WSAs are managed under the Interim Management Policy and Guidelines for Lands Under Wilderness Review: Update Document H-8550. Most management actions and resource uses in WSAs are subject to the nonimpairment mandate under the IMP, ensuring that WSAs are not adversely affected by impairing their suitability for preservation as wilderness. There are no proposed actions contrary to managing the areas to protect their wilderness characteristics. Therefore, managing WSAs under the IMP preserves the wilderness character of the areas. The areas’ naturalness, opportunities for solitude and primitive, unconfined recreation, and any special features that further qualify them for consideration as wilderness, would be preserved. At the same time, activities that would adversely affect the wilderness character of the areas would be prohibited.

Adverse impacts to WSAs are those that reduce wilderness characteristics in the area and reduce the potential for designation as wilderness. Beneficial impacts to WSAs are those that maintain or enhance wilderness characteristics or decrease evidence of human presence in these areas. Direct impacts result from management actions that may affect naturalness, opportunities for solitude, and opportunities for primitive, unconfined recreation within the boundaries of WSAs. Indirect impacts include management actions outside WSA boundaries that may affect wilderness characteristics.