National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

 Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site

 Business Plan
Copyright© National Park Service 2006

U.S. Department of the Interior
National Park Service 

The purpose of business planning in the National Park Service is to 

improve the abilities of parks to more clearly communicate their financial status with principal stakeholders. A business plan answers such 

questions as: What is the business of this park unit? How much money 

does this park need to operate within appropriate standards? This plan 

demonstrates the functional responsibilities, operational standards, and 

financial picture of the park.

The business planning process is undertaken to accomplish three main 

tasks. First, it provides the park with a synopsis of its funding history. 

Second, it presents a clear, detailed picture of the state of current park 

operations and funding. Finally, it outlines park priorities and funding 

strategies.

A common methodology is applied by all parks developing business 

plans. Park activities are organized into five functional areas, which 

describe all areas of business for which a park is responsible. The functional areas are then further broken down into 35 programs. This allows 

the park to move beyond the traditional National Park Service method 

of reporting expenditures in terms of fund sources, and instead report 

expenditures in terms of activities. As a result, the park can communicate 

its financial situation more clearly to external audiences. Furthermore, 

using the same 35-program structure for all parks provides a needed 

measure of comparability across park units.

To assist in prioritizing opportunities, the park completed a Core Operations Analysis prior to the start of the business plan process. This analysis 

provided data to support the development of strategies that would address the parks effectiveness and efficiencies.

Completing the business plan process not only enables a park to produce 

a powerful communication tool, but also provides park management 

with financial and operational baseline knowledge for future decision 

making.

Introduction Table of Contents

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Table of Contents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Superintendent’s Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Executive Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Park Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Park at a glance

Park Map

Historical Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Fund Source Analysis

Adjusted Base Budget

Analysis of Real Growth

Fixed Cost Analysis

Analysis of Expenditures

Visitation

Current Park Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Resource Protection

Visitor Experience and Enjoyment

Facility Operations

Maintenance

Management and Administration

Financials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Summary Financial Statement

Volunteer Analysis

Government Performance and Results Act

Funded Investments

Priorities and Strategies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Operations and Maintenance Priorities

Investment Priorities

Strategies for Reducing Costs

Strategies for Increasing Efficiency

Strategies for Increasing Non-Appropriated Funding

Strategies for Generating Revenue

Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

The Power of Friends

A Vision for the Future

Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
 Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS

Eventually, it gets down to the numbers...specifically the ones on Page 25. A whole summer’s worth of 

analysis and now a year of implementation is reflected 

in the bottom line numbers of a .71 adjusted surplus 

of FTE (1 FTE equals one person working a full year) 

and a $54,706 shortfall of funds. What is remarkable 

about these numbers is that when we started our Business Plan process in June 2005, we initially identified 

a shortfall of 4.9 FTE (column 7) and a financial need 

for $442,165 (column 8), or more than a 20% increase 

in staffing and budget. The resulting surplus and drop 

in funding has been achieved through a concerted, 

creative and dynamic shift in operations without sacrificing public service, staff safety or resources protection. Through implementing the recommendations and 

strategies of this report, we are turning the corner on a 

deficit situation and building a sustainable park operation. 

Now to the harder questions...why, if we show a 

surplus of .71 FTE through better management, do we 

still have a shortfall, of .8 FTE as reported on Page 21 

(.64 FTE Buildings Maintenance) and Page 18 (.2 FTE 

Visitor Safety) ? The answer is one that all parks are 

struggling with. In gains made through efficiencies, we 

have freed up time primarily in positions more general 

in description, which has helped alleviate almost 4 full 

FTE’s worth of work. However, due to the specialized 

skills required in law enforcement, and for this site, historic ranch preservation, .7 FTE of surplus skills from 

other divisions does not transfer over and replace the .8 

FTE of skills needed in highly technical functions. All 

rangers are not the same. Our law enforcement need 

is real, modest and not met by other staff. Our historic 

preservation need is essential to this site, and not met 

by maintenance staff performing facility operation 

functions. So, despite the incredible sharing of tasks related to these functions by all staff, there are some jobs 

that require new skills in the park. 

Thanks to the hard work of this plan and the preceding 

Core Operations Analysis, we see our way to how best 

apply the surplus and secure funds and skills to alleviate the shortfall. For this guidance, I wish to thank 

all our partners in this plan, Intermountain Regional 

Office, the NPS Office of the Comptroller and the Student Conservation Association, as well as many individuals and organizations who provided us with their 

best thoughts and ideas about what really matters at the 

ranch. I hope you can see yourselves in the solutions. 

We created this business plan to develop a prosperous financial future for Grant-Kohrs Ranch National 

Historic Site. With your help, we anticipate a brighter 

future for the ‘Nation’s Ranch’. As we noticed going 

through this process, the ranch is not only a magnificent museum and tribute to our western past, but a 

vibrant, contemporary community of ideas able to 

inspire public stewardship towards excellence and relevancy in the future. Join us as we saddle up this plan 

and put it to work.

Sincerely,

Laura Rotegard, Superintendent

Superintendent’s Foreword

Laura Rotegard, Superintendent
National Park Service   

Executive Summary

This business plan captures the financial condition of 

Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site. Key findings 

outlined here show both the operational and investment needs, as well as areas where the park can work to 

increase efficiencies and reallocate existing resources to 

core park activities.

Available Resources

Grant-Kohrs Ranch had $1.25M in available operational funds in Fiscal Year 2004 (FY04). Of this amount, 

$961,500 (77%) was from NPS Appropriated Base 

funds. The remaining funding was primarily made up 

of Appropriated Non-base money (17%), earmarked 

for one-time projects. Other fund sources include 

Revenue and Reimbursable funds, which accounted for 

1% and 5% of expenditures respectively. The majority 

of the ranch’s available funding (36%) and the largest 

portion of the identified deficit (52%) for FY04 was for 

Resource Management.

Operational and Investment Priorities

One of the top operational priorities for the ranch is 

Cultural and Natural Resource Management, specifically associated with noxious weed encroachment and 

the balance of livestock management with resource 

protection. Additionally, preventive historic building 

maintenance will be a priority to mitigate any damage 

to the ranch’s historic structures, particularly as the 

ranch invests in necessary building upgrades. Other top 

priorities for Grant-Kohrs Ranch include Law Enforcement partnerships with the State of Montana, additional administrative support for facility management, 

janitorial services, and utilities compensation.

Operational Strategies for the Future

Grant-Kohrs Ranch, in cooperation with the NPS 

Intermountain Regional Office, will be working to implement efficiencies identified through the recent Core 

Operations Analysis. These strategies will be aimed at 

reallocating available resources to the ranch’s Core Activities in the future. Through the business plan process, the ranch has identified additional strategies for 

reducing costs and increasing the funding it receives 

from Non-Appropriated sources. Moving towards implementation, the park will evaluate the feasibility and 

potential implications of these strategies.

Labor expenditures are one of the primary cost drivers 

for the ranch, therefore alternatives are being considered for the existing Cattle Operation as well as the 

existing Haying and Grazing Operations. These options are outlined in the Strategies Section, beginning 

on page 33. Additionally, due to the strong seasonality 

of ranch visitation, Grant-Kohrs Ranch is looking at 

synchronizing operations more closely with visitation. 

Finally, strategies for expanding partnerships and the 

use of volunteers and sharing staff between agencies 

will also help to cut costs in the near future.

While cutting costs will assist the ranch in meeting its 

operational needs with existing funding, opportunities exist for Grant-Kohrs Ranch to generate additional 

Non-Appropriated funding, to expand the ability of the 

ranch to meet its mission goals. Strategies for increased 

revenue generation include expansion of the use of 

user fees for specialty tours of the ranch, developing a 

robust marketing plan, adding food concessions and 

other product sales for visitors (through the Cooperating Association and/or concessionaires), increasing the 

opportunity for visitors to donate via donations boxes, 

and working to establish a Ranch Friends Group.

Preventative maintenance includes assessment of 

historic structures and features like chutes, sheds and 

feedbunks and making minor repairs.

Using restored, historic feedlots during winter greatly 

increases park savings in the ranching program .
  Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS

Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site celebrates 

the frontier cattle era of American history. The 1,618 acre 

ranch combines picturesque grasslands, historic buildings 

and structures, ranging cattle and horses, and is framed by 

the snow covered peaks of Deer Lodge Mountain and the 

Continental Divide.

Located in southwestern Montana, adjacent to the town 

of Deer Lodge, Grant-Kohrs was designated a National 

Historic Site by Congress in 1972 to “provide visitors with 

an understanding of the frontier cattle era of the Nation’s 

history, to preserve the Grant-Kohrs Ranch and to interpret the nationally significant values thereof.” Grant-Kohrs 

Ranch joined the National Park Service as one of the few 

remaining places in the United States created and sustained 

by the open range ranching era. The stories of the ranch 

include the classic saga of immigrants pursuing the American dream, one that defines the cattle baron and cowboy 

heyday of 1865-1890. The lives of Johnny Grant and Conrad Kohrs embodied the dual aspects of self sufficiency and 

community loyalty necessary for survival on the frontier...

and survive they did, and prosper. The open range era, 

influenced greatly by these men and their families shaped 

our western lands, opened eastern markets and created a 

culture whose principles of integrity and wisdom anchor 

deep in our knowledge of ourselves as Americans.

The ranch has 93 historic structures, over 27,000 historical artifacts, 802 acres of maintained landscape, 30 miles 

of fences, 12 miles of historic irrigation ditches, a herd of 

Hereford, Shorthorn and Longhorn cattle, and draft and 

quarter horses. The park is unique, in part, because the 

buildings and ranch records were meticulously preserved 

by Conrad and Nell Warren, the previous owner of the 

ranch and the grandchildren of Conrad Kohrs. These 

records and artifacts provide a thorough and accurate 

picture of ranching operations through the years beginning 

in the 1860s through the 1960s.

Park Overview

The Park at a Glance

Hereford Cattle are a mainstay of the park’s working 

herd.

The restored original ranchhouse dates to 1858 and is 

furnished with authentic family possessions that are 

part of a world class museum collection. 

Grant-Kohrs Ranch lies equidistant between Yellowstone and Glacier National 

Parks, near Deer Lodge, in the Clark Fork River Valley of southwest Montana.
National Park Service   

Enabling Legislation

On August 25, 1972, the U.S. Congress authorized the Secretary of the Interior to purchase not 

more than two thousand acres in Deer Lodge 

Valley, Powell County, Montana for establishment 

of the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site. 

