Attachment_5_-_GETT_LRIP_Foundations_data.docx

Attachment 5 – GETT LRIP Foundations data

Gettysburg National Military Park

LONG RANGE INTERPRETIVE PLAN Foundations Data

DRAFT: March 29, 2021 -- N O T F O R D I S T R I B U T I O N --

National Park Service | 2

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ABOUT INTERPRETATION PLANNING

Planning is organized decision-making. Park staff and partners work in collaboration to determine direction, think through parameters and mutually agreed-upon criteria, and use data to make informed, strategic, and realistic decisions about future actions. The goal of visitor experience planning is to make decisions and set priorities that help to strategically apportion limited NPS resources to their best advantage to do the most good in service to the public.

A good interpretive plan has focus, provides direction, and reflects informed choices to move an organization forward. Good plans don’t overwhelm or promise to do too many things. Good plans also experiment and stretch organizations and challenge their individual members to experiment to meet current and future audience needs and expectations.

Interpretation planning is built on data, regular reviews and analysis, and annual adjustments to the action plan. With attention to annual reviews and incremental adjustments, the large-scale, “one-and-done” planning efforts of the past become less necessary. Incremental, iterative planning is more effective, tailored, flexible, and responsive to current audiences, needs, and circumstances. Shorter planning cycles are less expensive and have the added benefit of better matching the strategic planning cycles of partners and philanthropies.

The Measure of a Good Plan

A primary measure of a good plan is one that is implemented; where actions are systematically accomplished and periodically examined for relevance and adjusted accordingly. A plan that looks pretty but it isn’t used to guide an organization isn’t a real plan.

Another measure of success for a planning process is at the end, participants should feel in control (not overwhelmed), confident, connected, and energized. There should be a clear understanding of common direction.

At the end of the process, personal and professional relationships will have been strengthened, responsibilities are shared, and there should be a realistic perspective that looks forward to the challenges that will grow and stretch both organizations and individuals.

The Planning Process

The collaborative process used in planning helps to establish common understanding, direction, and priorities for park staff and partners. Planning helps position a national park service unit to be the strongest park it can be given its strengths, niche, and capacity. A good plan balances aspiration with the will and capacity to carry out the actions.

Expectations should be realistic. A planning process cannot transform a park into something that can’t be realistically achieved nor can planning recreate past times or replicate how a park functioned in an earlier era and under different circumstances.

This plan was built on analysis and synthesis of data and information about the park, the community, and relevant research on visitor-serving cultural organizations. It builds on the foundations established in the park’s Foundation Document and other plans. It follows National Park Service (NPS) requirements for interpretation planning in Director’s Order #6.

Plans for visitor experience, media, services, operations, and programming will are reviewed at least annually and updated as circumstances change.

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Part I

THE FOUNDATION

FOR PLANNING

The foundation for planning is derived from legislation and provides basic guidance for planning and management decisions. Park purpose, significance statements, and interpretive themes remain relatively stable over time. Together, they establish an organizational baseline for planning and management efforts.

Interpretive Themes

[The interpretive themes in the Foundation Document require some clarifying annotations. Some are suggested here, but require editing.]

· Cause of War The Civil War was the result of decades of increasing divisiveness caused primarily by the issue of slavery that pulled the nation apart economically, socially, and politically.

This theme places slavery as the root cause of the Civil War.

· Gettysburg Campaign [and Battle?] The Gettysburg Campaign was directly influenced and shaped by the 1863 strategic military / political situation of the nation. The evolution, conduct, and eventual outcome of the campaign and battle were directly related to the geography, topography, and landscape features of the region, as well as to the tactics, leadership, and organization of the respective armies.

This theme focuses on the military, the Gettysburg Campaign and the Battle of Gettysburg July 1-3, 1863.

· Soldiers The soldiers who fought at Gettysburg were, for the most part, battle-hardened veterans. Their backgrounds varied as much as their reasons for being there. Their experience in combat and the aftermath of battle were both uniquely individual and universal.

This theme focuses on the humanity of war; the many stories of soldiers of all ranks and their backgrounds, experiences, and the effect of war on their lives, families and communities.

· Civilians The Battle of Gettysburg touched the lives of civilians both near and far. Farmers whose land became battlegrounds, citizens in town, those who tended the wounded, buried the dead, or came to locate a friend or loved one were forever changed by their experience here. The tremendous human cost of Gettysburg touched and changed the lives of families, neighbors, and the general population in small towns and large cities of both the North and the South.

