Combo.Synopsis.pdf

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for services prepared in accordance with the format prescribed in the FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation 12837119Q0065 is issued as a request for quote (RFQ). This procurement is being issued as a 100% Small Business Set-Aside. North American Industrial Classification Standard (NAICS) 561320, Side Standard of $27.5 million.

This solicitation document incorporates provisions and clauses of those in effect through Federal Acquisition Regulation Circular 2019-02. The result of this requirement will be a firm fixed priced (FFP) contract. The right to make multiple or no award is reserved in the event it is advantageous to the Government to do so.

*Line items 7 and 8 will not be evaluated as part of contract award, these line items will be COR approved and evaluated as they come up in performance of the contract.

The contractor shall provide the following:

1. Document of experience doing this type of work -please ensure key personnel resume are attached with this section of proposal

2. Technical Proposal

3. Schedule of Items completed and signed

4. Past performance Surveys (no more than 5)-attached at end of document

Work will be conducted on the Tonto National Forest POC: Greg Schuster 2324 E. McDowell Rd.

Phoenix, AZ 85006

Any questions pertaining to this acquisition shall be asked no later than Thursday 29 August 2019 by 11:00 AM Mountain Standard Time. Questions shall be submitted to Sonia Torres via email at sonia.torres@usda.gov

It is the responsibility of the offeror to view the website for any changes or amendments to this RFQ. Quotes will be due via email to Sonia Torres: sonia.torres@usda.gov no later than Thursday 5 September 2019 at 11:00AM Mountain Standard Time.

mailto:sonia.torres@usda.gov mailto:sonia.torres@usda.gov mailto:sonia.torres@usda.gov mailto:sonia.torres@usda.gov

USDA - Forest Service Tonto National Forest 2324 E. McDowell Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85006

Govt Point of Contact:

Greg Schuster, Recreation Program Manager Tonto National Forest 602-225-5362 gjschuster@fs.fed.us

Pay Item Item Description Est. Quantity Method of Meas. Pay Unit Unit Price Amount

Initial Organization: Process Design, Core Team Meetings, Phone Calls, Outreach

Interviews, Assessment of current conditions 2 Core Team Development and assessment of current conditions based on

Outreach Interviews EA

2 Co-Conveners Meetings: In Person Meetings with Government Agencies 4 In-person meetings with Government Agencies EA

Topical Working Groups: Problem Solving, Opportunity Finding, Subject Specific Working Groups

4 Working Groups Created EA

4 Public Meeting: solicit public feedback on work produced by Working Groups 4 Public Meetings Held EA

5 Document Creation: Charter Docs, Contact Lists, Presentations 12 Documents submitted to Agency EA

6 Website 1 Develop and maintain simple website for sharing information related to collaborative. Maintain quarterly EA

Supplies & Materials: Pens, Markers, Name

Tags, Easles, Paper Products, Printing, Light Snacks for meetings

As needed Provide Meeting Supplies at meetings and workshops LOT

8 Travel Travel LOT

Total Estimate

Pay Item Item Description Est. Quantity Method of Meas. Pay Unit Unit Price Amount

Initial Organization: Process Design, Core Team Meetings, Phone Calls, Outreach

Interviews, Assessment of current conditions 2 Core Team Development and assessment of current conditions based on

Outreach Interviews EA

2 Co-Conveners Meetings: In Person Meetings with Government Agencies 4 In-person meetings with Government Agencies EA

Topical Working Groups: Problem Solving, Opportunity Finding, Subject Specific Working Groups

4 Working Groups Created EA

4 Public Meeting: solicit public feedback on work produced by Working Groups 4 Public Meetings Held EA

5 Document Creation: Charter Docs, Contact Lists, Presentations 12 Documents submitted to Agency EA

6 Website 1 Develop and maintain simple website for sharing information related to collaborative. Maintain quarterly EA

Supplies & Materials: Pens, Markers, Name

Tags, Easles, Paper Products, Printing, Light Snacks for meetings

As needed Provide Meeting Supplies at meetings and workshops LOT

8 Travel Travel LOT Total Estimate

Pay Item Item Description Est. Quantity Method of Meas. Pay Unit Unit Price Amount

Initial Organization: Process Design, Core Team Meetings, Phone Calls, Outreach

Interviews, Assessment of current conditions 2 Core Team Development and assessment of current conditions based on

Outreach Interviews EA

2 Co-Conveners Meetings: In Person Meetings with Government Agencies 4 In-person meetings with Government Agencies EA

Topical Working Groups: Problem Solving, Opportunity Finding, Subject Specific Working Groups

4 Working Groups Created EA

4 Public Meeting: solicit public feedback on work produced by Working Groups 4 EA

5 Document Creation: Charter Docs, Contact Lists, Presentations 12 Documents submitted to Agency EA

6 Website 1 Develop and maintain simple website for sharing information related to collaborative. Maintain quarterly EA

Supplies & Materials: Pens, Markers, Name

Tags, Easles, Paper Products, Printing, Light Snacks for meetings

As needed Provide Meeting Supplies at meetings and workshops LOT

8 Travel Travel LOT Total Estimate

Schedule of Items: Sustainable Recreation & Facilitation Services

Prepared by: G. Schuster

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Tonto National Forest Sustainable Recreation