The site was established “in order to provide an 

understanding of the frontier cattle era of the Nation’s history, to preserve the Grant-Kohrs Ranch, 

and to interpret the nationally significant values 

thereof for the benefit and inspiration of present 

and future generations.”

NPS Mission

The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and 

values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and 

future generations. The Park Service cooperates 

with partners to extend the benefits of natural 

and cultural resource conservation and outdoor 

recreation throughout this country and the 

world.

Park Mission Statement

To share and communicate the traditions, 

practices and vestiges of America’s Frontier cattle 

era; a history whose timeless Old West values live 

on, and whose artifacts are preserved unimpared 

to educate, inspire and foster enjoyment in this 

and future generations.

Grant-Kohrs Inventory

1,618 acres

802 acres of irrigated land

31 miles of fences

93 historic structures

30 miles of historic irrigation 

ditches

3 miles of river

255 acres of wetland

139 resident terrestrial animal 

species

6 resident aquatic animal species

248 native terrestrial plant species

3 native aquatic plant species

85 exotic plant species

1 threatened species

1 endangered species
  Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS

Historical Context

Fund Source Analysis

Park funds are divided into four sources, indicated 

on the chart. The dark green box indicates Appropriated Base funds, the largest share of the overall budget. 

These funds are provided to each park by Congress to 

fund permanent staff and recurring operating expenses. They are the best indicators of park financial 

stability. Over the past five years, base funds comprise a 

growing share of the total budget, not because they are 

increasing, but because the other sources are diminishing in relation to the entire budget.

Appropriated Non-base funds, the red column, indicates special project funding. The funds are granted 

by Congress through national program and regional 

offices, and re-granted to the parks though a competitive process. In FY04, Non-base funding was $359,000 

less than in FY01, its lowest amount since FY97. This 

decline is attributable to urgent resource conditions 

that prompted funding, being remedied. This is true for 

historic preservation, where 80 of the park’s 88 historic 

structures have been improved to fair/good condition, 

and in collections management, where cataloging is 

up-to-date, and a new facility was built which offers 

protection for the park’s 27,000 objects collection. FY04

levels reflect success in competing for natural resource 

program monies to support the Natural Resources 

Challenge.

Revenue comes to the park from the Fee Demonstration Program, authorized by Congress in 1998. The 

program allows parks to retain 80% of revenue collected and redistributes the remaining 20% to other parks. 

Grant-Kohrs Ranch does not charge an entrance fee, 

and competes for a share of this 20% fee demonstration 

money. The park has remained successful in bringing 

in a continuous flow of money for much needed visitor 

use and resources preservation projects. The large revenue increase in FY01 is the result of receiving this fee 

demo money for a single large project ($800,000) and is 

an exception to recent financial trends.

A new curatorial facility was wholly funded with fee 

demonstration monies in 2001.
National Park Service   

Adjusted Base Budget

Appropriated base funds are provided by Congress 

to cover labor and non-labor expenses associated with 

day-to-day operations of Grant-Kohrs Ranch. Over the 

past twenty years the Appropriated Base budget has 

grown from $431,000 to $1,048,000, translating into a 

growth rate of 5%. However, adjusting this growth for 

inflation, the FY04 Appropriated Base budget in real 

dollars is only $597,360. After inflation, budget increases over the last twenty years reflect a growth rate of 2%. 

This represents an average $8,740 per year inflation-adjusted increase to the park’s annual budget with rising 

costs of doing business, this results in a flat budget. A 

significant budget increase occurred in FY99 when 

Grant-Kohrs Ranch received $127,000 of an approved 

$257,000 for historic preservation. Securing timely base 

increases is extremely rare and is not a reliable form 

of budget management. The base increase was quickly 

absorbed by escalating fixed costs, relieving a multiyear build-up where fixed costs dominated the budget. 

More recently, however, the park’s Appropriated Base 

budget has actually declined in real terms, failing to 

keep pace with inflation over the past 4 years. This has 

led to the park having diminished buying power. As 

of FY05, the park received the second part of the 1999 

increase, $130,000, once again temporarily relieving the 

pressure. Warren cowsheds circa 1940
10 Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS

Analysis of Real Growth

Appropriated Base funding is provided by Congress 

annually to fund the operational costs of the park. The 

bulk of this funding is allocated to labor costs for staff 

salary and benefits.

The National Park Service measures staff time in terms 

of full-time equivalents (FTEs) or 2,080 hours of work 

annually. In FY96, Grant-Kohrs Ranch had a total of 

18 FTE supported by base funds and spent $697,585 

on labor or $840,303 in inflation adjusted 2004 dollars. 

In FY04, the park had just 16.3 FTE supported by base 

funds and spent $846,699 on labor. The FTE decrease 

in FY04 was the result of 1.7 positions that were vacated 

and waiting to be filled.

The proportion of the Appropriated Base funding spent 

on labor in FY96 was 88% compared to 84% in FY04, 

despite a drop of almost 2 FTE. This proportion is typical 

of most national parks, limiting the availability of base 

funds for non-labor operational needs.

The average cost per employee has increased 11% in real 

dollars between FY96 and FY04 from $46,735, adjusted 

for inflation, to $51,913. Some of this increase is due to 

congressionally mandated salary increases and a more 

costly benefits package for new employees.

Non-labor costs are all park based operational expenditures beyond salary and benefits. These costs increased 

by 36% from $116,546 inflation adjusted dollars in FY96 

to $158,932 in FY04.

 Conrad Kohrs’ gold scales, circa 1890
National Park Service 11

Fixed Cost Analysis

This chart reflects how Grant-Kohrs Ranch has spent 

its Appropriated Base budget over the past ten years.

The fixed costs associated with the base budget include 

utilities, personnel and benefits (permanent staff only), 

comprising 78% of the appropriated budget. Non-fixed 

costs include seasonal employees, supplies, equipment 

and travel, and account for the remaining 22% of the 

base budget. Notably, personnel costs for permanent 

and seasonal employees account for 84% of the Appropriated Base budget in FY04, the highest proportion 

of the budget since 1998. This increase is the result of a 

static base budget and a $27,000 increase in the government portion obligated by the change in retirement 

systems, from CSRS to FERS, authorized in the 1980s. 

Also, permanent personnel costs reflect a steady rise in 

grades and automatic step increases as the Park Service 

has professionalized select work series affecting the 

administration, cultural resources, and interpretation

positions at the park.

FY04’s fixed cost level of 78% marks a notable increase 

from the previous five year average of 67%. This increased use of base funds for fixed costs allows less 

budgetary flexibility for discretionary spending and 

emergencies and requires the park to compete more 

aggressively for limited project funds to cover nonfixed cost, such as equipment, supplies and contracts to 

repair primary infrastructure like fences.

The most substantial increase in spending, from FY98 

to FY99, was the result of an increase in both full-time 

and temporary staff as well as a relatively large increase 

in spending on supplies, that included lumber for basic 

repairs to an extensive wood-based infrastructure. This 

was made possible by a $127,000 increase in Appropriated Base budget.

Recent infrastructure repairs include removing exterior

lead paint, whitewashing and painting 15% of the 

park’s structures.

 Ranch crew circa 1950
12 Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS

Analysis of Expenditures

The chart below shows how the park has spent its 

money from all fund sources, including Appropriated 

Base, Appropriated Non-base for special projects, revenues and reimbursable funds. Spending by category 

over the past decade has remained relatively consistent, 

with the notable exception of fixed asset spending in 

FY01 when the park built a curatorial facility to safely 

store and manage the 27,000 ranch artifacts and documents.

The category “other services” includes contracts for 

research, hay cutting, fencing, fire protection, employee 

moving expenses, alarms, service contracts on maintenance and office equipment. These expenditures have 

increased significantly in the past ten years, reaching 

$365,000 in FY01 and representing 15% of the total 

budget. Most of this spending is research associated 

with assessment and documentation of the Superfund 

site, located on the Grant-Kohrs Ranch property. The 

Deer Lodge Valley is home to one of the largest Superfund sites in the United States as a result of decades of 

mining in the area contaminating the soils and water 

systems. The park has been working with the EPA and 

other agencies to negotiate a settlement to mitigate the 

damage. The drop in “other services” expenditures in 

FY03 is the result of a decline in Superfund spending as 

this process moved to a legal forum. The spike in FY04

is due to an FY02 Superfund cost obligation finally being expended in FY04. Small increases in new contracts 

for prescribed burning, alarms maintenance and fence 

repairs, define the remainder of these expenses, representing 13% of total park expenditures.

Butte and Anaconda’s rise to mining fame began the 

pollution downstream which affects Grant-Kohrs 

Ranch and makes it the center of a concerted clean-up 

effort.

Annual haying work uses volunteers and contractors to 

put up grass on 800 acres.
National Park Service 13 

Visitation

Grant-Kohrs Ranch has attracted approximately 

492,630 visitors over the past twenty years, averaging 

24,631 visitors a year. Since 1995, annual visitation has 

trended downward, culminating in a 30% overall decrease from 1995 to 2003. 2004 demonstrated a reversal 

of this trend, as visitation increased 10% from 2003. 

Staff believe this was due to the implementation of a 

concerted marketing effort that included adding new 

events and publicizing them better in the three major 

regional cities. Visitation increases from these efforts 

yielded first time visits from Bozeman, Missoula and 

Helena residents and sparked renewed interest from 

the local Deer Lodge community. FY05 again saw a decrease of 9%. Staff believe this was due to high gasoline 

prices, a reduced number of school groups and undesirable weather for key events that cut normally high 

visitation in half. The park released a new rack card in 

July 05 and distributed in a 200 mile radius around the 

park. The park hopes this new effort will boost visitation in FY06.

Almost 90% of park visitation occurs from May 

through October, with a significant portion being 

school groups visiting from late April through early 

June. Most of the remaining 10% of visitation that occurs from November through April is related to a special holiday open house event in December. The park 

averages only 30 to 50 visitors in the months of January 

and February.

A 1997 study of visitation to Grant-Kohrs Ranch offers 

two key insights. First, 64% of Grant-Kohrs visitors 

also visited either Yellowstone National Park or Glacier 

National Park.

The major thoroughfare between Yellowstone and Glacier, I-90, runs directly by Grant-Kohrs Ranch. These 

two parks welcome almost 5 million visitors annually. 

According to a 2001 study of Montana tourism, 18% of 

non-resident visitors to Montana, or 1.7 million visitors, went to both Yellowstone and Glacier. Secondly, 

more than two-thirds of visitors to Grant-Kohrs Ranch 

had no prior knowledge of the park before they visited. 

Most discovered the park by seeing a sign on I-90 or 

driving by the ranch site itself.