This theme is about civilians caught in war, how lives change when it arrives in your town and war’s aftermath on individual and civic life.

· Gettysburg Address In his Gettysburg Address, President Abraham Lincoln focused the nation’s attention on the Union sacrifices, as well as its evolving meanings and consequences, when he stated that it would lead to a “new birth of freedom” for the nation; a charge that still challenges us today.

This theme focuses on the sacrifice of war and the legacy of the Gettysburg Address, its place [in the American cannon] and now widely recognized as one of the most influential and eloquent speeches ever given.

· Monuments and Commemoration The hundreds of monuments, markers, and memorials, many created by the veterans themselves, continue to bear witness to the experiences of individuals associated with the Battle of Gettysburg and are a testament to how the battlefield has become a stage for the reconciliation of a once divided nation, national commemoration of the Civil War, and a place of personal connection for Civil War veterans, their families, and visitors who continue to be drawn to this park.

This theme is about the long arc of honoring the sacrifices of war, commemoration and memorialization, how it changes over time, the meanings of commemoration and what it says about us, and reflects its own time, who gets to decide, who doesn’t, and how that changes over time and why.

More Guidance in Foundation Documents [Some summary and annotative text is suggested below, but requires editing.]

· Fundamental Resources and Values

· Battlefield Landscape Collectively, landscape features that comprise the battlefield landscape are essential to understanding the three-day battle of Gettysburg. Topographic and landscape features influenced the battle and its outcomes.

Features of the agrarian landscape were employed for defense, hills and wooded areas influenced troop maneuvers and movements. Historic railroads, roads, and farm lanes offered both armies avenues of approach. Ridges provided observation points and strategic decisive positions. Key landscapes include: Seminary Ridge, Culp’s Hill, Little Round Top/Devil’s Den, Cemetery Ridge, and the area associated with Pickett’s Charge.

Other notable landscape features are McPherson and Oak Ridges, Oak Hill, the Peach Orchard, East and South Cavalry Fields, Valley of Death, Houck’s Ridge, the Wheatfield, and the Copse of Trees.

· Commemorative Landscape From 1863 to 1927, veterans and survivors preserved the grounds of the battle and created commemorative features that define the park today. Most monuments and commemorative features were constructed during that period.

During the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association era (1863–1895), mostly monuments to Union volunteer regiments were built.

The 1895 law establishing Gettysburg National Military Park authorized the federal government to preserve the “important topographic features of the battlefield” and to preserve and mark the battle positions. The law gave the Gettysburg National Park Commission, composed of Civil War veterans of the Battle of Gettysburg, the tools to protect the historic and natural resources that comprised the battle setting and to create commemorative features such as the avenues, tablets, and observation towers.

In the 1890’s, construction of a private electric trolley threatened the integrity of the battlefield landscape. A landmark US Supreme Court decision enabled the federal government to protect historic sites through condemnation.

The NPS permitted additional memorials to be placed on the battlefield between year and 1999 including southern state memorials, monuments to the 11th Mississippi, 26th North Carolina, Crawford, Gibbon, Longstreet, Delaware and Maryland State, 43rd North Carolina, and others. In 1999, the NPS placed a moratorium on new monuments at GETT.

· Soldiers’ National Cemetery Soon after the battle, a committee formed to create a common burial ground to honor the Union dead. Gettysburg attorney David Wills headed this effort. Landscape architect William Saunders designed a semicircle of gravesites on Cemetery Hill near the center of the Union line. Reburials of Union soldiers from temporary battlefield graves to Soldiers’ National Cemetery began in late October 1863, barely three and a half months after the battle.

President Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address during the November 19, 1863 dedication ceremony. Soon after, the cemetery became the final resting place for more than 3,500 Union soldiers. In the 1890s, burials were placed outside the semicircle within the original 17-acre plot. The cemetery annex was a 20th century addition to accommodate soldiers from the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. Today, more than 6,000 veterans and their dependents are interred in the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. The cemetery officially closed in 1972.

