Applying Knowledge-Based Methods to Design and Implement an Air Quality Workshop

In response to protection needs in class I wilderness areas, forest land managers of the USDA Forest Service must provide input to regulatory agencies regarding air pollutant impacts on air quality-related values. Regional workshops have been convened for land managers and scientists to discuss the aspects and extent of wilderness protection needs. Previous experience with a national workshop indicated that a document summarizing workshop discussions will have little operational utility. An alternative is to create a knowledge-based analytical system, in addition to the document, to aid land managers in assessing effects of air pollutants on wilderness. Knowledge-based methods were used to design and conduct regional workshops in the western United States. Extracting knowledge from a large number of workshop participants required careful planning of workshop discussions. Knowledge elicitation methods helped with this task. This knowledge-based approach appears to be effective for focusing group discussions and collecting knowledge from large groups of specialists. The 1964 Wilderness Act gives the USDA Forest Service responsibility and authority to manage designated wilderness areas to preserve, protect, and enhance their wilderness character. Many wilderness areas within the nation’s national forests contain ecosystems and resources that have the potential to become degraded by existing or future air pollution emissions. Air quality and air pollution protection for these areas have not been addressed directly by Wilderness Act legislation. However, protecting the earth and its community of life, and promoting, perpetuating, and, where necessary, restoring the wilderness character of the land have been promulgated. 1 Congress, through the federal Clean Air Act of 1977 2 (CAA), as amended, gave federal land managers (FLMs) an affirmative responsibility to protect all those values possessed by a wilderness area that may be affected by changes in air quality. These air quality-related values (AQRVs) include visibility, odor, flora, fauna, geological resources, archaeological resources,