In spring 2019, the park announced new strategic priorities that will guide decision making over the next five years. The priorities revolve around the concepts of core, resources, experience, infrastructure, and partnerships. Superintendent Cam Sholly and the senior leadership team developed these priorities with significant input from field staff around the park. Each priority has key focus areas and a range of measurable actions that will continually be refined as work progresses.
NPS / Jacob Frank
Focus areas and actions:
- Support the Yellowstone team first
Improve employee housing, work conditions, health and wellness, team engagement, interdivisional respect and collaboration, accountability, professional development, hiring processes, internal communications. - Improve strategic management and business acumen platforms
Improve financial management practices, priority setting processes, project formulation, workforce performance. - Advance operational/organizational alignment and effectiveness
Develop more efficient operational and programmatic alignments to improve resource sharing, communications, and organizational performance.
Learn how Yellowstone is “Focusing on the Core.”
Strengthening the Yellowstone Ecosystem & Heritage Resources
NPS / Jacob W. Frank
Focus areas and actions:
- Advance and sustain the Yellowstone ecosystem
Understand/Respond more effectively to climate change impacts; advance and sustain wildlife management and large landscape conservation efforts, identify new cooperative conservation opportunities with states and partners; continue building scientific capacity to improve decision making; improve environmental sustainability. - Protect, preserve, and improve cultural resources
Understand/Respond to environmental changes affecting cultural resources, build effective climate adaptation strategies and response planning, improve conditions of historic structures, protect archeological sites, collections, and archives; promote Tribal heritage and collaboration. - Ensure effective resource planning and compliance
Integrate NEPA, NHPA, legal requirements effectively into internal decision processes. - Advance sustainability
Lead/Deliver on sustainability issues and collaborate with partners; Improve energy conservation and renewable technologies; Improve water management and efficiencies/upgrades in treatment plants, pipes, and fixtures; Reduce fuel use and GHG emissions by transforming size, types of vehicles, and technologies; Reduce waste and prevent pollution; Adapt infrastructure to a changing climate; Inventory, identify, map, and evaluate bone yards, dump sites, and environmental and hazardous waste locations.
Learn how Yellowstone is “Strengthening the Yellowstone Ecosystem and Heritage Resources.”
Delivering a World-Class Visitor Experience
NPS / Jacob Frank
Focus areas and actions:
- Understand and respond to increased visitor use
Develop effective visitor use strategy that focuses on protecting park resources, staffing/infrastructure, improving visitor enjoyment/recreation opportunities, and collaborating with gateway communities. - Protect people and resources
Provide high levels of public safety, law enforcement, resource protection, emergency response, and other related services. - Connect people to Yellowstone
Build world-class interpretive and educational experiences/programs using innovative technology, youth and community outreach, and citizen services. - Improve visitor services and amenities
Provide exceptional facilities and amenities relating to accessibility, connectivity, recreational opportunities, and sustainable practices.
Learn how Yellowstone is “Delivering a World-Class Visitor Experience.”
Investing in Infrastructure
NPS / Jacob W. Frank
Focus areas and actions:
- Build effective administrative framework
Develop infrastructure investment strategy, improve condition data, project scoping, planning and design processes, and short and long-term fund source priorities. - Improve condition of employee housing and workspaces
Improve existing housing, replace obsolete housing, identify external housing partnership opportunities. - Improve and maintain condition of transportation-related infrastructure
Improve condition of park bridges, roads, parking lots, and other transportation priorities. - Improve condition of historic structures and other cultural resource
Rehabilitate condition of high-priority historic assets. - Improve condition of visitor service and public health-related infrastructure
Improve condition of wastewater critical systems and fresh water critical systems; Liquid propane gas and electrical generation/distribution systems; Entrance stations, amphitheaters, and campgrounds; Concession-assigned facilities and infrastructure; Trails, boardwalks, and marinas.
Learn how Yellowstone is “Investing in Infrastructure.”
Building Coalitions & Partnerships
NPS / Jacob W. Frank
Focus areas and actions:
- Become a higher-performing Yellowstone team
Build relationships within/across division, district, and programmatic boundaries; Seek new ways of collaboration/partnership for the benefit of One Yellowstone; Actively communicate across all park and NPS levels. - Strengthen Yellowstone Forever and philanthropic capacity
Support ongoing capital/programmatic investments with Yellowstone Forever; Continue building a robust philanthropic platform; Collaboratively develop/prioritize future projects. - Build trust with gateway communities
Strengthen partner relations with gateway community leaders; Communicate on regular schedules with community stakeholders; Develop responsive actions and mutual collaboration areas. - Honor Tribal legacies and heritage
Cultivate close relationships with Tribes; Convey appropriate Native American heritage through education, public outreach, and programming efforts and Tribal connections. - Cultivate relationships with elected officials
Build and maintain strong relationships with members of Congress; Strengthen close relationships with political officials at state/local levels. - Strengthen conservation, environmental, business and recreation coalitions
Cultivate close relationships with conservation, concessioner, business, recreation, and environmental partners who share values consistent with the NPS mission and Yellowstone.
Learn how Yellowstone is “Building Coalitions and Partnerships.”
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Learn about the current natural and cultural resource issues that Yellowstone is managing for this and future generations.
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Explore the endeavors that enhance our knowledge of the region and inform preservation decisions.
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Discover the natural wonder of Yellowstone, from the geology beneath the plant communities to the animals migrating through the ecosystem.
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Explore the rich human and ecological stories that continue to unfold.
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