Period of Performance: 1 Base Year and 4 Option Years

O pt io n

Ye ar

O pt io n Ye ar mailto:gjschuster@fs.fed.us

Pay Item Item Description Est. Quantity Method of Meas. Pay Unit Unit Price Amount

Initial Organization: Process Design, Core Team Meetings, Phone Calls, Outreach

Interviews, Assessment of current conditions 2 Core Team Development and assessment of current conditions based on

Outreach Interviews EA

2 Co-Conveners Meetings: In Person Meetings with Government Agencies 4 In-person meetings with Government Agencies EA

Topical Working Groups: Problem Solving, Opportunity Finding, Subject Specific Working Groups

4 Working Groups Created EA

4 Public Meeting: solicit public feedback on work produced by Working Groups 4 Public Meetings Held EA

5 Document Creation: Charter Docs, Contact Lists, Presentations 12 Documents submitted to Agency EA

6 Website 1 Develop and maintain simple website for sharing information related to collaborative. Maintain quarterly EA

Supplies & Materials: Pens, Markers, Name

Tags, Easles, Paper Products, Printing, Light Snacks for meetings

As needed Provide Meeting Supplies at meetings and workshops LOT

8 Travel Travel LOT Total Estimate

Pay Item Item Description Est. Quantity Method of Meas. Pay Unit Unit Price Amount

Initial Organization: Process Design, Core Team Meetings, Phone Calls, Outreach

Interviews, Assessment of current conditions 2 Core Team Development and assessment of current conditions based on

Outreach Interviews EA

2 Co-Conveners Meetings: In Person Meetings with Government Agencies 4 In-person meetings with Government Agencies EA

Topical Working Groups: Problem Solving, Opportunity Finding, Subject Specific Working Groups

4 Working Groups Created EA

4 Public Meeting: solicit public feedback on work produced by Working Groups 4 Public Meetings Held EA

5 Document Creation: Charter Docs, Contact Lists, Presentations 12 Documents submitted to Agency EA

6 Website 1 Develop and maintain simple website for sharing information related to collaborative. Maintain quarterly EA

Supplies & Materials: Pens, Markers, Name

Tags, Easles, Paper Products, Printing, Light Snacks for meetings

As needed Provide Meeting Supplies at meetings and workshops LOT

8 Travel Travel LOT Total Estimate

Company Name

DUNS Number

Signature Date

O pt io n

Ye ar

O pt io n Ye ar

STATEMENT OF WORK

Advancing Sustainable Recreation on the Tonto through Place-Based Community

Collaboration

Tonto National Forest

Scope of Work:

Tonto National Forest

1) Engage stakeholders (partners, organizations, agencies, local governments, individuals) to develop Place-Based Collaboratives focused on improving and expanding sustainable recreation opportunities on the Tonto National Forest and neighboring public lands with measurable benefits.

2) Use collaborative Values, Visioning, Communication, and Problem Identification/Solving techniques to identify and resolve immediate and pressing recreation conflicts occurring within the Wildland Urban Interface with measurable results.

Sustainable Recreation on public lands is a valuable opportunity that positively contributes to healthy lifestyles and local economies. Furthermore, it encourages present and future generations to actively participate in recreation planning, recreation management, project implementation, sharing ideas, exploring values, and partnering and volunteering. The Tonto National Forest desires to improve the delivery of Sustainable Recreation opportunities across the Forest by: 1) strengthening existing relationships and building new relationships with the communities and the stakeholders it serves; 2) encouraging communities and stakeholders to help envision, strategize and prioritize programs and projects within Tonto’s Recreation Program that are meaningful and valuable to recreational users; 3) encouraging communities and stakeholders to be engaged and participate in an All Hands / All Lands, shared leadership approach to solving recreation challenges and continually improving recreation opportunities across the forest for the benefit of all, and 4) encouraging partnerships and volunteerism to accomplish recreation projects on the ground. One way of improving the delivery of recreation opportunities and accomplishing these four ideas is by developing Place-Based Sustainable Recreation Collaboratives within the communities served by the Tonto National Forest.

Individual collaboratives may address different challenges based on community needs. For example, one collaborative may choose to focus on the economic benefits of being an outdoor recreation destination and the work that must be accomplished to achieve that status. Another collaborative may choose to focus on solving local user-conflicts and finding Best Alternatives to Negotiated Agreements. There is no assumption regarding the type and number of recreation topics to be addressed within a collaborative until the process has begun and stakeholders have been engaged.

