# Wilderness study area > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Wilderness_study_area > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Wilderness_study_area.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilderness_study_area > Source revision: 1344978082 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Type of protected wilderness area in United States}} {{Use American English|date=July 2025}} thumb|right|Map of BLM Wilderness Study Areas. thumb|Slinkard BLM Wilderness Study Area, California thumb|Sutton Mountain BLM Wilderness Study Area, Oregon A '''wilderness study area''' (WSA) contains undeveloped [United States](/source/United_States) federal land retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation, and managed to preserve its natural conditions. The [Bureau of Land Management](/source/Bureau_of_Land_Management) (BLM) manages wilderness study areas under the [National Landscape Conservation System](/source/National_Conservation_Lands) to protect their value as [wilderness](/source/wilderness) until Congress decides whether to designate them as wilderness, including them in the [National Wilderness Preservation System](/source/National_Wilderness_Preservation_System). On BLM lands, a WSA is a roadless area that has been inventoried (but not designated by Congress) and found to have wilderness characteristics as described in Section 603 of the [Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976](/source/Federal_Land_Policy_and_Management_Act_of_1976) and Section 2(c) of the [Wilderness Act](/source/Wilderness_Act) of 1964. Wilderness Study Area characteristics are: * Size – roadless areas of at least {{convert|5000|acre}} of public lands or of a manageable size * Naturalness – generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature rather than human activity * Opportunities – provides outstanding opportunities for solitude or primitive and unconfined types of recreation{{cite web |title=Wilderness and Wilderness Study Areas |url=https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/wilderness |publisher=[Bureau of Land Management](/source/Bureau_of_Land_Management) |access-date=11 December 2023}} Wilderness bills often include so-called "release language" that eliminates WSAs not selected for wilderness designation. Some WSAs are managed in exactly the same manner as wilderness areas, a specific government designation and not synonymous with the natural state of wilderness. Some areas permit activities that are generally excluded from wildernesses, such as [mountain biking](/source/mountain_biking) and [off-roading](/source/off-roading). As of 2023, there are 487 BLM wilderness study areas in the United States, with a total area of {{convert|11118496|acre}}. The highest number of WSAs in any single U.S. state is 87 (2,645,103 acres) in [Oregon](/source/Oregon). In terms of size, the state of [Utah](/source/Utah) is home to the most BLM acres (2,795,574) in the United States.{{cite web |title=Wilderness Areas and Wilderness Study Areas Summary Table |publisher=Bureau of Land Management |date=December 2023 |url=https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/about/maps-data-and-resources/wld_wsa_summary_table |access-date=10 December 2023}} ==See also== * [Landscape](/source/Landscape) * [List of wilderness study areas](/source/List_of_wilderness_study_areas) * [National forest (United States)](/source/National_forest_(United_States)) * [Natural landscape](/source/Natural_landscape) * [Protected areas of the United States](/source/Protected_areas_of_the_United_States) ==Notes== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Commons category}} * [https://www.blm.gov/noc/blm-library/federal-land-policy-and-management-act-1976-amended The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 As Amended] * [https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/wilderness Wilderness and Wilderness Study Areas, Bureau of Land Management] {{US Protected Areas}} Category:Protected areas of the United States --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Wilderness study area](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilderness_study_area) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilderness_study_area?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.