Strategies to increase visitation to Grant-Kohrs Ranch 

could take advantage of the existing traffic on the I-90 

corridor, especially travelers already visiting national 

park sites, by improving signage on the highway and 

working with Yellowstone and Glacier to better promote Grant-Kohrs Ranch. Additionally, improving 

awareness of the park among Montana vacationers who 

are planning, rather than already taking, their summer 

trips could make the ranch a destination site rather 

than a spur of the moment pull-off.

 Ranch Wagon circa 1912
14 Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS

Current Park Operations

This business plan differentiates between two types 

of expenditures: Operations & Maintenance, and Investments.

Operations & Maintenance requirements are those 

funds needed to carryout everyday operations at a park 

unit. Some examples include annual payroll costs, janitorial operations, and managing a telecommunications 

network.

On the other hand, investments are significant onetime costs that parks incur in order to fix current 

problems or provide for future park development. 

Investments may include projects such as a resource inventory necessary to establish a credible baseline before 

beginning a monitoring program as well as constructing a new building. 

This section of the plan focuses on the Operations & 

Maintenance activities of the park. In order to describe 

park operations for this business plan, park activities 

were divided into five functional areas, which describe 

the five areas of business for which the park is responsible. The five functional areas are:

Resource Protection

Visitor Experience & Enjoyment

Facility Operations

Maintenance

Management & Administration

These are then further broken down into 35 programs 

that more precisely describe park operations. Programs 

are general in order to cover a broad suite of activities 

that should be occurring in the park.

The next component of the business planning process 

is the completion of a detail sheet for each program. 

These forms describe the day-to-day activities occurring in the park and the totality of financial need associated with them.

Statements of work are developed to describe the suite 

of activities encompassed by the program. Then operational standards are generated to describe the duties 

and responsibilities required to meet the critical functions of the program as stated in the statement of work. 

These standards are then used to determine the total 

financial resources required to perform the standard 

tasks of the program. The final step is to compare current park activities to the operational standards to identify the gaps between required and available resources. 

The following pages discuss each of the functional areas 

in detail.

Fiscal year 2004 information was used in the analysis 

of current operations. A description of updated operations has been provided where appropriate.

Resource Protection: encompasses all 

activities related to the management, 

preservation and protection of the park’s 

cultural and natural resources. Activities 

include research, restoration efforts, species-specific management programs, wild 

land fire management, archives and collections management, historic site protection, 

and information integration activities.

Visitor Experience & Enjoyment: includes 

all park activities directly related to providing visitors with a safe and educational 

experience while at the park. It includes all 

interpretation, visitor center management, 

interpretive media, in-park concessions 

management, fee collection, and visitor 

safety services.

Facility Operations: includes all activities 

required to manage and operate the park’s 

infrastructure on a daily basis. Buildings, 

roads, trails, utilities, and campgrounds 

require a range of operational activities 

from basic sanitation to snow plowing to 

water testing.

Maintenance: includes activities directed 

solely to prolonging the life of park assets 

and infrastructure through substantial 

repair, replacement or rehabilitation of park 

assets, such as buildings, roads, trails, utilities, fleet vehicles, and equipment.

Management & Administration: encompasses all park wide management and 

administrative support activities. It includes 

all park communications and external 

affairs activities, park level planning, human resource management, information 

technology, park leadership, and financial 

management.

Always run as a business first, the ranch offers a unique opportunity for lessons in fiscal acumen.
National Park Service 15

Resource Protection

Resource protection at Grant-Kohrs Ranch is a 

sophisticated and challenging operation balancing 

contrasting priorities associated with livestock management, species, soil and water quality monitoring, landscape integrity and historic preservation. Resource protection is divided into Natural Resource Management, 

Ranch Management, Cultural Landscape Management, 

Museum Management, and Resource Management 

Administration. Funding for these areas totaled almost 

$450,000 or 36% of the entire park budget in FY04.

The complexity, breadth and labor intensity of Resource 

Protection at Grant-Kohrs Ranch resulted in a 2.5 FTE 

deficit in FY04. With this shortfall, 0.2 FTE was met in 

FY05 though a new Museum Management staff person 

and another 2.0 FTE will be met through a range of 

efficiencies and improved operational practices. The 

adjusted need for the park is only 0.3 FTE.

Natural Resource Management and Information

Integration

Natural Resource Management includes monitoring 

invasive and native plants and animals, and balancing 

the ecological and environmental effects associated 

with agriculture including water quality, soil and biotic 

integrity. Information Integration and Analysis is primarily GIS mapping.

In FY04, Natural Resource Management expenditures 

were unusually high and misleading because of special 

funding (project money) associated with Superfund 

evaluation. Superfund expenditures accounted for 87% 

of natural resource spending. The net result is that 

natural resource management activities unrelated to 

Superfund were severely understaffed in FY04. There 

was a deficit of 1.36 FTE associated with conducting 

annual species, water and rangeland health assessments 

and mitigation projects.

Management believes that natural resource damage 

funds (from the pending Superfund legal settlement) 

will provide the equivalent of 1.0 FTE (listed as an efficiency on the summary financial statement) to address 

resource issues such as noxious weed management, 

beaver management, water quality, compliance, and 

flora and fauna assessments/monitoring in the riparian corridor. If the settlement money does not come 

through, the park will need to find another way to address these needs.

Ranch Management

In FY 04, Grant-Kohrs Ranch had 3 steers, 44 pairs 

(cows and calves), 3 bulls, and 17 heifers and a total of 

7 horses (including 2 Percheron draft horses, 2 Belgian 

draft horses and 3 quarter horses). Ranching operations 

include veterinary care, feeding, breeding, calving, herd 

monitoring and sales. These activities account for 15% 

of resource expenditures.

Superfund Clean Up

The remediation and restoration processes on the Clark Fork River system will 

address natural resource issues in the park 

ancillary to superfund clean up. Responsible use of natural resource damage funds 

will provide the equivalent of 1.0 FTE to 

address resource issues such as noxious 

weed management, beaver management, 

water quality, compliance, and flora and 

fauna assessments/monitoring in the 

riparian corridor. These efforts will ensure 

a successful restoration project.

Staff clear out beaver dams in historical ditches.
16 Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS

A .93 FTE deficit existed in FY04 and is needed to meet 

core standards of calving, daily monitoring, and winter 

care. The park is exploring alternative ranching practices (included in the priorities and strategies section) 

which may yield significant labor savings. Starting 

in FY06, the park expects that its improved ranching 

practices will be able to reduce the labor requirements 

by 0.53 FTE. In addition, the park plans to reallocate 

labor from the Interpretation program to ranching (.26 

FTE) through a new, effective scheduling initiative.

Cultural Landscape

The cultural landscape at Grant-Kohrs Ranch is integral to maintaining the look, feel and integrity of 

the frontier cattle era. The activities associated with 

cultural landscape management include maintaining 

approximately 30 miles of fencing, 151 fence gates, 

1,498 acres of grassland including 802 acres of irrigated 

land, 12 miles of historic irrigation ditches, haying, and 

prescribed burns. In FY04, 20% of resource expenditures were dedicated to cultural landscape management. Every year, the park depends on project money 

to perform core essential fence and gate maintenance 

work (about 0.15 FTE). A deficit of $5,600 in this program area represents the additional funding needed to 

hire a subject-to-furlough (STF) employee (instead of a 

seasonal) to perform essential irrigation-related work. 

By hiring a STF position, the park expects to benefit 

from improved institutional knowledge to foster better 

water management.

Museum Management

Grant-Kohrs Ranch includes over 27,000 historical 

items and artifacts. Approximately 2,700 of these are on 

display or exhibit throughout the ranch complex. The 

remaining 90% are housed in a state-of-the-art storage 

and archiving facility located near the visitor center. 

Management of the museum and artifacts includes 

annual housekeeping and cleaning of exhibit areas, 

controlling environmental factors such as temperature 

and humidity, cataloging items, providing access for 

research purposes, acquiring new items for the collection, partnering with research institutions, and 

reporting periodically on the status of the collections. 

A significant amount of time associated with museum 

management is included in the Resource Management 

and Administration program. In FY04, Museum Management showed a .20 FTE deficit before a new staff 

person was hired; however, this does not represent an 

ongoing need.

Resource Management and Administration

Resource Management and Administration includes 

budgeting, resource-wide planning and reporting, 

and daily administrative activities associated with the 

resource division. A large portion of this program 

area is associated with Museum Management. While 

there was a deficit of $489 in FY04, the administrative 

requirements associated with resource management 

nevertheless contribute to the FTE deficits within the 

various resource divisions.

Tehabi Volunteers

Over the past three years, interns from the 

Tehabi program out of Utah State University have spent their summers working on 

the ranch. The Tehabi mission is to enhance 

natural resource management by creating an 

environment where professionals, scientists, 

students and communities can develop sustainable solutions. 

In the summer of 2004, six Tehabi interns 

worked at Grant-Kohrs Ranch. Their primary 

project was an innovative approach to combat 

invasive species on the ranch by trying to 

develop a preference among the cattle for 

eating the weeds. The interns collected the 

three main invasive weeds in the ranch, Leafy 

Spurge, Spotted Knapweed, and Canada 

Thistle, covered the weeds in molasses and 

fed them to the cattle. Over time, the cattle 

developed an association between the weeds 

and molasses and began eating the weeds 

while out to pasture.

The Tehabi partnership is an example of 

how Grant-Kohrs Ranch is using volunteers 

and innovative strategies to address critical 

resource needs.

Tehabi interns prepare feeding trays for Cows & Weeds 

program, training ranch heifers to eat invasive weeds.

Museum staff care for 30,000 historic objects .
National Park Service 17

Visitor Experience and Enjoyment

Visitors to Grant-Kohrs Ranch have a variety of 

interpretive services available to help them experience 

and enjoy the ranch and to better understand the frontier cattle era. A small visitor center, wayside exhibits, a 

self-guided tour, a ranger-led house tour, blacksmithing 

demonstrations, a chuck wagon, a junior ranger booklet and periodic special events comprise the array of 

visitor experiences at the ranch.

Approximately 20,000 people visit Grant Kohrs Ranch 

annually and similar to many parks, visitation is heavily seasonal. During the summer months from May 

through September, Visitor Experience and Enjoyment 

(VEE) staff is focused on interpretive activities. The 

rest of the year staff has time to conduct educational 

programs and research, as well as plan for the following 

summer.

In FY04, VEE had a surplus of approximately 1.4 FTE 

because interpretive activities beyond just those core 

to the park’s purpose were performed. Accomplishing 

these core interpretive activities alone could require 

fewer FTE. These surplus FTE could be reallocated to 

areas of higher need.

