Semester: 2021 Fall
Students: Lowry Yankwich, Seorae Ko, Erin Savoie
The tallest mountain in the northeastern United States, Mount Washington has great natural and cultural significance for the state of New Hampshire.
Various businesses, nonprofits, and governmental entities have worked for hundreds of years to maintain this resource and offer a wide range of visitor experiences. These entities share a common desire to conserve, develop, and improve the summit while supporting the local tourism economy and being financially successful. At the same time, they represent a variety of perspectives on how that can be achieved.
The Mount Washington Commission (MWC) is a governmental commission created by New Hampshire RSA 227-B, first organized in 1969. The eleven current members include representatives from the US Forest Service, the NH state legislature and executive branch, businesses and nonprofit groups with historic presences on Mt. Washington, and the public. The MWC has engaged HNMCP to assist them as they seek develop a master plan that will contribute towards a shared organizational vision for MWC members, provide a better framework for the MWC to execute its other duties, and a framework for the members to work together to provide a world class visitor experience while ensuring all members’ perspectives are heard.
Preliminary approaches and deliverables:
- Interview MWC members in one-on-one interviews;
- Attend (either remotely or in-person) MWC meetings open to the public;
- Conduct site visits of the Mt. Washington area;
- Develop recommendations for a shared vision for the Mt. Washington summit; guiding principles for realizing that shared vision; and a strategic plan for pursuing that vision.