Summary: To help ensure that Forest Service wilderness areas are protected and maintained in their natural state, Congress increased funding for wilderness management by almost 80 percent during fiscal years 1989 through 1991. The Forest Service, however, diverted more than one-third of the $44.7 million designated for wilderness management to other activities. Of the $28.3 million spent on wilderness management, $10.5 million was used for management expenses--mainly salaries and administrative costs--at organizational levels above the district offices, with the remainder spent on wilderness management at the district level. The Forest Service reported that 112 of the 500 district offices managing wilderness areas saw cuts in funding for fiscal year 1990, including some offices that had earlier reported funding and staffing shortfalls. Contrary to congressional directives, the Forest Service reprogrammed these funds without seeking prior approval by the House Committee on Appropriations. The head of the Forest Service recently outlined several steps to ensure that (1) designated funds are spent as Congress intended, (2) the Committee's reprogramming procedures are followed, and (3) there is greater accountability over funds designated for wilderness management. In addition, GAO suggests that the Forest Service refine its accounting for expenditures and establish output targets to improve accountability over expenditures of wilderness management funds and the performance of wilderness managers.
