1. Amos Almy Interpretive Specialist Rockport and Rasar State Park
Interpretation 101
Amos Almy
Interpretive Specialist
Rockport and Rasar State Park
Today we are going to be talking Interpretation and how that applies to being a Beach Naturalist. My training comes from the NPS but I try to make it relevant to Rosario and the tide pools so it is more applicable for you. I want to start by explaining the general premises for interpretation and then we will get into a more specific form of interpretation called informal contacts or informal interpretation.
Lets get started!

2. History of Interpretation
The history of interpretation includes names like John Muir, Enos Mills, Freeman Tilden, William J. Lewis and more recently, Sam Ham, Larry Beck and Ted Cable.
The man considered the “Father of Interpretation” is Freeman Tilden. He worked for the National Park Service in 1941 and realized the interpretive program needed a large overhaul. In his famous book, “Interpreting Our Heritage” he outlines 6 principles of interpretation that still resonate today.
Since his book was published people have expanded on his ideas but they still ring true in interpretation today.
One of his 6 principles is this one here.
Any interpretation that does not somehow relate what is being displayed or described to something within the personality or experience of the visitor will be sterile.
Information, as such, is not interpretation. Interpretation is revelation based upon information. But they are entirely different things. However, all interpretation includes information.
Interpretation is an art, which combines many arts, whether the materials presented are scientific, historical or architectural. Any art is in some degree teachable.
The chief aim of Interpretation is not instruction, but provocation.
Interpretation should aim to present a whole rather than a part, and must address itself to the whole man rather than any phase.
Interpretation addressed to children (say, up to the age of twelve) should not be a dilution of the presentation to adults, but should follow a fundamentally different approach. To be at its best, it will require a separate program. (Freeman Tilden, 1957)

3. What is Interpretation?
Interpretation is a social art that focuses on mutual teaching and learning. It is a lot more than just talking.
The art of developing a connection between people and natural resources.
It is the “bridge” between the creatures in the tide pools and forests, and the visitor.
Answers the question: “why should I care?”
So what is interpretation? Many people might think interpretation is just talking to people and providing information. Now while this is true and often happens as an interpreter, the main goal of interpretation is to answer the question "why should I care?". Sounds pretty easy right? We are all in this room because we love and appreciate the Rosario Tide Pools. We understand their importance and why they should be protected. BUT, we are not like every single visitor that comes to the park. Many people visit without knowing a single thing about this place other than it has a great view from the bridge.
If we want these types of places to be protected then we are going to have to find opportunities for connection. This is where interpretation comes in.

4. What is an Interpreter? What is an interpreter translating?
“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."
– John Muir
When you think of an interpreter, who do you think of? Who do you think most people think of?
Most people probably think of language interpreters. People that work at the United Nations helping countries translate languages. Natural Resource Interpreters are doing essentially the same thing. Instead of taking French and translating it to English, we are taking tide pools and interpreting them so that they make sense to visitors. People can approach a tide pool, look inside and see really fascinating creatures and plants but it will not mean anything if they don’t know what they are, what they do, how they got there, and their importance.
So that is where interpreters come in. They are standing by that tide pool ready to answer questions, show off cool things, and help people get excited about what they are looking at. It is actually a pretty awesome spot to be in. You are helping people begin to appreciate what you already love and enjoy.

5. Who is an interpreter? Park Ranger Museum Docent Zoo Keeper
All of these people are interpreters! If you watch Bill Nye as an adult, you realize that guy is good at interpretation. He is a really awesome resource.
Interpreters are all over the place so you are bound to have interacted with one already in your life. Guess what? Now you are one!
Picture source:
Aquarium Worker
Bill Nye the Science Guy

6. Parts of Interpretation
Tangibles
Intangibles
Universal Concepts
Intellectual Connections
Emotional Connections
Appropriate Techniques
There are many parts to interpretation and more than we will go into today but I am going to cover the ones listed here. These are the parts that will allow you to carry out interpretation at the tide pools. These concepts are fairly easy to understand but learning to implement them take a little more time to master. So lets get started with tangibles and intangibles.
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7. Making Connections Tangibles Intangibles
Interpreters use the word tangibles when talking about the physical elements of a site.
A tangible has qualities that you can see, touch, taste, hear, or smell.
Interpretation involves connecting these tangible resources to the concepts and ideas they represent, or their intangible meanings.
Intangible meanings are abstract and include ideas, feelings, relationships, values, and beliefs.

