Service First Authority

Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument is jointly managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service under the Service First Authority (U.S.C. 43 § 1703). Under this authority the BLM and NPS are able to collaborate across agency boundaries to share resources and cooperatively act to conduct projects, planning, permitting, leasing, contracting and other activities, either jointly or on behalf of each other.

Rather than focusing primarily on our agency procedures and boundaries, Service First challenges us to look at our work differently than we usually have in order to better achieve the timeless goals of public land stewardship and quality public service.

The goals of Service First include:

• Improved Customer Service (such as one stop shopping for information, permits, maps, etc.)
• Increased operational efficiency (such as reduced costs where field units collocate under one roof and share cost of rent, utilities, and equipment.)
• Improved stewardship of the land (which can come when the various land agencies' staff work on an integrated unit, learn together, and deal with the land on a landscape basis.)

Service First activities are not dictated by the Washington office and do not fall into a one-size-fits-all model. Each location is different and each Service First effort must be tailored to fit the service unit. Service First units are encouraged to overcome barriers with innovation and commitment.