Attachment_4_-_Draft_Interpretive_Plan.docx

Long-Range Interpretive Plan: 5/13/2022ATTACHMENT 4

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National Park Service • U.S. Department of the Interior

Attachment 4

Purpose of this Interpretive Plan

Purpose of this Interpretive Plan

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

National Park Service 3

All images, including charts and tables, are property of the US Government.

Contents

Purpose of this Interpretive Plan This interpretive plan is a strategic plan. It defines the overall vision for the park’s interpretive program as the program serves the park and agency mission. This plan was built on the park’s Foundation Document and other plans and follows National Park Service (NPS) requirements for interpretation planning in Director’s Order #6.

Director’s Order #2 requires strategic plans to answer the following five questions:

· Where are we now?

· Where do we want to be?

· 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?

Management Policy 2.3.3 requires strategic plans to contain the following information:

· mission statement and purpose from the foundation document

· long-term performance goals (with performance targets)

· short description of the strategies chosen to accomplish the goals

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

· description of the analysis used to establish or revise goals

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

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

· list of those who developed the plan Plan Scope and Limitations This plan is intended to guide the park for the next five to seven years.

This plan covers personal and non-personal services that engage the public in stewardship for park resources and responsible visitation.

Other Park Planning The following related aspects of the visitor experience are governed by other plans. This strategic plan may include strategies that affect those other plans. It also notes where this plan depends on those other plans for success. Other plans include, but are not limited to:

Appendix 2: National and Regional Goals Existing Conditions

· resource stewardship strategies (to include scope of collections)

· strategic facility investment plans

· commercial services strategies

· fee collection

· visitor use management plans

· development concept plans and site plans

· resource-specific management plans

· volunteer management

· general safety

· public information (breaking news, management communication, etc.)

Comprehensive Interpretive Planning Director’s Order #6 describes a comprehensive interpretive plan to include the following.

long-range interpretive plan [this 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] supporting the pursuit of that vision The implementation plan and FMSS entries may complement this strategic plan in local administrative unit records and receive annual update. All installed physical media should have entries in FMSS.

Operational Plans Strategies may require operational plans such as exhibit designs, event plans, or organizational charts. Operational plans are developed as needed and align with strategic goals in this and other plans.

The Planning Process See the list of planning team participants on the last page.

Decision Making Participants arrived at the decisions contained in this strategic plan in the following steps:

1. Needs analysis of resources, management, stakeholders, and partners.

2. Goal and metric development based on identified needs.

3. Strategy identification.

Civic Engagement The planning team conducted needs assessment meetings with formal partners and affiliated tribes. The planning team also solicited suggested strategies from formal partners for consideration.

After development of goals and strategies, the planning team posted the draft plan to PEPC and held an open public meeting. The results of the public comment process are summarized in Appendix 1.

Park Purpose and Significance For a full description of the park, see the Foundation Document and the park website at www.nps.gov/orpi.

A foundational document provides basic guidance for planning and management decisions. The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park as well as the park’s purpose, significance, fundamental resources and values, other important resources and values, and interpretive themes.

All interpretation supports the following statements from the Foundation Document.

Enabling Legislation Presidential Proclamation 2232: April 13, 1937 Public Law 95-625: Nov. 10, 1978 Purpose The Foundation Document’s purpose statement identifies the specific reason(s) for establishment of a particular park.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument preserves and provides for public enjoyment and scientific understanding of diverse Sonoran Desert natural resources, including the organ pipe cactus; multicultural connections and resources; and an expansive designated wilderness area.

Statements of Significance The Foundation Document’s statements of significance describe the distinctive nature of the park and why an area is important within a global, national, regional, and systemwide context. They focus on the most important resources and values that will assist in park planning and management.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is a vast Sonoran Desert designated wilderness area that protects wilderness values, such as opportunities to experience solitude and primitive recreation, expansive vistas, and dark night skies.