Interpretation

The signature interpretive program is a 25 minute 

ranger-led tour of the Kohrs house which is completely 

furnished with original period furniture. The tour is 

offered six times daily throughout the summer season 

and as needed in the winter. Additionally, there is a 

self-guided walk through the ranch buildings of the 

lower yard including wayside signs and exhibits. In the 

summer, a chuck wagon chef and a cowboy greet visitors in the lower yard to share stories of the frontier era 

and blacksmithing demonstrations in the blacksmith 

shop occur daily.

Annual events, including Draft Horse Days and Western Heritage Days, are weekend-long festivals that 

include special activities such as branding calves and 

haying with horse-drawn equipment.

In FY04, Interpretation comprised half of the VEE 

budget, totaling $124,750. A total of 2.66 FTE were 

allocated to Interpretation in FY04. Core operations 

analysis identified 1.35 FTE as the bare minimum level 

of interpretation necessary to meet the park mandate, 

yielding a 1.36 FTE surplus.

Chuckwagon demonstrations are a staple of the living 

history interpretation program.

Traditional dance groups offer community participa- tion during festivals. 
18 Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS

VEE Management and Administration and Visitor

Center Operations

The small visitor center at Grant-Kohrs Ranch is open 

every day during the summer from 8:00 am to 5:30 

pm and from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm in the off-season. In 

FY04, the visitor center was not kept open throughout 

the entire winter due to low visitation. Volunteers are 

often used to staff the visitor center in both summer 

and winter. VEE Management and Administration is 

the overall supervision and support of visitor experience activities including staff scheduling, training, and 

planning. There was neither a shortfall nor a surplus in 

FY04 in either of these programs.

Visitor Safety

Visitor Safety includes fire prevention, emergency operations and day-to-day awareness and implementation 

of park security. All staff and volunteers are briefed on 

safety protocols, especially during special events. The 

park has a relationship with the city of Deer Lodge for 

assistance with fire and law enforcement when necessary. However, there is a need to improve patrolling of 

the park, especially during hunting season and the peak 

season in the summer. This law enforcement shortfall 

yields a 0.20 FTE deficit.

Education

In FY04, the park conducted an educational outreach 

program on Montana mammals with local elementary 

schools reaching a few hundred students in the area. 

Additionally, staff taught a blacksmithing class at the 

local high school to metallurgy students. While the 

educational programs are certainly valuable, they were 

not as essential to fulfilling the core park purpose as 

were other program areas, many of which experienced 

demonstrated shortfalls. This prioritization of activities 

is reflected as a .21 FTE surplus in education.

The local community expects the house tour, education 

outreach, and two special events a year. The park will 

proactively work with the Deer Lodge community as 

it evaluates and considers any changes needed to live 

within its financial means.

Western Heritage Days

As a national historic site, Grant-Kohrs

Ranch strives to envelop its visitors in 

a bygone era of horse driven ranching, 

cowboys and life on the open range. Never 

is this more evident than during Western 

Heritage Days, the signature summer 

event at the ranch.

Over a weekend every July, the ranch 

offers local residents and tourists alike a 

number of special programs. Activities 

include branding the Grant-Kohrs Ranch 

calves, haying Stuart field using volunteer 

draft horse teams and historic haying 

equipment, piling the cut hay into a beaver 

slide, offering horse-drawn wagon tours 

of the ranch, square-dancing, and country 

and western singing around an evening 

campfire.

Over its 29 year history, Western Heritage 

Days has become a mainstay of the ranch, 

drawing a thousand visitors each year and 

bringing the practices, ideas and values of 

the frontier era to life.

Improvements to the park’s visitor center allows for year round use and staffing to 

match the park’s hours of operation.
National Park Service 19

Facility Operations

Facility Operations captures the work required to 

keep the park operating on a daily basis. Maintenance 

staff performs the majority of such tasks, which range 

from janitorial services to vehicle fleet operations. 

Therefore, it is logical that a core shortfall in the Maintenance program also extends to a shortfall in Facility 

Operations. An additional .37 FTE is required in Facility Operations, split between backlogs of administrative 

tasks and field work.

Facility Operations Management and

Administration

Oversight of facility operations includes budgeting, 

supervising, staff training, reporting, and performing 

other administrative duties. Maintenance supervisors develop work plans and ensure safety training is 

conducted before each project is undertaken. In FY05 

the Chief of Maintenance retired and the park used this 

opportunity to reorganize the facility management division to maximize efficiencies and reallocate core work 

to existing employees.

Utilities Operations

Twenty-four percent of total facility operation expenditures is spent in this program, the majority of which is 

used to pay electricity and natural gas bills for the park. 

Staff time is spent testing the water supply and providing firewood from excess fence posts to heat historical 

buildings in the winter. Though this program requires 

minimal staff time, an additional 40 hours of annual 

labor time is required to adequately service the ventilation system each month.

Janitorial Operations

As a key component of ensuring a quality visitor experience, daily custodial duties are required to maintain 

sanitary conditions for all occupied site buildings and 

public use areas. This includes washing, vacuuming, 

mopping, and sweeping of both visitor and staff use 

areas. Currently, a part-time janitor services the entire 

park, and even with skilled maintenance staff filling-in 

as needed, an additional .12 FTE is needed to bring operations up to the most minimum of condition requirements.

Buildings Operations

Buildings Operations involves the annual cleaning of 

93 historic structures, pest control, interior painting, 

and the procurement of supplies. Maintenance staff 

seeks to follow an annual work plan for this program, 

but FTE shortfall allows only some structures each year 

to be reached. An additional .22 FTE would ensure all 

historic structures receive a core level of interior treatment and cleaning.

Facility Operations includes upkeep on the park’s fleet ,

like fixing a wheel.

Janitorial work keeps public facilities clean; however, 

the dedicated staff can not get to annual cleaning of 

historic structures. 
20 Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS

Grounds Operations

The grounds operations program is responsible for the 

care of landscaped areas and trees maintaining their 

historical significance. It includes snow removal from 

walkways, pruning, and mowing of 2.5 acres. In addition, a flower garden, vegetable garden, bunkhouse 

herb bed, and conservatory gardens are prepped and 

planted yearly. The grounds program is efficiently managed by a seasonal gardener and a maintenance staff 

person responsible for winter snow removal.

Roads Operations and Trails Operations

Work in these programs includes snow removal, annual 

inspection of 13.5 miles of unpaved road, and clearing 

the visitor center trail of encroaching vegetation. An 

additional .01 additional FTE is required to inspect and 

clean culverts annually.

Transportation Systems and Fleet Operations

As a working cattle ranch, the park maintains a fleet 

of function-specific vehicles ranging from ATVs to 

tractors to pickup trucks. Management of the fleet of 57 

park vehicles includes winterizing machinery, recordkeeping and reporting, and procuring parts. Vehicles also receive routine inspection and maintenance 

annually. A seasonal auto mechanic is supported by 

maintenance staff in ensuring vehicles are maintained 

to support the parks operations. Current staffing levels 

meet all core operations of this program.

The Maintenance functional area at Grant-Kohrs 

Ranch centers on the skilled preservation of historical 

structures, which include 93 historic buildings, barns, 

and bridges. Maintenance seeks to follow a cost-effective cyclical repair schedule for buildings, the park fleet, 

and roads. However, the current core FTE shortfall 

requires staff to focus on short-term emergency repairs 

at the expense of routine scheduled maintenance.

Maintenance Management and Administration

Management of Maintenance includes supervision, staff 

training, reporting, and other administrative duties. It 

also includes the development of work schedules, identification of health hazards and training of employees 

on safety requirements for job assignments. A .10 FTE 

shortfall exists in handling an increasing amount of 

NPS reporting requirements, including management of 

15 unique database systems which support core maintenance activities.

Buildings Maintenance

Building Maintenance of historic structures requires 

the use of materials and techniques that preserve the 

historical integrity of the era. An additional .64 FTE 

is required to fulfill the minimal cyclic maintenance 

schedule of windows, doors, roofs, exterior treatments 

and masonry for historic structures, to bring them to 

their core condition levels.

Transportation and Fleet Maintenance

The park maintains a fleet of 57 vehicles, the majority 

of which are machines used for ranching activities, land 

irrigation, and to maintain the cultural landscape. A 

fleet evaluation conducted by the park in FY04 indicates that it is cost effective to maintain this functionspecific fleet of trucks, tractors, and farm equipment 

Preserving an Historic Garden

Landscape

The initial recovery effort of the ranch 

gardens and lawn in the 1970’s was 

exciting; perennials and landscape features had survived 50 years of neglect. 

The process to further restore the land 

was aided by historic photographs, 

vivid oral histories, turn of the century 

publications and reference books.

The current use of heirloom varieties 

and old-timer methods provide the 

visitor a step back in time to discover 

anew what is old. It is an opportunity 

to share the nearly lost art of how to 

make a hollyhock doll and tell the 

story of the king in the pansy.

The park also hopes to bring back the 

family vegetable garden, where potatoes and root crops were staples. Visitors may soon harvest and taste fresh 

vegetables, realize the limited crops 

that could be grown in this arid shortseason climate, and perhaps imagine 

what it took to sustain a family.

Deer, gophers, late freezes, early 

freezes, soggy Junes, cold Mays; you 

don’t have to be crazy to be the GrantKohrs Ranch gardener, but it helps.

Maintenance
National Park Service 21

rather than consolidate and purchase or lease newer 

models. An additional .08 FTE is required to ensure 

farm vehicles receive annual preventative maintenance, 

thereby reducing the costs of emergency repair.

Roads and Trails Maintenance

With no paved roads and only a quarter mile paved 

trail from the visitor center to the ranch house, park 

expenditures for these programs comprise a minor 

amount (3%) of its overall maintenance costs. 13.5 

miles of unpaved road runs through the 1,618 acre park 

and are maintained so as to comply with the histori-

cal accuracy of the cultural landscape. An additional 

.05 FTE is required to maintain cyclic repairs of these 

unpaved roads and trails to ensure safe passage for park 

vehicles and guests.

Utilities Maintenance

The park receives the majority of its utilities from the 

adjacent city of Deer Lodge, Montana and maintains 

little infrastructure related to utilities. The majority of 

labor in this program is spent maintaining the HVAC 

system, which requires an additional .01 FTE annually 

to bring up to basic park standards.

