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San Juan
Island NHP
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Friday Harbor, WA
98250

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For comprehensive information about the National Park Service visit:

Privacy
Information

I     Introduction and Overview
II    Mission
III   Accomplishing Goals
IV   Key External Factors
V   Annual Work Plan

Ia1B    Exotic Species
Ia5       Historic Structures
Ia6       Museum Collections
Ia07     Cultural Landscapes
Ib3       Vital Signs
IIa1      Visitor Satisfaction
IIa2      Visitor Safety
IIb1      Visitor Understanding and Appreciation
IVa3     Workforce Development and Performance
IVa6A   Employee Safety (Lost-time Accidents)
IVa6B   Employee Safety (Workers Compensation)
IVb1     Volunteer Hours

VI     Measuring Results
VII    Annual Performance Plan Contributors
VIII.  Appendix
A. Budget Summary
B. FY03 Annual Work Plan
 
 

I. INTRODUCTION

About This Plan

Purpose:  San Juan Island National Historical Park’s Annual Performance Plan ensures that all park operations support the mission and goals of the park and of the National Park Service.  This plan provides a visible link between the allocation of staff and funds to specific annual goals.  The Annual Performance Plan is intended to provide better planning, better management, and better communication with all of our constituencies and stakeholders, and to demonstrate accountability. 

Background:  An Annual Performance Plan is developed each fiscal year as a one year increment of San Juan Island National Historical Park’s strategic plan. The five-year strategic plan covers the fiscal years 2001-2005. Building from servicewide goals and mission, the park strategic plan explains the park’s mission and five-year goals and describes how these goals will be accomplished. 

Layout:  The Annual Performance Plan describes annual goals, representing this fiscal year’s anticipated progress towards achieving the longer term goals set in the strategic plan.  Each annual goal is described in the context of its broader NPS or “parent” mission and long-term goal.  Like the parent goal, each annual goal is results- or outcome-oriented.  Each goal is objective, quantified and measurable, with performance measures built into each goal statement. A brief background explanation, an overview of how the goal will be accomplished, and a statement of how the accomplishment will be measured is with each goal. 

Detailed annual work plans for achieving each goal follow the annual goals. Work plans describe the specific activities, services, and products that will be carried out or produced to accomplish goal results. They also specify the base funding and staffing  (in terms of “full-time equivalents” or FTE) required to accomplish each goal. The sum total of dollars and FTE listed in the annual work plans equals the base budget and staffing for the park.

Annual work plans and budgets guide the park’s daily activities throughout the year, focusing fiscal and human resources on the park’s priorities for resource protection and visitor experience.

The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993  (GPRA)

This Annual Performance Plan is written in part to fulfill the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). Performance management is a goal-driven management practice widely adopted by the private sector, state and local governments, and many others.  GPRA requires federal agencies to develop 1) a Strategic Plan, 2) Annual Performance Plans, and 3) Annual Performance Reports to more effectively manage their work to achieve their missions, and to more effectively communicate with the American people and the Congress. Copies of the park’s Annual Performance Report are available at the Superintendent’s office at San Juan Island National Historical Park.  The Strategic Plan is available on-line at www.nps.gov/sajh/strategic_plan.htm.

II. Mission Statement

It is the mission of the National Park Service to preserve the cultural history and natural values of San Juan Island National Historical Park. The park interprets and commemorates the historic events that occurred here from 1853 to 1874, culminating in the peaceful arbitration of an international boundary dispute and a lasting peace between the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. The park also protects significant natural resources, many of which played a role in the human history of the area.
 

III.  Accomplishing Goals

San Juan Island National Historical Park’s annual goals for FY 2002 will be accomplished using the human resources, fiscal resources, and park facilities summarized below. 

Organization and Financial Resources As of FY2003, the park had a base operating budget of $693,000. A budget for 2004 had not been authorized when this plan was written. Staff includes 10 permanent positions, and up to 6 seasonal positions. Park staff will be supplemented by approximately 10,000 hours of volunteer service annually. Achieving the park’s strategic plan goals is dependent on base funding and on additional project funds, volunteer assistance, and partnerships.