Distinct summer and winter rainy seasons and rare freezes contribute to the stature and diversity of Sonoran Desert natural communities at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. This environment supports a rich assemblage of tropical desert endemic species, including a number of endangered species and the largest protected concentration of organ pipe, senita, and saguaro cactus in the United States.

The monument has been continuously studied since the early 1940s, serving an international role in research, conservation, and education, and has been recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a globally important biosphere reserve that is representative of the natural Sonoran Desert ecosystem.

For more than 15,000 years, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument has been a place of trade, travel, and convergence, as evidenced through prehistoric and historic sites such as Quitobaquito Springs and other culturally significant features, and is still being used today.

Themes The themes below describe the scope of the interpretive program such that every interpretive program addresses at least one theme. Decisions over theme emphasis, or more granular thematic treatment, are typically more effective in operational plans such as exhibit, staffing, or event plans.

These themes are established in the Foundation Document under the stated premise:

“Themes are derived from, and should reflect, park purpose, significance, resources, and values. Interpretive themes are an organizational tool that reveal and clarify meaning, concepts, contexts, and values represented by park resources.”

For content sources related to each theme, see [link/citation] Theme statements from Foundation Document Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument’s vast, tropical Sonoran Desert wilderness, and its more than 15,000 years of human history, offer unique opportunities to appreciate cultural and natural extremes—inviting us to examine our sense of place.

The official interaction of the tri-nations (Tohono O’odham, Mexico, and the United States) and their ancestral convergence in this place attests to human resilience and our evolving relationship with dynamic landscapes.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is a globally important, Sonoran Desert living laboratory—a biosphere reserve—advancing scientific discovery and exploration that seeks to satisfy curiosity, and continually inspires us to pursue understanding.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument’s sensory-immersing experiences within vistas of cacti, mountains, and changing light and shadow—even into the night—unveil stark contrasts, humbling beauty, perspective, and personal rejuvenation.

Updates and additional priorities

Existing Conditions The following information describes the scope of the park’s typical and long-standing interpretive programming. Evaluation of these programs for appropriate condition and alignment with strategic plan goals should occur routinely and inform the implementation plan.

Publications

Park Newspaper

Ajo Mountain Road Guidebook

Driving tour guide

Only available at Kris Eggle VC

Exhibits

Kris Eggle Visitor Center interior exhibits

Waysides: Campground perimeter trail

Waysides: Desert View Trail

Waysides: Palo Verde Trail

Waysides: Arch Canyon Trail

Waysides: all trailheads

Waysides: campgrounds

Digital Media

Park website & app

Ongoing

Ongoing

Live Programming

Interpretive Work by Partners International Sonoran Desert Alliance [need to verify partnership agreement: not indicated in the Foundation Document or website; need to describe specifically how this partnership benefits interpretation] The International Sonoran Desert Alliance is a comprehensive community development non-profit that is committed to growing resilient and sustainable Sonoran Desert communities where the natural environment and a rich cultural heritage are held in the highest regard.[endnoteRef:2] [2: https://www.isdanet.org/our-organization]

Western National Parks Association The WNPA operates the gift shop in the Kris Eggle Visitor Center. Sales revenues supply some funding to interpretive activities in the park.

UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve [need to describe specifically how this partnership benefits interpretation] This international designation recognizes protected areas where management seeks to achieve sustainable use of natural resources while ensuring conservation of the biological diversity of the areas.

Sister Park: El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve [need to describe specifically how this partnership benefits interpretation] Both the monument and park have been designated as International Biosphere Reserves, and the staffs of both cooperate on many projects to protect the unique resources that exemplify the Sonoran Desert landscape.[endnoteRef:3] [3: 2016 Foundation Document]

The park’s 1995 Programa de Manejo names Organ Pipe Cactus NM as a potential collaborator in the park’s objective for education and public use:

Estimular y apoyar la participación activa en el manejo, protección y uso racional de los recursos naturales y culturales por medio de un conocimiento profundo y apreciación de la historia natural y cultural de la zona de El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar.[endnoteRef:4] [4: https://simec.conanp.gob.mx/pdf_libro_pm/24_libro_pm.pdf]

Typical Staff The following information represents a three-year average.