Forging Partnerships to Achieve

Maintenance Goals

When the Grant-Kohrs Ranch Exhibit 

Specialist decided to restore the roof 

of the park’s signature building, the 

historic ranch house, he knew it 

required expertise and a crew size 

beyond current park capabilities.

To solve the labor problem, a part-

nership was formed with the U.S. 

Forest Service where three of their 

maintenance workers were trained 

by specialist Larry Stern. Stern, an 

expert historic welder on metal roofs, 

agreed to minimize his teaching fees 

for the opportunity to work on a 

rare structure with a motivated dual 

agency crew.

USFS staff provided free labor on the 

roofing project in exchange for NPS 

crews assisting them in an upcoming 

hand-hewn log cutting workshop later 

in the year.

Through this innovative partnership, 

both agencies increased crew sizes 

without cost, and both benefited from 

the increased institutional knowledge 

of shared preservation crews. The 

roofing project was completed in two 

weeks and the house remains pre-

served as an icon of the frontier era.
22 Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS

Management and Administration

Management and Administration includes Planning, External Aff airs, Partnerships, Communications, 

Financial Management, Parkwide Safety and General 

Management and Administration. Th is division is 

responsible for the leadership and direction of the park 

internally and externally.

In FY0, Management and Administration utilized 

. FTE, comprising approximately 29% of the park’s 

total operational funding. FY0 data indicates a 0.56 

FTE shortfall. However, this shortfall is not a current 

need because it stems from the vacant superintendent 

position for half of the year. Under current staffi ng, 

Management and Administration is able to meet its 

core needs.

General.Management,.General.Administration,.Financial.Management.and.Communications

Th ese programs drive the leadership, direction and policy-making for the park. At Grant-Kohrs Ranch, this 

includes senior management meetings every two weeks 

to review operations, set priorities, and plan across divisions. It also includes human resource management, 

the day-to-day parkwide administrative functions as 

well as telecommunications, IT and alarm systems 

maintenance. Financial Management oversees budgets, 

funding requests, auditing, reporting, and contracting. 

Cumulatively, these programs accounted for 67% of 

management and administration expenditures in FY0.

External.Aff.airs.and.Partnerships

Grant-Kohrs Ranch utilizes a number of partnerships 

to leverage limited resources, meet core park needs, 

and enhance park operations. Partnerships include the 

Montana Conservation Corps who contribute to fence 

repair, the Volunteers in Parks program which supports interpretation and resource management, and the 

Glacier Natural History Association which provides 

merchandise for the Visitor Center. Th e town of Deer 

Lodge is an important park constituent. An example 

of cooperation with Deer Lodge is the effl uent irrigation project, which irrigates a portion of park land 

with excess effl uent from the town. Continuing to seek 

mutually benefi cial opportunities for park/town cooperation is important for the long-term success of both 

the park and the town. Th e External Aff airs function 

includes daily answering of phones, producing materials to share with the park’s stakeholders, participating 

in and coordinating of events and activities with local 

and regional organizations, and handling press releases 

and media inquiries. Th ese two programs totaled 2% 

of Management and Administration expenses.

Leadership team meets biweekly to solve parkwide 

problems.

Th e Montana Conservation Corps provides major support to maintenance and ranching programs. 
National Park Service 23 

Planning

Planning allows the park to determine how to focus its 

resources to best meet essential park needs and mandates. In FY04, Planning included ongoing work on 

the Cultural Landscape Report, the Museum Management plan, Scope of Collections, and Comprehensive 

Interpretation Plan. Additionally, there are a number of 

NPS mandated plans included in the planning process. 

These include the annual report to region, PMIS and 

OFS requests. Planning is 4% of total Management and 

Administration expenditures and had adequate allocations to meet requirements.

Parkwide Safety

Parkwide Safety is focused on ensuring that safety considerations are incorporated into all staff activities from 

daily tasks to high risk events. Time committed in this 

program area assures that proper park safety protocols 

and policies are communicated and followed. This program includes a park safety officer and safety committee responsible for communicating safety information 

to park employees and monitoring safety planning and 

training for staff. In addition, leadership team members deal extensively within the NPSafe safety program 

elements and all staff participate required trainings and 

certifications. In FY04, Grant-Kohrs Ranch received a 

safety award for 3 years without any lost time accidents.

It Takes a Village

(Security, Fire Protection and Law 

Enforcement Realities)

Grant-Kohrs Ranch historic struc- tures are filled with original furniture, 

paintings, sculptures, and documents. 

Over 2,500 artifacts are on display 

throughout the park. Given the 

relatively small size of the park and 

seasonal visitation, a full-time law en- forcement official is not cost-effective. 

Nevertheless, Grant-Kohrs Ranch, like 

many small parks, must still meet the 

standards necessary to protect historic 

artifacts while ensuring visitor safety.

Grant-Kohrs Ranch leverages existing 

staff responsibilities and its partner- ships with local authorities to meet 

law enforcement and security needs. 

Powell County Sheriff ’s office exercis- es concurrent jurisdiction for incident 

response and is first responder to 

intrusion alarms. Staff maintain red 

cards to assist prescribed burn efforts 

on site, but both structural and wild- land fire protection are contracted out 

through local and USFS agreements.

Grant-Kohrs Ranch also leverages 

the NPS network to help meet law 

enforcement needs. A Yellowstone 

law enforcement ranger is on-site 

in a short term detail, during hunt- ing season to prevent and investigate 

poaching activities. During other 

times of the year, law enforcement 

support from nearby Yellowstone can 

be onsite within 3 hours in the event 

of an arrest where federal charges may 

be required.

Firefighters from local and state orginizations come when called. Teams also lead 

park prescribed burns every spring.

Employees pledge to work safely, including wearing PPE (personal protective 

equipment) and working in teams, whenever possible.
24 Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS

In FY04, Grant-Kohrs Ranch funding totaled 

$1,387,543, with $1,254,672 spent on park operations 

and maintenance activities, and $132,871 spent on 

funded investments.

The first six columns of the table on the adjoining 

page under the heading “Available,” detail the current 

FTE and funds allocated for each program within the 

park. The next column, “Required”, shows the FTE and 

funds required to meet program goals at NPS standards 

within the park. The “Surplus/Deficit” column indicates 

any discrepancy between what is needed and what is 

actually available given the current park staff size and 

budget.

After undergoing analysis to determine program activities essential to park operation, it was determined 

that there was a net shortfall of 3 FTE and $204,927 in 

fulfilling park objectives. This need is most prevalent 

in Resource Protection (2.5 FTE shortfall) and Maintenance and Facilities Operations (1.4 FTE combined 

shortfall). However, it was also noted that the park has 

a surplus that of 1.4 FTE in Visitor Experience and Enjoyment, suggesting a reallocation of seasonal resources 

could alleviate need in other divisions.

The .6 FTE deficit in Management and Administration is 

largely attributed to the fact that the park’s superintendent position was in transition, funded by the park for 

only half of the fiscal year, and that a full FTE is required 

to fulfill these duties. However, the position was filled in 

transition by an acting superintendent, paid with funds 

from another park. In order to show a true reflection of 

park needs, the superintendent deficit, as well as similar 

deficits funded by external park resources were backed 

out of required FTE needs to more accurately portray 

the park’s situation. These changes have been made under the column “Currently Met Shortfalls.”

As part of the business planning process, the park 

underwent a thorough operations analysis to determine 

where new efficiencies could alleviate FTE and funding 

shortfalls. The park looked inward to develop strategies to reallocate resources to fulfill core objectives (see 

page 33 for more info on strategies). When implemented, these strategies will reduce total park FTE need by 

2.9. Program specific FTE savings are detailed in the 

“Gains Through Efficiencies” column. As seen in the 

“Adjusted Surplus/Deficit” column, the park reduced its 

FTE need to result in a surplus of .71 FTE.

In FY05, Grant-Kohrs Ranch received an increase 

in base funding of $106,000 to address some of this 

shortfall (this amount is net of national and regional 

assessments, as well as cost of living increases). This 

base increase, combined with the park’s commitment to 

internal efficiencies, leaves the park close to sound operating status, with only minor funding and FTE requirements left unfulfilled.

Financials

Summary Financial Statement

Description of Financial Summary (page 25)

This financial statement has been prepared from 

the books and records of the National Park 

Service in accordance with NPS accounting 

policies. The resources available reflect the total 

operations and maintenance expenses incurred 

by the park during the last complete fiscal year. 

The resources required represent the funding 

needed to operate the park while fully meeting 

operational standards as defined in business 

plan supporting documentation. Program 

requirements are presented as a five-year planning tool based on salary and wage tables from 

the same fiscal year, given current resource 

inventories, and the current park infrastructure. 

Changes resulting from one-time projects and 

capital improvements (e.g. investments) may 

have a resulting impact on the operational 

requirements presented.

The value of donated materials and in-kind 

services is not included as an available resource 

in the financial summary because these materials and services are not only used for required 

operations. See page 28 for information on the 

valuation of work performed by volunteers.

The financial statement presents the available and required resources for the operational activities of the park only. Investment 

expenditures for capital improvements or other 

one-time projects are not accounted for in this 

statement. For information on the park’s investment expenditures, see page 30.
National Park Service 25
26 Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS

Volunteer Analysis

In FY04, Grant-Kohrs Ranch utilized 69 volunteers 

to contribute to the visitor experience and natural and 

cultural resource management at the ranch. Volunteer 

hours totaled 2,872, an average of 42 hours of work per 

volunteer. Using the NPS valuation of volunteer work 

at $17.19 an hour, the park benefited from $49,370 in 

labor contributions. The direct costs associated with the 

volunteers totaled less than $2,000.

Volunteers in the Interpretation program and Natural 

Resource Management program accounted for 41% 

and 39% respectively of total volunteer hours. Cultural 

Resource Management comprised the remaining 20%.

The annual historic haying days in July and August are 

among the highlights of volunteer work at the ranch. 

Up to 25 regional volunteers bring in their teams of 

draft horses and hitch them to historic haying equipment. These volunteers help to hay the fields and 

provide visitors with a unique living history demonstration.

In Interpretation, volunteers contributed to a variety of 

activities such as staffing the visitor center, conducting 

tours of the main house, and facilitating junior ranger 

programs.

Volunteers enhance the operations of the park and fill 

critical needs during the summer season in particular. 

However, volunteer hours are not included as available 

resources in the Summary Financial Statement because not all of their work is core to the park. The park 

already utilizes volunteers to improve its efficiency and 

will continue to identify opportunities to use volunteers 

effectively throughout the park

Branding is successful at the ranch with assistance of 

local volunteers.