· Museum Collections The GETT museum collections consist of more than 300,000 objects related to the Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg, the Soldiers’ National Cemetery, and post-war commemoration of the battle. It also includes the George Rosensteel Collection, one of the nation’s largest collections of Civil War relics. Park archives include more than 700,000 items; among the most significant document collections in the NPS. Archives are comprised of four major collection areas: original Civil War manuscripts, including diaries and letters associated with private individuals; select unit records; and maps, plans, drawings, and photographs that document the development and management of the park and the cemetery.

· Cyclorama Painting Created by French artist Paul Philippoteaux in 1883–1884, the Battle of Gettysburg is a 377-foot by 42-foot cyclorama painting that depicts the chaos of Pickett’s Charge and the battle landscape during the climax of the Battle of Gettysburg. The National Park Service purchased the 360-degree, painting-in-the-round in the late 1940s after decades of display in private venues. In 2008, a five-year conservation project was completed, including a new, three-dimensional diorama that enhances the immersive experience. The cyclorama painting is the centerpiece of the park’s current museum and visitor center.

· Historic Structures GETT includes more than 40 farmstead properties with witness structures present during the 1863 battle. Nineteenth-century agricultural buildings range from farmhouses and barns to smaller outbuildings, including summer kitchens, wagon sheds, smokehouses, woodsheds, corn cribs, chicken coops, and privies.

Many of the surviving buildings were used during the battle and served as headquarters, fortifications, and field hospitals on July 1–3, 1863, and later returned to their original uses. Historic structures also include more than 1,300 monuments, markers, and tablets; steel observation towers at Culp’s Hill, Warfield Ridge, and Oak Ridge; the avenue system and its culverts and bridges; stone walls and fences on the battlefield; and more recent additions to the park, such as the Gettysburg Railroad Station, the David Wills House, and other structures.

· Hallowed Ground The sacrifice and death on the grounds protected by Gettysburg NMP make the area hallowed ground. A sense of solemnity is a fundamental value of the park. This is reflected in President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, given during the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery November 19, 1863. GETT provides an opportunity to reflect on Lincoln’s words, the sacrifices of the fallen, and opportunities to contemplate the implications of the Civil War on the nation.

· Legacy of the Gettysburg Address The Gettysburg address is recognized today as one of the greatest speeches ever given. President Abraham Lincoln was asked to give “a few appropriate remarks” at the November 19, 1863 dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery held near the grounds of the cemetery. Lincoln’s two-minute, 10-sentence speech succinctly honored the sacrifices of those who died during the battle and called to continue to fight for the preservation of the union so that “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Five manuscript copies of the address are known to exist; one is held by the Library of Congress. While there is no original manuscript is at Gettysburg, the speech and its legacy are essential to park exhibits and interpretation and education programming.

· Archeological Resource Archeological resources provide information about the battle, battlefield, offer physical evidence of the battle, mid-19th-century material culture, and the impact of the battle and its commemoration on the landscape. Archeological material and data are part of the park’s museum collections and archives.

· Other Important Resources and Values These may not be fundamental to the purpose of the park or significance, however, are important to consider in planning processes.

These related resources may not be fundamental to the purpose of the park or significance but may be part of the broader context or setting for park resources, stories, or operations. They can reflect areas of mutual benefit, interest, or potential collaboration so can be important to consider in planning processes.

Other Important Resources and Values are:

· Natural Communities GETT is designated a Pennsylvania Important Mammal Area and Important Bird Area for its populations of least shrew and nesting habitat for a variety of grassland nesting birds.

GETT’s nearly 6,000 acres include gentle rolling hills, fields, and forests, mature and maturing woodlands and woodlots, agricultural fields, pasturelands, and intermittent streams and wetlands, habitat for bird, mammal, reptile, amphibian, and insect species, as well as over 500 species of vascular plants. Varied ecosystems provide important habitat for game birds, common Appalachian large animals, including fox, white-tailed deer, six bat species, and state threatened and endangered plants and wildlife.

· Non Battle-Related Archeological Resources Paleo-Indians are believed to have passed through the Gettysburg area during seasonal hunting and gathering as early as 13,000 BC. Agriculture has been practiced in the area since the Late Woodland era (approximately AD 900). Archeological resources offer information about American Indians of south central Pennsylvania, early agriculture, and 18th-century European settlement and farming in the region.

