Recently Doug Eury, Superintendent of Nez Perce National Historical Park, observed about his park,
"If we don't have partnerships, we don't have a park." Increasingly partnerships are becoming an
effective means for the National Park Service to fulfill parts of our mission and foster a
shared sense of stewardship that is so crucial for the future. We face two pressing realities.
Given current budget realities, we are coming up short on enough funds and staff to keep up with
accomplishing our core mission work. This gap necessitates re-thinking how we
can best get the job done. Our role needs to shift from trying to do everything ourselves to one of
empowering others through partnerships to help us do more while always ensuring that
the results meet the high standards we hold for our parks and programs. As Brian O'Neill, Superintendent
of Golden Gate National Recreation Area points out, "Every time we do it ourselves, we miss out on an
opportunity for community engagement."
The second reality is that our partners develop an appreciation for and a sense of commitment to our
mission, values, resources and people. Partnerships are a sound investment for both the near and long
term. We need to invest wisely. Good partnering is both a skill and an art. Looking around the
National Park Service today there are many partnerships underway. We have brilliant partnership
successes that inspire and some that need work. We are doing a lot, but we need to do much more.
Partnering is a skill that most NPS staff need to cultivate and do well. This NPS web site is intended
to help strengthen that skill throughout the National Park Service.
