1

20125-Year Strategic PlanPark Stewardship Program

2

2

Twenty years ago, an idea took root and a program was born.

The Park Stewardship Program was launched in 1992, with the goal of engaging the community, broadly and deeply, in the restoration of high priority parklands within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

From these roots, many branches have sprouted over the past two decades! Rather than a scattering of sites, the program is now organized into three regional teams. Specialized youth programs have been developed and trails stewardship has been added as a core programmatic element. The number of acres receiving restoration support has more than doubled, and the community we engage has expanded ten-fold.

And yet, the last strategic plan was completed almost fifteen years ago.

To address this gap, this document identifies a number of key goals and objectives that are needed to stabilize the current program in a manner that provides for future programmatic growth and enrichment – ensuring that these parklands, are restored and maintained, by all, for all, forever.

While Park Stewardship is a tri-agency program, this plan focuses specifically on the role of Parks Conservancy, with the expansion of these core partnerships as a key goal identified within this document .

3 counties10 sites

5 threatened and endangered species1,234? acres

3000? youth participants8000? volunteers

3

Who is Park Stewardship?

We are stewards of the Golden Gate National Parks, working in partnership with the National Park Service and Presidio Trust to restore and sustain priority parklands.

We are field ecologists, studying and restoring park resources, and reporting on amazing scientific findings from right here in our park.

We are environmental educators, providing hands-on learning while sharing the park’s wonders with people of all ages.

We are youth leaders, providing pathways and support for continued involvement and development in the park.

We are community builders, connecting people to nature and to each other through authentic volunteer experiences

Together, we are park transformers and sustainers, committed to making our park the best it can be, for all, forever.

•

•

•

•

•

4

Park Stewardship provides an opportunity for authentic community engagement in the parkland, and is key to restoring the Park’s unique resources, sustaining park projects that transform these landscapes, and enriching the experience of all those who care for and visit these areas.

5

Provide operational funding for key staffing positions including the Marin Program Manager, the San Francisco Program Manager, a Restoration Assis-tant and key interns.

Provide part-time operational support for Youth Leader and Oceana Restoration Manager (with 50% of funding from grant sources).

Develop annual maintenance fund for key restoration activities that are essential to maintaining investments, but are too technical or unsafe to be completed by volunteers

Strategic Objectives

Objective 1:

Objective 2:

Objective 3:

“Inspiring quote goes in here. nspiring quote goes in here. nspiring quote goes in here. nspiring quote.” - Fulana de Tal, RYC 2011 participant.

Goal 1: Stabilize Funding For Baseline Staff

Background

At its 15th year Anniversary, the Park Stewardship Program (then Site Stewardship) assembled a team to examine and evaluate its structure and function to ensure it remained relevant and focused in light of the growth and

6

changes within both the Park and Conservancy. Over the course of a year, this multi-departmental team determined that although the role of stewardship is critical and integral to the vision and mission of the Conservancy, its current structure was outdated, disjointed and siloed. In 2009, the Program changed its name to Park Stewardship and began to implement several structural changes and worked to realign its staffing. Three regional teams were created, Trails Stewardship was integrated into the umbrella program, and the youth programs were expanded.

One significant finding from this effort is that programmatic responsibilities have significantly outpaced funding and resources. The number of restoration sites and volunteer activites that the program has assumed management for has more than doubled over the past ten years, while the operational budget to support these efforts has experienced only limited growth. Funding to support stewardship efforts in these new areas,

which include Mori Point, Muir Beach, Lands End, Dias Ridge, Presidio Bluffs and Hawk Hill has been drawn from project and grant funds which will run dry over the next year. To ensure that community engagement and restoration/maintenance continue at these key sites, baseline staffing needs to be stabilized with operational funds.

In addition, the intake process for evaluating new additions will be reviewed, updated and reinstated.

FACTS

•

•

45% of current staff is funded through short term and unstable funding sources.

The number of acres the Park Stewardship Program manages has doubled over the past ten years, with seven new sites added through Park and Conservancy initiatives. These include Mori Point, Dias Ridge, Lands End, Muir Beach, Presidio Bluffs, Fort Funston and Hawk Hill.