· Recreation GETT provides open space for the community on its historic avenues, walking trails, and horse trails. Recreation must be done in a respectful and appropriate way to preserve the solemnity of the battlefield and Soldiers’ National Cemetery. The Superintendent’s Compendium provides guidance on appropriate recreation at the park.

Related Resources are:

· Eisenhower NHS - The Eisenhower family purchased a farm adjacent to Gettysburg NMP in 1950. After retiring from the presidency, General and Mrs. Eisenhower retired to their Gettysburg farm, which has been managed by the NPS as the Eisenhower NHS since 198xx.

· Underground Railroad and Abolitionist Resources - During the first half of the 19th century, south central Pennsylvania was home to Quaker and free African American communities who were activists in antislavery and Underground Railroad activity. McAllister’s Mill, located along Rock Creek, is a documented Underground Railroad site (not under federal ownership). The Lutheran Theological Seminary, the namesake of Seminary Ridge, was home to theological leaders who advocated for the end of slavery.

Gettysburg was home to outspoken abolitionist leaders, including Lutheran Theological Seminary founder Samuel Simon Schmucker and US Representative Thaddeus Stevens. Associated resources found outside park boundaries include houses connected to Underground Railroad: Schmucker Hall (Old Dorm), Krauth House, and Schmucker House on the Lutheran Theological Seminary campus, and the St. Paul AME Zion Church, founded in 1840 (housing the oldest African American congregation in Gettysburg).

· The Gettysburg Foundation - Created by a 2006 merger of the Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum Foundation and the Friends of the National Parks at Gettysburg, the Gettysburg Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational organization with nearly 20,000 members.

The organization’s mission is to enhance the preservation and understanding of the heritage and lasting significance of Gettysburg and the national park through public outreach and private philanthropy. Gettysburg NMP Museum and Visitor Center is one of the only privately owned and funded visitor centers in the national park system. The foundation focuses on fundraising, education, and management support. It also supports Eisenhower NHS.

· Surrounding Communities - GETT relies on the Borough of Gettysburg and surrounding municipalities with shared history for stewardship of the battlefield and its legacy. Communities assist to protect viewsheds, maintain buffers and engage audiences.

Foundation Documents also have information on:

· Resource Conditions Foundation Documents include assessments and analysis of current conditions, trends, potential threats and opportunities relating to park resources.

· Park Planning Needs Foundation Documents identify and prioritize park planning issues and needs.

National Park Service | 21

Existing Conditions: Interpretation Personal Services

Non-Personal Services

Park

Gettysburg Foundation

Event Network, Inc.

Park

Park

Park

Park

No Places content for app, needs development

Park

Halted due to covid

Park

Need new staffing plan.

Park/Gettysburg Foundation

Park

Park

GOALS

Park management decisions are guided by agency and park goals and outcomes. Goals are used to frame, focus, and prioritize management choices and actions.

DOI Secretary Priorities The priorities for the Secretary of the Interior are:

· Create a conservation stewardship legacy second only to Theodore Roosevelt

· Utilize our natural resources

· Restore trust with local communities

· Ensure that sovereignty means something

· Generate additional revenues to support DOI and national interests

· Protect our people and the border

· Strike a regulatory balance

· Modernize our infrastructure

· Reorganize for the next 100 years

· Achieve our goals and lead our team forward

Other Key DOI Initiatives

· Employ veterans

· Support DOI infrastructure needs

· Create jobs in the American economy

· Provide access to outdoor recreation opportunities

For Information: DOI Strategic Plan (2018-2022)

National Park Service – Goals There are no National Park Service agency goals.

(As of April 2021.)

NPS Interpretation, Education, and Volunteer - Goals

Achieving Relevance in Our Second Century, the National Park Service Washington Area Support Office (WASO) Division of Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers (IEV) identified the following outcomes for interpretation activities (2014).

· Relevance and Inclusion The National Park Service facilitates thematic, inclusive, and inquiry-based interpretation.

· Educational Leadership The National Park Service is a valued and significant educator.

· Active Engagement The National Park Service works hand-in-hand with communities to engage people of all ages and backgrounds in meaningful and mutually beneficial volunteer opportunities.

· Business Acumen The Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers program employs excellent business practices to maximize and leverage resources.

Northeast Region Values The Northeast Region works to advance the following guiding values:

This will be updated to Interior Region 1 Principles; these values were recently updated, but need to find the new Principles.

