Recreationists can also view various regulations and guidelines for the specific wilderness they plan on visiting, to be prepared for bears, moose or whatever species may be of concern in the area.

Wilderness.net also has tools for land managers, with searchable databases that cover legal and scientific issues, along with climate change, fire and using tools on federal lands.

Wilderness areas can be searched by the bureau that oversees it as well, including the Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service and the National Park Service.

The Wilderness Institute is headquartered in the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation on the UM campus. According to the release, the institute manages the only online library that covers federal wilderness areas in this detail.

The college of Forestry has managed the library since 1996, Ronald said, and last updated the website around 2010.

Around 475,000 people use the tool every year, according to the release.