Attachment_1_-_Specifications_Interpretive_Plans.pdf

Specifications: Strategic Interpretive Plans

Harpers Ferry Center, NPS/DOI 5/18/2022 1

SPECIFICATIONS

STRATEGIC INTERPRETIVE PLANS

General Purpose and Scope

Definition of Interpretation

Compliance

Decision making

Workshop Documentation

Strategic Plan Contents

Needs Analysis

Implementation Plan

Executive Summary

Design and Layout

Printing and Binding

Sample Goal Statement

Attachment 1

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General Purpose and Scope

The Strategic Plan for Interpretation (“Plan”) provides a vision for the site’s visitor experience, interpretation and education programming, and media. The projected life span of the Strategic

Interpretive Plan is recommended to be four to six years. This will vary with individual site needs and circumstances and should be reviewed annually and updated as necessary.

It addresses both personal services and media, and is prepared by the site staff and site partners/community with a facilitator skilled in visitor experience, interpretation, and education planning. It also provides the foundation elements for the Annual Plan and is consistent with other current planning documents.

Comprehensive planning

Director’s Order 6 requires a comprehensive interpretive plan to include the following.

• long-range interpretive plan [strategic plan] defining a 5- to 10-year vision for the park’s program that addresses all media and personal services

• annual implementation plan, charting the short-range actions which will achieve the long-range vision

• interpretive database [FMSS and/or conditions assessment] supporting the pursuit of that vision

Required contents of the strategic plan, per policy

NPS Management Policies (2006) section 2.3.3 describe the required contents of the interpretive plan as a strategic plan:

“The Service is committed to performance management and accountability. Managers are responsible for the quality and timeliness of program performance, increasing productivity, controlling costs, mitigating the adverse aspects of agency operations, and ensuring that programs are managed with integrity and in compliance with applicable laws. Strategic planning will be conducted for the National

Park Service as a whole, and every park, program, and central office will be covered by a strategic plan.

Strategic plans will address both Service-wide and local outcomes. Park-related strategic plans will be recommended by the superintendent, approved by the regional director, and consistent with the department’s overall strategic plan. Strategic plans will contain

• mission statement and purpose from the foundation document

• long-term performance goals (with performance targets)

• a short description of the strategies chosen to accomplish the goals

• a description of how the annual goals will relate to the long-term goals

• a description of the analysis used to establish or revise goals

• a section that identifies the civic engagement strategy used to involve stakeholders and communities in the development of the strategic plan

• an identification of the key external factors that could significantly affect achievement of the goals

• a list of those who developed the plan

“Information in park strategic plans is used to compile Service-wide achievements; therefore, these plans must contain similar information.”

Director’s Order 2 requires the strategic plan to answer the following questions.

• Where are we now?

• Where do we want to be?

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• What are the most important things we need to accomplish to get there?

• What are our constraints and opportunities?

• How will we review our progress?

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Definition of Interpretation

NPS policy describes interpretive planning as an organized method for making informed choices about visitor experience, interpretation, and educational programming. It can provide solutions to management problems, with the goals of encouraging preservation of agency resources, and fostering increased visitor understanding, appreciation, enjoyment, and stewardship.

Per NPS Management Policies, section 7.1, all interpretation shall be “grounded in (1) park resources,

(2) themes related to the park’s legislative history and significance, and (3) park and Service-wide mission goals. The intent will be to provide each visitor with an interpretive experience that is enjoyable and inspirational within the context of the park’s tangible resources and the meanings they represent. In addition, visitors should be made aware of the purposes and scope of the national park system.

“Interpretation will encourage dialogue and accept that visitors have their own individual points of view. Factual information presented will be current, accurate, based on current scholarship and science, and delivered to convey park meanings, with the understanding that audience members will draw their own conclusions. Interpretation will also reach out to park neighbors, segments of the population that do not visit national parks, and community decision-makers to stimulate discussions about the park and its meanings in local, regional, and national contexts. In addition, interpretive services will help employees better understand the park’s history, resources, processes, and visitors.

“An effective park interpretive and educational program will include

• information and orientation programs that provide visitors with easy access to the information they need to have a safe and enjoyable park experience;

• interpretive programs that provide both on- and off -site presentations and are designed to encourage visitors to form their own intellectual or emotional connections with the resource.