Goals

[Goal: repeat this section for additional goals]

Justification [state rationale, cite sources[endnoteRef:5]] [5: Use endnotes, not footnotes.]

Metric for success [state metric(s), cite sources if necessary] Mitigating factors [state dependencies, barriers to performance, or potential roadblocks]

Strategies for reaching the goal [strategy; may include also existing conditions that contribute to achieving the goal] [rationale]

References

Appendices

Appendix 1: TBD

TBD

Appendix 2: National and Regional Goals The following are principles, priorities, goals, and strategies that apply across the NPS. They may appear in some form as performance standards for park managers.

Interpretation has a role in many or all of them. Alignment of a park’s strategic plan with national goals improves the likelihood that a plan remains relevant and well supported. In developing a park’s goals, planners may begin with national goals and tailor them to suit the park’s specific situations.

To use a sports metaphor: National goals represent a team’s intent in a national championship or series. Park-level goals might correspond to a team’s performance in a specific game in order to contribute to the national goals.

Department of the Interior DOI priorities are listed at https://doi.gov/ourpriorities:

· Identifying steps to accelerate responsible development of renewable energy on public lands and waters.

· Strengthening the government-to-government relationship with sovereign Tribal Nations.

· Making investments to support the Administration’s goal of creating millions of family-supporting and union jobs.

· Working to conserve at least 30% each of our lands and waters by the year 2030.

· Centering equity and environmental justice.

The NPS analyzes its role in these priorities and then delegates to parks via the Director’s priorities.

National Park Service Director’s Priorities https://doimspp.sharepoint.com/sites/nps-InsideNPS/SitePages/Directors-Office.aspx#director-s-priorities

· Connect and empower a thriving and diverse workforce

· Invest in the future of parks

· Confront the climate crisis using science and traditional ecological knowledge in stewarding our resources

· Advance equity, inclusion, and access in carrying out the NPS mission

· Respect and strengthen Indigenous connections, enhance our nation-to-nation relationships, and fully uphold our trust and treaty responsibilities

· Create an NPS experience that meets visitor expectations into the future

· Greatly improve, streamline, and modernize NPS management and business practices, and ensure accountability to ourselves, our partners, and the American people 2014 NPS Strategic Plan for Interpretation The plan’s stated lifespan was five years. Nevertheless, many parks still rely on its vision. Its stated goals and strategies may be common across parks. They may serve as a starting point for an interpretive plan’s goals.

Place events and park resources into national and global contexts.

Goal 1A Strategies Use the Interdisciplinary Thematic Framework, park plans, and audience input to place meaningful stories, integrated natural and social systems, and pivotal issues in their greater contexts. (This framework will be available August 2014.)

Interpret nationally relevant thematic issues like women’s history, science literacy, Latino heritage, climate change, and civil rights in collaboration with cooperating associations and other partners.

Broaden the themes of interpretation and education activities by incorporating advice of external advisors and professional societies (e.g., “Revisiting Leopold” report by National Park System Advisory Board Science Committee; “Imperiled Promise” report by Organization of American Historians).

Foster collaboration among interpreters, communicators, resource managers, scientists, scholars, and historians.

Use an interdisciplinary approach to harness the knowledge and skills of diverse staff (natural and cultural resource experts, law enforcement officers, economists, social scientists, etc.) to strengthen and enrich interpretation.

Ensure that National Park Service audience experiences are relevant, inclusive, active, and fun.

Goal 1B Strategies Evaluate interpretive programs and products for their success at including diverse audiences, connecting to visitors’ lives, inviting visitors to participate actively in learning.

Design interpretive programs that tell all Americans’ stories, uncover buried stories, present multiple points of view, and encourage inquiry and civic dialog.

Invite visitors to tell their own stories, co-create knowledge about park resources, and share the meanings that they discover.

Improve the accessibility of all interpretive programs and products.

Use social media, distance learning, electronic gaming, and other emerging technologies to encourage self-directed learning and to reach new audiences.