San Juan Island National Historical Park staff is organized into five functional areas: Resource Management, Interpretation, Visitor & Resource Protection, Maintenance, and Administration. Permanent staff includes a superintendent, a chief ranger, two interpreters, a protection ranger, a (part-time) resource management specialist, two maintenance positions, and two administrative positions. Eight volunteer park hosts are recruited every summer to staff 3 visitor contact stations, participate in costumed interpretation, assist in trail patrol, and help with a variety of park operations. Some 70 island residents volunteer for the park in interpretation, resource management, and maintenance throughout the year.

Professional and technical assistance is provided by the Columbia Cascades Support Office and the Pacific West Regional Office. North Cascades National Park provides curatorial support and limited maintenance project support. Olympic National Park provides support for San Juan’s fire program. The University of Washington Burke Museum and San Juan County provide assistance through cooperative agreements, mutual aid agreements, and contracts. The Northwest Interpretive Association assists in helping accomplish education and visitor service goals through literature sales and donation. Additional partnerships with local and regional historical and environmental organizations, including Friends of the San Juans, People for Puget Sound, University of Washington, and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, contribute to the complishing park goals in resource stewardship and education.

Facilities Park facilities and infrastructure for accomplishing our goals include: one visitor center (with exhibits, AV, interpretive literature), two visitor contact stations with temporary exhibits, one central maintenance facility, one fire cache, two water treatment facilities, one central administrative office, six historic structures, approximately 11 miles of hiking trails, two self-guiding trails, 10 miles of roadways, and 3 picnic areas.

See Appendix A for the San Juan Island National Historical Park FY 2004 Budget highlights.

IV.  Key External Factors

Natural resource challenge base funding has enabled the park to build staff in resource management and education during the past two fiscal years. However, with more than 1750 acres of parkland, much of which was adversely affected by human activities before it became a park, the long backlog of necessary resource management activities cannot be addressed solely with park operating base or existing park staff. The park will be dependent on project funds and outside assistance. The North Coast and Cascades Network (which includes San Juan Island NHP) and affiliated funding will support the park with basic resource inventory and monitoring work. The depth and breadth of inventory and monitoring work for the network parks is still evolving. Because of its small staff, the park will be to some degree dependent on these outside factors to achieve its natural resource goals.

An additional factor that affects completion of this year’s goals is the number of park seasonal staff the park is able to employ. The low vacancy rate and high costs of temporary housing on San Juan Island during the summer season have proven prohibitive to our ability to recruit and retain seasonal employees. Park hosts mitigate this difficulty within the interpretive division, but maintenance, protection, and resource management operations are all affected strongly by this variable.

The park plans to perform a second prescribed burn in 2004 on Young Hill at English Camp. This action is identified in the Vegetation Management Plan and is intended to preserve increasingly rare Garry oak habitat and preserve the historic landscape. The first such burn was conducted on July 1, 2003 after several years of weather-related delays. This year the park will work with the NPS fire professionals and county fire professionals to conduct a second prescribed burn either in early July or in early fall when safety parameters can be met. Weather plays a role in the park’s ability to achieve this goal.

V. Annual Goals

Following are the park’s annual goals for fiscal year 2003.  The numbering sequence follows that of the NPS Servicewide plan.
 

Goal Category I 
Preserve Park Resources

Ia San Juan Island National Historical Park natural and cultural resources and associated values are protected, restored and maintained in good condition and managed within their broader ecosystem and cultural context.

Ia1BExotic Vegetation Species - By September 30, 2004, exotic vegetation on 12 acres out of 50 acres of treatable invasive plant acreage in the park will be contained.

