ADVANCE 11/26/97

D18(2510)

Memorandum

To: Regional Directors and Director, Denver Service Center

From: Director

Subject: FY 1998 Funding Program for General Management Plans, Special Resource Studies, and Rivers and Trails Studies

Attached is the final FY 1998 funding program for General Management Plans, Special Resource Studies, and Rivers and Trail Studies. This program is based on your requests, as adjusted to fit funds provided in the Fiscal Year 1998 Appropriations Act for the Interior Department and related agencies.

This year your initial requests for General Management Plans totaled $9.8 million, or $3.2 million more than the anticipated available funding of $6.6 million. The final GMP program reflects several rounds of adjustments that were needed to balance your requests with funds appropriated for FY 1998 and anticipated carry-over from FY 1997. As agreed by the National Leadership Council, we will concentrate available funds on completing on-going projects and will not begin any new ones in 1998 except as directed by Congress.

Assembling the funding program this year has once again presented interesting challenges in reconciling priorities among clusters and Regional Offices while addressing servicewide priorities and congressional directions. Your cooperation and the work of your staffs through the several rounds of adjustments in the requests is greatly appreciated. These adjustments should have helped identify opportunities to streamline projects and expedite completion within available funds rather than extend the work into future years.

Please take special note of those cases where projects have already exceeded the amount of funding anticipated in approved project agreements. In the year ahead, I expect that every project will be covered by an up to date agreement on the scope and cost of work to be completed. Special attention should be given to carefully defining the scope of work that really needs to be provided to complete a GMP or study that meets legislative expectations and is consistent with NPS policy . I also expect that each of you will continually look for opportunities to reduce the cost of on-going planning projects by improved efficiency and cooperation among all involved offices so that we can meet the needs of other parks or study candidates that are waiting to be served.

As previously agreed, projects that will be finished in FY 1998 can be assured of the funding identified in the attached program but should not anticipate any additional GMP funds in future years. Those projects that have exceeded their approved amounts and will not be finished in FY 1998 will be reviewed by the program advisory board to identify opportunities for increased efficiency and effectiveness in meeting project purposes. The program advisory board will be asked to monitor progress of some projects that are likely to need adjustments in their scope or cost in FY 1999. The board also may review what lessons can be learned from selected projects that are scheduled for completion in FY 1998, but have already substantially exceeded the amount of funding in previous project agreements.

During the year ahead work will be continuing in our efforts to make the General Management Planning program more efficient and responsive to the needs of park managers. A revised NPS-2 (policy, Director’s order and program standards) for park planning is expected to be complete by within the next few months. Revisions and improvements in our new priority system also are in progress and are expected to be complete early in the spring of 1998. Measurable targets for the GMP and Special Resource Study program are identified in the strategic plan for Professional Services and will guide our work in the year ahead. Your continuing interest and cooperation in these planning program initiatives is appreciated.

Questions about the attached funding allocations should be directed to Warren Brown, Program Manager for Park Planning and Special Studies, on 202-208-4285.