Strategic Priorities

 
 
 

Focusing on the Core

 
a large group of people cutting a white ribbon in front of new housing
Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly and Civil Engineer Kyle Stone cut a ribbon in front of brand-new employee housing in Mammoth Hot Springs.

NPS / Jacob Frank

Focus areas and actions:

  • Support the Yellowstone team first
    Improve employee housing, work conditions, health and wellness, team engagement, interdivisional respect and collaboration, accountability, professional development, hiring processes, internal communications.
  • Improve strategic management and business acumen platforms
    Improve financial management practices, priority setting processes, project formulation, workforce performance.
  • Advance operational/organizational alignment and effectiveness
    Develop more efficient operational and programmatic alignments to improve resource sharing, communications, and organizational performance.

Learn how Yellowstone is "Focusing on the Core."

 

Strengthening the Yellowstone Ecosystem & Heritage Resources

 
a bison standing on a snow-covered road on a snowy day
A bull bison standing in the road on a windy day near Swan Lake.

NPS / Jacob W. Frank

Focus areas and actions:

  • Advance and sustain the Yellowstone ecosystem
    Understand/Respond more effectively to climate change impacts; advance and sustain wildlife management and large landscape conservation efforts, identify new cooperative conservation opportunities with states and partners; continue building scientific capacity to improve decision making; improve environmental sustainability
  • Protect, preserve, and improve cultural resources
    Understand/Respond to environmental changes affecting cultural resources, build effective climate adaptation strategies and response planning, improve conditions of historic structures, protect archeological sites, collections, and archives; promote Tribal heritage and collaboration.
  • Ensure effective resource planning and compliance
    Integrate NEPA, NHPA, legal requirements effectively into internal decision processes.
  • Advance sustainability
    Lead/Deliver on sustainability issues and collaborate with partners; Improve energy conservation and renewable technologies; Improve water management and efficiencies/upgrades in treatment plants, pipes, and fixtures; Reduce fuel use and GHG emissions by transforming size, types of vehicles, and technologies; Reduce waste and prevent pollution; Adapt infrastructure to a changing climate; Inventory, identify, map, and evaluate bone yards, dump sites, and environmental and hazardous waste locations.

Learn how Yellowstone is "Strengthening the Yellowstone Ecosystem and Heritage Resources."

 

Delivering a World-Class Visitor Experience

 
a person in a park ranger uniform at an entrance station handing out a park map
Park ranger Linda Veress at North Entrance handing out a park map.

NPS / Jacob Frank

Focus areas and actions:

  • Understand and respond to increased visitor use
    Develop effective visitor use strategy that focuses on protecting park resources, staffing/infrastructure, improving visitor enjoyment/recreation opportunities, and collaborating with gateway communities.
  • Protect people and resources
    Provide high levels of public safety, law enforcement, resource protection, emergency response, and other related services.
  • Connect people to Yellowstone
    Build world-class interpretive and educational experiences/programs using innovative technology, youth and community outreach, and citizen services.
  • Improve visitor services and amenities
    Provide exceptional facilities and amenities relating to accessibility, connectivity, recreational opportunities, and sustainable practices.

Learn how Yellowstone is "Delivering a World-Class Visitor Experience."

 

Investing in Infrastructure

 
a paved road winding through a mountainous landscape
New viewpoint and pullouts on the Tower to Chittenden Road Improvement Project (near Dunraven Pass).

NPS / Jacob W. Frank

Focus areas and actions:

  • Build effective administrative framework
    Develop infrastructure investment strategy, improve condition data, project scoping, planning and design processes, and short and long-term fund source priorities
  • Improve condition of employee housing and workspaces
    Improve existing housing, replace obsolete housing, identify external housing partnership opportunities.
  • Improve and maintain condition of transportation-related infrastructure
    Improve condition of park bridges, roads, parking lots, and other transportation priorities.
  • Improve condition of historic structures and other cultural resource
    Rehabilitate condition of high-priority historic assets.
  • Improve condition of visitor service and public health-related infrastructure
    Improve condition of wastewater critical systems and fresh water critical systems; Liquid propane gas and electrical generation/distribution systems; Entrance stations, amphitheaters, and campgrounds; Concession-assigned facilities and infrastructure; Trails, boardwalks, and marinas.

Learn how Yellowstone is "Investing in Infrastructure."

 

Building Coalitions & Partnerships

 
a large group of people standing in front of a large white teepee
A group of people representing several park partner organizations at the Teepee Village in Madison Junction (the Teepee Village is an installation part of Mountain Time Arts' series titled "Yellowstone Revealed") during Yellowstone's 150th anniversary in 2022.

NPS / Jacob W. Frank

Focus areas and actions:

  • Become a higher-performing Yellowstone team
    Build relationships within/across division, district, and programmatic boundaries; Seek new ways of collaboration/partnership for the benefit of One Yellowstone; Actively communicate across all park and NPS levels.
  • Strengthen Yellowstone Forever and philanthropic capacity
    Support ongoing capital/programmatic investments with Yellowstone Forever; Continue building a robust philanthropic platform; Collaboratively develop/prioritize future projects.
  • Build trust with gateway communities
    Strengthen partner relations with gateway community leaders; Communicate on regular schedules with community stakeholders; Develop responsive actions and mutual collaboration areas.
  • Honor Tribal legacies and heritage
    Cultivate close relationships with Tribes; Convey appropriate Native American heritage through education, public outreach, and programming efforts and Tribal connections.
  • Cultivate relationships with elected officials
    Build and maintain strong relationships with members of Congress; Strengthen close relationships with political officials at state/local levels.
  • Strengthen conservation, environmental, business and recreation coalitions
    Cultivate close relationships with conservation, concessioner, business, recreation, and environmental partners who share values consistent with the NPS mission and Yellowstone.

Learn how Yellowstone is "Building Coalitions and Partnerships."

 

State of the Park Reports

 

More Information

 
two park rangers walking with bison seen in the background
Management

Learn about the current natural and cultural resource issues that Yellowstone is managing for this and future generations.

Three park employees removing native fish from a transport container.
Science & Research

Explore the endeavors that enhance our knowledge of the region and inform preservation decisions.

A bull elk bugling
Nature

Discover the natural wonder of Yellowstone, from the geology beneath the plant communities to the animals migrating through the ecosystem.

Historic colorized photograph of horses going under a large stone arch.
History & Culture

Explore the rich human and ecological stories that continue to unfold.

Last updated: August 19, 2024

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

PO Box 168
Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190-0168

Phone:

307-344-7381

Contact Us