Interpretive programs facilitate a connection between the interests of visitors and the meanings of the park;

• curriculum-based educational programs that link park themes to national standards and state curricula and involve educators in planning and development. These programs include previsit and postvisit materials, address different learning styles, include an evaluation mechanism, and provide learning experiences that are linked directly to clear objectives. Programs develop a thorough understanding of a park’s resources in individual, regional, national, and global contexts and of the park’s place within the national park system; and

• interpretive media that provide visitors with relevant park information and facilitate more in-depth understanding of—and personal connection with—park stories and resources. This media will be continually maintained for both quality of content and condition based upon established standards.”

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Compliance

Accessibility

All Plan documents shall comply with sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and other applicable accessibility laws for government publication in print and on the internet.

The Plan shall make a good faith effort to recommend interpretive products and services that exceed legal requirements to improve general accessibility and universal design.

Policy

All goals and strategies shall apply within the site’s legislated authority to operate.

All goals and strategies shall comply with applicable law and policy, including but not limited to:

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (found at https://npspolicy.nps.gov/index.cfm)

• NPS digital media policies, as summarized below under Digital Media Policies

• collective bargaining agreements

• the site’s scope of collections and standards for museum objects

• sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act

• Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Standard (ABAAS)

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

• Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA)

• Archeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA)

• Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)

• NPS Interpretive Media Accessibility Guidelines (found at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/hfc/accessibility.htm)

Digital Media Policies

All NPS website content must conform to the layout and structure of the agency’s Content Management

System (CMS). Custom websites require agency review and must be hosted within the NPS domain.

The agency’s CMS shall be the primary source for all authoritative online content. Any content on other platforms shall be supplemental in nature, and not essential to agency communication.

Agency social media is restricted to approved platforms, currently:

• Facebook

• Flickr/SmugMug

• Instagram

• LinkedIn

• Pinterest

• Tumblr

• Twitter

• YouTube

The agency may not represent itself on third party platforms. No NPS staff may create or edit content for crowd-sourced platforms such as Wikipedia, Google, Open Street Maps, Yelp!, Trip Advisor, Chumani, or others. Such platforms may download and re-post content hosted on NPS platforms.

Custom mobile applications (apps) require Department level review for IT security, Privacy Act compliance, and other applicable laws and policies. They are generally discouraged.

Any public-facing digital media in an exhibit must be stand-alone or rely on a non-government internet network.

Any collection of personal data must comply with the Privacy Act and OMB policies for social science.

https://npspolicy.nps.gov/index.cfm https://www.nps.gov/subjects/hfc/accessibility.htm

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Decision making

The Plan body text shall contain only final decisions. Any unresolved decisions may be described in project notes and appendices, but they shall be omitted from the Plan main body text. The Plan may note the act of making a decision as a recommendation or action item.

Authority Signature

The final Plan shall contain a signature of the highest ranking government official with responsibility for the Plan. The signature shall accompany text stating the authority of the individual to endorse the decisions contained.

NPS Management policies define the decision maker as “the managerial-level employee who has been delegated authority to make decisions or to otherwise take an action that would affect park resources or values. Most often it refers to the park superintendent or regional director, but may at times include, for example, a resource manager, facility manager, or chief ranger to whom authority has been re-delegated.”

Reference Citation

Reference to objective data and/or its analysis shall accompany decisions that require further explanation or justification. Per the HFC Editorial Style Guide, use Chicago Manual format for citations.

Example

A footnote to the strategy, “replace live farm animals with bronze models” states, “see cost figures in the media report and response numbers in the visitor survey indicating low interest in live farm animals.”

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/hfc/hfc-editorial-style-guide.htm

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Workshop Documentation

A set of notes shall summarize the results of workshops and personal meetings. At a minimum, the workshop notes shall include:

(a) A list of workshop attendees and their affiliations, except stakeholders providing unattributed responses

(b) Discussion points or outline of topics

(c) A transcription of key notes that reflect the core workshop topic elements

(d) Specific items of concern, consensus, and/or disagreement

(e) Media files and transcripts of any recorded sessions

Recorded Meetings

Audio and video recordings of meetings become federal records subject to agency record-keeping policies and all applicable regulations including, but not limited to the Privacy Act and Freedom of

Information Act.

Participants shall be informed, prior to meeting commencement, that the meeting is to be recorded and retained as a federal record. All participants shall be provided the opportunity to object to the recording.

If a single participant objects to the recording, the meeting shall not be recorded.

Any participants arriving after meeting commencement shall be provided the same information and opportunity to object.

Upon completion of the meeting or departure of a participant, all participants shall have the opportunity to object to the retention of the recording.

If a single participant objects to the recording, the recording shall be deleted immediately.