8. Civilian Conservation Corps
Tangibles- qualities that you can see, touch, taste, hear, or smell.
Intangible- abstract and include ideas, feelings, relationships, values, and beliefs.
If I am talking about the CCC at Deception Pass State Park, what are some tangibles and intangibles that represent this history?
CCC shelters, benches, trails, the Bridge, CCC camps at Bowman Bay and Cornet Bay.
Hard work, ingenuity, economic recovery, survival, hunger, passion, pride, learning, change

9. Rosario Tide Pools
Tangibles- qualities that you can see, touch, taste, hear, or smell.
Intangible- abstract and include ideas, feelings, relationships, values, and beliefs.
What are some tangibles at the tide pools?
Limpets, chitons, anemones, barnacles, seaweed, starfish
What are their intangibles?
Change, survival, hunger, death, life, hardship, beauty, interconnectedness

10. Universal Concepts Some intangible meanings are universal concepts.
Concepts that everyone can relate to but no two people will see exactly the same way.
Connecting a site's tangible resources to their intangible meanings makes the resources more personally relevant and valuable to visitors. And universal concepts are most important because it is something that everyone will understand, even if they relate to it in different ways.
If you give a program on glaciers but only talk in a way that glaciologists will understand, then you will be losing opportunities for connection with most of your audience.
Tangibles, intangibles and universal concepts form the basic building blocks for providing visitors with opportunities to connect to a resource.
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11. Intangibles: Solitude, refuge, deforestation, exploitation
Tangible: Forest
Intangibles: Solitude, refuge, deforestation, exploitation
Universal Concepts: solitude, refuge, exploitation
Intangibles: Solitude, refuge, deforestation, exploitation
Universal Concepts: solitude, refuge, exploitation

12. Intangibles: Power, fear, conservation Universal Concepts: Power, fear
Tangible: Bear
Intangibles: Power, fear, conservation
Universal Concepts: Power, fear
Photo source:
Intangibles: Power, fear, conservation
Universal Concepts: Power, fear

13. Intangibles: Serenity, beauty, water quality
Tangible: Waterfall
Intangibles: Serenity, beauty, water quality
Universal Concepts: Serenity, beauty
Intangibles: Serenity, beauty, water quality
Universal Concepts: Serenity, beauty

14. Intangibles: Growth, economics, money, hard work
Tangible: Deception Pass Bridge
Intangibles: Growth, economics, money, hard work
Universal Concepts: Growth, money, hard work
Intangibles: Growth, economics, money, hard work
Universal Concepts: Growth, money, hard work

15. What Kind of Connections?
Intellectual
Emotional
Opportunities seem to provoke:
Awareness
Comprehension
Discovery
Revelation
These are “ohhhh” moments.
“Changes of the tides are connected to the phases of the moon.”
Opportunities seem to provoke:
Aggravation
Bewilderment
Happiness
Sadness
Worry
Any other emotion
“The creatures in these tide pools live a tougher and more threatening life because of humans.”
So we are using tangibles, intangibles, and universal concepts to make connections. But what kind of connections? There are two! Intellectual Connections and Emotional Connections.
Intellectual connections provoke awareness, discovery, and tend to be more “ohhh” moments where a light bulb goes off.
Emotional connections provoke emotions: aggravation, worry, happiness, sadness, and all the other emotions you can think of.
It is important to try to include both as much as possible because every visitor is different in how they connect to a resource. An engineer will appreciate the intellectual side of bridge construction but a non-scientific visitor will appreciate hearing about the intense labor involved.

16. Appropriate Techniques
Interpretive techniques are used to create links between tangibles and intangibles.
Simply saying “This tide pool should matter to you” is not going to do the trick.
Using techniques creates opportunities for connections to the resource.
To help visitors develop an understanding of the relevance and significance of resources, interpretation involves linking a tangible resource at your site to the intangible meanings it represents. Appropriate interpretive techniques create those links.
There are TONS of interpretive techniques, some are intuitive and some you have to work towards. You might just simply state a comparison between two things to increase understanding, that’s a technique. You might hold up a sea star as a prop, that’s an interpretive technique. You might also think of an excellent metaphor for climate change that an 8 year old could understand, that’s an interpretive technique.
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17. Examples of Techniques
Activity
Photography
Analogy
Prop
Comparison
Question
Demonstration
Sensory Experience
Discussion
Examples
Explanations
Illustrations
Metaphor
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18. A tangible has qualities that you can see, touch, taste, hear, and/or smell. True False
'True' is the correct answer.
Tangibles are the artifacts, collections, or natural resources of a site; so you can see, touch, taste, hear, and/or smell them.

19. Interpreters make visitors connect to the meanings and significance of a site. True False
'False' is the correct answer.
Interpreters can only provide opportunities for visitors to connect to the meanings and significance of a site. Ultimately it is the visitor that chooses the way they will connect, or if they will connect at all.

20. Intangibles are the ideas and concepts your resources can represent
Intangibles are the ideas and concepts your resources can represent. True False
'True' is the correct answer.
Intangible meanings are abstract and include ideas, relationships, feelings, values and beliefs.

21. Meaningful interpretation contains only specific facts the visitor will remember. True False
'False' is the correct answer.
Truly meaningful interpretation answers the question, 'Why should I care?' Visitors generally don't remember lots of specific facts from an interpretive product or service. They do remember the opportunities they had to understand something in a new way or to feel something differently about a resource.