It is expected that each collaborative will, at a minimum be comprised of a Leadership Team and a Coordinating Team. Members of the Leadership Team are individuals who can make formal decisions and enter formal agreements for their respective organizations. The Coordinating Team is composed of staff, advisors, managers and others who have strong influence over the decision making process. The facilitators are part of the Coordinating Team. Additionally, the collaboratives shall be inclusive and focused on coordinated and collective action. This will be accomplished through proactive dialog, exploration of values and assumptions, understanding of historical perspectives and contexts, increasing partnership capacity and volunteerism, developing positive land ethics, and providing recreation opportunities that can be managed with available resources.

Individual collaboratives are comprised of the necessary citizens, organizations, agencies, and local governments working together to enhance recreation opportunities and their associated social and economic benefits while minimizing or mitigating adverse recreation impacts to ecosystems, water quality, and natural and cultural resources. These Place-Based collaboratives are intended emphasize well-managed recreation opportunities, education, stewardship, and practices and behaviors that sustainably connect people to the public lands in the present and future.

Contractor shall work in teams of two including one Senior Facilitator and one Junior Facilitator and be able to build rapport with Arizona Stakeholders quickly.

Contractor will coordinate two existing collaboratives, the Rim Country Sustainable Recreation Partnership and the North Valley Sustainable Recreation Partnership, located in Payson AZ, and Scottsdale/Cave Creek, AZ respectively. Two new place-based collaboratives are proposed; one in Mesa, AZ and on in Globe, AZ. Additionally, two immediate and pressing conflict areas have also been identified, one each in Mesa, AZ and Cave Creek, AZ. Both conflict areas can be described as neighborhood access vs public access through residential neighborhoods including crowding, user-created trails, disrespectful behavior, and user conflicts between OHV, equestrian, biking, and hiking. Additional immediate and pressing conflict areas may be identified and will be discussed strategically with the facilitators at the time of identification.

For each Collaborative, the Contractor will be responsible for developing and managing an effective collaborative structure that includes, at a minimum, a Leadership Group, a Coordinating Group and subject specific Working Group(s), planning and coordinating internal and public meetings, working group sessions and conference calls, conducting stakeholder interviews/outreach assessments, developing agendas and stakeholder contact information lists, coordinating overall communication with Forest points of contact and stakeholders, delivering detailed meeting notes in draft and final form, interpreting qualitative data, developing collaborative governance charters and strategy documents related to action items such as project implementation, project prioritization, funding strategies and strategies for building local collaborative capacity for shared leadership and shared resources that will lead to resilient collaborative structures for the long term- such as training members or others locally to serve as working group facilitators. Contractor shall work in teams of two including one Senior Facilitator and one Junior Facilitator.

The Recreation Program Manager is the Primary Point of Contact for this agreement. The Recreation Program Manager and the Forest Leadership Team, with input from others, will identify each new collaborative and the order in which they are developed. The District Ranger has the responsibility of determining what is appropriate to occur on his/her respective district. This process is being adapted from the Greater Prescott Trails Planning Process and the Verde Valley’s Verde Front initiative. Any direct experience with those Planning Processes will be beneficial.

Location:

Tonto National Forest / Forest Wide

Requirements:

Required Qualifications:

• Arizona based organization

• Provide documentation of successful collaboration projects in Arizona including references

• Experience in visioning, goal setting, conflict resolution, and catalyzing action oriented results

• Have prior experience working in Sustainable Recreation visioning and collaboration

• Specializes in Natural Resource management and planning

• Facilitators have bachelor’s or master’s degree in Natural Resource disciplines such as Wildlife

Biology, Ecology, Outdoor Recreation, Environmental Sciences, etc.

Deliverables:

Collaborative Development: Leadership Group, Coordinating Group, Working Groups

Place-Based Collaborative Charter(s): Each collaborative shall have a Governance Charter that includes topics such as:

• The purpose of the Collaborative

• The scope of the collaborative

• Overarching goals, objectives, and constraints

• Identities of the main stakeholders

• In-scope and out-of-scope items

• Risks or threats to success

• Project benefits

• Funding sources and partner financial commitments

• Budget and spending authority

• Roles and responsibilities

Strategy Document for collaboration capacity building / building local collaborative capacity including shared leadership and shared resources to create resilient collaborative structure for the long term- such as training members or others locally to serve as working group facilitators.

Shared Funding Strategy: Work with collaborative to build a shared funding strategy to cover future costs of facilitation services consistent with the All Hands / All Lands, Shared Leadership concept.

Outreach Assessment(s): In advance of a new collaborative kick-off meeting, an outreach assessment shall be developed, by interviewing stakeholders to identify individual stakeholder positions, opinions and ideas that they identify as opportunities or challenges to the collaborative process.

Contact List: Facilitators will develop and maintain a contact list of stakeholders, collaborative members, and interested public individuals including name, phone number and email address and, if applicable, professional affiliation, club/organization affiliation, and subject area of interest.

Draft and final meeting notes from all meetings, working groups, and planning/coordination phone calls.

