Special Provisions in Wilderness: Water Rights   

Course summary: 

This course is intended to highlight the need to engage with water rights issues to preserve wilderness character. 

The mandate from Section 4(b) of the Wilderness Act states that "each agency administering any area designated as wilderness shall be responsible for preserving the wilderness character of the area." In this course, we will discuss from where water rights originate, the extent of the water right associated with wilderness, how to prioritize work towards safeguarding water rights, and the basic elements of the work required to accomplish these tasks. 

Though the course will not make you a water rights expert or equip you to work independently, it is intended to provide wilderness managers with sufficient knowledge of the topic, so as to engage with other staff in the important work of securing and maintaining water rights. The course is also intended to bring awareness to hydrologists, realty specialists, and biologists of the importance water rights play in preserving wilderness character. 

Course objectives: 

After completing this course, learners should be able to: 

• Describe the importance of water rights to wilderness stewardship. 

• Define the fundamentals of the two systems that allocate water in the United States. 

• Describe how water rights may be protected for the benefit of wilderness. 

• Identify the water resource features on which to focus the most attention. 

• Describe basic principles in data collection. 

• Identify the roles of different staff specialists in water rights work. 

• Characterize the allowances for water conveyance facilities. 

Recommended background:

It is strongly recommended that you complete the free The Wilderness Act of 1964 e-course before beginning this course. Without foundational knowledge of the Wilderness Act, you will not be able to get the most out of this course and could find the content confusing. It is also recommended that you complete the Minimum Requirements Analysis (Writing and Evaluating) courses.

Course topics include: 

• A Brief History of Water Rights and How They Apply to Federal Lands 

• Water in Wilderness - Why it Matters to Wilderness Character 

• Making Sense of Terminology 

• Principles of a Federal Reserved Water Right 

• How Much Water Is Allocated to Wilderness? 

• Wilderness Specific Legislation 

• Water Right Issues That May Influence a Wilderness Water Right 

• Adjudcation of Federal Reserved Water Rights 

• Protecting Water Resources Without an Adjucated Federal Water Right 

• Prioritized Workload 

• Water Rights Work Breakdown 

• Your Role in Water Rights 

• Managing Water Storage and Conveyance Facilities in Wilderness 

• Other Considerations Related to Water Rights 

• Climate Change and Water Rights 

Elements of the course: 

• Informational text 

• Interactive practice activities 

• Supplemental reference materials 

• Final assessment 

This course is self-paced, allowing learners the flexibility to complete the course as quickly or slowly as they need. 

After completing all course content and activities, you will complete a final quiz to demonstrate your understanding of key course concepts. Upon successful completion of the quiz, you will be awarded a certificate of completion. 

Please Note: After successfully registering for this course, login information for the online learning platform, Canvas, will be emailed to you at the address used for your account creation. This process could take up to 48 hours to complete. If you do not receive the login information in 48 hours, please email ExtendedLearningSupport@umontana.edu for assistance.