Use social science research to better understand our audiences and stay current on best practices in interpretation, education, and public engagement.

Transform the role of interpreter to be a facilitator of learning rather than just a giver of information.

Goal 1C Strategies Translate current research on learning and public engagement into interpretive practices.

Create communities of practice and enhance communication Servicewide about the purpose, methods, and goals of facilitated learning.

Use interactive interpretive techniques like facilitated dialog, social learning, and essential questions.

Train and equip staff, volunteers, and partners to use emerging technology that connects with youth and enables free-choice learning by ever-larger audiences.

Change how we use our time and plan our work to leverage the capacity of staff, volunteers, and partners to engage larger audiences.

Establish the National Park Service as an educational institution and strengthen parks as places of learning that teach about our American heritage and develop civic engagement, scientific and historical literacy, and citizen stewardship.

Goal 2A Strategies Brand, promote, and advance the National Park Service education mission and the role of informal education in America’s ecosystem of learning.

Collaborate with the National Park System Advisory Board Education Committee and informal learning organizations to promote and advance the NPS education mission.

Capitalize on the national agreements with the Department of Education and the Bureau of Indian Education.

Equip National Park Service staff, volunteers, and partners in all disciplines to lead effective formal and informal education programs that develop civic engagement, scientific and historical literacy, and citizen stewardship.

Expand interpretive and education programs and products to include explanations of how scientists and scholars conduct research and create knowledge.

Fully integrate Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers with the Department of Interior’s Youth Initiative, including the goal to provide educational opportunities to at least 25 percent of the nation’s K-12 population annually.

Collaborate with partners and other educational institutions to expand National Park Service education programs and the use of parks as places of learning.

Goal 2B Strategies Invest in and support classroom teachers as National Park Service educators to leverage their talents and ability to reach additional students.

Give priority to teacher training to maximize the level of outreach and number of students who connect with national parks when limited resources require that choices be made between teacher training and student programing.

Promote partnerships with educators and education organizations to align National Park Service education programs with applicable local, state, and national standards, such as the Common Core Standards.

Use and enhance the National Park Service Education Portal and a variety of educational technologies to support National Park place-based, distance learning.

Explore new national and regional-level partnerships that could help expand National Park Service educational programing, connect parks across the country through common themes, and increase the use of parks as places of learning.

Create new and innovative ways to join with long-standing partners, e.g., cooperating associations and educational institutions, to leverage their resources and expertise.

Develop and nurture lifelong connections between the public and parks—especially for young people—through a continuum of engaging recreational, educational, volunteer, service, and work experiences.

Goal 2C Strategies Work across disciplines to expand and integrate youth programs so that participants have access to a seamless continuum of experiences.

Partner with healing organizations or programs, such as Wounded Warrior and cancer survivor groups, to increase the opportunity to build connections and promote parks as places of healing.

Promote cultural understanding and scientific and historical literacy through education programs, volunteerism, service learning, and internship opportunities.

Prioritize working with schools and organizations that reach a high percentage of students from underserved audiences.

Cultivate an organizational culture of stewardship and service within the larger context of national volunteerism efforts.

Goal 3A Strategies Recognize volunteerism as an organizational strategy, rather than a program, integral to the function and success of the National Park Service.

Make volunteering a core strategic function where all sectors of the National Park Service participate and find meaning in stewardship and service.

Foster relationships with other volunteer and nonprofit organizations to expand and share resources and materials broadly. Expand participation in local, national, and international volunteerism organizations and efforts.

Advocate for volunteers, volunteer managers/coordinators, and volunteerism at all levels.

Emphasize the importance of ethics and professionalism in relating to and working with volunteers.

Espouse shared organizational values that support active engagement as a key outcome of the National Park Service mission.

Build capacity and sustainability for parks and programs through effective volunteer management, investments, partnerships, and program/professional development.

Goal 3B Strategies Support volunteer management as a profession and promote and use systems and tools for accountability and communication.

Optimize each park’s operational ability to develop a robust volunteer program through strategic investments in staff, funding, time, training and infrastructure.