· Exemplary Stewardship We take care of many of the nation's most precious places with high degrees of integrity and excellence and in a sustainable manner.

· Engaged Storytelling We share multi-faceted American stories in a manner that is honest, based on scholarship, is audience-centered, and fun. We promote opportunities for audiences to actively participate in programming and engage with the resources that we steward.

· Strong Business Management We make informed decisions based on data and experience, leveraging innovation for the best possible impact.

· Care for our Workforce We respect, care for, support, and develop our people, giving them the tools and training they need to do work safely and effectively. We value the contributions of all to our mission and values, ensuring that diversity is supported and encouraged.

· Partner to Achieve Mutual Goals We promote a culture of partnership–internally and externally—because we achieve more with others working beside us. Through relationships with partners and communities, we find ways to ensure our efforts will be valued by this and future generations.

Common Categories for Organizational Goals

[The following charts department, agency, regional and if applicable park goals. It shows where they intersect and one can see what each group considers important.]

COMMON CATEGORIES OF ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS

x

Storytelling (often includes RDI)

Education x

Partnership x

Workforce (often is about RDI) x

Volunteers x

Audience/Community x

Community Demographics

Data and information about communities informs park management decisions. The US Census Bureau has information on towns and counties across the nation. Compare town and community demographics with those of park visitors. (For example, what would a park do if the measure for engaging diverse audiences were based on matching local demographics from the Census?)

· US Census Quick Facts has information about your city, county and state. A county can often provide a broader demographic picture of a park community.

· The Check the NPS Visitor Survey Archive to find a survey from the park and enter the information in the last column. Note: not all parks have a survey and not all parks with surveys asked for demographic information.

US Census Quick Facts (2010) http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/index.html

GETT

Visitor Survey 2017-2018

GETT

Visitor Survey

DEMOGRAPHICS

spring, summer, fall

12%

AGE AND GENDER

SPECIAL NEEDS

INCOME

17% spring/fall

59% spring 65% fall

23% spring

EDUCATION

GETT 2017 Survey – 52% first visit, 19% more than 1 visit, 7% 3rd visit,11% 4-9 visits, 4% 10-19 visits, 6% 20-99 visits, 2% more than 100 visits

Note: US Census and park demographics differ slightly, but generally align. For example: under 18 years for Census, 15 years for NPS; 65 years for Census, 61 years for NPS; high school graduation vs. college degrees.

Strava Global Heat Map

Strava Global Heat Map (link) Strava shows how people use the park. It is updated monthly. It’s free, but for a service charge, parks can get more specific use reports.

Education – Standards and School District Goals

The needs of local schools, students, and educators should drive park education decisions. School districts post goals and strategic plans on their websites and often post district demographics. These numbers can support funding and grant requests. Use this information to inform park education planning and suggest where a park can best focus limited education resources.

Consider: How can the NPS help the district(s) and local children and educators achieve their goals?

The NPS has committed to serve fourth graders. What has the school district determined as goals for its fourth graders/elementary students?

National Education Resources

· Common Core Standards - Academic standards that outline what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade. The standards have been adopted in 42 states and the District of Columbia.

· Science, Engineering, Technology, and Math (STEM) and Science, Engineering, Technology, the Arts, and Math (STEAM) – Look beyond traditional park areas of focus (such as history or environmental education) to broaden thinking about how to assist communities with their education goals including aligning with STEM and STEAM initiatives.

· The US Department of Education and US Department of Energy have STEM education resources. NOAA, the EPA, and other agencies are also sources for STEM information.

· The Rhode Island School of Design has championed STEAM education.

· The National Writing Project (NWP) – Helps parks use content and resources to teach writing and literacy and has a strong educator network. The NPS has an agreement with the NWP.

State Education Information

Pennsylvania Department of Education

· School District Information – Stats about school districts aka “Future Ready PA Index”

· Data and Reporting

· Schools

· Comprehensive Planning

· Assessment and Accountability

· Facebook page

Local Education Information

Which School Districts does GETT want to target?

· X

· X

· x

Department of Defense Education Activity – Department of Defense School System

· DoDEA operates 160 schools in 8 Districts located in 11 countries, 7 states, and 2 territories across 10 time zones.

· There are 996,069 military connected children of all ages worldwide, of which more than 69,000 (6.9%) are enrolled in DoDEA schools and served by approximately 8,700 educators.

