This is a followup to a previous post comparing the two planning documents for Cabrillo. The first post provided an overview. This post provides more detail and links to the planning documents as well as a comparison of the two which can be found in the ebinder.

Cabrillo National Monument has two documents with which all staff and VIPs should be familiar. The first and most important is the Foundation Document of February 2017: “Every unit of the national park system will have a foundational document to provide basic guidance for planning and management decisions—a foundation for planning and management. The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park as well as the park’s purpose, significance, fundamental resources and values, other important resources and values, and interpretive themes. The foundation document also includes special mandates and administrative commitments, an assessment of planning and data needs that identifies planning issues, planning products to be developed, and the associated studies and data required for park planning. Along with the core components, the assessment provides a focus for park planning activities and establishes a baseline from which planning documents are developed.”

The full Foundation document can be found here.

The second document is the Long-Range Interpretive Plan of April 2009 which “articulates a vision for the park’s interpretive future, and recommends the media, facilities, and programs best suited for meeting visitor needs, achieving management goals, and telling the park stories.” It describes implementation strategies for how to tell Cabrillo National Monument’s varied stories as highlighted in the Foundation document.

The Long-Range Interpretive Plan can be reviewed here.

These documents describe the heart and soul of Cabrillo National Monument and outline strategies for how to care for and share the park in ways that will enhance visitors’ experiences while preserving the precious resources here. These strategies center on Cabrillo National Monument’s mission, purpose, resources, significances, themes, and visitor experience goals.

Cabrillo National Monument Mission

The National Park Service at Cabrillo National Monument commemorates Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo’s voyage of exploration and its significance. NPS protects, preserves and manages the monument’s cultural and natural resources and associated values in a manner that leaves them unimpaired while providing a high quality educational and recreational experience for all visitors.

Purpose

The purpose statement identifies the specific reason(s) for establishment of a particular park.

Cabrillo National Monument, on Point Loma at the ocean gateway to San Diego, commemorates Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo’s 1542 voyage of exploration and discovery of Alta California and conserves maritime and military cultural resources and dynamic terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

You can read the remainder of the article in the Ebinder document “A Summary of the Foundation and Interpretation Plans for Cabrillo National Monument”.