Here are some deep thoughts Bill Reynolds is having about interpretation as he explores the wilds of Panama…
The role of interpretation is to help visitors enjoy the parks and what they protect. It is NOT to help visitors enjoy themselves in parks.
You might want to reread the two sentences again before you react. The interpretation precedence taken in the first sentence can lead to the enjoyment in the second sentence…but not without getting those priorities straight.
Courtesy Bill Reynolds
Meaningful visits to our most important natural and cultural heritage sites need inspirational interpretive design, along with a recreational experience. Visitors need, and want, rich catalyst experiences to better acquaint themselves with what makes a natural or cultural area unique and to stimulate care for the site. So what is the role of interpretation in these meaningful visits?
Interpretation needs to instill the value of the landscape not as backdrop but as a living, breathing community of life that supports our existence.
It is also important for interpretation to demonstrate awareness of the visitors’ impacts on these communities of life.
Ensuring visits are meaningful is often based on accomplishing these two goals. Achieving this is concomitant to provide effective messaging so the visitor can grasp the Who, What and Where of the site.
Who are you trying to reach?
What is the topic?
Where is the best place to present the message?
Too often interpretation has focused on the HOW - the various techniques that allow the person to achieve effective presentations in order to communicate well.
Utilizing the best HOWS does not guarantee success even if you know the Who and What without understanding the importance of nailing the Where. Here is a wonderful example of implementing interpretation techniques without a clear sense of defining the Where and applying the concept of using familiar territory first to ensure visitor receptivity from the 1979 national Canadian interpretation conference I attended. The presentation was meant to be a learning experienc, not a criticism, and the lesson is still relevant today.
The Who were off road vehicles (ORV) visitors enjoying themselves in their park.
The What was damage to the environment impact, awareness of the effects, and its subsequent minimization.
A nature trail was created for visitors and ORVers to walk explaining the inflicted ORV damage. Outdoor exhibits were put up, mass media awareness messaging was used, and a fantastic desert information station was built on the main park access road. Nothing worked to grab and engage the target audience.
But “Desert Awareness Day” did get the target audience’s attendtion. Talking to visitors onsite where they felt at home and comfortable and where the damage was actually visible worked. The park staff set up a series of interpretive stations several miles apart so the ORV users could drive from one to the next. The intent was to give these visitors a closer look at some of the life forms that share the desert environment with them and with the fragility of the vegetation.
Signs, of course, had been made saying “Keep off the vegetation - no motor vehicles.” We all know how well they do not work. The park in question did report how one sign was effective:
“On September 10, 1976 tropical storm Kathleen struck Imperial Valley, California bringing flash flooding and destruction to washes in this fragile desert environment. Pinto Wash is just beginning to show regrowth of vegetation. We ask your cooperation in allowing it to do so by operating only on the designated roads along the north.”
Interpretive signage should provide the reasons behind any request. In many of my travels I have witnessed the restricted area and no entrance signs that have been damaged and ignored. This example from my home Canadian province is a good model. The text reads:
“This fence has been erected to protect a great blue heron colony. Herons are extremely wary, particularly during the breeding season, and undue noise and disturbance may cause them to abandon this site. Your cooperaton will ensure the continued existence of this nesting colony.”
Courtesy John Huse discover BellaVista website
One more example of getting across the meaningful message of impact awareness effectively comes from Olympic National Park in Washington State to deal with degradation of trees and shrubs in campgrounds. By setting up a “ Human Impact Study Plot” - an enclosure around a campsite to keep wild humans out - allows the regrowth changes to be seen, similar to keeping grazing animals out of a piece of land to witness revegetation. The fenced area had a sign that read:
“What effects do you and other campers have upon campgrounds? This research plot was fenced in 1973 so that you and the NPS could examine changes between this protected site and the surrounding area. Please do not disturb or camp within the enclosed plot.”
Similar to the desert example, using an onsite, actual impact approach is more effective than employing an offsite didactic exhibit or signage approach.
Once again, meaningful visits need to be designed for those visitors seeking an inspirational and recreation experience to better acquaint themselves with the natural and cultural heritage of the place. Meaningful visits need to be rich-acting catalysts for how to enjoy and care for the site and what it stands for and protects.
Messages will only be effective if we match Who, What, and Where. This post focused on some perils of not taking the “Where” into account. A follow-up post will focus on the “Who,” and why understanding learning modalities and styles is critical.