Project Website(s): Develop and maintain simple, effective and neutral websites for each Place- Based Collaborative to share notes, maps, and other pertinent information related to planning and implementation efforts. Each website shall be updated quarterly.

Contractor Furnished:

Meeting Supplies (i.e. Sticky notes, name tags, flip charts and paper, markers, tape, easels).

Meeting supply cost must be approved by the COR prior to utilization.

Government Furnished:

Maps, projectors, printing, meeting space

Travel Costs: Contractor shall adhere to GSA per diem rates found at https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates. Additionally, all travel costs shall be approved by the COR either prior to travel or before invoice payment. First class/luxury travel is prohibited; i.e.vehicle rental, airline flights, passenger train, etc.

Period of Performance:

September 2019 – August 31, 2020 With four (4) option years

Point of Contact:

Greg Schuster Recreation Program Manager Tonto National Forest 602-225-5362 gjschuster@fs.fed.us

***PLEASE NOTE: Wage Determinations 2015-5477 Revision No.: 11 and 2015-5469 Revision No.: 10 are applicable to this contract and can be found in full text at beta.SAM.gov https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates

Evaluation Criteria

(a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

1. Experience in Providing This Service or Similar Services: (35 pts.) The quoter will describe their experience and provide details to demonstrate experience with providing the type of services required under this solicitation and resulting contract.

2. Technical Proposal: (30 pts.) Describe their understanding of the proposal, and all factors are addressed.

3. Price (20 pts.)

4. Past Performance: (15 pts.) Evaluation of past performance will include customer satisfaction, quality of services and timeliness. The offeror shall demonstrate performance of similar type, scope, and magnitude to that which is detailed in this solicitation, within the past five years. The Government will utilize the listing of past projects provided under prior experience above and a review of past performance questionnaires received from previous customers. The Quoter(s) shall send past performance surveys with proposal. Past performance surveys are limited to five (5).

Documentation shall include contract numbers, current point of contact, telephone number, e-mail address, fax number, description and value of the work. The Government may elect to consider data obtained from other sources that it considers current and accurate. The evaluation assessment will be based upon subjective judgment of supportable data. It is not intended to be a mechanical process or a simple arithmetic function of an quoter’s performance on a list of contracts. Rather, the information deemed most relevant and significant shall receive the greatest consideration. The assessment shall include a description of the underlying rationale for the conclusions reached. The rationale shall be reasonable and adequately documented to support the past performance evaluation.

a. Note: It is the quoter’s responsibility to make all best attempts to assure that information provided for past performance verification is as current and accurate as possible. Information containing contact names no longer at the location provided, disconnected or changed phone numbers, or any other inaccurate information that hinders verifying past performance information runs the risk of the information not being considered.

RATIONALE FOR EVALUATION AND AWARD: The Evaluation Criteria factors (1 – 4) are listed in descending order of importance. Subjective ratings of excellent, very good, satisfactory, average, marginal and unsatisfactory will be used for the technical evaluation factors. The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the quoter whose quote represents the best overall expected value and is considered most advantageous based on the criteria above. The Government may issue a contract on the basis of quotes as received without entering into discussions with any quoter. Therefore, each initial quote should contain the quoter’s best terms. The government will perform a best value analysis to determine the most advantageous quotation to the government. Award may not necessarily be made for technical capabilities that would appear to exceed those needed for successful performance of the work. The Government reserves the right to make tradeoffs that are in the best interest, best value, and advantageous to the Government. The total evaluated price will be the determining factor where all proposals are considered substantially equal in technical merit, but where there are significant differences in technical merit, a more expensive quote may be selected if the government decides it is worth the price differential. This Request for Quotations does not commit the Government to pay any cost incurred in the preparation of the submission of proposals.

S o u t h w e s t e r n R e g i o n S u s t a i n a b l e R e c r e a t i o n S t r a t e g y

Prepared by the Southwestern Sustainable Recreation Strategy Team:

Chris W Furr District Ranger, Tres Piedras Ranger District, Carson National Forest

Josh Hall Air & Water Quality Specialist

Pat Jackson Former Chief of Staff, RO

Kyung Koh Recreation Planner, Regional Office (RO)

Mindi Lehew Natural Resource Specialist, Coronado National Forest

James Melonas New Mexico State Liaison

Danny Montoya Director of Engineering, RO

Kelly Russell Forest Supervisor, Gila National Forest

Francisco Valenzuela Director of Recreation, Heritage, Wilderness Resources, RO

Sharon Wallace Former Public Services Staff Officer, Tonto National Forest

Troy Waskey Former Recreation Staff, Carson National Forest

Southwestern Region Sustainable

Recreation Strategy

Southwestern Region of the Forest Service

February, 2014

It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare. It is because we do not dare that they are difficult.