· Fact Sheet – Includes vision statement

· By the Numbers Infographic

Education Resources and Contacts

· Teaching with Historic Places

· Regional Office Interpretation and Education offices can assist:

· Education and National Writing Project - cris_constantine@nps.gov

· Youth and Volunteers:

What Do Visitors Do?

Parks invest most heavily in personnel services. How does that investment look compared to total park visitation? What do the percentages tell us? What do you notice? Any surprises? Does this suggest any areas for change or growth? How can they help to set, or shift, or measure priorities?

This chart shows the percentage of visitors who participate in various interpretation activities. Percentages are based both on:

· The number of people reported in the Servicewide Interpretive Report who self-select to participate in personal services (middle column) (internal NPS access only); and

· Total park visitation from NPS Visitor Use Statistics (right column).

GETT – 2019

What Do Visitors Do?

Servicewide Interpretive Report (internal NPS access only) % of Park Personal Services

% of Total Park Visitation NPS Visitor Use Statistics

(same badges/books)

(from NPS Visitor Use Statistics)

Education Services Breakdown

Servicewide Interpretation Database

Personal Services

nVisitor Centers/Contact Stations

nInformal Interpretation

u Junior Ranger

nJunior Ranger

1.00

n Booklets Provided

15,000 n Badges Given

15,000 n Programs

3,715

u Education

nIn School

5,109 nTeacher Education nDistant Learning

18,711

u Non-Personal Services

nPark-Produced Publications

nAudio-Visual/Electronic Media

lSubtotal Non-Personal Services

u Outreach Services

uProgram Highlight

American Democracy - A Great Leap of Faith : The Park and Gettysburg Foundation collaborated with Smithsonian Traveling Exhibits Service (SITES) to bring the traveling version of the Smithsonian Institution's American Democracy - A Great Leap of Faith to the Museum and Visitor Center's Gilder Lehrman Special Exhibits Gallery. The exhibit opened July 20, 2019 and will run through November 10, 2019. Summer / Fall Ranger Programs: The interpretive division had a very successful summer season. During the July 1-3 Battle Anniversary commemorations, over 6,737 visitors participated in park led walks, talks, and hikes, a 13% increase from 2018. In addition to the normally offered hikes, walks, and talks, the park expanded its’ interpretive offerings in include dedicated programming focused on the African American story at Gettysburg. This unique ranger guided hike explored the lives of Gettysburg’s 1863 African American community, bringing to life this often forgotten chapter of history. We also began to offer a first of its kind “Then and Now” photography program that incorporated the park web site dedicated to “Then and Now” battlefield photography utilizing the photo comparison slider element. Additionally, the park continued to host the popular Artist in Residence program, welcoming to the battlefield Louie Palu, a combat photographer and journalist, as well as Dave and Pat Geister, children’s book authors and illustrators, and the inaugural Poet in Residence, Steven Bellin-Oka, among others. Winter Lecture Series: The popular Winter Lecture Series will begin on January 11, 2020. Every weekend through March 22nd the park offers free hour long lectures examining aspects of the American Civil War and Battle of Gettysburg. A full schedule will be released after November 19. Comprehensive Wayside Project: The Park continues to work with Harpers Ferry Center on the creation of a comprehensive redesign of the Park’s waysides. New interpretive panels will connect the museum experience to the battlefield and highlight lesser-known aspects of the battle, in addition to those featured at the major auto tour stops. The Park anticipates work will be completed on these panels in 2020. Great Task Youth Leadership Program: For the third year in a row, the Park has launched the Great Task Youth Leadership program. Students and youth groups from across the country spend an overnight experience in Gettysburg, connecting the history of this place with the traits of leaderships, active engagement, and community service. Since the program launched in 2016, nearly one thousand students have participated in the experience, introducing the Gettysburg story to new and diverse audiences. In the fall of 2019 Gettysburg welcomed four new youth groups into the program and have expanded partnerships to make the program more impactful. Wounded Warrior Partnership: The Park has established a partnership with Project Odyssey, a component of the Wounded Warrior Project. Project Odyssey aims to improve and facilitate the lives and relationships of returning veterans and their families. The interpretive division, working closely with Wounded Warrior Project facilitators, have crafted a series of unique, facilitated, multi-day programming designed to connect veterans / participants with the park and help their healing process through narrative therapy. To date six Project Odyssey groups, numbering a total of 97 veterans, have participated in the programming.