Unless necessary for project records, recording of meetings is discouraged.

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Strategic Plan Contents

General Requirements

All text, including drafts, shall be free of spelling and grammatical errors.

The HFC Editorial Style Guide, found at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/hfc/hfc-editorial-style-guide.htm, shall govern all stylistic decisions.

Endnotes shall be limited to those that refer the reader to sources of information that verify or further clarify statements in the body text.

At-a-glance information design, where appropriate and able to fully communicate the necessary information, shall take precedent over narrative. Such design may include charts, graphs, word clouds, bullet points, maps, annotated/altered photographs, and other graphic techniques.

Sections

A complete Strategic Plan for Interpretation contains the following sections, described in detail below.

(a) covers

• The government official’s signature shall not appear until the final document

(b) table of contents

(c) Plan Purpose Statement

(d) Site Purpose and Significance

(e) Themes

(f) Existing Conditions

(g) Goals

(h) Media Report (if required)

(i) List of Planning Team Members

(j) Appendices

Covers

Front

Include a 1” black band placed within the upper third, with an NPS arrowhead on the right. Printed in white on the black band: “National Park Service / U.S. Department of the Interior.” Below the band will be the name of the site and “Strategic Interpretive Plan” and the year of completion. A full-color photograph, representative of the site, takes up most of the cover space. There is a ¾” margin on all sides.

Back

The inside of the back cover shall contain an approval and authority statement with signature of the highest ranking government official with responsibility for the Plan; the signature shall appear only on the final approved complete Plan.

The outside of the back cover shall contain:

(a) a line in the upper third reading, “Strategic Interpretive Plan” and the name of the site

(b) a line in the lower third reading, “National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior”

(c) a single large image in the center

(d) flat color background with bleeds

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Plan Purpose Statement

A brief statement shall describe the overall planning effort and authority and scope of the Plan.

Required contents

(a) intended Plan lifespan

(b) Plan scope and limitations

(c) role of interpretation planning within site planning hierarchy

(d) manner of decision making in this plan’s creation and roles of participants

(e) civic engagement process employed in this plan

(f) other information that clarifies how the plan was developed

If the plan requires subdivision into discrete geographic or administrative units, the Plan Purpose shall describe this subdivision.

Only the above topics shall be included in the briefest manner required to communicate the necessary information.

Site purpose and significance

Contents

This subsection enumerates the site’s purpose and significance as defined in core management planning documents. It is limited to summaries, citations, or full-text verbatim statements of purpose, significance, vision, and mission, with full citations, from the following, by order of authority:

(a) Enabling legislation

(b) Foundation Document

(c) General Management Plan

(d) Strategic Plan

(e) Other relevant plans or documents that supersede this Plan

This subsection shall provide annotated references, fully cited, to treaties, laws, policies, or agreements that affect interpretation at the site. Annotations shall summarize and clarify any ambiguous or highly technical language from the original documents.

This subsection contains a brief narrative, not to exceed one paragraph, of the role of interpretation in serving the enumerated purpose, significance, mission, and vision statements.

Only the above topics shall be included in the briefest manner required to communicate the necessary information. A single sentence shall provide reference to general site descriptions in the Foundation

Document, website, or other authoritative NPS source.

Themes for Interpretation

Purpose

Interpretive themes are organizational tools which provide a conceptual framework for visitor experience planning and programming. Themes are derived from and capture the essence of site purpose, significance, resources, and values. Generalized topics and essential questions are acceptable to include in this section.

For the purpose of the Plan, themes describe the scope of the interpretive program. Every interpretive program recommended in the strategic plan shall be capable of addressing at least one theme. Decisions

Harpers Ferry Center, NPS/DOI 5/18/2022 10 over topic emphasis within the recommended programs are typically more effective in operational plans such as exhibit, staffing, or event plans.

Contents

List, full-text verbatim, any themes as established in core management documents such as the

Foundation Document. Provide clarifying annotations where necessary.

List all other topics with minimal or no annotation.

General Requirements

Every theme, topic, or essential question shall consist of exactly one complete sentence. When appropriate as a mnemonic device, a single-phrase title may precede each sentence.

Every theme, topic, or essential question shall follow a reasonable assumption that its effective use may result in improved engagement and safety among the stakeholders identified in this document.

