Our Mission
To grow and support a national network of wilderness and public land stewardship organizations to provide ongoing stewardship for America's wilderness areas.
Our Vision
Our vision is to see each wilderness area within the National Wilderness Preservation System adopted by a wilderness stewardship organization dedicated to protecting and nurturing the area’s character and values. We envision effective partnerships between community-based, non-profit wilderness stewardship organizations and all government agencies charged with the management of our national wilderness areas.
Read NWSA's Strategic Direction
How We Work
As the only national organization tasked with connecting non-profit wilderness stewardship groups with federal land management agency partners, NWSA plays a unique role in the stewardship of America's public lands and Wilderness areas. Our role is two-fold: help our non-profit partners connect with, understand and navigate partnerships with federal agencies and help our federal agency partners connect with, understand, and support wilderness stewardship organizations to add much needed capacity to national wilderness stewardship needs. We strive to foster effective partnerships between community-based, non-profit wilderness stewardship organizations and all government agencies charged with the management of our national wilderness areas to ensure an enduring Wilderness resource.
Providing resources is a main component of our work, whether through our funding programs, webinars, newsletter, or the annual National Wilderness Workshop. We are laser-focused on bringing support to the wilderness stewardship community, driving our community forward, and supporting positive relationships between all working toward a better future for Wilderness. Our funding programs connect land management agencies with non-profit partner organizations to accomplish essential stewardship work on America's wilderness and public lands. In addition to providing significant leverage to federal funding, these programs engage thousands of volunteers, benefit millions of public land visitors, contribute positive impacts to underserved communities, foster the next generation of wilderness stewards, and support the hundreds of nonprofit partner organizations who are essential to this work. Our training opportunities and resources help our partners take their work to the next level. Behind the scenes, we work on a national level to secure funding for wilderness and public lands stewardship and serve as voice for our non-profit partner organizations in national planning and budgeting processes.
Who We Work With
NWSA partners with a national network of federal land management agencies, nonprofit organizations, and corporate partners to bring capacity, skill, innovation, attention, and resources to public lands stewardship. You can see a list of our partners HERE.
