SIGNATURE DATE: October 30, 2000

Subject: National Park Service Reorganization

Sec. 1 Purpose. The purpose of this Order is to reorganize the National Park Service in the following ways:

a. Restructure the Headquarters office down to the level of the Associate Directors, reducing the number of Associate Directors from six to five.

b. Reduce 10 Regional Offices to 7 Regional Offices.

c. Establish the concept of "clusters" of park units that will provide a framework for decision making and sharing resources.

d. Maximize efficient use of limited resources through establishment of program-specific National Program Centers.

Sec. 2 Authority. This Order is issued in accordance with the authority provided by Section 2 of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1950 (64 Stat. 1262), as amended.

Sec. 3 Basic Organization. The new organization consists of a Washington, DC Headquarters Office, 7 Regional Offices, 11 Support Offices, 11 National Program Centers, 2 Administrative Service Centers and the National Park Service field units (such as but not limited to parks, recreational areas, sites, and monuments).

Sec. 4 Headquarters Organization. The Headquarters Office in Washington, DC, provides national level leadership and advocacy, policy and regulatory formulation and direction, program guidance, budget formulation, legislative support, and accountability for programs and activities managed by the field and key program offices. Administrative, technical and other professional support to park and other customers are provided by the National Program Centers described in Sec. 6 of this Order. The Headquarters Office consists of the Office of the Director and five Associate Directors.

a. The Office of the Director is composed of the following: the Director and Deputy Director, who set the strategic direction and provide leadership to the organization as a whole; the Assistant Director for External Affairs, with responsibility for Legislative and Congressional Affairs, Public Affairs, and Tourism; the Chief, Office of International Affairs; and other such staff as necessary to support the Office of the Director.

b. The Associate Director, Park Operations and Education replaces the position of Associate Director, Operations, with responsibility for the functions of that former position, except for land resources, which are the responsibility of the Associate Director, Professional Services. The Associate Director, Park Operations and Education supervises the Statistical Unit (Denver) and the following national program centers: Field Operations Technical Support Center (Denver, CO); NPS Office, National Interagency Fire Center (Boise, ID); and the Interpretive Design Center (Harpers Ferry, WV).

c. The Associate Director, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science replaces the position of Associate Director, Natural Resources, with responsibility for the functions of that former position and for environmental quality. The Associate Director, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science supervises the Chief Scientist for the National Park Service and the Natural Resources Program Support Center (Denver and Ft. Collins, CO).

d. The Associate Director, Cultural Resource Stewardship and Partnerships replaces the position of Associate Director, Cultural Resources, with responsibility for the functions of that former position and for partnership programs; grants administration; rivers, trails and conservation assistance; and State program review. The Associate Director, Cultural Resource Stewardship and Partnerships supervises the following National Program Centers: Cultural Resources Program Support Center, Partnership Programs Service Center, and National Center for Preservation Technology and Training.

e. The Associate Director, Professional Services replaces the position of Associate Director, Planning and Development, with responsibility for the functions of that former position, with the following exceptions. Environmental quality is transferred to the Associate Director, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science. Rivers, trails, and conservation programs; grants administration; and State program review are transferred to the Associate Director, Cultural Resource Stewardship and Partnerships. The Associate Director, Professional Services is also responsible for land resources and strategic planning and supervises the Planning, Design and Construction Center (Denver, CO), and the Information and Telecommunications Center (Denver, CO and Washington, DC).

f. The Associate Director, Administration replaces the positions of Associate Director, Budget and Administration and the Associate Director, Management Systems, with responsibility for the functions of those former positions, with the exception of tourism, which is transferred to the Assistant Director, External Affairs. The Associate Director, Administration is also responsible for Equal Employment Opportunity, is the Chief Financial Officer for the National Park Service and supervises two Administrative Service Centers in the Washington, DC and Denver, CO metropolitan areas and the following National Program Centers: Accounting Operations Center (Reston, VA); Employee Development Center (Grand Canyon National Park, AZ; Harpers Ferry, WV; and Glynco, GA). The Director, National Park Service, is authorized to establish additional Administrative Service Centers, with approval from the Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks and the Assistant Secretary - Policy, Management and Budget.

Sec. 5 Field Organization. The National Park Service field units (parks) are organized into a maximum of sixteen ecological-cultural-geographical clusters of 10-35 units each. Parks in a cluster will cooperatively share staff to maximize support to all units in the cluster. The cluster serves as a framework for cooperation and decision-making rather than a staffed organizational entity.

a. Directors of the seven Regional Offices supervise the field units and Support Offices within their Regional boundaries; provide direction, oversight, budget formulation and assistance in media relations; and serve as the principal policy interface for the area as a whole, ensuring consistency with national priorities. The regional boundaries are shown on the attached map. The Regional Offices are located as follows: Northeast (Philadelphia, PA); Southeast (Atlanta, GA); Midwest (Omaha, NE); Intermountain (Denver, CO); Pacific West (San Francisco, CA); Alaska (Anchorage, AK) and National Capital (Washington, DC).

b. Sixteen System Support Offices are established, each to be headed by a Superintendent and supporting a specific cluster. Each System Support Office provides and obtains professional, technical, and administrative services; provides technical assistance to conservation partners; serves as a liaison with other agencies and interests; and participates in ecosystem management, planning and partnerships. System Support Offices are named and located as follows: New England/Adirondack in Boston, MA; Allegheny and Chesapeake in Philadelphia, PA; National Capital in Washington, DC; Atlantic Coastal Plain, Appalachian, and Gulf Coast in Atlanta, GA; Great Lakes and Great Plains in Omaha, NE; Colorado Plateau and Rocky Mountains in Denver, CO; Desert Southwest in Santa Fe, NM; Pacific/Great Basin in San Francisco, CA; Columbia/ Cascades in Seattle, WA; Alaska in Anchorage, AK; and Pacific Islands in Honolulu, HI. The Director, National Park Service, is authorized to change the names of these System Support Offices and to change their location as funding becomes available, with approval from the Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks and the Assistant Secretary - Policy, Management and Budget.

Sec. 6 National Program Centers. National Program Centers are established to provide administrative, technical, and other professional support to parks and other customers. The following organizations are National Program Centers: Accounting Operations Center; Employee Development Center; Natural Resources Program Support Center; Cultural Resources Program Support Center; Partnership Programs Service Center; National Center for Preservation Technology and Training; Planning, Design and Construction Center; Information and Telecommunications Center; Field Operations Technical Support Center; Interpretive Design Center; and the NPS Office at the National Interagency Fire Center.

Sec. 7 Administrative Provision. The Director, National Park Service is responsible for effecting the transfer of personnel, funds, and property to implement the provisions of this order.

Sec. 8 Effective Date. This Order is effective immediately. This Order will remain in effect until its provisions are converted to the Departmental Manual or until it is amended, superseded or revoked, whichever comes first. In the absence of the foregoing action, the provisions of this Order will terminate and be considered obsolete on March 31, 2001.

/s/ Bruce Babbitt

Secretary of the Interior

Attachment

SO#3189A7 10/30/00

Replaces SO#3189A6 7/31/00

Replaces SO#3189A5 4/28/00

Replaces SO#3189A4 4/30/99

Replaces SO#3189A3 3/25/98

Replaces SO#3189A2 10/1/97

Replaces SO#3189A1 9/26/96

Replaces SO#3189 5/31/95