Themes, topics, and essential questions shall identify messaging that may occupy a substantial portion of the site’s interpretive effort. Every theme, topic, or essential question shall apply to the totality of the

Plan’s scope. They shall avoid addressing highly specific messaging about individual resources or matters unless such messaging can apply throughout the Plan’s scope. Examples: “Use the bear-proof containers” may be specific to a campground, whereas “practice wildlife etiquette” may apply across the totality of the site.

Theme Requirements

Every theme shall directly connect potential meaning in the resource to the legislated national significance.

Example: “The heroic, strategic, and resourceful military actions at Monocacy changed the course of three Civil War campaigns and the nation’s politics.”

The Plan shall not add or edit existing themes. Brief annotations may clarify themes.

Other Topics

All resource preservation messaging shall directly address resource preservation issues identified in this and other agency planning documents.

All visitor preservation messaging shall directly address documented visitor safety problems.

Management messaging shall directly address management goals as stated in this and other planning documents.

Examples: “Visitors will stay on designated park trails.” “Rising sea levels resulting from climate change are predicted to submerge many of the park’s historical resources.”

Essential Questions

Essential questions are a theoretical technique among educators. Some community members have criticized their use in the NPS as culturally insensitive. Use questions that provoke critical examination of NPS resources and values but beware of implying irresponsible conjecture.

Per What Is an Essential Question?, Grant Wiggins, Nov 15, 2007, Authentic Education, P.O. Box 148, Hopewell, NJ

“A question is essential when it:

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• causes genuine and relevant inquiry into the big ideas and core content;

• provokes deep thought, lively discussion, sustained inquiry, and new understanding as well as more questions;

• requires students (participants) to consider alternatives, weigh evidence, support their ideas, and justify their answers;

• stimulates vital, on-going rethinking of big ideas, assumptions, and prior lessons;

• sparks meaningful connections with prior learning and personal experiences;

• naturally recurs, creating opportunities for transfer to other situations and subjects”

Existing interpretive conditions

This section, along with the themes, describes the scope of the interpretive program. It enumerates all interpretive programming and activity. This section is descriptive, not evaluative.

Where a media report is included in the strategic plan, information in this document shall match and cross-reference information in the report.

An assessment of the conditions for alignment with the goals and themes should change routinely in tandem with the Implementation Plan. Therefore, such an assessment should be attached to the strategic plan as a separate document. This separate assessment can inform chosen strategies for aligning interpretation with stated goals.

Inclusions

Broad programmatic-level areas of work, such as:

• a series of walking tours

• contact facilities

• education outreach

• recreation

• a suite of pamphlets

• a series of waysides on a loop trail

• a visitor center exhibit

• an audio tour

• a historically furnished space, including concessions like restaurants or lodges work that supports the interpretive program, such as:

• sales

• volunteer management

• authorized commercial interpretive activity (recreational activity often applies if it includes opportunities for engagement with resource stewardship)

Exclusions

Highly specific singular programs, such as:

• a specific walking tour

• a specific contact point

• a specific education program

• a specific outfitter’s route

• a specific site bulletin

• an individual wayside

• a touchscreen in an exhibit

Harpers Ferry Center, NPS/DOI 5/18/2022 12 third-party apps, websites, or other media in place without any formal agreement work performed by interpretation staff that is not interpretive in nature, such as:

• fee collection

• permit management

• campground management

Required information

Each entry shall describe:

(a) Program Title/Description

(b) Approximate size or volume (level of effort)

(c) Interpretive purpose

(d) Most recent update

(e) Miscellaneous notes

The format may be narrative or table or a combination.

Goals

This section states the goals and strategies for interpretation.

It shall reflect the final decisions of planning workshop participants. Any undecided matters shall reside in alternate documentation or appendices.

It shall include and reflect decisions made based on any Media Report included in the Plan.

Every current site action and activity shall be accounted for in the Plan.

All goals and their strategies shall conform to appropriate law and policy, as described in the section, “Compliance”.

Note on previous long-range interpretive plans: The goals as described here represent the sections previously entitled “Future Interpretive Program” or “Recommendations”. The goals represent the desired conditions, and the strategies represent the recommended objectives to reach the desired conditions.

See the sample goal statement at the end of these specifications for reference.

Order and Subdivisions

There is no specified order of presentation. Every Plan shall order the information as appropriate to the site.

Recommended Structure

Because a strategic plan for interpretation is limited to direct control over needs and treatment of

1. resources,

2. management activity,

3. stakeholders, and

4. partners, these four categories may serve as a useful organizational structure.

