National Park Service
Community Members in “Without Sanctuary” discussion at Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site
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POLICY

Director's Order #75A:
Civic Engagement and Public Involvement



IV. SCOPE

The civic engagement and public involvement policies of this order:

  • Apply to all NPS parks and program activities where interaction with the public and stakeholders is either a requirement or an inherent and on-going part of our business. Examples include superintendents attending local government meetings, those of service organizations, or a tribal chapter meeting, and outreach efforts of the Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program; the park planning program; and Museums Collection planning.
  • Apply to discretionary decision-making by superintendents, regional directors and national program directors, at all levels and within all program areas of the National Park Service where 1) the public has a stake or is likely to be interested, 2) there may be applicable knowledge or expertise likely to be available only through public consultation, or 3) there are complex issues or those with the potential for controversy.
  • Supplement the pertinent sections of Management Policies and other Director's Orders, including, without limitation, DO-1 (NPS Directives System), DO-2 (Park Planning), DO-5 (Paper and Electronic Communications), DO-6 (Interpretation), DO-9 (Law Enforcement), DO-12 (Conservation Planning and Environmental Impact Analysis), DO-17 (Tourism), DO-18 (Wildland Fire Management), DO-20 Agreements, DO-21 (Donations and Fundraising), DO-24 (Museum Collections Management), DO-25 (Land Protection), DO-26 (Youth Programs), DO-41 (Wilderness Preservation and Management), DO-42 (Accessibility for Visitors with Disabilities in NPS Programs and Services), DO-47 (Sound Preservation and Noise Management), the DO-52 series that addresses our national communication and identity strategy, DO-53 (Special Park Uses), DO-54 (Management Accountability), the DO-71 series dealing American Indian/Alaska Natives relations, the DO-77 series on Natural Resource Protection, the DO-87 series on Roads and Alternative Transportation, and DO-93 (Conflict Resolution).
  • Do not directly address general outreach, information and educational activities of the NPS, which are covered in DO-6 (Interpretation and Education), DO-52A (Communicating the NPS Mission), or DO-70 (Internet and Intranet Publishing). However, it is important to acknowledge that these education, information and messaging activities form much of the information foundation that the public receives and needs about us in order to participate in our involvement opportunities. Therefore, this DO must overlay the others listed above.

If the generic policies contained in this Director's Order should conflict with public involvement provisions prescribed in statute and/or regulation, the provisions of the statute and/or regulation will govern.

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