STRATEGIC PLAN
Office of Lands, Resources, & Planning
National Capital Support Office
National Park Service
August 1997
VISION: The NPS plays 3 key roles: 1) a steward for managing America's national parks and resources; 2) a guide and teacher helping people experience, value, and respect our shared national heritage; 3) an advocate for, and partner in, achieving a quality of life enhanced by natural and cultural resources and open space.
PURPOSE
The National Capital Support Office exists to provide technical assistance to the Regional Director's Staff and the parks of the National Capital Region so that they can better conduct their primary responsibilities of preserving and protecting park resources, providing visitor access to parks, and education about each park's contribution to our nation's heritage and resources.
The Office of Stewardship and Partnerships is the office within the National Capital Support Office which provides support to the Regional Director's staff and the parks for cultural and natural resources protection; science projects; museum management and accreditation; curatorial support; planning, GIS and environmental compliance; land acquisition, exchange and transfer; adjacent land use planning; right-of-way and special use permits; legislative proposals; coordination of memorial proposals and major projects by state and local governments on park land; represents the National Park Service on the National Capital Planning and Zoning Commissions, and manages the National Capital Memorial Commission.
SIGNIFICANCE
S&P maintains a highly professional cadre of experts in the areas of natural resources preservation; history, archeology, historic structures and landscapes, and artifacts; park planning and design; lands, land use and permits; legislation, and relationships with external organizations.
By providing support as requested, the Stewardship and Partnerships Office enhances the ability of the National Park Service, the NCSO, and the parks within the National Capital Region to achieve the following goals:
- Strengthen preservation and protection of park resources.
- Help people forge emotional, intellectual, and recreational ties with their natural and cultural heritage.
- Become a more responsive and accountable organization.
Goal Category I: Preserve Park Resources
Mission Goal Ia: Natural and cultural resources and associated values are protected, restored and maintained in good condition and managed within their broader ecosystem and cultural context.
Long-term Goal Ia-0.1: By 2002, 100 % of requests for assistance from parks, as well as from public and private agencies and organizations, are met by the Support Office.
(Ref.: NPS Ia-1,2,5,6,7,8)
FY98 Annual Goal Ia-0.1: The National Capital Support Office responds to 100 % of park requests for assistance.
Stewardship and Partnerships: FTE 12 Amount $842,000
Stewardship and Partnerships will respond to 100% of requests for assistance to:
* Develop baselines for park disturbed lands.
* Identify 1% of park invasive species occurrences as control priorities.
* Develop baselines for all Federally-listed species in NCR parks.
* Increase the number of historic structures on the NCR 1998 LCS which are in good condition to 30%.
* Increase the number of standards met for the preservation and protection of NCR park museum collections,
as identified in the "NPS Checklist for Preservation and Protection of Museum Collections", to 62%.
* Establish a baseline number of landscapes on the NCR CLI with condition assessments.
* Increase by 1%, from the 1997 level, the number of recorded archeological sites on the ASMIS
which are in good condition.
* Coordinate the preparation of 6 GMPs to ensure interdisciplinary participation and Federal, state, and local
agency review.
Long Term Goal Ia-0.3: 100 % of public agency and private proposals for development on, or adjacent to, NCR park lands are compatible with park management plans, resources, and funding capabilities. (Ref.=none)
FY98 Annual Goal Ia-0.3: 100 % of development proposals presented to NPS for approval will receive full technical review and be coordinated with stakeholders to ensure that park management and resource protection concerns are incorporated into all plans to implement them.
Stewardship and Partnerships: FTE 8 Amount $632,000
* Provide Executive Direction to the Secretary of the Interior's National Capital Memorial Commission.
* Manage proposed memorials on park land from legislation through construction, in consultation with
park and NCSO staff.
* Coordinate the NCSO annual legislative program and respond to legislation proposed by others which
affects park land.
* Provide guidance to NCR and park staff and coordinate review with other agencies to ensure NCR compliance
with NEPA, Flood Plain and Wetland Protection, and DOT Section 4(f) requirements.
* Coordinate all construction and right-of-way permits affecting park land to ensure compliance with legislation,
Federal regulations and NPS policies.
* Assist parks in adjacent land use issues, encroachments, and boundary disputes.
* Coordinate public and private proposals for development on park land throughout all phases to protect
park resources, minimize costs to NPS, and endeavor to secure maximum external funding support.
* Represent the Secretary of the Interior on the National Capital Planning Commission and the NPS Director
on the DC Zoning Commission.