Lucius Annaeus Seneca, ca. 4 BC – AD 65

Introduction

The Southwestern Sustainable Recreation Strategy will guide the region toward a recreation program that is vital to the well-being of our visitors and communities and is essential to the future of the Forest Service and the National Forest and Grasslands. This innovative strategy sustains America’s great outdoors and builds greater capacity to serve the citizens of the southwest by focusing the recreation program on building strong relationships with our diverse publics who enjoy and actively care for the National Forests and Grasslands of the Southwest while improving our effectiveness and program resiliency.

Outdoor recreation is an important part of people’s quality of life and identity in the Southwest.

The 11 national forests and grasslands are critical recreation resources for our citizens and part of what makes living in the Southwestern Region special. The Southwestern Region serves a diverse population of over 8.7 million citizens, with large communities of Hispanics and Native Americans. Public demand for recreation continues to increase rapidly, creating greater challenges in a time of increasingly limited resources.

The Performance Gap

Use of the forests has declined while population has increased. From 2000 to 2010, the region’s population has grown by over 24%, while recreational use of the forests and grasslands has fallen by about 11%. This means the recreation program is about 30% less relevant, as measured in terms of how well the agency served the population within the region.

Additionally, about 2 million visitors a year or more than 10% are dissatisfied with their visit to a Southwestern Region national forest and grassland.

Recreation sites will close as they fall out of compliance with health and safety standards.

Recreation infrastructure (i.e., the developed recreation sites, the utilities that support them, the roads to these sites and the trail systems that lead visitors safely into the forests) are rapidly falling into disrepair. By 2013, the Region’s ability to maintain this infrastructure base had plummeted by 60% (since 2010). Another major concern is the ecological impact caused by unmanaged recreation. This issue is particularly challenging as increasing motorized recreation is impacting the sensitive desert ecosystems.

Workforce morale has fallen. Morale was cited as a concern by forest recreation staff at the 2013 Regional RHWR meeting. One often-cited recommendation was to reassess workloads and set clear priorities. Recreation managers also talked about: confusion about recreation priorities, lack of accountability and lack of clear, concise leadership intent.

The greatest gap is the gap of lost potential. Basically, the recreation program is almost completely preoccupied with survival—it is an underfunded and over-worked program which rarely has time to consider the great potential contribution the recreation program can make toward solving the pressing issues of our time, or of contributing to people’s lives and the well-being of communities. This lack of greater vision and purpose, and maybe even the lack of hope or faith that the future can get better, is causing a loss of relevancy both internally and externally. The recreation program has tremendous potential to provide vital benefits for the economy, health, family and community building, problem solving, promoting democracy, restoring spirit and changing lives for the better. This Strategy takes step towards closing the widening relevancy gap to assure the sustainability of the recreation program and the National Forests and Grasslands.

Process Used to Develop the Strategy

To close the performance gap the regional leadership team (RLT) tasked a team led by the Director of Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness Resources (RHWR) to develop goals and objectives for the recreation program, and create a strategy to achieve them. The process began with a meeting of all the forests in the region (represented by their forest recreation staff) at the January 2013 Regional RHWR meeting. The results of that meeting were shared at the spring RLT meeting, and comments from the RLT were solicited at that time.

The team met regularly following the RLT meeting. The team reviewed the findings of the regional recreation meeting, the RLT comments and the National Sustainable Recreation Framework. Based on these documents and after extensive dialogue, the team developed an Intermediate Objective Map (IOM) that includes an overarching goal stated as a condition (i.e., the desired outcome of a set of activities). The IOM also defines “Critical Success Factors”, which are high-level outcomes, and the “Necessary Conditions” that represent the significant activities required to achieve the desired condition.

The team then examined the current reality of the recreation program within the region. They identified four areas that significantly contribute to the lack of desired performance and must be addressed in order to achieve the goal. These four areas are:

1) lack of clear strategic intent, and focused leadership and needed discipline;

2) inability to evaluate the long-term consequences of capital investment and other recreation policy decisions;

3) lack of new and greatly needed skills and training; and

4) inability to clearly communicate and engage both internally and externally with employees and partners in ways that would facilitate the changes needed to improve the performance of the recreation program.

The solution the team arrived at was to develop a set of interrelated strategic actions to address each of these areas that inhibited performance. These actions include: clearly lay out the strategic intent of sustainable recreation, and align performance and accomplishment measures and allocation methods with the strategic intent. This will create an environment that promotes behavior that will lead the region to achieve the desired level of performance.

This Strategy views the recreation program as a large complex whole, instead of a set of competing program areas.

This Strategy is built on a hundred years of good work and also a total rethinking of the recreation program. It does this by setting it on new and solid scientific foundations, creating inspiring goals, opening up the program for new possibilities, working in close collaboration with our stakeholders and partners, and most importantly repositioning and integrating the program as core to the achievement of the Forest Service mission and the well-being of our citizens. In the past the relationship between the visitor and our communities has been transactional, or a social contract between the visitor and the agency. Pat of the shift in paradigm is to make the relationship with our visitors transformational, or to transform the relationship of the recreation program and its constituents to that of one of exchange of fees or taxes for services to that of partner and citizen steward.