Visitor Use Statistics – Recreation Visits by Month

Visitor Use Statistics

Recreation Visits by Month This color-coded chart shows peaks and lows in visitation

Gettysburg NMP Scale: Top Line 8,000,000

For Comparison – Other Civil War Park Visitation (Interior Region 1) Notice graph shapes. GETT and PETE tend to be flat or decreasing visitation punctuated by anniversary spikes.

RICH, FRED/SPOT, and even APCO have shown increases. Increases reflect where parks have been deliberate about diversifying interpretation and making it more inclusive. Is this correlation or cause and effect?

Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania National Battlefield Scale: 1,400,000 top line

Richmond National Battlefield Scale: 500,000 top line

Appomattox Court House National Historical Park Scale: 500,000 top line

Petersburg National Battlefield Park Scale: 3,000,000 top line

Year to Date

2019 and 2018

2017 and 2016

2015 and 2014

Interpretation Division Staffing

Interpretive Staffing for Fiscal Year

FYxx Interpretation Division Staffing

Permanent Positions

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

INTERPRETATION

ADMINISTRATION

Temporary Positions (Terms and Seasonals)

Volunteers

Volunteers-in-Parks

YEAR HERE

Administration

Cultural Resources Management

General Management

Interpretation/Education

Maintenance

Natural Resource Management

Protection/Law Enforcement

TOTAL

TOTAL # Volunteers

Source: NPS Volunteer and Expense Report

· All NPS Volunteer Reports are here. (http://inside.nps.gov/volunteers/reports.cfm?tab=rpts)

THE BASIC ESSENTIALS – Key Resources for 21st Century Interpretation

NPS staff, partners, and stakeholders participating in visitor contact roles should be familiar with these basic resources on interpretation in the 21st century.

GENERAL INFORMATION

· Opening Up the Museum TED Talk, Nina Simon (15 minutes) If you look at just one thing, look at this!

· The Participatory Museum, Nina Simon (online book)

· The Art of Relevance TED Talk, Nina Simon (15 minutes) and book

· Museum Hack - Not your grandma’s museum tour.

· Letting Go? Sharing Historical Authority in a User-Generated World by Bill Adair

· Four Truths – Based in principles learned from the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Four Truths go beyond multiple perspectives to explore ways that individuals and societies seek to make sense of events—especially sensitive and painful ones. The Four Truths are:

1) Forensic Truth - Factual, impartial, objective

2) Social Truth - Public engagement and reflection

3) Personal Truth - Personal narratives used to make sense of social experiences

4) Healing Truth - Validates experiences of others

AUDIENCE FOCUS

· The Key to Reaching New Audiences, Colleen Dilenschneider, IMPACTS; includes audience characteristics

· Negative Substitution: Why Cultural Organizations Must Better Engage New Audiences, Colleen Dilenschneider, IMPACTS

· Non-Traditional Visitors are Not Low Income Visitors, Colleen Dilenschneider, IMPACTS

· Inclusion or Irrelevance: The Data Behind the Urgent Need for Museums to Engage New Audiences, Colleen Dilenschneider, IMACTS, MuseumNext, 2016 (31 minutes) – The urgency to diversify audience and what’s at stake if we don’t. “We're about creating connections to collections but the market sees us as facilitators of shared experiences.”

· Audience Focus - Google "audience focus museums" there has been a lot of research on this. Also Google “adult learning.”

· Family Learning Forum: encouraging family learning in museums.

CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS AND FREE-CHOICE LEARNING

· The Value of Shared Experiences Within Cultural Organizations, Know Your Own Bone.

· Cultural Organizations are Facilitators of Shared Experiences , Know Your Own Bone.

· Five Things I have Learned as a Millennial Working With Baby Boomers, Know Your Own Bone.

· Why Cultural Institutions Are Not Reaching Low Income Visitors, Know Your Own Bone.

RESEARCH

· Wegner's Social Theory Learning – people are motivated to visit parks and museums for reasons other than to learn facts. Wegner Social Theory Graphic.

· "Free-Choice Family Learning: A Literature Review for the National Park Service" by Colleen M. Bourque, Ana K. Houseal, Kate M. Welsh, Matthew Wenger.

