Welcome to the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) International Programs Quarterly Bulletin, issued by the NPS Office of International Affairs (OIA). The following news items are noteworthy events undertaken by the National Park Service during the last three months that involve an international component.
National Parks Host Diplomatic Corps Study Tour
Golden Gate National Recreation Area served as the opening stop on a U.S. study tour for ambassadors representing the diplomatic corps of 41 nations in late June. The ambassadors, stationed in Washington, DC, participated in a State Department-sponsored outreach program entitled “Experience America” to learn more about the United States. Interior Secretary Kempthorne, National Park Service DirectorBomar and Golden Gate Superintendent O’Neill greeted the ambassadors as they visited Alcatraz Island, the Presidio and Fort Baker. For additional information, please visit http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/pix/b/106345.htm. Also, the most recent edition of State Department’s eJournalUSA (above right) was focused entirely on the United States National Park System. For more information, visit: http://www.america.gov/publications/ejournalusa/0708.html
World Heritage Visitor Management Workshop
Representatives from five U.S. national parks (Zion, Hawaii Volcanoes, Chaco Culture, Yosemite, Yellowstone) and four foreign protected areas – Cambodia’s Angkor, China’s Jiuzhaigou, Ecuador’s Galapagos and Mexico’s Sian Ka’an – participated in a workshop focused on visitor management issues at World Heritage Sites. Held at Yellowstone National Park in mid-May, the workshop was co-sponsored by the NPS Office of International Affairs and the University of Montana, and also included academicians specializing in protected area management, representatives of various non-governmental organizations, personnel from the World Heritage Center and staff from the NPS Denver Service Center. Of the nine parks, eight are designated as World Heritage Sites. The workshop focused on building capacity among participants to understand the issues and opportunities in five areas of visitor and tourism management: managing visitor experiences; managing visitor congestion; managing facilities for visitors; interpretation and education; and managing relationships with stakeholders. Participants presented case studies on each of the topics followed by discussion and debate on management strategies and problem framing. On the final day of the workshop, participants directly engaged the question of the technical proficiencies needed to manage visitors and tourism in World Heritage Sites. The workshop emphasized technical proficiencies rather than other capacity building needs, such as sustainable financing, governance, organizational structure, and leadership as it was focused on management of visitors and tourism. Participants identified key technical proficiencies for site managers in monitoring, revenue generation mechanisms, business and financial planning, as well visitor and tourism management with reference to each site's internationally recognized heritage values. For more information, contact Jon Putnam, at jonathan_putnam@nps.gov.
NPS Assistance to World Bank's Silk Road Project
Building on an initial assessment mission undertaken in February 2006, current and retired NPS specialists in historic interpretation techniques accompanied a World Bank “supervision” mission to sites within the Gansu province Cultural and Natural Heritage Protection and Development Project in late May. NPS representatives joined the supervision mission to facilitate discussion of best practices in interpretation and in sustainable tourism among project managers and stakeholders and to provide site-specific recommendations with regard to planning and implementation of visitor facilities and programs. Gansu province is home to many historic Silk Road Route sites. NPS and Bank specialists conducted site reviews and facilitated capacity-building workshops with Chinese officials at Jiayuguan, Suoyan town, Mati Temple Scenic Area, Lutusi Ancient Government Centre Scenic Area, Yellow River Stone Forest National Park, and Qingcheng Ancient Town Scenic Area. For more information, contact Christine Arato at Christine_arato@nps.gov or Rudy D’Alessandro, at rudy_dalessandro@nps.gov.
Middle Eastern Endangered Species Internships
Funded by a special program of the U.S. State Department’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and working with staff of the Interior Department’s International Technical Assistance Program (ITAP), the NPS Office of International Affairs arranged for short-term internships in endangered species management for three Middle Eastern specialists at several national park units in June. The three Middle Eastern species conservation specialists, two from Jordan, one from Bahrain, were placed at Mojave National Preserve, Death Valley National Park and Biscayne National Park, studying species and habitat restoration efforts for desert tortoise, Devil’s Hole pupfish, and nesting sea turtles, respectively, as well as learning about park interpretation of natural and cultural resources. This initial class of internships for endangered species professionals from the Middle East will be followed in autumn 2008 by two more internships for representatives from Oman and Morocco. For more information, see http://www.nps.gov/oia/new/new.htm or contact David Krewson, at david_krewson@nps.gov.
