About Us

Since our establishment in 1993, Leopold Institute scientists have worked on many high priority wilderness issues for the four National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) agencies. Wilderness research topics include: natural disturbances (e.g., past, present and future role of wild land fire in shaping ecosystems); social barriers to fire restoration; recreation experiences and impacts, trends in use and users and managing conflicting demands; inventory and monitoring (e.g., amphibians and reptiles); and, ecosystem services, social and cultural resources and climate and land use change vulnerability assessment. Leopold Institute scientists also have a long history of working with wilderness agency managers on the development of wilderness stewardship tools, such as the Limits of Acceptable Change planning framework, determining legislative history, wilderness character monitoring and frameworks to evaluate proposals for scientific activities and restoration actions in wilderness.