National Park Service: Land Acquisition

ABPP, NPS, LRD

Report Overview

This report offers an assessment of two National Park Service (NPS) programs connected with lands – the Land Resources Program and the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP). The Land Resources Program is managed by the Land Resources Division (LRD) and is responsible for acquiring land within the authorized boundary of a park unit for visitor use and preservation of resources. The ABPP, on the other hand, is a financial grant-making program that assists external parties wishing to acquire battlefield lands for preservation purposes. The five-member Panel issued twenty-four recommendations to LRD leadership on the topics of policy, systems, human resources, communications, and appraisals. They issued an additional five recommendations on staffing, outreach and applicants, metrics, and transfers/conversations and congressional intent to ABPP leadership. The report includes an implementation plan with short, medium, and long-term suggestions for NPS to adopt the twenty-nine total recommendations.

Study Fellows