National Park Service September 23, 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to the Wilderness Act of 1964, and in accordance with National Park Service (NPS) Management Policies (2006), Section 6.2.1, the NPS has completed a Wilderness Eligibility Assessment to determine if lands within Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (Big South Fork NRRA) meet criteria indicating eligibility for preservation as wilderness. The lands subject to the assessment were those identified in the park's General Management Plan as being within the Natural Environment Recreation Zone and the Sensitive Resource Protection Zone. All other zones in the plan are development zones. Based on the assessment, the NPS has concluded that the assessed lands: (1) Are not predominantly roadless and undeveloped; (2) are not greater than 5,000 acres in size or of sufficient size as to make practicable their preservation and use in an unimpaired condition; and (3) do not meet the wilderness character criteria listed in the Wilderness Act and NPS Management Policies (2006). As a result of these findings, the NPS has determined that lands within Big South Fork NRRA do not warrant further study for possible designation as wilderness at this time. An updated eligibility assessment may be warranted in the future as lands in the park recover from past human disturbance.