22. Informal Interpretation Activity
Think about a recent vacation or visit to a park, museum, or aquarium.
Do you remember a specific encounter you had with an employee?
Good or bad?
What do you look for in customer service?
These scenarios you just described are examples of informal visitor contacts. A large part of informal interpretation is customer service so it is important to keep these stories in mind when talking with visitors.

23. Informal Interpretation
Informal vs. Formal
Informal interpretation progresses based on the needs and responses of the visitor.
The interaction is highly personalized.
The interpreter must be able to evaluate, respond and adjust to the visitor’s needs during these spontaneously initiated interactions.
What is the difference between formal and informal interpretation? An example of formal interpretation would be a Ranger program you attend at a park. The ranger has an allotted amount of time, goals, objectives, a theme, and points they are trying to make. The interaction during a formal program is created by the interpreter.
In informal interpretation, the interaction is constructed by the visitor. They decide what they want and what they need from you. The interaction could end after one question or it could continue on for another 10 minutes.
Why are informal visitor contacts so important?
Perhaps the visitor’s only opportunity to interact with a park representative.
Highly personalized to what the visitor wants.
You have the opportunity to make a larger impact on someone when you interact one on one. Think of going to a rally for a Presidential candidate vs. meeting and shaking hands with the same candidate.
Well-crafted, responsive interactions offer visitors just what they need, just when they need it.
Notes to slide:
Emphasize how the one on one nature of informal visitor contacts allows the interpreter to better assess and meet the visitor’s needs.

24. Orientation, Information, Interpretation
Orientation level- the main goal of the contact is to help visitors get their bearings and provide directions.
Information level- the contact involves facts or explanations.
Interpretive level- moves beyond information and involves appropriate techniques for developing links between tangible resources and intangible concepts.
Interpretive Continuum- jargon for the different types of visitor contacts. An interaction with a visitor can flow between orientation, interpretation and information or it could only be one of each. You must be able to read your visitor needs to determine how far they want the conversation to go.
If you are talking to kids, one might run up to you wanting to ask a quick question before running back to what they were doing. This is not a good opportunity for interpretation. If they wandered over to you curious about something they were holding, try to steer the conversation to something more interpretive so that they begin to form intellectual or emotional connections with the resource.
Interpretive level- This provides opportunities for visitors to form their own intellectual and/or emotional connections with the meanings and significance of the resource.
Some examples:
Orientation- “where” is the bathroom? “where” are the tidepools? “where” is the next station?
Information- “what” kind of flower is that? “How” did these tidepools form?
Interpretive- “why” are the tidepools so important? “why” are those trees covered in vines?

25. Activity
Great, so I need everyone to break into 4 groups as evenly as possible. I have a worksheet that looks like this one that each group is going to fill out together. Each worksheet will pose an interpretive question at the top. Each audience is kids, ages I want each group to come up with an interpretive answer, identify which techniques you used, what type of connection, and the tangibles and intangibles.
I will warn you that two groups have more of a informational question that can be answered interpretively if you handle it right. Those will be a little trickier.
Me and Montana will walk around to see if you guys need any help and then at the end we will go over each one.

26. Video Activity
Keep an eye out for examples of interpretation and missed opportunities for interpretation. Exploring at Low Tide
So this video is a great 10 minute video exploring a beach at low tide. It shows a lot of the same creatures you will be seeing at the tide pools as well. I will make sure to send this link to Jackie so she can share it with you all. I hope this gave you an idea of how interpretation can be used when explaining things at the tide pools.

27. What if You Don’t Know the Answer?
Don’t panic!
Know where you can find the answer.
Say “I don’t know”.
I can’t emphasize this enough. If you don’t know the answer to a question, then you should say so. Making up answers is not the right thing to do, especially with kids. They can sometimes remember the oddest things and that means they can remember something you incorrectly said.
And with adults, you do not know who is in the crowd, so that means if you saying something that is not correct, someone might call you out on it.
People are going to ask you “what is this?” and you might not know. Luckily, you will have a handy-dandy ID card nearby and you can both work together in identifying it.
Sometimes it is just as important to know your learning resources as it is to know the resource.
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28. So What?
Why are we even trying to do interpretation at the tide pools?
Remember the goal of Beach Naturalists:
Promote understanding, appreciation, and stewardship of this sensitive and unique ecosystem through education.
As an interpreter I find that informal contacts are the most enjoyable part about my job. In a formal program, I go in with goals and I hope I walk away inspiring the audience. With informal contacts, the visitor is in charge and it gives them a unique opportunity to really connect to a place when they are the ones steering the direction of the conversation. It allows them to ask what they find interesting, meaningful, or hard to understand and I get to open up some opportunities for connection.
When you are out at the tide pools, talking with visitors, you will want to answer their questions with the goal of Beach Naturalists in the back of your head. Our hope is that they will walk away with a stronger connection to the Rosario Tide Pools and will want to protect places like it. This will ensure that our natural resources will survive for future generations.
Thank you for joining me today and I can answer any of your questions!