A plan may cover more than one NPS unit, but affect only one administrative body (ex: The National

Mall and Memorial Parks has one staff pool across numerous different NPS units). Alternatively, a plan may cover multiple administrative bodies within one NPS unit (ex: Yellowstone has multiple districts

Harpers Ferry Center, NPS/DOI 5/18/2022 13 with distinct staff and partners). Organizing the plan around these structures may be useful, possibly even delineating the four categories above within each administrative structure.

Required Information

Every goal shall consist of a single-sentence statement followed by justification, metric, mitigating factors, and strategies, as described below.

Every goal statement shall describe the desired conditions and standards for success.

Where goals are derived from regional or national goals, the plan shall describe the goal’s specific application in the scope of the plan.

Example: The Department of the Interior states as a priority, “Strengthening the government-to-government relationship with sovereign Tribal Nations.” To apply this goal within the Plan’s scope, the

Plan may reference the DOI priority and restate it as, “All affiliated Indigenous peoples who choose to provide their interpretation of park resources have their voices represented respectfully in NPS interpretive programming.”

Justification

A brief narrative shall justify the standard for success based in objective analysis of reputable sources such as core management documents, industry standards, and best practices suggested by peer-reviewed scientific results.

All justifications shall cite any rationale deduced from published data, preferably with endnotes according to the Chicago Manual of Style. Any voluminous sources not readily available to the public shall be summarized in this subsection and included in their entirety in an appendix.

Infographic techniques shall take the place of lists or narrative when equally or more effective in communicating essential information.

See details in the section, “Needs Analysis”.

Metric

At least one measurable criterion for success shall accompany each goal.

Criteria for success shall be based in objective analysis of standards for success, with citations where appropriate. Metrics shall be achievable within the scope of the plan and with the site’s typical human and financial resources.

Example: NPS Scorecard rating for visitor understanding exceeds “exceptional”.

Mitigating Factors

State any associated risks of action and/or inaction.

State dependencies to be resolved prior to acting on the recommendation, including compliance and formal consultation with municipal, tribal, SHPO, or other authorities.

Name partner(s) affected, including NPS service offices.

Any goal that depends on work accounted for in other plans (such as a facility improvement or concession plan) shall state such and reference those plans; indicate dependencies to be resolved within the Plan’s lifespan.

Strategies

One or more strategies shall describe the actions predicted to make progress toward the goal.

Where the rationale for a strategy is not obvious, a brief statement shall accompany the strategy. The statement shall describe the rationale with citations of credible sources.

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Every strategy shall be achievable and realistic within the stated scope and lifespan of the Plan and with the site’s typical human and financial resources.

All existing conditions shall receive attention in one or more strategies across all planned goals.

Strategies for existing conditions shall respond to assessment for their alignment with the stated goals.

Every recommended interpretive program shall be capable of addressing at least one interpretive theme.

Completed strategies shall be included, with notes for continued maintenance or periodic evaluation.

Media Report

The purpose of the media report is to provide tools for planners to make wise decisions on strategies for interpretive media.

The report shall enumerate current and potential interpretive media. It shall include graphics, diagrams, and narratives. This report shall be incorporated as an optional section in the final Plan.

Entries for potential media products shall reflect best industry standards and be presented as a menu of options.

Contents

All entries are subject to the requirements stated above in “Compliance.”

A list of media products and services shall describe, for each entry:

(a) Title/Description

(b) general qualities of the media (type, numbers of products, locations)

(c) year of development, approximate if unknown, or “future”

(d) accessibility

(e) current condition & needs

(f) Cost

(i) New or potential media shall include a high, medium, and low class-C cost estimate

(ii) Existing media shall include annual maintenance cost, given as an approximate range

(g) planned obsolescence

(h) notes

(i) asset ownership

Inclusions broad, programmatic-level work, such as:

• a suite of pamphlets

• a series of waysides on a loop trail

• a visitor center exhibit

• a feature video in a theater space

• an audio tour

• a historically furnished space, including concession spaces like restaurants or lodges

Exclusions individual elements, such as:

• a specific site bulletin

• an individual wayside

• a touchscreen in an exhibit third-party apps, websites, or physical media in place without any formal agreement

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Diagram

At least one basic diagram shall graphically represent new recommendations.

Plan Participants

A brief section shall list the primary planning team members with their titles and affiliations.

Appendices

Appendices shall be limited to:

• copies of existing data that are not easily referenced or accessible to the general public

• stakeholder meeting documentation, with analysis (if required)

• other relevant meeting documentation with potential for future use

Appendices shall not contain any statements of decision or information essential for the plan’s administration.