The Southwestern Sustainable Recreation Strategy

Goal

The Sustainable Recreation Strategy will change the course of the recreation program, aligning the program tightly to the core mission of the Forest Service.

“To sustain the health diversity and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of current and future generations.”

We achieve a sustainable recreation program by building resiliency in our ecological world, our social network of relationships and in our economy. Ecological recreation managers deal with modifying human behavior or designing sites to withstand ecological impacts and reduce energy use by creating sustainable sites and operations. In the social sphere we build mutually supportive relationships, trust and emotional connection and the ability to problem solve and cooperate together. In the economic world we create economic benefits to local communities and reciprocal economic support for government programs.

‘Sustainable Recreation’ is built on the concept of ‘sustainable development,’ which requires that the productive base needed to support well-being is maintained or increased over time.

Furthermore, program development provides for the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs and aspirations. This productive base includes the ecological, social, economic and administrative dimensions of sustainability. The strategic intent of sustainable development is to expand the capability of the Region in order to provide the important benefits the visitors and communities are seeking to improve their quality of life, while increasing the sustainability of the national forests and grasslands.

So given that this is new, what do we do? We knowingly agree to consciously and fully change direction together. We build social capital first, increasing the resiliency of trust and

To achieve a sustainable recreation program, essential to advancing the mission of the Forest Service, with a diverse and engaged public that enjoys and actively cares for the National Forests and Grasslands of the

Southwest.

understanding. We build and operate recreation sites to reduce our ecological foot print. We do not trade off nature in ways that are irreversible when we have options. We enlarge the pie or total resources available by having our communities, the private sector and public engaged in our efforts. We co-create and co-operate. We live within our fiscal means in both our capital investment and our operations. We instill in our recreation workforce a clear sense of meaningful, vital purpose and optimism.

The Southwestern Region’s recreation program will transition toward sustainability beginning in FY 2014, and start a journey that will be filled with challenges and great rewards. The Southwestern Sustainable Recreation Strategy tiers to and adopts the vision statement of the National Framework for Sustainable Recreation:

“Renewing Body and Spirit, Inspiring Passion for the Land”

The Forest Service provides recreation on treasured lands that brings health and vitality to individuals and communities, and showcases our country’s natural abundance. Recreation on the national forests and grasslands invokes feelings of connection to the natural world and inspires responsibility to care for it. This strategy adopts the four “P’s” of the recreation management model: Provide, Protect, Partner and Perform.

Critical Success Factors

To achieve the goal the following three critical success factors were identified:

1. Leadership that is committed, focused, disciplined and shared, with an allocation and performance model and workforce that are aligned with our goal.

2. Our agency and the diverse communities and partners we serve are engaged and able, together, to make better decisions and successfully implement programs.

3. Action Plans, developed and implemented with our diverse communities and partners, which deliver a sustainable recreation program.

Necessary Conditions

For each of these critical success factors to be attained necessary conditions were identified.

The following section will elaborate on the needed necessary condition and the actions that are designed to meet them. This section is followed by an implementation timeline.

1) Leadership that is committed, focused, disciplined and shared, with an allocation and performance model and workforce that are aligned with our goal.

The following necessary conditions were identified:

a) Focus and discipline, by helping and holding each other accountable, monitoring progress, meeting established milestones, and rewarding performance.

b) Shared leadership at all levels within both line and staff.

c) Enhanced and well-trained workforce (both line and staff). When hiring search out needed skills that are in alignment with the sustainable recreation framework.

d) Aligned allocation and performance model and reward system.

e) A clear description of the goal of sustainable recreation

Units will tightly define their strategic focus, deciding what the most important benefits they should be providing, and what important projects or program will be most effective in achieving these benefits. Units will evaluate their situation and then identify and take significant actions to achieve the transition toward sustainability and improved performance.

It is the responsibility of every recreation manager, line officers and those out in the field to share in the leadership and execution of this strategy. Units will have to work as a team, not only at the forest level but also at the regional level, to make this strategy a success and get the recreation program in the Southwestern Region performing at an optimal level.

This process can only be successful if all employees share in the goals and intent of the strategy. It will fall to line officers to assure that the strategy is followed. This will require candid discussions and facing the reality of each unit’s situation. This strategy is an opportunity to have alignment across the region and use our scarce resources to best meet the needs of the public for the long run.

To successfully execute this strategy, it is the RLT’s responsibility to hold each forest and grassland accountable and consistently monitor progress toward the goal. Forest performance will be measured against the sustainability indicators and the new performance measures (see table). Forest Supervisor’s performance appraisal will reflect the unit’s progress toward sustainability. The allocation and performance targets will be aligned to further reinforce the Region’s commitment to the goal of sustainable recreation.

All employees that play a role in the delivery of these systems need the exposure and training to this new paradigm and its goals and objectives. This shared understanding is critical to the success of shared leadership. The training will cover the spectrum of the knowledge and skills needed for successful sustainable recreation implementation and include the fundamental data analysis tools of the recreation program. The following is the initial priority training list:

Partnership development, including communications, collaboration, strategic operations, fundraising, conduct and ethics, cradle to grave grants and agreements, and leadership training.