7

Goal 2: Stabilize Funding For Program Infrastructure

Identify additional office and desk space.

Find additional vehicles or identify alternative transportation options.

Expand site restoration fund.

Develop Academic Internship Program to supplement the existing VIP intern program and support Volunteer Development Department in securing more housing.

Strategic Objectives

Objective 1:

Objective 2:

Objective 3:

Objective 4:

Background

The infrastructure needed to sustain the Park Stewardship Program is quite varied, and includes office space, transportation, internships and funding for materials and maintenance. Currently gaps and vulnerabilities exist within this foundation layer, which serves to limit the reach and breathe of the program.

In terms of space, nine interns currently share two small offices with four computers, and there is no space for any additions should the program grew. The Presidio Trust has suggested that the few staff who currently utilize office space in the Presidio may be asked to leave in the next year in preparation for the upcoming changes at Fort Scott. In addition, the San Mateo and Marin teams waste precious time commuting each day due to lack of office space and facilities in those counties.

Transportation is fundamental for Park Stewardship as the program manages sites in all three counties, and

8

hence relies heavily on vehicles to transport staff, interns and volunteers on a daily basis. The Park Service at Golden Gate is currently reducing its GSA vehicle fleet making it impossible to acquire any additional vehicles.

Currently, twenty young and talented interns support program implementation. These interns provide critical field support to staff in every segment of the program including Trails, Youth and Restoration. The VIP intern program, which has historically supported these interns, has experienced rule changes at the National level which make it impossible to support local youth as interns. In response, a team of Park and Conservancy staff, along with our Academic partners, is piloting a new Academic Intern Program to reach and engage local students from both San Francisco State and City College of San Francisco as interns. Grants funds are currently being sought to further expand the pilot into a variety of existing Park and Conservancy programs.

And finally, while volunteerism has been, and continues to be, a key element in restoring and maintaining these restoration sites, it is imperative to establish a small funding source for restoration technicians and experienced contractors to provide resource support for tasks that are either to technical or cannot be completed safely by volunteers. For example, funding for areas that require herbicide to control noxious weeks, or removal efforts that occur on cliff sides or dense poison oak patches. There is also a need to identify additional funds to tackle those high priority restoration tasks that are beyond the current capacity of the limited field staff and cadre of volunteers.

FACTS

•

•

•

•

Despite program growth, office space has shrunk by 20%.

Lack of sufficient transportation is limiting the size of the youth, trails and restoration Programs

Due to safety issues and technical needs, volunteers alone cannot sustain maintenance of key restoration sites.

The VIP Program can no longer serve local youth as interns.

9

Revisit process and criteria for determining sites that receive Park Stewardship programmatic support.

Fund new volunteer Program Manager and Restoration Assistant to support community engagement efforts in the southlands.

Identify office space in the southlands.

Strategic Objectives

Objective 1:

Objective 2:

Objective 3:

FACTS

•

•

With the San Mateo additions, over 50% of managed parkland is now south of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Pedro Point, a new parcel in Pacifica which will transition in the year ahead, already has an active stewardship program and manager.Fort Funston and Hawk Hill.

Goal 3: Plan for Growth and Future Expansion

10

Background

When the Park Stewardship Program was first developed, a process for selecting sites for inclusion into the program was developed in close collaboration with a team of park service staff. Over the years, this process has become outdated and in need of revision and reinstatement. Without a set process for inclusion, the Stewardship Program has fallen into a pattern of accepting long term management responsibility for key restoration sites (Land End, Muir Beach, Dias Ridge, Hawk Hill, etc.), without sufficient resources to effectively manage these areas. This has left the staff stretched and frazzled, and the funding unstable and insufficient.

And yet, the park continues to grow with new, and often urgent, needs for Stewardship support. In the last five years alone, the Park has acquired an additional 5000 acres none of which currently receive stewardship support. In addition, the Parks Conservancy continues to restore and transform watersheds and landscapes throughout the parkland, most of which require stewardship support to maintain these investments over time. The goal in the next two years is to reassemble the tri-agency team and update the process for evaluating new additions into the program.