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Needs Analysis

An analysis of needs shall inform the justifications for the goals and strategies in the plan. The purpose of any needs analysis is to serve as a tool for making decisions about goals and strategies.

NPS resources, management, stakeholders, and partners demonstrate a need for interpretive activity when evidence suggests that interpretation can improve their engagement of the public in stewardship.

See the definition and NPS purpose for interpretation stated above in the section, “Definition of

Interpretation.”

A preliminary needs analysis shall be a fully cited report containing the following four sections on the needs for interpretation among

1. NPS resources,

2. NPS management,

3. NPS stakeholders, and

4. NPS partners.

Note on previous long-range interpretive plans: The section entitled “Foundations” in the 2000 guidance on Comprehensive Interpretive Planning is the needs analysis. Instead of creating a separate section for the “Foundations,” these specifications require only pertinent information to justify identified goals, and to place that justification directly with each goal statement.

Documentation

Wherever documentation of identified needs is available in published sources, such documentation shall be cited in an endnote and briefly described. Any unpublished documentation, such as a summary of public comment, shall appear in an appendix.

The final strategic plan shall include only the necessary information from the needs analysis to justify the identified goals. Any information superfluous to the strategic plan shall be accounted for in other records.

Resources

Analysis of resource needs is limited to the list of resources and values from the Foundation Document and any subsequent resource reports. The Foundation Document typically enumerates identified needs for interpretation among NPS resources as “threats” or “opportunities”.

Lacking a Foundation Document, other authoritative documentation of fundamental resources and values may serve as sources, including but not limited to:

(a) Enabling legislation

(b) General Management Plan

(c) Strategic Plan

(d) Resource reports, such as cultural landscape inventories, natural resource inventories, archeological reports, or historic structure reports (available at https://irma.nps.gov/Portal/)

(e) Other relevant plans or documents that supersede this Plan

Common Resource Needs for Interpretation these examples are not comprehensive; document actual needs specific to the plan

Unrecognizable significance: interpretation may communicate significance of a resource that resembles an ordinary or unremarkable environmental feature.

https://irma.nps.gov/Portal/

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Damage: interpretation may ameliorate a lack of etiquette or appreciation that results in unintentional damage.

Maintenance: interpretation may engage the public in volunteerism or other contributions that benefit a resource in need of routine care, such as memorial polishing, trail clearing, or trash cleanup.

Science: interpretation may engage the public in citizen science or knowledge sharing that contributes to understanding of the resource.

Management

Analysis of management needs for interpretation shall respect established core management planning documents and pre-determined obligations. Include all work currently in progress, such as completing a large project.

Management needs shall include goals set by:

(a) Department of the Interior goals

(b) National Park Service goals

(c) Washington Office Interpretation, Education, Volunteers Goals

(d) regional office goals

(e) site strategic plan

Include staff stated needs, such as training. Include the work and needs of volunteers as NPS staff.

Include obligated changes or events. Some examples include:

• opening a new visitor center

• an anniversary commemoration

• a permitted event with large impact

• a predictable unusual natural phenomenon, such as a solar eclipse

• establishment of a new partnership

• change to a law or policy, such as hunting

• expected change in regional or national initiatives

Include concurrent planning activities which affect the visitor experience; include the date and hyperlink or citation for the location of the full document in the justification statement.

Other applicable plans may include:

(a) Concession Management Plans

(b) General Management Plans

(c) Visitor Use Management Plans

(d) Facilities Plans

(e) Education Plans

(f) Historic Furnishings Reports

(g) Historic Resource Studies

(h) Historic Structures Reports

(i) Visitor Studies

(j) Cultural Landscape Reports

(k) Scope of Collections

(l) Other resource stewardship documentation and plans

Common Management Needs for Interpretation these examples are not comprehensive; document actual needs specific to the plan

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Training: staff, including volunteer and partner interpreters, may benefit from improved skills in interpretation.

Large projects or events: leadership usually occurs outside of the management of interpretation, and public engagement is often an essential aspect of the project.

Policy changes and national priorities: when a change occurs that will affect the public, interpretation often has a role in community engagement.

Stakeholders

An analysis of stakeholders shall identify groups that demonstrate high current or potential engagement with NPS resources. The analysis shall indicate factors that contribute to high current engagement. It shall use objective data and the professional judgment of experts to predict factors that may transform potential engagement into real engagement.