Data analysis tools for: NVUM, INFRA, Recreation Facility Master Planning, US Census data, Forest Service social research management recommendations.

Sustainable recreation planning processes at the site, watershed and forest planning scale.

To achieve these necessary conditions the following important actions were selected:

1.1 Forest Leadership Teams will establish goals for each performance measure and the RLT align the allocation model to reinforce the strategic intent and more equitable allocation.

1.2 The forest supervisors will ensure accountability and execution of action plans through yearly monitoring. The RHWR Director will hold a quarterly check-in during the first year and report to the regional forester and the RLT.

1.3 The RHWR Director will participate in workforce planning and assure that critical technical skills are available at the regional level. The RHWR Director will work with HR to align job descriptions and selection qualifications for recruitment of employees with the skills, knowledge and abilities needed for sustainable recreation.

1.4 The RHWR Director will identify the knowledge and skills required for the successful management of a sustainable recreation program, and will provide or identify training opportunities (e.g., collaboration, partnerships, business, sustainability and other tactical tools).

1.5 The regional forester will communicate the expectations for a skilled workforce and the use of employee Individual Development Plans to provide needed accountability.

2) Our agency and the diverse communities and partners we serve are engaged and able, together, to make better decisions and successfully implement programs.

The following necessary conditions were identified:

a) Interested diverse communities and partners are engaged with us.

b) Mutual commitment to building and maintaining long-term relationships.

c) Shared leadership and responsibilities with our diverse communities and partners.

d) Employees have the training, tools and skills to convene and engage the diversity of communities and partners.

e) We make decisions and build only after fully evaluating the consequences.

The recreation program will give priority to the building of strong connections with communities and visitors. The goal is to transform the relationships and self-interests into one of connectedness and caring for the whole. The key is to place importance on building social capital as the most important part of sustainable recreation leadership.

The program will move beyond the past measures of success. For example, program resiliency and benefits measures will be applied, instead of measures related to the amount of infrastructure built and recreation opportunities provided. Rethinking these values, perceptions and practices requires addressing change at a fundamental level.

All significant recreation program capital decisions are to be made after fully evaluating the consequences with our stakeholders. As we become more aware of the consequences of our actions, we should also become better able to understand and manage the multiple demands of our publics. Units are to avoid the repercussions of unmanageable infrastructure by using the measures that target and promote sustainability.

A sustainability perspective is to be adopted. The sustainability indicators will monitor the state of ecological, social, economic and administrative foundation of productivity as assets or capital not to be consumed, but preserved and increased by using only the surplus ‘interest’.

Managers are to apply adaptive management and steer the program by reflecting on consequences as a result of monitoring. Measures provide indicators of resiliency and effectiveness. By monitoring these measures, improvements are to be made in the more efficient use of resources and program delivery, thereby reducing per capita infrastructure and energy use per unit of benefit.

To achieve these necessary conditions the following important actions were selected:

2.1 Forests will work with local stakeholders to help them understand the importance of creating the most beneficial sustainable recreation program. This will include creating a more diverse inclusive program and the discussion of equity between forests, communities and user groups.

2.2 The Region will adopt the benefits based management approach to focus projects and actions on benefits achievement and not on infrastructure additions.

2.3 Forests will fully explore other opportunities to provide recreation through other governmental partners, non-profits or the private sector, before providing those opportunities ourselves.

2.4 Individuals will be rewarded and forests recognized for performance related to sustainability, and for developing innovative approaches to delivering recreation programs, information, interpretation, etc.

2.5 A Sustainability Assessment Tool will be developed in 2014 and applied to all new developments and reinvestments of over $100,000 regardless of funding source.

Developments actions should contribute to the unit’s economic, environmental and social sustainability

3) Action planning, engagement, collaboration and communication action plans, developed and implemented with our diverse communities and partners, which deliver a sustainable recreation program.

The following necessary conditions were identified:

a) A Forest and Grassland specific sustainable recreation action plan.

b) A support team and a tool box for developing an adaptable sustainable recreation action plan.

c) Funds set aside to help forests and the RO complete their plans.

d) A regional and forest public engagement approach and communication plan.

e) Regional Leadership Team review of action plans and active support for their implementation, including considering special sustainability funding initiatives.

In 2014 employees will participate in workshops providing them with an opportunity to understand the principles of sustainable recreation and be introduced to the tools, training, and skills required for collaboration with communities and stakeholders. Units will maintain ongoing collaboration with communities and stakeholder groups to deliver a sustainable recreation program on the ground. In addition, the region will develop a framework for collaboration in 2015 which includes the sideboards and principles for what sustainable recreation means and a menu of collaboration techniques and ideas that can be tailored to the specific circumstances found on a particular forest and community.

