wilderness Skills College in Trout Lake and the Alpine Lakes Collaborative workshop at Snoqualmie Pass, to completing 74% of baseline condition reports for designated Washington wilderness areas in partnership with the Forest Service — all critical appraches to build a stewardship community to help manage 4.3 million acres of Washington's wildest and most revered public lands.

Mission

We are a leading national organization dedicated to developing and implementing the gold standard of wilderness and natural resource management across the United States. Our mission is to promote excellence in the professional practice of wilderness stewardship, science, and education to ensure the life-sustaining benefits of wilderness.

Our vision is that stewards of the National Wilderness Preservation System have the professional abilities and resources to ensure that the values and benefits of wilderness are understood, treasured, and preserved by all people. We serve the federal public land management agency wilderness personnel and all non-profit staff and volunteers who provide stewardship services on federally designated wilderness lands.

Goals

The goals of the Society's community of practice are to:

• Professionalize the discipline of wilderness management and stewardship through career development and networking.
• Improve the practice of wilderness stewardship by fostering development, delivery, and application of state-of-the-art science and best management practices. 
• Build the capacity of agencies, organizations, and volunteers to support the National Wilderness Preservation System through collaboration and partnerships.
• Increase the resources needed to ensure an enduring resource of wilderness for present and future generations.
• Advance public awareness and support of the life-sustaining benefits of wilderness.
• Engage the next generation of wilderness stewards by supporting the expansion of educational, experiential, and professional development opportunities.