940 acres in the park are infested with 130 species of exotic plants. Fifty of these acres are classified as “treatable” and are in immediate need of treatment to retain the character of the park. In past years the park worked successfully to contain one of the most invasive of these species, tansy ragwort, which covered 10 acres at the American Camp unit of the park. Larger areas have been treated to control two species of non-native thistle as well as Himalayan blackberry. The goal for FY04 is to continue to contain these invasive species in their current distribution so that they do not invade any additional park land. This will require day labor to remove these species, which will be accomplished through a seasonal biological technician, special project funding to bring in Washington Conservation Corps assistance, and recruitment of volunteers. Additionally, experimental plots will be treated and planted at American Camp to restore native grassland species, with the goal of decreasing disturbed habitat in which exotics thrive. Measuring goal achievement and verification of measures will be by on-the-ground inspection.

Ia5Historic Structures – By September 30, 2004, 14 of 23  park historic structures on the List of Classified Structures are in good condition.

The park has 23 structures on the List of Classified Structures (the NPS inventory and database of important historic structures). Thirteen of those structures are currently classified in good condition. As indicated in a condition assessment done on the park’s historic buildings in 2003, considerable cyclic maintenance will be required to keep those structures in good condition. Project funding is available in 2004 to perform needed repairs on the Officers Hill stairway at English Camp and to replace deteriorating exterior elements on the Laundress Quarters at American Camp. Repairs were performed on the English Camp cemetery in prior years to bring it up to good condition from fair, but that is not yet shown in the LCS. The LCS condition will be updated this year to reflect that 14 of the 23 structures are in good condition. The park will continue to maintain 14 of the 23 park historic structures in good condition using base funds and project funds. Measuring goal achievement and verification of measures will be by on-the-ground inspection and completion reports.

 Ia6 By September 30, 2004, 72 of 97 listed preservation and protection conditions in  park museum collections meet professional standards.

The park has one of the most significant prehistoric archeological collections in the Pacific Northwest. A portion of this collection is stored at the University of Washington Burke Museum, and the bulk of the collection is stored and curated by North Cascades National Park under an agreement with San Juan Island National Historical Park. In FY03 a loan agreement was completed for the portion of the park’s collection at the Burke Museum. An agreement between San Juan Island NHP and North Cascades is completed on an annual basis, which will continue until the park’s new General Management Plan is in place, which will guide a long-term agreement. In 2002, park staff worked with North Cascades staff to complete final installation of park collections in the newly expanded storage space at North Cascades. Because that facility is managed by North Cascades staff, it was taken off the list of facilities assigned to San Juan Island NHP, which reduced the number of applicable museum checklist standards from 208 to 97. Of these, 72 will be met in FY04. Measuring goal achievement and verification of measures will be by completion of these tasks and inspection.

Ia07 By September 30, 2004, 33% of the cultural landscape treatments identified as management objectives in the Vegetation Management Plan (1993) are accomplished and maintained.

Twelve historic landscapes have been identified within the two National Historic Landmarks in the park in the park’s Vegetation Management Plan. In FY 2004, 4 ongoing cultural landscape treatments will be continued (Officer’s Hill, Redoubt, Young Hill, and Hoffmeister Orchard). Treatment at Young Hill is by prescribed burn and is dependent on weather. Measuring goal achievement and verification of measures will be by completion of these tasks and on-the-ground inspection.  
 

Ib  San Juan Island National Historical Park contributes to knowledge about natural and cultural resources and associated values; management decisions about resources and visitors are based on adequate scholarly and scientific information.

Ib3  By September 30, 2004, San Juan Island NHP will link its vital signs to North Coast and Cascades Network plans for long-term ecological monitoring.

Vital signs are indicators of the key ecological processes that collectively capture the function of a healthy ecosystem. Identifying vital signs of the park ecosystem and the well being of other resources of special concern is the first step in tracking the status and trends of the park’s natural resources. The park hosted a facilitated scoping workshop to identify its vital signs in 2001, so the essential goal for 2005 has been accomplished. Inventory work has progressed during each of the last two years. In 2004, the park will work with the North Coast and Cascades Network to establish additional long-term monitoring programs inside the park. Measuring goal achievement will be by completion of a vital signs workshop. Long-term success on this goal is dependent on the Inventory and Monitoring Network (seven parks) and is outside the scope of this work plan.