Volunteers contribute 33% of the hours needed to staff 

the Visitor Center, especially during the winter months. 
National Park Service 27

The Government Performance and Results Act 

(GPRA), enacted by Congress in 1993, was designed to 

improve federal management practices and to provide 

greater accountability for results. The four goals of the 

Act, listed on the sidebar of this page, comprise the 

National Park Service’s primary focus areas. The chart 

below indicates how expenditures are allocated by 

GPRA goal, revealing that Goal I and Goal II are the 

sole focus of Grant-Kohrs Ranch expenditures and that 

Goal I, the preservation of park resources, accounts for 

the primary shortfall. Goals III and IV cover regional 

or national programs that are beyond the scope of 

Grant-Kohrs Ranch and Maintenance.

Government Performance and Results Act

Goal I: Preserve Park Resources

The largest allocation of park resources is associated 

with GPRA Goal IA. Fifty-two percent of park resources are allocated to the protection, preservation 

and management of natural and cultural resources in 

the park, including the landscape, historic buildings 

and structures, livestock and artifacts. A large portion 

of management and administration is also allocated 

to this goal. The corresponding 22% shortfall in this 

GPRA goal is a result of needed FTE in Resource Protection and Maintenance.

Goal II: Provide for the Public Enjoyment and Visitor 

Experience of Parks GPRA Goal II allocations are derived from Visitor Experience and Enjoyment division 

including Interpretation, Visitor Safety, and portions of 

Maintenance and Facility Operations. There is a slight 

shortfall in Goal II as a result of these programs’ deficits 

in law enforcement.

GPRA Mission Goals

I. Preserve Park Resources

a. Natural and Cultural resources and associated 

values are protected, restored, and maintained 

in good condition and managed within their 

broader ecosystem and cultural context.

b. The National Park Service contributes to 

knowledge about natural and cultural resources 

and associated values; management decisions 

about resources and visitors are based on adequate scholarly and scientific information.

II. Provide for the Public Enjoyment and Visitor 

Experience of Parks 

a. Visitors safely enjoy and are satisfied with the 

availability, accessibility, diversity, and quality of 

park facilities, services, and appropriate recreational opportunities.

b. Park visitors and the general public understand and appreciate the preservation of parks 

and their resources for this and future generations.

III. Strengthen and Preserve Natural and 

Cultural Resources and Enhance Recreational 

Opportunities Managed by Partners 

a. Natural and cultural resources are conserved 

through formal partnership programs.

b. Through partnerships with other federal, 

state, and local agencies and nonprofit organizations, a nationwide system of parks, open 

space, rivers and trails provides educational, 

recreational, and conservation benefits for the 

American people.

c. Assisted through federal funds and programs, 

the protection of recreational opportunities is 

achieved through formal mechanisms to ensure 

continued access for public recreational use.

IV. Ensure Organizational Effectiveness 

a. The National Park Service uses current management practices, systems, and technologies to 

accomplish its mission. 

b. The National Park Service increases its 

managerial resources through initiatives and 

support from other agencies, organizations, and 

individuals.
28 Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS

Funded Investments

Investments are one-time expenditures that improve 

infrastructure or increase the intellectual capital of 

the park. In FY04, Grant-Kohrs Ranch spent $132,871 

on investment projects. The major projects described 

below are investments undertaken to rehabilitate and 

restore the historical integrity of key park structures.

Warren Hereford Ranch Complex Restoration

$54,869

The Warren Hereford Ranch was the focal point of the 

1950’s cattle operation and provides a direct connection 

for the visitor to understand the ranching operation. 

This project restored two miles of deteriorated lot fencing, feedlots, and a squeeze chute. Twenty-five gates 

and seven feed houses were brought from poor to good 

condition. The complex is currently used to feed and 

pen pregnant cattle during the calving season.

Historic Buildings Restoration

$21,002

This project stabilized three historic buildings by removing deteriorated sections of the buildings’ support 

posts and replacing them with new material. The posts 

were then re-supported with concrete footing below the 

frost line to avoid future extensive damage. The buildings (the bunk house row, machine shed, and buggy 

shed) are part of the Kohrs Ranch complex constructed 

between 1860 and 1890 and contain historic furnishing exhibits used in interpreting the cattle era for park 

visitors.

Park Boundary Fencing Repairs

$19,965

Much of the park’s fencing, which pre-dates the park’s 

1972 establishment, is in poor condition and is insufficient to safely confine the park’s 117 cattle. In FY04, 

fences were repaired along the park boundary and the 

riparian area of the Clark Fork River. This improvement was integral in restricting herd access to the 

riparian zone as well as keeping neighboring cattle 

from trespassing on the ranch.

Historic Feed Bunks Restoration

$11,374

This project stabilized five historic feed bunks originally constructed in the 1930’s. Support posts damaged by 

frost were realigned and loose wall boards reattached. 

11,294 square feet of historic bunks were returned to 

functional condition and are now being used as part of 

the park livestock operation.

Furnace Replacement

$5,215 

In 2004, the Warren house was readapted to serve as 

the permanent administrative office for the park. The 

house maintained a circa 1940’s heating system which 

was obsolete and energy inefficient. When the heating system failed, this project replaced the boiler and 

reconditioned the heating system so that the building 

would be brought up to code to support park employees and to conduct park business.

Buggy Shed after restoration; reroofed, reframed and 

lifted/reset out of wet area.

Buggy Shed prior to restoration; note sagging ridgepole 

and sinking frame. 

 Boundary Fencing helps contain park cattle and define legal limits
National Park Service 29

Priorities and Strategies

Operations and Maintenance Priorities

Operating Financial System (OFS) funds are the Congressionally appropriated funds necessary for the basic 

operations and maintenance of the park. Grant-Kohrs’ 

Ranch operations and maintenance priorities were 

determined through the core operations analysis and the 

business plan process.

Law Enforcement

The park has had one interpretive position with collateral law enforcement duty over the past 27 years. However, 

the commission of this position was retired due to age 

and changing qualifications. Recurrent poaching during 

the six week hunting season in the fall, and trespassing, 

especially in July and August, is of particular concern. 

The park proposes to establish a new 0.2 FTE Law Enforcement position to be shared with the State of Montana through a cooperative agreement. The official could 

be on-site at Grant-Kohrs Ranch for approximately three 

months a year to monitor park boundaries daily and to 

investigate incidents in conjunction with local authorities. 0.20 FTE ($10,930)

Maintenance and Operations

Historic building maintenance is fundamental to the 

mission of Grant-Kohrs Ranch. Over the long run, 

preventative maintenance is more cost-efficient than allowing structures to fall into disrepair, requiring massive 

restoration costs. Significant special project funding has 

been invested over the past five years to upgrade structural integrity for many buildings to good condition. 

However, without proper routine maintenance, by 2008, 

30% of structures will degrade to fair or even poor condition. Specialized maintenance skills are necessary to 

protect the park’s investment and avert recurring funding requests to address catastrophic deterioration. The 

shortfall in buildings operations and maintenance totals 

.86 FTE ($37,483)

Natural and Cultural Resource Management

Grant-Kohrs Ranch has the unique challenge of balancing livestock and cultural landscape management with 

natural resource management such as invasive species and water quality. The park needs to better control 

the spread of eleven noxious weeds including Spotted 

Knapweed and Leafy Spurge. In addition, the park also 

needs to keep fences repaired and maintained to meet 

grazing requirements while preserving the cultural scene 

of the ranch. A total of 2.49 FTE is necessary to address 

the natural and cultural resource challenges of the park. 

($105,902)

Janitor

Grant-Kohrs Ranch currently has a part-time janitor. 

However, some janitorial work is not being completed. 

Increasing the current janitorial time by 20% would 

meet this need. 0.12 FTE ($2,536)

Operations and Maintenance Administration

Currently data entry is conducted by program managers and division chiefs who spend approximately 25% 

of their time on clerical tasks ranging from the Facility Management Software System (FMSS) to Historic 

Preservation Documentation. Administrative skills, 

potentially shared across divisions, would enable maintenance staff to focus on mission critical field-work. .10 

FTE ($7,698)

Utilities and Gas

In FY00, utility costs at Grant-Kohrs Ranch increased by 

$4,000 per year due to the operations of a new curatorial 

facility. Additionally, rising fuel prices have increased the 

total utility and fuel costs to the park by $4,700 in the 

past year alone. Grant-Kohrs Ranch has not received a 

base-funding increase to compensate for the operational 

costs of the new facility nor rising fuel prices. Funding 

totaling $8,972 is needed to cover utility cost increases 

and a slight .03 utilities operations and maintenance 

shortfall.

Historic Building Maintenance includes in-kind 

replacement of key features like these porch spindles, 

fashioned in the park’s preservation workshop.

Interns assist in ranch tasks like feeding calves.
30 Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS

Investment Priorities

Grant-Kohrs Ranch requires one-time investments 

in order to operate more efficiently as a park. These 

investment needs are aligned with the park priorities 

identified through the core operations analysis.

Restore Historic Red Barn as a Visitor Center

$2,800,824

For 28 years, Grant-Kohrs Ranch has been limited in 

providing essential visitor services due to the lack of a 

proper visitor center. Restoring the flagship structure of 

the ranch, the Warren Barn, will provide an auditorium/

classroom, exhibit areas, information/fee collection station, administrative offices, sales merchandise area, and a 

multi-purpose room for traveling exhibits, art and music 

shows.

Replace Visitor Center Bathrooms

$183,698

Current facilities are housed in a cabin moved to the park 

30 years ago as a temporary structure. Degrading fixtures 

and limited accessibility do not meet national standards.

Structural Fire Plan

$383,760

A structural fire plan is needed to coordinate response 

and fire fighting procedures and to evaluate methods for 

better safeguards of 88 historic structures. Five historic 

structures containing permanent exhibits have no fire 

suppression, putting the National Historic Landmark 

buildings and original contents at risk of catastrophic loss. 

In this two year project, a Fire and Security Survey will be 

conducted and fire plan established in year one and the 

designed system installed in year two.

Installation of Water Monitoring Devices

$202,100

In its role as a working cattle ranch, Grant-Kohrs Ranch 

maintains a cultural landscape which includes flood irrigated pastures and productive hayfields. The park is dependent on water from the Clark Fork River to maintain 

its operations and holds shared ownership in 25 different 

water rights with neighboring ranches and property owners. This project will install 30 water monitoring devices 

to facilitate equitable water use among rights holders as 

well as monitor water extraction from the river to increase fisheries protection.