Foster relationships with partner organizations to leverage funds, build capacity, and assist with volunteer management and leadership in new and creative ways.

Ensure that the volunteer program is fully integrated into the fabric of park and program operations through interdisciplinary collaboration to strengthen its impact and effectiveness Servicewide.

Provide professional development opportunities for volunteer coordinators and promote volunteer recognition to ensure a high level of excellence for volunteer programs.

Fully integrate the National Park Service Volunteers-In-Parks Program with the Department of Interior’s Youth and Service Initiative, including the goal to engage one million volunteers annually on public lands in four years.

Provide a range of engaging volunteer, service learning, and civic engagement opportunities that match the interests and skills/talents of volunteers, meet community needs, and are aligned with high priority National Park Service work goals.

Goal 3C Strategies Take innovative and creative steps to diversify the volunteer base.

Recruit and engage new audiences in volunteer and service opportunities.

Broaden the volunteer experience and provide compelling and diverse volunteer, service learning, and civic engagement opportunities for volunteers of all ages.

Ensure that work performed by volunteers contributes to the National Park Service mission in meaningful ways.

Provide tangible benefits to volunteers, communities, and society.

Holistically connect volunteer and service opportunities for young people to other age-appropriate National Park Service programs that promote community engagement and outdoor recreation (play), learning and awareness of park values (learn), and employment and conservation careers (work).

Create a flexible and adaptive organizational culture that encourages innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurship.

Goal 4A Strategies Regularly seek input from Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers stakeholders and ensure that systems and practices reflect the diversity of needs and current trends.

Encourage a culture of evaluation that routinely identifies creative and innovative strategies to problem solving and shares lessons learned across the Service.

Develop strong interdisciplinary collaboration between Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers, partners, and other National Park Service career fields at all levels.

Model good business practices that have transparent processes and clearly defined work plans aligned with the five-year outlook and funding.

Fully integrate the National Park Service Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers program with the Department of the Interior Youth Initiative, including the goal to provide 100,000 work and training opportunities to young people over the next four years.

Modernize and streamline National Park Service business processes and systems.

Goal 4B Strategies Establish and maintain a sustainable internal communications network for Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers. Use leading-edge technology to enhance communication at all levels of the organization.

Create, collect, and use effective measures and standards for assessing qualitative and quantitative data on interpretation, education, and volunteer efforts Servicewide.

Transform and use long-range interpretive planning processes to incorporate and reflect trends, operational realities, audience research, and the new vision for Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers into services and programs Servicewide.

Develop new Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contracts (IDIQs), cooperative agreements, and partnerships to bring additional resources to the interpretive planning effort. Modify current financial assistance mechanisms to make them easier to use in support of partnerships for Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers.

Increase program managers’ familiarity with National Park Service budget, project planning, and accountability systems to improve time management efficiency and maximize resources that support interpretation, education, and volunteers outcomes.

Actively support and train staff, volunteers, and partners from all disciplines who deliver Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers services and programs.

Goal 4C Strategies Care for employees by embracing and prioritizing safety, health, and wellness.

Embrace outside sources of learning and development so that we can focus internally on the training that we can best deliver and is aligned with the goals and outcomes of this strategy.

Establish effective processes for assessing and addressing ongoing developmental needs for National Park Service interpreters, educators, volunteer coordinators, and supervisors. Ensure ongoing collaboration occurs among the various discipline-based training managers and functional areas in order to leverage impact and extent of offerings.

Collaborate with Interpretation and Education partners who provide interpretive services and facilitate partners in the attainment of excellence.

Promote interdisciplinary learning and development through training, details, and other means to fully engage the full Service in enhancing the relevance of the National Park Service.

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Planning Team

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument [names] National Park Service [names] Partners [names]

Long-Range Interpretive Plan Approval Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument 5/13/2022 This Long-Range Interpretive Plan has been prepared as a collaborative effort between the parties named on the previous page and approved by the following official(s) with authority for its administration.

Long-Range Interpretive Plan • Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

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