· "A New Interpretive Pedagogy" by Doug Knapp and Brian Forist.

RETHINKING THE HISTORIC HOUSE MUSEUM

· Anarchist Guide to Historic House Museums - Background, Lecture (lecture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC by Frank Vagnone, 2012; it takes a moment to start), Facebook.

· Twisted Preservation

DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS

· Know Your Own Bone - weekly blog on data relating to museum visitors. Geared for museums, but useful to parks. Subscribe! A painless way to be in the know.

· Pew Research - Visitor experience and interpretation choices are based on data. Pew and other resources have relevant information on social trends on free choice learning institutions and audiences—including audiences the NPS is trying to reach. Has information on: Internet , Science, and Tech; Hispanic Trends; Social and Demographic Trends as well as research on African Americans and education trends that are very useful to parks.

· US Census Bureau Quick Facts – Demographic information about every municipality, county, and state in the nation. How do park visitors compare to regional demographics?

· NPS Visitor Use Statistics – Data and trends about national park visitation.

· Economic Profile System - The Economic Profile System uses federal data from the Bureaus of Economic Analysis, the US Census, and other sources.

· Strava Global Heat Map – World-wide recreation data updated monthly. Free. Subscription can provide a closer look.

RESOURCES FROM PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

Institute for Museum and Library Science

· Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) 21st Century Skills

American Alliance of Museums

· American Alliance of Museums, Center for the Future of Museums.

· Nine Effective Practices for Building Audiences in the Arts – infographic on strategies for expanding audiences.

· TrendsWatch 2017, TrendsWatch 2016, TrendsWatch 2015, TrendsWatch 2014, TrendsWatch 2013, annual report on the future of museums from the American Alliance of Museums, Center for the Future of Museums.

NPS Interpretation Trends (Internal NPS only; feel free to make copies for partners)

· Trends List 2014

· Trends List 2012 - What's In/What's Out

NPS Washington Office (WASO) Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers Vision documents created by the NPS Washington office. (Internal NPS only)

· Achieving Relevance in Our Second Century.

· 21st Century Interpretive Skills Vision Paper - From this paper: "Over the course of a human lifetime, it has been estimated that five percent of learning takes place in the formal environment of schooling, whereas 95% takes place in informal environments (Falk and Dierking, 2010). In this context, parks and other sources of “free-choice” learning have much to offer a global society."

· NPS Servicewide Interpretive Report – for data and trends on individual parks.

Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota

· Four C Model for Civic Engagement – depending on the situation, institutions can be containers, connectors, conveners, or catalysts for community and civic engagement.

PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS

Performance appraisals and critical results support the changes in the field of interpretation. For example, experimentation is rewarded with a high performance rating. Performance appraisals are aligned from chief to supervisor to park ranger and guide. Also includes eight common collateral duties and 30 different fully successful descriptions to tailor to park needs.

· NPS Standard Sample Employee Performance And Appraisal Plans (EPAPs); describes expected performance.

The “Four Fours” of Audience-Centered Experiences

THE “FOUR FOURS” OF AUDIENCE-CENTERED EXPERIENCES

— AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION —

Ways that people participate in programming.

Based on social trends, Opening up the Museum

— SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY —

What people seek from free choice learning environments. Source: Wegner Theory of Social Learning

Consume To use Contribute To give, to help, or assist

Doing Learning through doing and activities

Meaning Learning through experiences

Collaborate To work with others to achieve something Co-create To jointly create

Identity Learning about who you are and how you fit into society

Community Learning that seeks belonging to a larger group or community

— CIVIC ENGAGEMENT —

These are ways to structure civic engagement efforts. Institutions and organizations determine their role in different civic engagement situations. Roles are matched to specific circumstances, audiences, and desired outcomes. Source: Walker Art Center

— THE FOUR TRUTHS —

Ways that individuals and societies seek to make sense of events—especially sensitive and painful ones—to move on constructively together. Reflects multiple perspectives. Based on: Truth and Reconciliation Commissions

Container Provide the physical and/or emotional space Connector Link people and ideas

Forensic Factual, impartial, objective

Personal Personal narratives used to make sense of social experiences

Convener Provide the purpose and call for a gathering Catalyst Provoke awareness, response, or promote a movement Social Public engagement and reflection Healing Validates experiences of others

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