Site management plan

Download Red Bay Management Plan in PDF format (5.76 MB)

Executive Summary

This management plan for Red Bay National Historic Site of Canada provides strategic direction over the next 15 years for the integrated delivery of Parks Canada’s mandate, namely: protecting ecological and cultural resources; facilitating meaningful visitor experience opportunities; and fostering public appreciation and understanding of Parks Canada’s heritage places. The plan was developed with partner, stakeholder, and public involvement. It is the primary public accountability document for the site and provides Parks Canada and engaged partners and stakeholders with a framework for action implementation and decision making.

The management plan includes:

• A vision for the future towards which the site will aspire over the next fifteen years;
• Three key strategies and associated objectives which will guide the overall direction of the site;
• A five-year implementation strategy summarizing planned actions and targets for measuring the success of management actions; and
• A summary of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) conducted for this plan.

The three key strategies provide concrete direction for addressing major issues and opportunities while focusing efforts and resources for achieving the vision. They are:

By Land and By Sea—Opening the Door to the Red Bay Experience
The intention of this strategy is to capitalize on changing tourism trends in the region—working with partners to attract an increasing number of visitors traveling by land and by sea to the region and the site.

Red Bay and You—Facilitating Opportunities for Discovery, Enjoyment and Connection to Red Bay NHS
This strategy focuses on developing a menu of visitor experience opportunities and strengthening public outreach education initiatives to enhance opportunities for visitors and Canadians to discover, enjoy, and connect to Red Bay NHS.

Spirit of Relationships—Inspiring the Next Generation and Sharing Red Bay with the World
This strategy builds on the tradition of support and engagement with the site amongst area residents, the province, Aboriginal communities, partners, and stakeholders. It seeks to further this commitment to the protection of the site’s cultural resources and increase engagement and enthusiasm for attracting visitors and sharing Red Bay with the world, particularly among the youth of the region.

State of Site Report 2011

Download State of Site Report in PDF format (4.23 MB)

Executive Summary

The purpose of the State of the Site Report is to provide an assessment of the current condition of Red Bay National Historic Site (NHS) of Canada, report on the site’s achievement in meeting Parks Canada Agency’s performance expectations, report on the results of efforts to maintain or improve the state of the site since the last management plan, and to identify key issues for consideration in management planning. This SoSR will serve as a tool for decision-making with respect to issues associated with heritage resource conservation, external relations, and visitor experience.

Following the introduction, Chapter 2 of the report provides a brief overview of the relationship between Parks Canada and the Aboriginal peoples of Newfoundland and Labrador relative to Red Bay NHS. This chapter describes the Aboriginal archaeological sites at the site and the need to better convey the Aboriginal history of the region.

Chapter 3 is the heart of the report—providing a snapshot of the state of the site relative to Parks Canada’s three mandate areas: commemorative integrity (using indicators of resource condition, effectiveness of communication, and selected management practices), visitor experience (using indicators of number of visits, learning, enjoyment, satisfaction, and meaning), and public appreciation and understanding (using indicators of appreciation and understanding, and support).

Chapter 4 provides an assessment of the degree to which Red Bay NHS has met performance expectations as outlined in the Parks Canada Corporate Plan. Through the implementation of the 2004 management plan, Red Bay NHS has met or exceeded almost all of the Agency’s 2003/4 performance expectations and continues to meet or exceed almost all of the rated 2010/11 performance expectations.

Chapter 5 reports on management results based on the implementation of the current management plan. It also describes one of the Red Bay’s major success stories—namely working closely with the community to ensure the commemorative integrity of the site and to develop the site’s nomination proposal to become a World Heritage property.

Finally, Chapter 6 briefly summarizes the key issues that have emerged from the analysis in this report covering all aspects of the Agency’s mandate. These will be considered in the development of the next management plan for the site.