NPS Partnership Council: State of the Council

NPS Partnership Council: State of the Council
October 3, 2003 Glenn Eugster

State of the Council

Many priorities in NPS.
--Joint Ventures dominates
--Other efforts

Council not a priority for WASO and many members
--National program manager interest
--Fading regional and park interest
--WASO staff invisible. No real partnership between regions and WASO.
--Joint Ventures and PC disconnected. No place for PC at the Joint Ventures Conference despite assurances from Acting Associate O’Neill and Peggy O’Dell

Limited time to pursue PC and NCR activities
--NCR Partnership Office is one person with very modest support from WASO or NPF.
--PC Co-Chair was envisioned to be in partnership with WASO. Over the year the headquarters assistance has disappeared. Rocky and Bullwinkel get more time!

NCR has expectations/ hopes for its investment of money and my time
--NCR funds my office annually and looks to see what is being accomplished. PC hasn’t helped NCR’s efforts.

Modest accomplishments with PC
--No WASO support for the Near-term Action Strategy approved in April
--Associate commitments unkept and expectations unmet.
--No WASO support on the FY 2004-05 budget for partnerships
--No progress to make NPF effective in helping the parks and regions with fundraising for NPS priorities.

Pressing problems and great opportunities in NCR
--NPF pulling out of GWNPF after three-years of promises and no real results (i.e. money being left on the table, promises broken, loans unpaid, etc.)
--Significant non-NPS interest in metro Washington Green Space


Bottomline: Why should this be a priority for us when it’s not for WASO?


II. Suggestions for WASO

Follow-up on commitments in time, words and deeds
--Near-term Action Strategy
--Associate Director’s List
--Joint Ventures offer
--Budget Workgroup for 04-05

Provide staff to the Partnership Council
--Dedicate staff to help the Council. Don’t make us beg for help.
--Make the twice a year meetings a priority with your staff

National Partnership Office: It’s broke, fix it!
--Fill the Office position with an Acting immediately (this was done for Tourism, why not Partnerships?)
--Find the best person you can for the Office Director job and get them on quickly.
--Make the office functional with a clear list of what you can do and can’t do. Eliminate so much trial and error.
--Create a better image with a webpage and some information on NPS Partnerships—see the draft paper the Council did 11/2 years ago and hasn’t been used.
--Do periodic communications on substance of what you do, either on the web or through conference calls, once a month.

Partnership Council
--Put the next meeting off until after the Joint Ventures Conference (You could ask the group if they want to do this during Tuesday’s call)
--Find a replacement for the Regional Co-Chair starting after the Joint Ventures Conference, or on January 1, 2004.