Landscape Management Plan, Comprehensive Design: Chamizal National Memorial, Texas

National Park Service

Chamizal National Memorial is a unique and special place. Unlike other units of the National Park System (NPS) where the nature and location of existing physical and cultural resources in large part predetermines visitor experiences, Chamizal presents the opportunity to influence visitor experiences through design. The significant memorial resources are the location of the site itself and the intangible relationship between the Anglo and Hispanic cultures. Existing physical natural and cultural resources are either outside the memorial (i.e., the Rio Grande), or are on the border of the memorial (i.e., the boundary markers), leaving most of the memorial's 55 acres open for creating an environment for visitor experiences. Because of this, the comprehensive design is guided by a consideration of visitor experiences, that is, what visitors want and what the NPS wants for visitors. The comprehensive design follows from the General Management Plan (GMP) for Chamizal (NPS 1986), which gives direction for development of the Memorial. Chamizal serves a dual role as an international peace memorial for the peoples of the world and as a city park for El Paso residents (NPS 1986). At Chamizal, the NPS has an opportunity to increase the awareness of visitors—both local and national/international—of ways to promote cooperation and prevent discord. Of the many factors involved in the prevention of discord, increasing the understanding of other peoples through education and eliminating discrimination are two which Chamizal can address. Therefore, two important elements of the comprehensive design are: 1 ) expanding the interpretive program to include a series of outdoor exhibits that promote an understanding of how peoples of the two border cultures used and appreciated native flora; and 2) making facilities and opportunities accessible to all types of visitors. At present, experience opportunities include interpretation and outdoor recreation, with overlap occurring at concerts and charreadas. Desired experiences can be thought of as a continuum, from interpretation to outdoor recreation, with mixtures of the two in between. Within these types of experiences, some visitors will want a more social or a more solitary experience, some a more active and others a more passive experience, and some a more formal and others a more informal experience. The GMP/DCP (NPS 1986) identifies the general facility layout which will allow for this diversity of experiences. Encouraging more interest in the interpretive program is a planning goal for Chamizal (NPS 1986); this can be accomplished by making interpretation an enjoyable element in the day-time experience of the memorial grounds. The comprehensive design expands on the GMP/DCP, describing in more detail how the grounds can be developed to achieve planning goals.

Landscape Management Plan, Comprehensive Design: Chamizal National Memorial, Texas

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