The twenty-three Wilderness Areas that stretch from Lake Tahoe to the Mojave comprise some of the most highly visited wilderness in the United States. With nearby urban and rural population centers containing human diversity to match the natural diversity of this wild expanse, wilderness education is a challenge that is being met by the interagency Central and Southern Sierra Wilderness Education Project (WEP).

The wilderness managers from central Sierra National Parks, Forests and later the Bureau of Land Management Resource Areas realize that effective education is one of the keys to a successful wilderness management program, but it's also the first thing to be cut when the budgets go on their annual roller-coaster rides; their solution -- an interagency approach to wilderness education. The WEP implements three established and successful target programs. Two of these programs, Project Leave No Trace and Wilderness Riders target existing visitors, while WildLink targets culturally diverse high school students throughout California.

The WEP coordinates all the WildLink activities from curriculum components to Expeditions. Contact Barb Miranda, WEP Program Coordinator at (209) 372-0735 or via e-mail.

The Sierra Nevada Wilderness Education Project is a partnership between:

• Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park

• Yosemite National Park

• Eldorado National Forest

• Inyo National Forest

• Sequoia National Forest

• Sierra National Forest

• Stanislaus National Forest

• Toiyabe National Forest

• BLM Caliente Resource Area

• BLM Ridgecrest Resource Area

• BLM Bishop Resource Area