Goal Category II
Provide for the Public Enjoyment and Visitor Experience of Parks

IIa  Visitors safely enjoy and are satisfied with the park facilities, services and interpretive programs.

IIa1 By September 30, 2004, 95% or more of visitors are satisfied with the appropriateness and quality of park facilities, services, and recreational opportunities

More than 250,000 people visit San Juan Island National Historical Park annually. To maintain a high level of service and of visitor satisfaction, park facilities, roads, grounds, and trails must be constantly cleaned, repaired, and maintained. In addition to routine maintenance, FY2004 work will include replacement of the water system at American Camp, rehabilitation of the visitor center bathrooms and walkway to improve accessibility, replacement of the potentially dangerous wooden flagpole on the parade ground, addition of gravel to American Camp roads, and other repairs dependent on project funding. The park’s goal is to maintain a 95% visitor satisfaction rate, which is also the national goal. Completion reports and visitor responses on visitor survey cards measure accomplishment of this goal.

IIa2 By September 30, 2004, the number of San Juan Island NHP visitor accidents/incidents does not exceed or is reduced from the FY92-FY96 five-year annual average of six accidents/incidents annually. 

The park’s baseline for visitor safety is 6 accidents/incidents per year. The target for FY2004 is to maintain or reduce this accident rate. To improve the park’s ability to reduce visitor accidents, FY 2004 work includes maintaining regular foot and bike patrols in the park; updating the emergency operations plan and ensuring staff are trained in hazard reporting procedures; and maintaining a trained staff member with a water treatment plant operator’s license to monitor drinking water supplies. Measuring the goal will be by documenting the number of incidents through case incident reports. Additional measurements of goal achievement will include certification of water treatment plant annual refresher training for the maintenance chief and certification of a water treatment plant operator’s license for the maintenance worker.

IIb Park visitors and the general public understand and appreciate the preservation of parks and their resources for this and future generations.

IIb1 By September 30, 2004, 84% of park visitors understand and appreciate the significance of San Juan Island National Historical Park.

In order to convey the compelling story of San Juan Island National Historical Park to its 250,000+ annual visitors, the park will offer high quality, multi-faceted interpretation, including educational programs, interpretive tours, visitor center operations, school programs, reenactments, and a variety of print and electronic media. The park goal over the next five years is to increase visitor understanding from the existing level of 76% to 86%. This will be measured by analyzing the results of visitor survey cards 

Goal Category IV 
Ensure organizational effectiveness

IVa San Juan Island National Historical Park uses current management practices, systems, and technologies to accomplish its mission.

IVa3A By September 30, 2004, 100% of SAJH  employee performance plans are linked to appropriate strategic and annual performance goals and position competencies.

In FY04, San Juan Island National Historical Park has 10 career employees and may have up to 6 seasonal employees (pending funding). The park’s goal is to ensure that 100% of employees’ – both career and seasonal – annual/seasonal performance plans are linked to the park’s annual and strategic performance plan and to position competencies (the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for the employee to perform effectively). This goal includes each supervisor working with his/her staff to review essential competencies (basic training needs), and documenting these needs clearly. Staff will attend training as funds allow based on the level of urgency (some training is mandatory each year and is automatically at the top of the park’s priority list, such as law enforcement refreshers and water treatment plant operations refresher). The baseline number is the total number of career and seasonal employees in any given year. This will be measured by supervisors/managers certifying that Employee Performance Plan and Results Reports are related to organizational goals set forth in the park’s strategic plan.

IVa6A By September 30, 2004, the number of San Juan Island NHP employee lost time injuries is maintained at or reduced from the FY1992-FY1996 five-year annual average of one.