Definitions

A stakeholder is defined by NPS Management Policy as “an individual, group or other entity that has a strong interest in decisions concerning park resources and values. Stakeholders may include, for example, recreational user groups, permittees, and concessioners. In the broadest sense, all Americans are stakeholders in the national parks.”

A visitor is defined by NPS Management Policy as “anyone who physically visits a park for recreational, educational or scientific purposes, or who otherwise uses a park’s interpretive and educational services, regardless of where such use occurs (e.g., via Internet access, library, etc.).”

Formal partners are stakeholders, but they have their specific needs analyzed per the next section, “Partnerships.”

Example data sources

Sources may include, but are not limited to:

• previously published scholarly analysis on stakeholder groups, including ethnographic reports, marketing research, and social science

• publicly available management documents or other published material from organized stakeholders, such as strategic plans or purpose statements

• school curriculum

• US Census data

• sales data from cooperating associations

• data on tourism, commerce, recreation, and cultural site engagement related to the site(s) covered by this strategic plan

• NPS Visitor Use Statistics at https://irma.nps.gov/STATS/

• other NPS reports available at https://irma.nps.gov/Portal/; include reference to reports on similar NPS sites, resources, and stakeholders to supplement the subjects of the plan

Prohibitions on New Information Collection

NPS personnel should consult with experts on ethics, social science, and communications, and not rely on these specifications for official guidance.

Collection of new information from the public, whether directly by the government or on behalf of the government, requires approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Collecting new information without approval may be a violation of the Paperwork Reduction Act, Privacy Act, and

Federal Advisory Committee Act. Surveys, polls, focus groups, and similarly structured activities may constitute new information collection.

https://irma.nps.gov/STATS/ https://irma.nps.gov/Portal/

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Public comment under the Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) process may typically comply with applicable law and policy.

Collection of previously published and publicly available information, as in the examples above, does not constitute new information.

Common Stakeholder Needs for Interpretation these examples are not comprehensive; document actual needs specific to the plan

Vested interest: a community group, including commercial interests, independently interprets NPS resources and values out of a mission- or curriculum-based interest and would benefit from NPS support.

Inclusivity: stakeholders often need to see something of themselves in interpretation to feel like NPS resources belong to them.

Collaboration: often stakeholder voices can carry and expand interpretation exponentially beyond the capacity of the NPS.

Safety: knowledge and appreciation of hazards may benefit self-preservation activity by park visitors.

Programmatic accessibility: interpretation may serve as a form of universal design to enable the public to find meaning in the resource in a variety of ways that suit their individual capacities for access.

Tourism: individuals or groups, including commercial providers, whose purpose is tourism may enjoy an enhanced and more meaningful visit with interpretation.

Casual repeat visitation: those who return to NPS resources for reasons other than destination tourism may make stronger connections with interpretation tailored to their motivation.

Altruism: For those who may never visit an individual NPS resource, interpretation may provide the satisfaction of knowing that it is preserved for humanity’s benefit.

Partnerships

For the purpose of management decisions, partners have formally signed or legislated obligations with the park. Those without such mutual obligations are general stakeholders, not partners.

Assessing partner needs requires:

• language of any legal mandates

• language of any signed agreements

• partner mission statements, strategies, and other published materials

Direct conversation with partner management personnel may be necessary to identify additional needs.

Legally Mandated Relationships

Some partners have legal mandates for cooperation. These may include:

• affiliated Tribes (Indigenous governments) and traditionally associated groups; important:

provide 30 days notice prior to beginning consultation

• municipal, county, state, or national governments with mutual legal obligations

• other federal agencies

• legislated partners

• UNESCO

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Voluntary Agreements

Many other partners enter voluntarily into a mutually beneficial agreement with the park. These may include:

• cooperating associations (e.g., Eastern National, Western National Parks Association, National

Park Foundation, friends groups)

• concessions and commercial use agreements

• general agreements (formerly referred to as MOU or MOA)

Note that volunteers are akin to staff and their needs should be included in the management analysis.

Common Partner Needs for Interpretation these examples are not comprehensive; document actual needs specific to the plan

Guidance: partners conducting interpretation of NPS resources may benefit from a clear vision and set of priorities for interpretation.

Recognition: because partnership is included in the NPS mission, the NPS has a duty to engage the public in the work that its partners do for resource stewardship.

Inclusion: partners may interpret NPS resources with greater impact when they collaborate directly with

NPS personnel and the public regards them as co-stewards of the resource.

Leverage: the NPS and its partners have complementary strengths that can benefit interpretation in different ways.