To facilitate employee engagement in 2014, the RHWR Director will develop a series of workshops, similar to the “Desired Conditions” workshops given for the regional restoration strategic plan. These interactive sessions will be a chance for employees to translate the concepts of sustainable recreation into concrete activities and ways to implement the strategy on the ground. In addition, the RO will facilitate convening regional networks and forums for employees to interact with peers and share ideas, successful techniques, and lessons learned.

To achieve these necessary conditions the following important actions were selected:

3.1 Each national forest and grassland will begin to develop a forest specific action plan in CY 2014. This plan, utilizing a framework created by the RO, will establish action priorities for a 5 year period that will transition the forest towards sustainability.

3.2 The regional public affairs staff will work with the regional recreation staff to produce a regional engagement and communications plan for both internal and external audiences to communicate the purposes and methods of this Sustainable Recreation strategy.

3.3 There will be common extensive training, dialogue and shared leadership around the Southwestern Sustainable Recreation Strategy itself.

3.4 There will be regional and state level networks for employees and stakeholders to share lessons learned and coordinate efforts will be developed.

3.5 There will be designed face-to-face dialogue for line and staff at all levels of the Agency.

Action Items and Timeline

To recap and place in context the implementation of the above action items, the following key actions and timeline are highlighted.

The implementation of the Strategy will begin upon its approval by the Regional Forester. The life of the Strategy is five years, from FY 2014 through FY 2019. The Strategy will be the guiding document for the Southwestern Region Recreation program efforts.

In the first year, all forests will begin to develop forest specific action plans that will lead to full implementation of the Strategy. The RO, in partnership with forests, will develop all the needed tools, such as planning processes and outlines for forest action plans.

The RO will also develop a regional engagement and communication plan. The RHWR Director will develop a sustainable recreation workshop for the Supervisor’s Office and Ranger District recreation and staff. Forest supervisors will initiate the development of their action planning by June 1, 2014. While developing their action plans, forests should categorize action items into phases, to ensure the action items are implemented by FY 2019.

The key milestones will be the completion by all forests of the Southwestern Region Sustainability Strategy workshop by October 1, 2014, followed by approved action plans by June 31, 2015. These forest-based action plans will be used to develop project proposals for capital investment funding for FY 2015-2019 of the Strategy. Also for FY 2015, recommended modifications to the allocation in NFRW will take place to better reflect the goals of the Strategy. Starting in FY 2015, the RO will monitor implementation of forest-based action plans and the new sustainable recreation metrics.

The RHWR Director will prepare summaries related to progress toward implementation, address any barriers that the forest need assistance in overcoming, and make annual presentations to the Regional Leadership Team until FY 2019. Success stories will be shared internally within the Region and with the Washington Office.

Performance and Accomplishment Measures

To improve performance and support accountability, new reporting measures have been developed. These measures remove the counter-productive incentives that contribute to unsustainability, and monitor a new set of measures that better represent both the performance of a forest program as measured in benefits, and its transition toward sustainability. All measures except for the “Recreation Visits” are not linked to the allocation model and all data is already being collected. The intention of the allocation model is to fairly fund various outcomes while the intention of these measures is performance improvement.

# CODE NAME

UNIT OF

MEASURE

1 Recreation Visits Total recreation visits to a NFS unit Total

Visits

2 Rec-Sat-Visits Percent satisfied visitors to forest a unit Percent

3 Rec-Equity Percent gap between Community Diversity and visitors served Percent

4 Rec-Eco Average Total Trip Spending per Party Dollars

5 HRTG-MGD-STD Heritage program managed to standard, Number

6 WLD-MGD-STD Wilderness Areas managed to minimum stewardship level, Number

WLD-SCE-RVR-

MGD-STD

Wild and Scenic Rivers meeting statutory requirements Number

8 REC-MGD-STD-%

Percent of Recreation sites managed to Health and Safety standards Percent

9 REC-SUP-ADM

Percent of Recreation special use authorizations administered to standard Percent

10 %-NFS-land-MVUM Percentage of NFS lands covered by current motor vehicle use maps Percent

11 REC-CPCTY-ACC-% Percent of developed sites that meet accessibility standards Percent

12 REC-SIT-STD-AVG Forest Average Recreation Sites Facility Condition Index FCI

REC-BLDG-ACC-

STD-%

Percent Number of Forest Service owned buildings in recreation sites meeting accessibility guidelines Percent

14 REC-SITE-INFRA

Sustainable Recreation CRV, the gap between an assigned CRV amount and the existing situation

INFRA-

CRV

TL-SYS_MGD-STD-

Percent of National Forest System trail miles managed to standard Percent

Vol-Partnership-

Dollars Value of Hours and Dollars Contributed by Volunteers and Partners Dollars

17 TC-Sat-Visitor Cost per Satisfied Visitor Served Dollars

18 UFS Unit Fiscal Sensitivity (UFS) Percent

FAR Clause 52.252-2 -- Clauses Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998)

This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available.