The evolution of WSA field monitoring is here!
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and American Conservation Experience (ACE) partnered to develop an electronic citizen-science based monitoring program for Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs).
The application, called WildSNAP, is available to BLM employees and members of the public in the state of Utah who complete this training. Use of the app will assist BLM in increasing monitoring capacity for Wilderness Study Areas, to ensure that they are managed to the non-impairment standard.
We wanted to allow concerned citizens an avenue to explore WSAs and to aid in the protection of our Nation’s most pristine, undeveloped lands, while at the same time exploring and enjoying everything our public lands have to offer.
We also wanted to help bring conservation into the 21st Century, and recognized the proliferation of mobile devices, their ability to take photos and collect various forms of data, and their ease of use. It seemed like a natural fit.