1.1 Assign Planning Team

The Denver Service Center’s planning Division Chief assigns a Branch Chief and Project  Manager to the special resource study.  An interdisciplinary team of planning and resource professionals from the Denver Service Center is assigned to the special resource study.  Staff from the Regional office and the Denver Service Center planning team review the congressional legislation authorizing the special resource study.

1.2 Prepare Project Schedule and Workload

Working collaboratively with the branch chief, the project manager develops a project schedule, including estimated dates for achieving key milestones, and a workload for the project (hours preliminarily allotted to members of the planning team for accomplishing assigned tasks).  The project schedule is included in project agreement.

1.3 Prepare/Review Project Agreement

The project manager, in consultation with the branch chief, prepares a project agreement that (1) identifies the work to be accomplished and the project budget; (2) sets the schedule for completing the special resource study; and (3) defines the roles and responsibilities of the planning team as well as others in the regional office and Washington office who may be involved in preparation of the document. 

1.4 Signed Project Agreement

The DSC’s planning division chief and the regional director sign the approved project agreement.  The project manager creates a listing for the SRS in the NPS’s Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website.