Agate Fossil Beds National Monument's foundation document is a formal statement of the park's core mission that will provide basic guidance for all planning and management decisions.
The Foundation Document reflects the legislated established purpose of the Park, any special mandates or designations that the park has received, a description of the park's resources and values that are significant enough to warrant national park designation, the park's fundamental resources and values that are essential to achieving the purpose of the park and that are primary considerations during planning and management, other important resource values, and the park's primary interpretive themes that are conveyed to visitors. The document also includes a list of key parkwide or major issues and associated planning and data needs.