Purpose
This component provides the interpreter with an understanding
of how interpretive planning fits in the hierarchy of
all park planning; how the NPS Comprehensive Interpretive
Planning (CIP) process results in visitor experience
goals, interpretive themes, and implementation steps
for the park's future overall interpretive program;
and how individual interpretive programs and projects
implement the interpretive plan.
Objectives
At the completion of this component, learners will be
able to:
Explain
the relationship of interpretive planning to other
NPS planning and how interpretive opportunities
can be used to address resource and visitor use
issues;
Describe
the components of the CIP process as prescribed
in National Park Service guidelines;
Demonstrate
fundamental understanding of how interpretive planning
is critical to ensuring high quality visitor experiences
and fostering stewardship of resources;
Describe
the considerations necessary for forming an effective
planning team;
Apply
good planning principles and process to individual
interpretive actions.
Approach
Every park has legislation, policy, guidelines, and
planning documents that provide insight into the park's
history, purpose, and significance. These documents
are intended to guide management actions regarding the
preservation of resources and provide for visitor enjoyment.
Perhaps the most effective way to understand park and
interpretive planning and its effect on daily operations
is through reading and discussing various park planning
documents. Such study will allow the learner to connect
field level actions to the purposes and significance
of the park. This connection will enable the interpreter
to contribute to both day-to-day programming and larger
interpretive planning efforts that support the overarching
mission of the park and the NPS.
1. park enabling legislation
2. Antiquities Act of 1906
3. NPS Organic Act of 1916
4. Historic Sites Act of 1935
5. Wilderness Act of 1964
6. Redwoods Act of 1965
7. National Historic Preservation Act of 1966
8. Architectural Barriers Act of 1966
9. Endangered Species Act of 1973
10. Historical and Archeological Data Preservation
Act of 1974
11. Redwoods Act Amendment of 1978
12. American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1979
13. Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation
Act of 1990
14. Public Law 91-383 (requiring General Management
Plans)
15. Government Performance and Results Act of 1993
16. others
II.
Guidelines and policies influencing park planning
A. Directors Orders (DO) 1: Directives
B. DO-2: Planning
C. DO-6: Interpretation
D. DO-7: Volunteer in Parks
E. DO-28: Cultural Resources
F. DO-32: Cooperating Associations
G. DO-48: Concessions
H. DO-77: Natural Resources
1. General Management Plan (GMP)
2. Resources Management Plan (RMP)
3. Development concept plans (DCP)
4. Statement for Management
5. Visitor Experience and Resources Protection Plan
(VERP)
6. Cultural Landscape Report
7. ethnographic studies
8. park administrative history
9. Government Performance Results Act (GPRA)
10. Interpretive Prospectus (IP)
C. Other relevant plans
1. local, regional, state plans
2. county or community tourism plans and visitor
surveys
IV.
Basic principles of park interpretive planning
A. Part of all management plans that affect visitor
experience.
B. Goal driven
C. Desired and diverse experiences
D. Appropriate interpretive services, facilities,
and programs
E. A facilitated process
F. Flexible, ongoing, interdisciplinary, responsive,
and management oriented
G. Beyond park boundaries
H. Based on current research
I. Current and appropriate techniques
J. Practical strategies for implementation
V.
Elements of the NPS CIP process
A. Long-range Interpretive Plan
1. background for planning
a. purpose and significance
b. visitor experience goals
c. themes incorporating tangible/intangible meanings/universal
concepts
d. assessment of existing interpretive personal
services, facilities, and media
e. conditions
f. visitor profiles
2. interpretive program description
a. personal services
b. non-personal services/media
c. facilities
d. orientation/information
e. education program
f. library and collection needs
g. research needs
h. partnerships
i. staffing needs and costs
j. implementation plan
B. Annual Implementation Plan
1. current program status
2. management issues facing interpretation
3. annual work plan
4. new individual program plans
5. status of implementation plan
C. Interpretive databases
1. annual media inventory
2. visitor survey data
3. media evaluation
4. annual interpretive program report
5. annual Volunteers-in-Parks
6. education plan
7. media plans
8. basic park reading list
9. Statement for Interpretation
VI.
Interpretive concept plans
A. Themes for situations linked to overall park
themes
B. Visitor experiences for situations
C. Action planning
VII.
Influences/Initiatives affecting Interpretive Planning
A. Servicewide initiatives
B. Regionwide initiatives
VIII.