In addition, this team will work to identify staffing and resources needs, identify potential funding streams to expand Park Stewardship into new lands, and support new restoration initiatives in existing or new park sites.

“Inspiring quote goes in here. nspiring quote goes in here. nspiring quote goes in here. nspiring quote.” - Fulana de Tal, RYC 2011 participant.

11

Goal 4: Internally Realign the Park Stewardship Program

Strategic Objective

Move program into the Community Programs Department or align the Stewardship Program with the Nursery and Raptor Observatory Program in a new Conservation Stewardship Department

Background

In January of 2008, a special team formed to evaluate, refresh and update the Stewardship program in light of the organizational and programmatic changes occurring within both the Park and the Conservancy. This ‘Stewardship Vision Team’ consisted of seven individuals (Cleve, Cathie, Kate, Sue, Sharon, Betty, and Denise) who met regularly for nine months to define the role of stewardship, and craft an optimal structure which supports this role. This group developed findings, overall recommendations and several organizational models to modernize and strengthen the stewardship program.

These findings were presented to Laurie Wetzel and Doug Overman at the end of 2008, and provided several structural models, each of which involved the merging of the Stewardship, Nursery and Raptor programs

12

under a Director of Conservation and Stewardship. An interim structure was created (placing Stewardship within Trails Forever), with the understanding that the program would evolve into a more permanent placement once the programmatic restructure was initiated. This next step has yet to be taken.

The programs current placement within the organizational structure, serves to isolate it from other programs which it shares deep affinities. Opportunities to share, partner and vision with the other volunteer, conservation and youth programs are limited by virtue of the fact that the Stewardship team does not share meetings or gatherings with the other teams. To remedy this situation, there exists two potential areas for the program to be placed: within the Community Programs Department where it can closely collaborate with the Volunteer and Youth Programs, or with the Nursery and Raptor programs under a new Department which supports the initial vision of creating a Conservation and Stewardship team.

With the 20th anniversary of the program on the horizon, the goal is to reconvene the stewardship vision team (before the end of the year), review the options, and determine which structural placement makes most sense within the context of the larger stewardship and conservation goals of the Conservancy.

“Inspiring quote goes in here. nspiring quote goes in here. nspiring quote goes in here. nspiring quote.” - Fulana de Tal, RYC 2011 participant.

13

Goal 5: Stabilize and Grow the Trails Stewardship Program

Strategic Objectives

Objective 1:

Objective 2:

FACT

•

The park is responsible for maintaining over 81 miles of trails.

Background

The current API-based (Asset Priority Index) prioritization process for work actions has many limitations for integrating volunteer based programs. This system was developed by the National Park Service to rate, prioritize and then direct staffing resources to the most critical trail needs in the park. While having a prioritization process is helpful, the variables it uses to determine and direct maintenance efforts are limited and constrained. Important decision elements, such as visitor use and unanticipated needs (like erosion from storms), are difficult to address in this current system. In addition, the Park’s resources are limited to the extent that only those projects that fall to the top of the list receive attention in any given year.

Develop and implement new “Trails Roving Crew” in partnership with NPS Trail Crew.

Complete assessment of trails stewardship program structure, then pilot and evaluate recommendations.

14

As a result of this API system, there are numerous priority trails and maintenance projects within GGNRA, which will not receive resource support in any given year. In some areas with high-visitor use, but low cultural and natural resource values, the system will actually recommend removing the asset all together.

To address these issues, a team of park and Conservancy staff have been working together to develop a ‘Roving Trail Crew’ that is not tied to the API system. This ‘untethered’ and hence more flexible team, would be able to address high-priority, unmet stewardship and maintenance needs throughout the park. In addition the crew will also significantly expand the community engagement and volunteer opportunities within the park.

This new roving team will be based with the Trail Crew and begin its work this June. Galena Seeger is working directly with Keith Spindle to develop a list of priority projects and a process for determining priorities. The Park Stewardship Program, through its Trails Stewardship program, will continue top support this team by organizing community volunteers to work alongside this team on critical trail projects throughout the Park.