Complete Cultural Landscape Report

$50,000

The Cultural Landscape Report will provide guidance for 

the management and interpretation of the 1,618 acre National Historic Landmark cultural landscape. It will guide 

treatments addressing livestock production, irrigation 

systems, crop production, fencing, exotic species and pest 

control, and interpretive themes. This project completes 

the Cultural Landscape Report Part I, written in FY03.

Safety Study - Park Mercury Levels

$86,490

The Clark Fork River, which passes through Grant-Kohrs 

Ranch, is the largest Superfund complex in the United 

States. Analysis from fish tissues in 1998 demonstrated 

that elevated mercury concentrations exist in biota sampled from sites in the Upper Clark Fork. More information on the occurrence of mercury concentrations in the 

park will help determine whether mercury poses a risk to 

park visitors and wildlife.

Lead Removal from Park Structures

$30,056

A lead abatement project would complete the essential 

park objective of removing lead as a safety hazard at 

Grant-Kohrs Ranch. This project would eradicate lead 

from the final five historic structures yet to be treated, as 

well as the Warren House, which currently functions as 

park administrative offices.

Reusing the Warren Barn as the park Visitor Center & 

Heritage Museum will preserve it.

Placing flow meters on park waters would allow the 

park to correctly portion waters to three irrigation 

ditch systems, legally administering the park’s 25 water 

rights, like this one on Cottonwood Creek. 
National Park Service 31

Restoration of Pump House

$50,000

Constructed to house an irrigation pump circa 1960s, 

the pump house was damaged in FY98 by a beaver 

felling a tree into it. It requires repair of wood framing and siding and a new roof. The structure houses an 

antiquated irrigation pump for which electrical wiring 

and pump controls do not meet current codes. The first 

phase of the project would upgrade these functional 

features and stabilize the structure to bring it up to park 

standards. A second step would then bring three-phase 

power from the existing power lines approximately a 

quarter mile to the pump house.

Museum Plan

$16,100

A museum plan at Grant-Kohrs Ranch will provide a 

comprehensive review of the museum program, identifying key issues and actions necessary for a 10 to 15 

year timeframe. The plan will research and recommend 

strategies for use of the facility as a multi-park repository and storage site for macro-objects and will explore 

opportunities to increase public access to collections. 

30th Anniversary Summer Performance Series and

Cattle Drive

$91,900

Grant-Kohrs Ranch seeks to celebrate its 30th Anniversary as a National Historic Site through a summer long 

series of cultural events aimed to increase participation 

by young people. Each weekend throughout the summer of 2007/2008, artists and performers will be invited 

to showcase their expertise, ranging from saddle-making, horseshoeing, cowboy music, poetry, and western 

dance. The signature activity will involve a historic cattle drive, moving a cattle herd to the park for an onsite 

auction, recreating historic ranch activities.

 The historic Kohrs ranch routinely moved herds long distances between summer and winter pastures. Circa 1950

Future rancher learns skills during major festivals and Restoring the north pumphouse would reactivate a crucial water right that serves park gatherings. the north half of the park.
32 Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS

Strategies for Reducing Costs

Optimize Ranching Efficiencies

The park recently underwent a financial analysis of its 

ranching operation to determine if alternatives to current 

operating procedures would better utilize limited fiscal 

and staffing allocations.

Analysis revealed that labor costs are the primary costdriver of the ranching operation. Given that government 

wage grades greatly exceed labor costs of an average 

ranch, it is impossible for Grant-Kohrs Ranch ranching 

operation to break-even. The key to maximizing efficiency 

of the ranching operation then is to optimize it as an interperative tool, while limiting losses by reducing required 

labor.

Cattle Operation

Two alternatives, in addition to the current operation, 

were examined. The following alternatives are being examined by both internal and external park stakeholders to 

determine a cattle ranching operation that best meets core 

park needs at an optimal cost:

Option 1: Current Operations 

This option prescribes a natural calving operation of 60 

mother-calf pair and three bulls. Natural resource staff 

maintain the herd during the winter and perform checks 

of pregnant cows every 3 hours during the 60 day calving 

season.

Required FTE: 1.7 Annual Cost: $61,907

Option 2: Calving Operation with Artificial Insemination

Similar to option 1, but breeding with bulls is replaced 

by artificial insemination. This would eliminate the costs 

of purchasing bulls as well as dramatically decrease FTE 

needs as the calving season shortens from 60 days to 10.

Required FTE: 1.3 Annual Cost: $41,320

FTE Savings of 0.4 and total cost savings of $20,587 over 

Option 1, the current operation

Option 3: Steering Operation

Cows are purchased in May, grazed during the summer months to increase weight, and sold in October. All 

ranching operations are suspended in the winter months 

when visitation is low. This option eliminates breeding 

from ranch activities.

Required FTE: 0.8 Annual Cost: $33,199

FTE Savings of 0.9 and total cost savings of $28,788 over 

Option 1, the current operation

In addition to the cattle operation, the park is also considering adjusting other ranching operations to better utilize 

staff and increase revenue.

Haying and Grazing

The amount of hay cut each summer to feed the cattle and 

horses in the winter and the corresponding availability 

of land for fall grazing are dependent on which ranching 

operation is chosen by the park. Therefore, cost-savings 

associated with altering current haying and grazing operations are directly related to the ranch operations.

Haying

The park currently contracts it hay cutting operation, but 

this cost could be reduced by purchasing haying equipment and using natural resource staff to hay. By reducing 

the amount of hay cut to only that which is needed to 

maintain the herd, FTE requirements remain the same, 

with an annual savings of $16,109 from the dissolving of 

the contract.

Grazing

With the reduction of hay cut, more land is available for 

grazing. This land could be leased out to neighboring cattle ranches to ensure the cultural landscape is maintained 

while providing an additional revenue opportunity for the 

park. Net revenue from enacting this option is between 

$4,607 and $8,041 annually.

The ranch runs a cow/calf operation of Longhorn, Hereford and Shorthorn cattle, breeds raised on the ranch 

throughout its 150 year history.

Whatever ranching option the park chooses, efficiency 

comes with staff and volunteers who have real cowboy- ing skills.
National Park Service 33 

Improve Interpretive Offering

Fundamental to the long term success of the park 

is providing visitors to Grant-Kohrs Ranch with an 

educational, fun and memorable experience. Current 

interpretive offerings can be improved to enhance 

accessibility, better fulfill the park mission and better 

utilize labor resources. A 45 minute wagon tour that 

offers a comprehensive history of the frontier cattle era 

could be added to current interpretive programs. In 

addition, seasonal interpretive staff with ranching skills 

could be hired to perform required ranching tasks such 

as monitoring the herd and mending fences in addition 

to daily interpretive duties. Estimated savings of 0.92 

FTE ($23,500), with .20 FTE ($5,100) shift to Cultural 

Resource Management

Analyze Park Visitation Hours

An analysis of hourly attendance at the park should be 

conducted to determine if the current park hours of 

8:00-5:30 (summer) and 9:00-4:30 (winter) are maximizing labor efficiencies for park interpretive staff. 

Shortening hours of operation offers the possibility 

of decreasing FTE needs during early morning hours 

and seasonally when there is little to no visitation. If 

analysis supports the later opening hypothesis, changing hours of operation to 9:00 - 5:30 (summer) and 

10:00-4:00 (winter) would reduce FTE needs by 0.24. 

The FTE savings would be reallocated to address the 

identified shortfall and to meet core essential activities. 

Estimated savings of 0.24 FTE ($10,100)

Share Skills and Capabilities with Other Parks and

Agencies

The park currently has unique skills and capabilities 

that could be of benefit for other parks and agencies. 

The park could strategically enter into arrangements to 

share or trade these marketable skills with other parks 

and agencies. For example, the park’s exhibit specialist 

has expertise in historic and wood frame preservation. 

The museum curator has significant experience that 

has already been of use to other parks on a consultative 

basis. In addition, the park staff has exceptional and 

potentially marketable skills in carpentry, blacksmithing, scenic analysis, and range science. 

This strategy would allow for the synchronization of 

park labor allocations with the seasonality of park labor 

needs. For Grant-Kohrs Ranch, this sharing would 

make the most sense during the winter season. Almost 

90% of park visitation occurs May through October 

and labor requirements associated with calving and 

irrigation are highest in the spring and summer. By 

matching the sharing of skills and capabilities with 

seasonal needs, the park could financially benefit from 

new arrangements. Analysis suggests three of the fulltime permanent staff at the park could potentially share 

their skills and capabilities with other parks and agencies for 4 weeks between October and April every year. 

Before implementing this strategy, the park would have 

to evaluate the overall costs and benefits to the park of 

different arrangements. Estimated savings of 0.25 FTE 

($15,800)

Strategies for Increasing Efficiency

Wagon rides allow visitors to see the whole ranch and experience the vastness of 

the open range.
34 Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS

Expand Partnerships to Meet Park Needs

The park can establish and expand partnerships with 

neighboring universities and organizations, like Montana Stockgrowers, to assist the park in meeting resource needs where a current FTE shortfall makes 

the work impossible to complete internally. The park 

currently uses this strategy to maintain fences, control 

noxious weeds, and perform natural resource inventory and monitoring tasks. Through this partnership, 

the park could benefit from the expertise of resource 

scientists and experienced ranchers. Estimated savings 

of 0.26 FTE ($19,500)

Staff the Visitor Center with Volunteers

An increased use of volunteers and partner agency staff 

at the visitor center deepens the interpretation division capabilities, providing broader public service and 

greater time spent by park education and living history 

staff on delivering quality programs.The visitor center 

could be staffed by volunteers throughout the summer 

and part time in the winter. The upcoming reconfiguration of the visitor center will also allow staff to perform 

other work while staffing the visitor center in the winter. Estimated savings of 0.97 FTE ($27,800)

Reduce Leadership Team Meeting Time

The park leadership meeting, held every two weeks, is 

used by management to share operation ideas and develop synergies among divisions. Though these meetings currently last 4 hours, by using scheduled agendas, 

time management and commitment to efficiency, goals 

can be accomplished in half the current meeting time.

Estimated savings of 0.18 FTE ($12,900)

Partnerships with business minded organizations like 

Montana Stockgrowers offer advice on herd manage- ment, while sharing historic and organizational ties to 

the ranch. 

Reducing time spent in team meetings has been an 

easy, quick way to recapture vital hours needed in 

leadership positions.