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Implementation Plan

This plan is an operational plan. It lists those actions necessary to implement the Strategic Plan for

Interpretation, prioritizes sequential tasks, assigns responsibility, identifies funding sources, and sets target dates.

The team shall determine the most useful order and format for the information to be presented.

Every current site action and activity shall be accounted for in the plan.

This document should receive routine updates along with the existing conditions assessment. Therefore, it should be attached to the strategic plan as a separate document.

Requirements

A brief narrative shall introduce the section with a description of the rationale used to generate and prioritize the action items.

The Implementation Plan shall contain a structured list of actions, each with the following information.

(a) All goals in the strategic plan

(b) A measure of the current status toward the metric stated in the strategic plan

(c) All strategies for each goal

(d) A status statement for each strategy

(e) Dependencies for each strategy; include training, research, and other planned actions

(f) Lead personnel assigned to each strategy

(g) staff resources necessary to complete the strategy

(h) financial resources necessary to complete the strategy

(i) Timeframe; include planning and preparation such as contract development or event planning

Format

Table, with brief narrative

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Executive Summary

The Executive Summary shall not exceed four letter-size pages. It shall consist of:

(a) A cover page matching that of the Full Plan, with the addition of the words, “Executive

Summary”

(b) Brief summary of the Plan Purpose Statement; state also reference to the full Plan

(c) Themes for interpretation; no annotations

(d) Chart of goals and strategies

(e) Images or diagrams as appropriate

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Design and Layout

The Plan shall employ professional design standards with an attractive easily navigated layout. The document shall be enhanced with photographs, maps, tables, captions, and/or graphics needed to communicate essential messages.

Overall Layout

Full Strategic Plan for Interpretation

All pages, except when needed for large format graphics or tables, shall be letter size with a 2” outer margin, and a ½” gutter. Graphics and pull quotes may cross into columns and margins.

Footers contain page numbers on the outside of each page, “[Name of Site] Strategic Plan for

Interpretation, [year of plan]” on the left inside of page, and “National Park Service” on the right inside.

Headers identify the Chapter (except for the chapter title pages) and are located on the outsides. Headers and footers may be a color other than black.

Executive Summary

1” margins all sides

Typography

All headings, headers, footers, titles, and captions are Frutiger open type. All body text is NPS

Rawlinson. Overall font size is either 11 or 12 pt; size of other text may vary as needed (e.g., captions may be 10 pt, paragraph headings may be 14 pt, and chapter headings may be 16 pt) or as recommended by the designer. Tables shall employ a consistent font size and style throughout the document. Most text shall be black; headers, footers, sidebars, and captions may be another color, as long as they are consistent.

Graphics

Graphics, tables, charts, and pull quotes shall comprise no more than 25% on average of all page space

(besides the covers).

Color type: RGB (Adobe RGB 1998)

Minimum resolution: 400ppi

Acceptable file types, in preference order: TIFF, PSD, JPG, PNG

High-resolution graphic files shall be scaled, adjusted, and linked to the layout. Graphics shall not be enlarged past what is allowed by their resolution, such that enlargement results in pixilation. Alteration of images for supplementation of content is encouraged, given that the alterations are not superfluous or distracting.

Graphics shall be large enough to convey the image clearly. If necessary, adjust color and tonal values and assign and/or convert to the correct working space profile.

No image shall show minors such that they are clearly identifiable.

A credit line shall accompany every graphic except when graphics are property of the US government.

The minimum requirements for all licensed content are one-time, nonexclusive use rights for the lifetime of the project to display publicly and display on the internet.

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Printing and Binding

Full Strategic Plan for Interpretation

Spiral binding or equivalent

Front and back covers shall be a transparency or printed laminate.

Executive Summary double-sided tabloid size page, folded with the cover facing out glossy cardstock

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Sample Goal Statement

The following is a sample for reference. Aspects may vary per individual needs.

This is a of cooperating association sales set by NPS Management Policy (2006) 7.6.2.

1 Culture Track. "Culture + Community in a Time of Transformation." Special Edition (2021): 24.

https://s28475.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/CCTT-Key-Findings-from-Wave-2.pdf 2 Beery, Thomas, and K. Ingemar Jönsson. “Inspiring the Outdoor Experience: Does the Path through a Nature

Center Lead Out the Door?” Journal of Interpretation Research 20, no. 1 (April 2015): 67–85.

https://doi.org/10.1177/109258721502000105.

https://s28475.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/CCTT-Key-Findings-from-Wave-2.pdf https://doi.org/10.1177/109258721502000105