  
 Marica
Blaszak, Regional Director
Like most large
public organizations, the National Park Service sets performance
and accountability goals for itself. In the Alaska Region, the management
team has developed focus areas for the work of nearly 1,000 employees
based on the larger national goals of the Service and the Department
of the Interior. These in turn help us meet Congressional mandates,
serve the American people and be good stewards of the assets entrusted
to our care. Our five focus areas include:
- Natural
and Cultural Resource Stewardship
- Increasing
Public Understanding of the Varied Roles of the NPS
- Maintaining
and Improving Community Relations
- Developing
a Strategy for a Sustainable Budget
- Acknowledging
and Developing Our Workforce
Within these
broad focus areas, we set many more detailed goals for ourselves
in 2005. I am pleased to report that we have increased public understanding
and enjoyment of the Alaska's national parks. The pages which follow
in this annual report detail many of our successes as well as the
challenges the region faces.
Two accomplishments
give me particular pleasure to mark in the win column. First, Denali
National Park opened its visitor center for the 2005 summer season
and brought to a close the last major project of its front country
improvements. Alaska's flagship visitor center was the final phase
in work which had included more than $30 million in private, state
and federal investment. It joins the Murie Science and Learning
Center, railroad depot improvements, a camper convenience store,
a rebuilt campground, new trails and interpretive exhibits to give
visitors to Alaska's best-known park a high quality experience from
the beginning of their stay.
Second, the
National Park Service in 2005 joined with the Alaska Travel Industry
Association in a marketing program for Alaska's national park units,
with a focus on lesser-known areas. Using a $750,000 grant from
Congress, the association has created visitor information guides,
ran industry familiarization trips, worked with travel journalists,
and promoted Alaska's parks to its members, the general public and
media around the world. The partnership continues into 2006 with
additional marketing efforts, and, more importantly, greater mutual
understanding between the Service and one of Alaska's key industries.
Privacy
& Disclaimer
Author:Jane
Ahern
www.nps.gov/akso
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