Japanese Plant Ecologist completes training at Everglades National Park
In June, Japanese plant ecologist Naomi Kibe (at right) completed a year-long training internship as a volunteer working on the staff of Everglades National Park. Ms. Kibe, who works at an urban national park in Japan, put her plant identification skills to work, helping Everglades’ Fire Management division with vegetation surveys, insect trapping, identifying plant species, and entering data. Ms. Kibe also volunteered with the Everglades’ interpretation division, revising the park’s Japanese brochure, staffing the visitor center, assisting rangers with the park’s camping program, and giving environmental education programs to visitors of all ages. For more information, see http://www.nps.gov/oia/topics/ivip/IVIP_Stories.html or contact Linda Bennett, at linda_bennett@nps.gov.
NPS Assistance to Heritage Conservation in Russia
At the request of the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, a National Park Service expert traveled to Russia in late May and early June to talk about “the indispensable role of civil society in finding sustainable solutions for preserving cultural heritage.” The NPS speaker shared the “U.S. experience of constructive involvement of the private sector in developing and preserving cultural heritage sites.” In addition, the NPS expert participated in a program to discuss the role of heritage tourism in the economic revitalization of communities and highlight the U.S. contribution to help save an historic 18th century merchant’s wooden house in Uglich through the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation. Site visits were made to Ryazan, Rozhdestveno, and Uglich. A digital video conference was arranged with the U.S. Consulates in Vladivostok and Yekaterinburg and a meeting was held with Duma officials in the Kremlin as well as with the Russian Minister of Culture. Presentations and discussions on these subjects were also given in Ryazan, at Moscow University and in St. Petersburg’s KunstKamera. For more information, contact Stephanie Toothman, at stephanie_toothman@nps.gov
Sister Parks Staff Exchange at Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park’s sister park, China’s Yuntaishan National Park, sent two staff to the park in April and May to learn more about U.S. national park interpretation. They participated in the 2008 South Rim seasonal interpretive training session, after which they shadowed employees in each operational division (law enforcement, resources, etc.), gaining an overview of how a park operates and learning the importance of each division to achieving the park’s goals and fulfilling the NPS mission. Joining the two interpreter/educatorsfor the first week of the training was Wei Dongying, doctoral candidate in Interpretation at both Beijing Normal University and The University of Missouri, who was instrumental in establishing the sister park relationship between the two parks. This employee exchange is the first in the sister park action plan drawn up by the two parks. For more information, contact Jacob Fillion, at jacob_fillion@nps.gov
Lady Liberty Celebrates Asian-Pacific Heritage Month
Statue of Liberty National Monument celebrated Asian Pacific Heritage Month in late May with a combination of education and performance activities. Both sites of the Park including Liberty Island and Ellis Island hosted wayside displays that tied into the cultural celebration, as well as performances by the Wind-Sough Chinese Classical Chamber Group, traditional Chinese, Thai and Malaysian dance, and two taiko drum groups, Taiko Aiko Kai and Manhattan Taiko. This is the second year this celebration has been held, with performances helping to educate the public and reach out to the local communities. The Statue of Liberty National Monument celebrates all National Heritage Months throughout the year. For more information, contact Phyllis Green, at phyllis_green@nps.gov
Announcement for 2009 George Wright Society Biennial
Every two years, the George Wright Society (GWS) organizes Rethinking Protected Areas in a Changing World, a premier interdisciplinary professional meeting on parks, protected areas, and cultural sites. The GWS encourages dialogue and information exchange among all the people needed for protected area conservation, in all fields of cultural and natural resources. Typically, 800–900 people attend. The GWS conferences features thought-provoking keynotes, wide-ranging paper and panel presentations, focused side meetings, field trips, and special events. The 2009 George Wright Society Biennial Conference on Parks, Protected Areas, and Cultural Sites will be held March 2-6, 2009, in Portland, Oregon. Themes for the 2009 Conference include: Thinking Like a Mountain: Effective Collaboration in the Management of Protected Areas; Water for Life; “Keeping it Real:” Engaging with Youth; and Hana Lima Kokua (Many hands working together, joined in a common goal). A call for proposals has been issued and can be submitted online at http://www.georgewright.org/gws2009.html; the deadline is October 3, 2008. Proposals are encouraged that correspond to the conference themes, but proposals are also welcome on any aspect of research in, management of, and education about parks, protected areas, and cultural sites. For more information, contact the GWS office at conferences@georgewright.org or call 1-906-487-9722.
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