The park will continue to implement the practices recommended in the FY99 comprehensive safety assessment of park operations and the 2003 environmental health and safety audit. Safety will continue to be an emphasis at all employee meetings and divisional meetings. Safety training for all staff will be conducted annually, and will remain the number one priority. Accomplishment of this goal is measured through the SMIS system.
 

IVa6B By September 30, 2004, the number of San Juan Island NHP hours of Continuation of Pay will remain at zero.

The park will continue to implement the safety practices necessary to maintain a zero level of Continuation of Pay. Continuations of Pay hours are the results of employees missing work due to on the job injuries or illnesses. Results of this goal will keep COP costs for SAJH at zero dollars.

IVb  The National Park Service increases its managerial resources through initiatives and support from other agencies, organizations, and individuals.

IVb1 By September 30, 2004, the number of San Juan Island NHP volunteer hours are  increased over the baseline of 6,132 to 8,300 hours. 

Volunteers at San Juan Island National Historical Park are a vital support to park operations, and enable the park to operate three visitor contact stations full time during the busy summer season. In addition, volunteers work with maintenance, resource management, and protection staff to help with trail patrol, visitor contact, costumed interpretation, grounds maintenance, research, natural resource projects, web site development, and many other tasks. Specific tasks related to this goal over the next year include retaining the existing volunteer force and recruiting new volunteers in a variety of disciplines. The goal for this category is measured in number of volunteer hours, and is related to a baseline figure estimated for 1997. The park will work to increase this 1997 figure 44.7% over the next five years, in keeping with the national goal.
 

VI. Measuring Results

Measuring the results of the goals outlined in this plan will be done on an annual basis. Each goal listed above describes the manner in which it will be measured. Goals are measured in a variety of ways, including a mix of visitor satisfaction and understanding surveys, site inspections, and completion reports. 

VII.  Annual Performance Plan Contributors

Bill Gleason, Mike Vouri, Jerry McElyea, Maureen Briggs, Peter Dederich, Leigh Smith, Ron Heeren.

VIII.  Appendix

A. Park Budget

The park's annual base budget, which funds specific goals in the annual performance plan, is divided into four basic areas:
 
*Resource preservation and management
*Visitor services
*Facility operations and maintenance
*Park administration

In fiscal year 2004, Congress appropriated $688,000 in operating funds for San Juan Island National Historical Park, down slightly from the previous year’s operating budget of $693,000. The park has allocated those funds to operational categories as follows:

$ 263,000 for resource preservation and management. Park staff participate directly in the preservation and management of both natural and cultural resources, including monitoring of archeological sites, preservation activities on historic buildings, museum collection management, control of invasive vegetation, forest health, water quality, coordination of research and youth service projects, and ensuring compliance with laws enacted to preserve the park’s natural and cultural resources.

$ 207,000 to address visitor services. Park staff and a dedicated corps of volunteers provide a wide array of visitor services, including on and offsite interpretive/education programs, publications and exhibits, special events, visitor center operations, public safety patrols, emergency response, and special use permits.

$ 135,000 for facility operations and maintenance. Park staff ensures that preventive and routine maintenance is completed on historic structures, historic/cultural landscapes, and a wide array of support facilities and infrastructure, including a water treatment plant, a network of trails, park roads, picnic areas, grounds, and support facilities.

$ 83,000 for park administration. Park administration includes the general oversight of all park operations, including resource management, visitor and resource protection, interpretation, maintenance, partnership development, long range planning, external programs, and community relations.

In addition to its base budget, the park competes for special project funds to support regular and cultural cyclic maintenance projects, repair/rehabilitation projects, fee demonstration projects, and natural and cultural resource projects. Fiscal year 2004 allocation of these funds has not been determined at the time of this plan’s submission, but projects dependent on these funds have been outlined in the following annual work plans.

B. FY04 Annual Performance/Work Plans (pdf file)