Wilderness Values and Archaeological Resource Management.

Most archaeological sites in wilderness have value primarily for the information they can yield. Often, information value can be realized only through methods such as excavation and artifact collection that physically consume part of the site and remove specimens from archaeological context. The required management emphasis is conservation- I.e., protection coupled with frugal, long-term use. Wilderness, on the other hand. has value primarily for its symbolic and aesthetic qualities. Scientific, educational, and economic values are secondary. Primary wilderness values generally can be realized without physically altering the wilderness environment; hence, preservation of natural character and process is the preferred management emphasis. It is argued that archaeological resources in wilderness can be managed in a conservation framework that permits both consumptive use and active protection measures, but that special care must be taken to implement these measures in ways that minimize conflict with the preservation of wilderness values.Lipe, William D. (1990). Wilderness Values and Archaeological Resource Management. In Managing America's Enduring Wilderness Resource, edited by David Lime, pp. 305-310. Minnesota Extension Service, University of Minnesota, St. Paul