Participants of an effective planning team should provide
multiple perspectives.
A. Who takes the role of facilitator and why?
1. specialists with demonstrated competency to
lead interpretive planning:
a. support offices
b. Harpers Ferry Center
c. consultants
d. field personnel
e. others
B. Who should participate and why?
1. NPS
a. resource specialists
b. maintenance
c. concession specialist
d. management
e. staff
f. front-line interpreters
g. fee collectors
h. trail crews
i. protection rangers
j. others
2. Non-NPS
a. subject matter experts
b. academia
c. ethnic or cultural representatives
d. park neighbors
e. business
f. advocacy representative
g. adversaries
h. partners
i. cooperating associations
j. others
IX.
Funding sources for implementing a plan
A. ONPS base funding
B. Combined call
1. repair/rehab
2. cyclic
3. VIP
4. National Park Foundation
5. others
C. Private sector
1. grants
2. fundraising
D. Cooperating associations
E. Other
X.
Responsibilities
A. All interpretive work should be based on planning
principles
B. All interpretive work should support park purpose,
significance, goals, and themes
Reference
and Reading
A. The following documents
and reports provide a comprehensive understanding
for the influences, development, and results of park
planning:
1. DO
#s: 2, 6, 7, 32, 48, 77
2. General Management Plan
3. Resources Management Plan
4. Development Concept Plans
5. Statement for Management
6. visitor experience and resources protection
7. Comprehensive Interpretive Plan
8. Annual Interpretive Program Report
9. visitor use surveys
10. Statement for Interpretation
11. Interpretive Prospectus
12. Cultural Landscape Report
13. ethnographic studies
14. NPS Strategic Plan
15. park Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA)
plan
B. The following legislation
provides a comprehensive understanding for the influences,
development, and results of park planning:
1. park enabling legislation
2. Antiquities Act of 1906
3. NPS Organic Act of 1916
4. Historic Sites Act of 1935
5. Wilderness Act of 1964
6. Redwoods Act of 1965
7. National Historic Preservation Act of 1966
8. Architectural Barriers Act of 1966
9. Endangered Species Act of 1973
10. Historical and Archeological Data Preservation
Act of 1974
11. Redwoods Act Amendment of 1978
12. American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1979
13. Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation
Act of 1990
14. Public Law 91-383 (requiring General Management
Plans)
15. GPRA
Suggested
Developmental Activities
1. Review your park planning documents and evaluate
the influences and role of interpretation in each. How
does your park intend to keep interpretive planning
current as described in the DO-6 guidelines?
2. Review the NPS
comprehensive interpretive planning guidelines (Chapter
3, DO-6), your park's most recent interpretive planning
documents, General Management Plan, and GPRA plan. Document
your observations in a log. How current is your park's
interpretive planning? To what degree does your plan
affect daily interpretative operations and decision-making?
Are there obvious connections between your General Management
Plan and GPRA Plan goals? Are the documents realistic,
useful, actively used, etc.? How well are your overall
park themes reflected throughout the park's interpretive
program? Do clear linkages exist between tangibles,
intangibles, and universal concepts? What opportunities
exist to incorporate such connections?
3. Obtain and review the long range interpretive plans
of at least two other parks and document your impressions.
How are the goals in the planning background section
reflected in the proposed actions? Record your impressions
about these plans.
4. Discuss with your immediate supervisor the degree
to which your site's purpose, significance, and interpretive
themes, identified in existing planning documents, are
reflected in the site's interpretive programs.
5. Discuss with your division chief the division's
strategy for implementing interpretive plans. What funding
sources have been identified to target specific planning
needs?
6. Participate in a planning project at your site or
elsewhere as a member of a team.
7. Identify a park issue or problem on which management
has taken action. Find out what stakeholders were involved
in making the management decision. Was the problem resolved?
How might the result have varied if different stakeholders
had participated?
8. Analyze the team composition for two or more recent
planning projects in your park. Were the teams multi-disciplinary?
Were a variety of stakeholder groups represented? Can
you think of any other groups that might have contributed?
9. Select three different examples of interpretive
work you personally developed. How does each reflect
and support the purpose, significance, goals, and themes
identified in existing planning documents? Do your goals
and objectives complement existing planning documents?
Did you involve multiple perspectives and stakeholders
as you developed the product? Evaluate the product's
outcomes in relationship to your original goals. Do
you need to make changes?
