II. BACKGROUND

In "Rethinking the National Parks for the 21st Century," the National Park System Advisory Board underscored the value of national parks to civic engagement and vice versa. The Board observed that: "Parks are places to stimulate an understanding of history in its larger context, not just as human experience, but as the sum of the interconnection of all living things and forces that shape the earth…. In many ways, the National Park Service is our nation's Department of Heritage…. Parks should be not just recreational destinations, but springboards, for personal journeys of intellectual and cultural enrichment…. [We] must ensure that the American story is told faithfully, completely, accurately… Our nation's history is our civic glue."

True civic engagement is more than just a formal process to involve people in our NPS mission - it is a continuous, dynamic conversation with the public on many levels. It is a discipline and a practice that will:

• Inform and enrich NPS plans and programs in both the short and long term.
• Promote environmental, historic, and cultural stewardship through collaboration with others, and help realize the broader mission of the NPS.
• Strengthen historical and cultural diversity of perspectives and stories through collaboration with stakeholder constituencies, providing heightened educational experiences for the visiting public.
• Extend and expand civic responsibility by building long-term, collaborative relationships with a broad range of stakeholder communities, fostering a widespread investment in stewardship of the nation's resources.

Our Commitment.

As stated in NPS Management Policies, "the Service is committed to providing appropriate, high quality opportunities for visitors to enjoy the parks, and will maintain within the parks an atmosphere that is open, inviting, and accessible to every segment of American society." As we welcome and encourage public participation in our parks and programs, we must also welcome and encourage public participation in our thinking about the future of the resources held in trust for them, and in our planning and decision-making. The public has a right to know about the challenges that confront the NPS and to participate in the process by which we find solutions to those challenges. Those who take the time to participate in public processes, raise issues and voice their concerns help our government function as it should. People who participate expand our range of options, and can also shed light on the options we have and the impacts of the choices we make.

We must make sure that we continually build relationships and communicate clearly about our mission and mandates. Although we must ultimately make the tough decisions, we must be open and inclusive in our process while retaining responsibility and authority. We must listen carefully and pay attention to what people think, need and want. The word "no" must not be our first response when we are approached with ideas or requests that may be out of our traditional comfort zone. Frank and open communication can help establish the positive relations that will encourage people to enjoy all the activities that are appropriate to the special resources and values in the parks, and the benefits from our many programs.

Our interaction with the public must reflect our fundamental commitment to sustainable use of the parks. We must always remember that our first obligation is to make certain that our decisions do not compromise park resources and the right of future generations to enjoy them. If national park areas cannot accommodate a particular activity, the Service will explain why, and assist the public in finding alternative locations where the activity can be accommodated.

There are several reasons why the National Park Service must renew and articulate its commitment to meaningful public participation and involvement in our decisions. We recognize that the public plays an essential role in taking care of national parks for the enjoyment of present and future generations. Our decision-making is improved when we consider additional concepts from, and distinct perspectives held by, our partners and stakeholders-including those who may not share our point of view. Experience shows that ignoring or failing to include these perspectives can be one of the factors that ultimately cause us to face costly, time-consuming controversy and legal challenge. By working more closely with the public at the earliest stages, and documenting all public involvement activities, we can build stronger public and political support for the decision-making process and the outcome that is produced. The Service must build more capacity to develop solutions and ideas to lessen the likelihood of successful challenges to its decisions, while welcoming a broader variety of issues and ideas at the decision-making table. Through civic engagement and making our public involvement policy stronger and more consistent, we will be more successful in building public trust and securing the public's help in carrying out our stewardship mission. We will also be able to better tell the rich and complex story of our nation's heritage in a more complete way and relate this story to a broader segment of our citizens.

As we move forward with a renewed commitment to civic engagement and public involvement, we will:

• apply consistently high standards of performance;
• make sure that we are proactive rather than reactive; and
• accord this activity sufficient staffing and funding: and
• build on the growing track record and body of knowledge within and outside the Service.

Who is "the public"?

The public includes all of the individuals, organizations and other entities who have an interest in, are served by, or serve in, the parks and programs administered by the NPS. The public includes all visitors - domestic and international, those who come in person and those who access our information on the World Wide Web; those who do not actually visit but value the national parks; and also those who participate and collaborate with the NPS on a longer-term basis,. We sometimes apply the term "stakeholder" to the latter segment of the public. For the purposes of this Director's Order, a stakeholder is any individual, group, or other entity that has a strong interest in decisions concerning park resources and values, or in the programs that are administered by the NPS outside the parks. Stakeholders may include, for example, recreational user groups; the tourism industry; environmental leaders; members of the media; permittees; concessioners; property owners within a park; members of gateway communities; national, state and local organizations; groups with cultural associations; special interest groups; and those with whom we collaborate under formal agreement. In the broadest sense, all Americans are stakeholders in the national parks and NPS programs.

Some of our current and potential partners-including other governmental organizations-share mutual public service interests. The benefits of inviting the involvement and participation of these partners and stakeholders include: sharing information and resources; facilitating understanding of NPS missions, mandates, and goals; allowing NPS managers to build upon and link to other agencies' programs to maximize effectiveness and vice versa; minimizing the potential for duplication of effort; and minimizing the potential for contradictory or conflicting activities among NPS and its stakeholders.

One very important group that is not usually thought of as being part of the "public" is NPS employees. We must recognize the valuable service that our employees provide by informing the public about our mission, issues, and challenges. We must inform employees about the reasoning behind the decisions that are made and, because of their expertise and knowledge, also give them an opportunity for meaningful involvement during the decision-making process at the workplace. We must also build capacity in civic engagement and public involvement by training our employees in the use of resources and techniques to engage the American people in our bureau's work.

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