ABSTRACT
The kind and amount of access provided or permitted for all wilderness users, the development done in the name of wilderness management, and the way outfitters conduct their business are the factors exerting the greatest influence on the character of our National Wilderness Preservation System. The Forest Service wilderness management philosophy settled down to consistently biocentric orientation in 1965 after months of internal debate and public involvement. Contrasted with the anthropocentric perspective is one that places emphasis on the maintenance of the natural systems at the expense of recreational and other human uses if necessary. The Forest Service endeavored to achieve a distinctive and consistent management philosophy. Manipulating natural ecology deliberately to enhance human uses is unacceptable. The anthropocentric approach would say that structures or installations which are hidden have little or no impact on wilderness, and that neither would motorized equipment if used when few people are around.