Nearly 100% of all visitors begin their site visit at the park’s only contact station, 

making the role of volunteers in this facility, critical to successful park operations.
National Park Service 35

Strategies for Increasing Non-Appropriated Funding

Charge User Fees for Featured Park Tours

Currently the park does not charge any fees. However, a 

past visitor survey conducted when the park did charge 

an entrance fee revealed that a sizable majority of visitors felt the fees were appropriate and fair. Based on the 

business plan analysis, the park could redesign its interpretation program to feature two signature tours: the 

ranch house tour which is currently being offered and 

a new horse-drawn wagon tour which will give visitors 

a fun way to learn the story of frontier cattle era. To 

generate revenue and thereby improve visitor services, 

the park could charge a small fee to visitors who wish 

to take either or both of these signature tours. Recommended prices would be $3 per tour or $5 for both 

tours. Based on preliminary research into the costs of 

contracting out the wagon tour, the estimated cost of 

operating the wagon tour would be between $10,000 to 

$15,000 per year. The estimated annual revenue from 

the wagon tour and house tour would be $20,000-

$25,000.

Estimated annual net revenue $10,000

Develop a Strategic Marketing Plan

The park can increase visitation by developing a strategic marketing plan that will focus on capturing the 

estimated 1.7 million national park visitors who pass 

Grant-Kohrs Ranch on Interstate 90 on their way 

between Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. The 

marketing plan, developed by interpretive staff in the 

low visitation winter season, could focus on the following priorities:

- Increased partnering with local and regional tourism 

boards and businesses; 

- Increased awareness for the park through improved 

visibility in Montana guidebooks, internet travel planning sites, hotels, and RV sites; 

- Increased visibility for the park with Interstate road 

signs that clearly display the NPS arrowhead; and

- Use of the NPS Montana State Coordinator position 

to coordinate increased tourism in the Yellowstone to 

Glacier corridor.

The park could also introduce an Ambassador Program 

to increase local visitation and develop more local support. The Ambassador Program would provide Deer 

Lodge and Powell County residents with an Ambassador card that entitles them to free House tours and 

Wagon tours when they bring others to the park. This 

program encourages repeat visitors from the local area 

to share Grant-Kohrs Ranch with their friends and 

family from out of town at no expense to themselves.

The goal of the marketing plan would be to increase 

visitation by 50% above 2004 levels by 2007. The average $2 per additional visitor could increase total annual 

revenue by $20,000.

Estimated annual net revenue $20,000

Add Food Concession

A concession contract could be developed with a local 

restaurant to provide a lunchtime food counter in the 

visitor center parking lot from June through August. 

Both the cart appearance and food offering would 

remain consistent with the general historic ranching 

theme of the park. Though revenue to the park from 

the concession would likely be small, having a food option available at the park may increase the duration of 

visits, increasing revenue to the park and community. 

As park visitation increases through implementation of 

other strategies, this option becomes more viable as a 

revenue generating option.

Estimated additional revenue requires further analysis.

The Main House tour is one of the most sought out 

historic tours in Montana.

A food concession, like this temporary one, could meet 

visitor needs and support a local business opportunity. 
36 Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS

Strategies for Generating Revenue

Increase Prominence and Quantity of Donation Boxes

Currently, there is one donation box located behind the 

door of the visitor center which yielded $1,616 in FY04

donations. By moving this box to a more visible location in 

the visitor center, as well as adding additional boxes at other 

high traffic locations such as the main house and picture 

room, donation revenue could increase by at least 100%.

Estimated additional revenue: $1,700

Enhance Cooperative Association Sales Offerings

Sales of themed merchandise offered in the visitor center 

realized a return of $1,306 in FY04. Working with cooperative association partner, Glacier Natural History Association (GNHA), there is opportunity to grow sales through an 

introduction of additional merchandise and increased attention to stock levels and selling rates of individual items. New 

merchandise to be tested could include historic picture postcards, seasonal merchandise, and Western accessories with 

more popular appeal such as cowboy hats and belt buckles. 

Additionally, the park could renegotiate with GNHA to raise 

the percentage of revenue that comes back to Grant-Kohrs 

Ranch from the current 14% to 20%.

Estimated additional revenue $1,100

Establish a Park Friends Group

The park could work to develop a Friends group from 

among local ranchers, regional and national ranching and 

cattle associations who have a vested interest in contributing to the preservation of the history of cattle ranching. A 

Friends group has the potential to assist the park in raising 

unrestricted ongoing revenue to complement base budget 

allocations, enhancing interpretive offerings through increased volunteerism, advocating for a new visitor center 

and facilities and connecting the ranch to other associations.

(See next page for more information.)

Handcrafted pieces like these blacksmithed 

articles and leather goods could increase sales 

revenues.

The Far View , by D. Mihalic (above) and Mt. Powell, by K. Darling (below ) are 

examples of original art that could be used for posters, notecards and one of a 

kind visual items.

Horse hair hitched articles made locally, match 

the beauty of ranch museum pieces from the 

1800’s. Selling products of this kind could add 

value to park interpretation and increase sales 

revenue.
National Park Service 37

Western ranchers are proud of their work, their way 

of life, their heritage and their legacy. Grant-Kohrs 

Ranch is uniquely situated to reflect that pride and 

be a place modern cowboys from across the West can 

consider their own.

A Friends group is one of the best ways for a park to 

expand its funding base, broaden its local and regional 

relationships and improve its ability to protect natural and cultural resources. Examples from across the 

country demonstrate how Friends groups are becoming 

increasingly important to the vitality and sustainability 

of our nation’s parks.

Currently Grant-Kohrs Ranch is partnered with the 

Glacier Natural History Association (GNHA) which 

serves as a broker to supply the Grant-Kohrs Ranch gift 

shop with merchandise and provides special project 

funding. GNHA continues to be a wonderful partner 

to the ranch; however, a dedicated Grant-Kohrs Ranch 

Friends group, rooted in the ranching community, 

could further enhance the capacity of the park to preserve the site and share the remarkable story and values 

of the frontier cattle era.

The Friends of Grant-Kohrs Ranch could serve many 

valuable functions. They could be a major fundraiser 

for the park, enhance the interpretive offerings through 

increased volunteerism, advocate for a new visitor 

center in the Warren barn and connect the ranch to 

other national western heritage museums, associations 

and sites.

The Bar-U Ranch outside of Calgary, Alberta is a 

Canadian sister-site to Grant-Kohrs Ranch. It was 

started in the mid 1990s by a Friends group committed to preserving and sharing Canada’s western cowboy 

culture and values. The Bar-U Group mainly comprised 

of local ranchers and their families, provides the site 

with a strong volunteer base that is familiar and proud 

of their heritage. The volunteers help operate the visitor 

center and the gift shop, staff special programs, and 

help the park develop and nurture relationships in the 

surrounding community. 

Establishing a Grant-Kohrs Ranch Friends group could 

harness the energy and spirit of the ranching community, giving those who care most about the legacy of the 

frontier era an opportunity to sustain and enhance that 

legacy for future generations.

Additional Information

The Power of Friends
38 Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS

A Vision for the Future

The Warren Barn Heritage & Visitor Center

Turning off the highway into the town of Deer 

Lodge, a family is greeted by a picturesque view into 

Montana’s history. Backdropped by a mountainous 

horizon and lazy hayfields, a red barn dominates the 

landscape, signaling arrival at Grant Kohrs Ranch 

National Historic Site. Parking adjacent to the structure, the family enters the barn, following the echoes 

of cowboy music filling its halls. A uniformed NPS 

volunteer greets them with a smile, and with a wave of 

her hand, introduces them to the bygone era of frontier 

cattle ranching.

The quality of the visitor center is fundamental to the 

visitor experience. The visitor center provides visitors 

with an initial impression of the professionalism and 

quality of the individual park and the park service as a 

whole, offers valuable educational and logistical information, allows visitors to comfortably peruse items for 

sale, and generates interest and enthusiasm for exploring the park and its themes. Furthermore, a quality 

visitor center can also improve park operations and 

staff effectiveness. The current visitor center at GrantKohrs Ranch is a small temporary station that limits 

what visitors can see, learn and experience.

The Warren Barn Visitor Center is the flagship effort of 

Grant-Kohrs Ranch to provide a comprehensive interpretive offering and safety introduction to its visitors. 

The barn has deteriorated and currently is in need of 

substantial deferred maintenance. The adaptive reuse of 

this historic building as a visitor center will ensure its 

future preservation. Once constructed, it will provide 

the following facilities:

-Information/fee collection station; 

-Multi-purpose room for traveling exhibits, art and 

music performances

-Exhibit area for museum artifacts; 

-Cooperating association sales area;

-60 person capacity auditorium/classroom; 

-Handicapped accessible restrooms; 

-3,000 sq. ft. administrative headquarters.

Originally incorporated into the 1993 General Management Plan which drives park strategy, park management has undertaken all necessary historical structure 

studies and environmental assessments to see the 

visitor center plan become a reality. Its estimated $2.8 

million cost is currently under review and awaits NPS 

approval.
National Park Service 39

This business plan could not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of many people. We would like to thank the entire staff of 

Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site for their diligence and patience, and give special mention to the following people:

Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS Leadership Team

Laura Rotegard, Superintendent

Anita Dore, Chief of Administration

Michael McWright, Retired Chief of Facility Maintenance

Ben Bobowski, Chief of Natural Resource Management

David Wyrick, Chief of Interpretation

Christine Ford, Museum Curator

David Beaver, Chief of Facility Maintenance

Karen Shoemaker, Administrative Assistant

Additional Thanks:

Julie Croglio, Dave Delker, Kate Eccles, Shannon Ford, Gary Gurtler, Jim and Betty Hadley, Wendy Hill, Dawn Kidwell, Lanette King, Allison Kraft, 

Bob Kraft, Jim McGone, Lyndel Meikle, Connie Rudd, Gary Swant, Barclay Trimble, Ken and Deb Pigeon, and the Bar U Staff.

Business Plan Consultants

Geoff Kish, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia

Scott Taylor, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

Intermountain Regional Office

Michael Snyder, Katariina Tuovinen, Nathan Souder

National Park Service Business Management Group

Bruce Sheaffer, Tracy Fehl Swartout, Sula Jacobs, Elena Arensman, Kristen Jontos

Student Conservation Association

Flip Hagood, Clarissa Mendez, Justin Chow

Special Thanks to Bob Maines for his extraordinary ability to keep S-10 trucks in operation.

Maps provided by Heather A. Miller, MA Historic Preservation

Photos: Grant-Kohrs Ranch staff, Scott Taylor, Geoff Kish

Graphics Support: Willy Miller II

Acknowledgements
National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site

EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA

First Class Mail

Postage and Fees

PAID

City, State

Permit No. xxx

Bill Hayden-staff, Glacier National Park June 2005