Partnerships: Downtown DC

Partnerships: Downtown DC

Glenn Eugster, Assistant Regional Director, Partnerships

Program, National Capital Region, National Park Service

Facility Managers Workshop, Ocean City, MD, June 14, 2001

Background: Positions in a variety of local, state and federal government agencies looking at ways to integrate parks, green space, economic development and regeneration and cultural resource conservation and interpretation.

• Scranton, PA Metropolitan region
• Blackstone Valley, RI and MA
• Wheeling, WV
• Annapolis, MD
• President's Council for Sustainable Development: Metropolitan & Rural Strategies

NPS Mission:

• To preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.
• To cooperate with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout the country and the world.

Partnerships Office Purpose: to find ways to use partnerships to help NPS park and program managers, and community leaders meet national, state and local goals and objectives within the NCR/ Potomac river watershed.

Definition: Partnerships can be very different collaborations. Rely on the definitions and concepts developed by the management Institute for Environment & Business. A partnership typically refers to any voluntary collaboration among individuals or organizations working toward a common objective.

A partnership builds synergistically on the time, talent, and support of all partners to mutual benefit and interest.

When it works it's a win/ win proposition--everyone contributes and benefits by participating.

In it's simplest form, partnerships are another way to help us help ourselves to accomplish our mission. It's a means to an end and it can result in:

• A shared purpose
• Increased resources
• Shared efficiency
• Innovative solutions
• Better communication
• Increased support from within and outside the agency
• Increased organization morale and image

Forms: There are many forms that partnerships can take. For example you can:

• Respond to a group you know well
• Respond to a group that you have not previously worked with
• Target an opportunity and make a proposal to a group
• Initiate a proactive opportunity by identifying a task or issue and issuing a call for assistance

Partnership Capital: partnerships bring resources to help accomplish tasks including:

• Friends: co-workers, other offices, other agencies, government, corporations, companies and non-profit groups that may be interested in the same goals and objectives we are.

• A high profile platform, that is both unique and desirable, to many possible partners--National Parks and the National Park Service and the Greater Washington Area! Our region, parks, expertise and image attract partners that can help us help ourselves.

• A way for our managers and knowledge workers to more effectively deal with the pace of change, the constantly increasing demand for information, and the growing complexity of the workplace--forces that are stretching people to their limits.

• A tool to manage complex relationships and ensure that our mission, and yours, will be achieved.

Core Ingredients:

• Seriousness of purpose on the part of all participants.
• An identifiable relationship between partnership goals and each organization's goals.
• Joint and full participation of each organization in the partnership's activities.
• A sustained level of mutual effort.

NCR Partnership Activities:

Heritage Tourism

Fundraising: Greater Washington National Parks Fund

Alternative Fuel Vehicles: Training, Demonstration and Collaboration

Parks, green space and recreation demonstration project

Specific Park Friends Groups and Actions

NPS Structure:

• Regional Director
• Deputy for Filed Operations
• Deputy for State, Local and Private Sector Activities (Communications; Community Outreach; Risk Management; Partnerships)
• US Park Police
• White House Liaison
• National Capital Support Office (Operations; Lands, Resources & Planning; Natural Resources; Administration)
• Parks (14)

Closing:

If you have an interest in working with NPS please let me know.

For Further Information:

Glenn Eugster, NPS-NCR, 1100 Ohio Drive, SW Room 350

Washington, DC 20242

(202) 619-7492 phone

(202) 619-7220 fax

glenn_eugster@nps.gov