Applied Interpretation

Rainforest Hike in Hawaii

So how does interpretation come to terms with the fact that it IS NOT environmental education and hence doesn’t have the crucial ability to offer long term experiences? [See my July 21^st blog for more on the relationship between interpretation and environmental education] The answers are not simple but certainly one strategy would be to understand its strengths in relation to influencing stewardship and focus on those directions during the precious time an interpreter has with his/her constituents. Here are some suggested strategies that may help and are consistent with the research:

Focus on the Entry Level Variables

The notion to emphasize the basics is not a new concept. Certainly, the roots of interpretation are grounded in the call of John Muir, “I’ll interpret the rocks, learn the language of flood, storm and the avalanche. I’ll acquaint myself with the glaciers and wild gardens, and get as near the heart of the world as I can”. Reinforcing this initial mission of the profession is crucial and consistent with what seems to be retained by most visitors interviewed in our research studies. In fact, this basic objective may truly be the most important outcome of interpretation.

Connect the Environmental Message to the Visitor

If one finding from my research becomes apparent it would be the success an interpretive message has when it connects with the visitor’s own life. This tenet doesn’t change in approaching environmental messages. In several of the author’s research studies there were individuals whose interviews following their interpretive experience would reflect a much deeper sensitivity to the environmental concepts or subject matter they had retained. A consistent trait of these individuals was their specific connection to the topic.

An extension to optimizing personal connections is an approach to “IMBY” (IN My Backyard) the interpretive message. For example, a program on wildlife at any resource site offers a range of potential. But through all the visuals and dialogue that can accompany such a topic nothing could be more enriching to the visitor than offering challenges to the audience to find similar flora and/or fauna in their own backyard.

Handle Environmental Issues with Care!

Although the origins of interpretation were simply to reveal information and wonders of nature, there became a growing interest to have interpreters do more to make visitors aware of the resource and the environmental issues associated with these places. As the issues regarding our environment grew during the 1960’s and 1970’s the call for interpretation to be a change agent continued to grow. Today, the desire to impact a visitor’s behavior toward the park is paramount. Unfortunately, this call for interpretation to solve the environmental ills of our society is not reflective of the actual impacts that this medium can attain. And as noted previously, some research shows a negative reaction to some types of issue awareness.

This certainly is not suggesting we ignore issues – we cannot and must not. But they should be offered sparingly and with great care when it comes to younger audiences. And most certainly they should be presented to adult audiences with the utmost non bias factual precision. For example, as we move through the next few decades, global warming issues will be apparent and paramount at many resource sites. Hence, rather than avoid them, they should be interpreted with the utmost scientific backing and not through personal speculation.

Be Pragmatic

Our profession has an excellent body of research that does support the notion that it can impact basic awareness of a resource site. It does not have the same evidence that it can move beyond this aspiration – nor does it need to. We can only hope to create stewards of our environment through a chance visit with an interpreter. We can only wish that a visit to a park will motivate a person to act responsibly toward that site. We can, however, reveal to them the beauty of the resource and the power of nature. We can also make them aware of the intricacies of this environment. These basic, yet crucial, goals are ones that interpreters can accomplish. They can form the foundation for the attainment of our ultimate goal – environmental stewardship.