KEYS TO IMPLEMENTATION
The geographic scope of the Missions Initiative is immense. Hundreds of former mission sites occupy the area stretching from California to Baja California on the west and Texas to Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas on the east. Potential Missions Initiative partners are dotted across this region and are presently involved in the management of cultural resources associated with extant Spanish Colonial Mission structures established before 1821. Also included are sites related to traditional commercial and transportation networks such as the Caminos Reales. Initiative organizers have outlined their initial program vision. They have also acknowledged and begun to address the administrative challenges that are inseparable from such an important and ambitious effort.
NATIVE AMERICAN CONSULTATION
The Missions Initiatve acknowledges the historic ties between mission sites and indigenous peoples. The U.S. and Mexico will consult with tribes according to each country's respective protocols and agreements. the NPS will rely on its Intermountain Regional and Washington offices to coordinate appropriate consultation measures and with Mexican counterparts to formulate a plan that meets and respects the requirements of all nations.
SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS FOR CROSS-BORDER COLLABORATION
To facilitate exchange among technical staff and encourage development of regional heritage tourism packages, the Missions Initiative will seek to create guidelines for binational cooperation consistent with the security infrastructure supported by the Secretary of Homeland Security for the United States and Secretary of Governance for Mexico.