Natural Resource Year in Review—2003, A portrait of the year in natural resource stewardship and science in the National Park System, ISSN 1544-5437
Chapter 0 — Front Matter
Chapter 1— Transforming the National Park System
Chapter 2 — The New Face of Professional Resource Management
Chapter 3 — Inventory and Monitoring Charges Ahead
Chapter 4 - Frontiers for Science and Natural Resource Education
Chapter 5 — Preventing Natural Resource Impairment
Chapter 6 — Restoration
Chapter 7 — Conserving Threatened and Endangered Species
Chapter 8 — Cooperative Conservation
Chapter 9 — Looking Ahead
Chapters
Cooperative Conservation
Introduction
The Yellow River Initiative: A partnership for resource sustainability
Web-based communication system eases public review of environmental planning
Ocean resources of the National Park System: Out of sight, out of mind, left behind
Cooperative Conservation Initiative celebrates remarkable progress in first year
Natural Resource Partnership Program continues to grow
Award Winner: Steve Chaney's successful efforts to protect dune ecosystem recognized
Award Winner: Greg McGuire stewards his park and more
“Partners in Stewardship”: Considerations for natural resource stewardship and science in the national parks
Place-based science and public-private partnerships key to preserving national parks
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Cooperative Conservation
“Management of landscapes that will provide for the long-term well-being of both natural populations and human populations requires the cooperative efforts of all who live in and manage the landscape.” —William L. Halvorson, National Parks and Protected Areas: Their Role in Environmental Protection
Yellow River watershed, Effigy Mounds National Monument, Iowa

Effigy Mounds National Monument is located in the Yellow River watershed in northeastern Iowa, where the National Park Service and other government agencies and nongovernmental organizations are cooperating to develop a model in which local leadership is educated and empowered to steward natural resources and sustain a healthy environment.

Partnerships have become an essential tool for carrying out the mission of the National Park Service. Park managers are increasingly working with neighboring communities, state and federal agencies, corporations, nongovernmental organizations, and universities to deal with a wide range of issues and maximize limited resources. For example, they understand that effectively addressing watershed management and protection, the spread of exotic plants and animals, or the recovery of endangered or declining species involves working cooperatively with myriad partners, from state agencies and private landowners to university researchers and committed volunteers. In addition to tackling resource threats coming from outside park boundaries, managers seek partnerships with other institutions and individuals to realize the unparalleled value of the parks for learning and scientific research. Partnerships also recognize that “two heads are better than one,” and as the articles in this chapter demonstrate, frontline park managers are developing the expertise to build successful long-term relationships that result in tangible benefits to both the parks and their partners. The administration also values the vitality of cooperative efforts for resource protection; in 2003 it launched the Cooperative Conservation Initiative, ushering in a new era for partnerships in the parks. The parks play an essential role in the social and economic fabric of the nation, and partnerships for cooperative conservation are an explicit recognition of this evolving reality.
NPS Fact
The National Park Service holds one or more active memorandums of understanding with 11 countries: Argentina, the Bahamas, Canada, Chile, China, Gabon, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Poland, and Venezuela. One of the most important aspects of the agreement between the United States and Mexico is empowering local land managers from both countries to exchange information and work together. Because of this, scientific and technical exchange and coordination on natural resource management have increased among staff and managers of the natural protected areas.
Cooperative Conservation, Introduction
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last updated 4/13/2004
National Park Service, US Department of the Interior, Natural Resource Program Center, Natural Resource Information Division
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