The Bureau of Land Management administers over 256 million surface acres, more than any other U.S. public agency, the vast majority of which is in the western half of the United States. A land protection system was initiated in 1970 with the creation of the King Range National Conservation Area. In 1976, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (http://www.blm.gov/fipma/) changed the BLM's mission from land disposal and management for resource production to uses that included protective designations including Wilderness. In 2000, the BLM responded to the growing concern over management of protected areas with creation of the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) (http://www.conservationsystem.org/conservationsystem/). Wilderness Areas, Wilderness Study Areas, National Conservation Areas, National Monuments, Wild and Scenic Rivers and National Scenic and Historic Trails are all components of the NLCS. In 2009, legislation codified the NLCS, and gave it permanence under the law. Pure, unmodified wilderness occupies one end of the spectrum. At the other end of the spectrum, National Monuments, National Conservation Areas and similar designations can be found, containing recreational and interpretive developments to facilitate public understanding and appreciation of protected landscapes. These different protective designations provide a range of opportunities and experiences to the public and to generations to come. When a decision must be made on how to proceed with conservation of natural areas, the NLCS provides a helpful example of a range of possible designations.

The Federal Land Policy & Management Act of 1976 directed the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to inventory its lands for wilderness characteristics and to protect identified areas as "wilderness study areas" (WSAs) until acted upon by Congress. BLM conducted these inventories and studies between 1976 and 1991, finding nearly 800 areas totaling 9.6 million hectares to possess wilderness characteristics. The remaining areas, released from "interim management" protection, were expected to be further degraded by uses not allowed within WSAs. In the ensuing 20 to 30 years, however, a surprising number of formerly unqualified areas have now been found to meet minimum wilderness criteria. Using Oregon public lands as an example, this paper highlights events, prompted largely by non-governmental organizations conducting "citizen inventories," and renewed wilderness inventory efforts conducted by the BLM, that have led to an unexpected second chance to recognize new areas with wilderness characteristics.