Long Term Goal Ia-0.4: Provide support to resource protection goals by improving organizational effectiveness in accomplishing
goals IVa-2, IVa-3, IVa-4, IVa-6, IVa-0.1, IVb-0.1, and IVb-0.2.
FY98 Annual Goal Ia-0.4: Provide support to resource protection goals by improving organizational effectiveness
in accomplishing goals IVa-2, IVa-3, IVa-4, IVa-6, IVa-0.1, IVb-0.1 and IVb-0.2.
Stewardship and Partnerships: FTE 0.3 Amount $ 18,000
Mission Goal Ib: The National Park Service 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.
Long-term Goal Ib-0.1: By 2002, 100 % of requests from parks to develop, and provide access to, natural and cultural resource data bases are met. (Ref.: NPS Ib-1,2)
FY98 Annual Goal Ib-0.1: The National Capital Support Office responds to 100 % of park requests for assistance.
Stewardships and Partnerships: FTE 13.7 Amount $798,000
Stewardship and Partnerships will respond to 100% of requests for assistance to:
* Determine what data sets are needed for basic natural resource inventories for all NCR parks.
* Establish a baseline number of NCR cultural landscapes in the CLI and complete 50% of the
Park Reconnaissance Surveys for cultural landscapes in NCR parks.
* Update information on 10.5% of the 1997 baseline number of NCR historic structures on the LCS.
* Increase the total number of NCR museum and archeological objects catalogued in 1997 by 2%.
* Establish NCR baselines for an Ethnographic Resources Inventory and the Archeological Sites
Management Information System.
* Establish GIS baseline data for all NCR parks within the District of Columbia.
* Increase the total number of NCR Map File drawings on microfilm by 2%.
* Maintain and provide information regarding NCR park lands, history and resources,
as well as resource-based management decisions.
Goal Category IV: Ensure Organizational Effectiveness
Mission Goal IVa: The National Park Service uses current management practices, systems, and technologies to accomplish its mission.
Long-Term Goal IVa-2: By 2002, 100% of employees within the 16 key occupational groups have essential competency needs identified for their positions. (Ref. NPS IVa-2)
FY98 Annual Goal IVa-2: 10% of NCSO employees (permanent and term) have participated in a service-wide training and development needs assessment.
Stewardship and Partnerships: FTE 0 Amount 0
* 10% of S&P employees have participated in a service-wide training and development needs assessment.
Long-Term Goal IVa-3: 100% of NCSO employee performance standards will be linked to appropriate strategic and annual performance goals. (Ref. NPS IVa-3)
FY98 Annual Goal IVa-3: 100% of SES members and 100% of managers and supervisors at the GS-15 and GS-14 levels have standards linked to organizational strategic and annual performance goals.
Stewardship and Partnerships: FTE 0 Amount 0
* All S&P managers and supervisors at the GS-15 and GS-14 levels have standards linked to
organizational strategic and annual performance goals.
Long-Term Goal IVa-4: By 2002, the number of permanent NCR employees in each underrepresented group in the four targeted occupations will increase by 25% from FY 1997 levels.(Ref. NPS IVa-4)
FY98 Annual Goal IVa-4: By September 30, 1998, the number of permanent NCR employees in each underrepresented group in the four targeted occupations with more than 100 employees and significant turnover will have increased by 5%.
Stewardship and Partnerships: FTE 0 Amount 0
* S&P will recruit new hires so as to increase the diversity of the NCR workforce in four underrepresented
occupations by at least 5%.
Long-Term Goal IVa-6: Reduce by 50%, from the 1996 level, the NPS employee lost-time injury rate, and reduce the cost of new workers' compensation costs by 50% based on the 1996 costs. (Ref. NPS IVa-6)
FY98 Annual Goal IVa-6: There will be no increase from the the FY96 level in the lost-time injury rate for NCSO employees, and there will be no increase in costs above the FY96 levels for new workers'compensation cases.
Stewardship and Partnerships: FTE 0 Amount 0
* There will be no increase from the 1996 levels in lost-time injuries for S&P employees or costs for
new workers' compensation cases.
Long-Term Goal IVa-0.1: The time between the appropriation for land acquisition and when the offer is made is reduced by 5 %. (Ref. NPS IVa-8)
FY98 Annual Goal IVa-8: 100% of land acquisition processes are analyzed to reengineer them to reduce acquisition time.
Stewardship and Partnerships: FTE .3 Amount $18,000
* Participate in analyzing all NCSO land acquisition processes to reengineer them to
reduce acquisition time.