“Inspiring quote goes in here. nspiring quote goes in here. nspiring quote goes in here. nspiring quote.” - Fulana de Tal, RYC 2011 participant.

15

Goal 6: Integrate and Expand Youth Programming

Work to integrate elements and expand reach of existing youth programs

Collaborate with partner organizations to further extend opportunities to local youth.

Strategic Objectives

Objective 1:

Objective 2:

FACT

•

The staff from Park Stewardship and Crissy Field Center is already working to integrate elements of our existing youth programs.

16

Background

A recent programmatic inventory by the Bridges-pan Consultants identified 76 youth programs that are currently being offered in this Park by one of the three core partners: the National Park, the Presidio Trust and the Parks Conservancy. Though rich in variety and number, these programs have evolved within their own institutional and programmatic si-los, leaving little ‘connective tissue’ between them. Of those programs listed, the Park Stewardship Pro-gram offers a wide array: from service learning opportunities to high school immersion programs. While Park Stewardship has worked hard to create pathways within the programs we offer, there is still considerable op-portunity to create more connections BETWEEN our different organizations and partners. As such, in the next three years we will organize, and engage a series of conversations between those agencies and organizations who are engaged in youth programming on ways to better link and connect our efforts. The goal is to develop a variety of recommendations for better linking our programs, and then begin imple-mentation of these recommendations. Ultimately, our intention is to provide youth with easier access, more opportunities, and greater variety by increasing our partner network with other youth-serving organizations.

“Inspiring quote goes in here. nspiring quote goes in here. nspiring quote goes in here. nspiring quote.” - Fulana de Tal, RYC 2011 participant.

17

Goal 7: Grow and integrate internal and external partnerships

Maintain, expand and celebrate current partnerships.

Identify new partners which support a variety of program elements including trails, youth and restoration.

Strategic Objectives

Objective 1:

Objective 2:

FACT

•

The program currently sustains over 25 partnerships, 88% with external organizations including Aim High, San Francisco State, Home Away, California State Parks, National Out-door Leadership School, the Canal Alliance and others.

Background

The Park Stewardship Programs owes much of its success to numerous strategic collaborations which have enabled the program to reach beyond the boundaries of the park, and into the neighborhoods and academic institutions which surround us. Included in the mix are a number of long-term relationships, like that of City College and Oceana High School, which have been sustained since the

18

start of the program almost 20 years ago. These on top of our primary, and most important partnership: that with the National Park Service and Presidio Trust.

As the Park Stewardship Program continues to phase in its restructure, there exists and opportunity to better organize our existing relationships, and develop new partners that

match our future ambitions. The first step will be to celebrate and enhance our internal partnership with the National Park and Presidio Trust, with adjustments made to further enhance our programmatic connections.

This program already benefits from a rich variety of external partnerships. Before we add new partners to the mix, the goal is to better organize our partnership and programmatic links. For example, the program supports five distinct, but intertwined programmatic elements: restoration, community building, youth development, science and volunteerism. Our plan is to consider each our partners in relationship to these programmatic elements to better understand where the needs and opportunities lie. New collaborations will then be sought to amplify the work we do, and reach new levels of impact on both the community and the land.

Special emphasis will be placed on our partnership with City College of San Francisco and San Francisco State as we work (with the Park as a lead) in developing student contact stations, academic internships, and expanding student research opportunities at each of these school sites.

“Inspiring quote goes in here. nspiring quote goes in here. nspiring quote goes in here. nspiring quote.” - Fulana de Tal, RYC 2011 participant.

19

The Park Stewardship Program works to connect people to the land

by developing a sense of place, an understanding of interconnection, and opportunities

for engagement and learning. Our programs restore and protect the integrity of the

natural and cultural resources throughout the park while building communities, both

human and ecological. We believe it is the synergy between these elements that creates

passionate and informed citizens invested in the health and future of parklands while

engaging a broad constituency in support of public land.