Improving the US National Parks
Since 2002, when the United States National Park Service reached out to Booz Allen Hamilton for its help, the firm has become an integral partner in the service’s asset management program, developing a deep understanding of and appreciation for the organization’s mission and the culture and environment in which it operates.
The National Park Service faces a US$5 billion deferred maintenance backlog, but has limited experience in asset management, the necessary basis for identifying the critical steps needed to address the situation.
“One of the administration’s highest priority environmental needs is investing substantial amounts of money into repairing infrastructure in our national parks,” says John Selman, a senior associate based in McLean, Virginia.
The firm has assisted the service in developing a comprehensive asset management philosophy that encompasses identifying all park assets and assessing the condition, value, and sustainability requirements of each in order to determine where the service should focus its resources.
Typical is the work Booz Allen is doing for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, just north of San Francisco, where the firm assessed the park’s inventory and its condition and analyzed the budget required to deal with the needs over time. The study showed that nearly 90 percent of the buildings in the park were more than 40 years old. Because of this aging inventory, the park faces “waves” of expiring systems, and it needs the tools to plan for substantial asset improvement costs in the coming years.
An understanding of the current and projected costs expands the recreation area manager’s ability to set a strategic plan for long-term park spending and for improved asset management.
Booz Allen has provided similar support at many national parks, including Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountain, Yellowstone, and Rocky Mountain National Parks; the Gateway and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Areas; and the Appalachian National Historic and Scenic Trail. The firm has also analyzed the cost of facility ownership for such monuments as the new National World War II Memorial.
Booz Allen’s support for the nation’s public lands is not limited to our work with the National Park Service. Our clients, within the Department of the Interior, include the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and, within the Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Forest Service. We also provide pro bono support to the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), the National Museum of the American Indian, and other not-for-profit conservation organizations.
“We are committed not only to our public-lands government clients, but also to a broad range of stakeholders in land management and conservation issues, including businesses and not-for-profit organizations,” says Joyce Doria, a senior vice president in McLean, who serves as treasurer of the NPCA’s Board of Trustees.
“Our commitment to helping organizations develop solutions that endure includes being a partner in helping to preserve and improve the nation’s public lands, parks, and wildlife areas. Booz Allen is uniquely positioned to create linkages between the various stakeholders and increase the effectiveness of their separate efforts.”
story posted July 2005
