In may june 2017 issue

1

JVA InterpNews

2 Volume 6, #3 May/June 2017

The international heritage interpretation e-magazine.

From monster to beauty - who am I?

.

John Veverka, IN Publisher, Dune Castle, Wales.

Can you believe that it's almost summer already. Wow - time sure rushes by when you're busy. We've been working on expanding InterpNEWS to more subscribers, and bringing in a wide range of articles for each issue. I am already looking for articles on our July/Aug issue (cover photo to the left). Some of the article topics you might consider: - Interpretation for children.

- Living history and costumed interpretation.

- New technologies - new exhibition ideas, new self-guiding media.

- Interpretive research and visitor studies.

- Interpretive programs for zoos and botanical gardens.

- Interpreting climate change.

That should get you started. Also check out our call for regional editors and topical editors. I talk more about that in my YouTube Video - so you can meet me and let me tell you more about our plans. Hope you enjoy this issue and think about contributing an article for the next issue. Cheers, John V. Meet me here on YouTube, for more about what we're doing, up-coming issues and more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeyUpb25C9g

In This Issue:

Page

- Meet our Regional Editors

3

- Interpreting Beautiful But Dangerously Toxic Caterpillars.

- Interpreting a Big Story in a Small Space. Chris Brusatte - A Trek of Discovery - Torres Del Paine - Patagonia - Rudy Pearce - “Jubal, Will You Call Square Dances?” Dr. Martha Benn Macdonald - Developing a County Quilt Mosaic to help interpret Iowa's quilting heritage. Ron Blair - Every word counts with Stagetext. Emily Gallagher (UK) - Digital-born media players find new ways to cover the ‘old’ story of climate change. Press Release - 4 Strategies For Answering Questions (especially when you don’t know the answer) Ethan Rotman - Farm Magic: How can a farm have anything to do with heritage interpretation? Rod Burns, - Seussian Ode to the Interpreter - Amy Lethbridge.

- The Twenty Mule Team and Borax - a story of the old west. J. Veverka - Interpreting Plate Tectonics - Edward Clifton - If it Bugs you... Eat It! John Veverka - Nature Bullet Journaling - Kelli Parke - We’ll do the content ourselves… Dan Boys - InterpNEWS Marketplace

4 8 10 16 22 24 26 28 29 31 33 37 47 51 54 58-67

InterpNEWS is published six times a year as a FREE John Veverka & Associates publication and published as a service to the interpretive profession. If you would like to be added to our mailing list just send an e-mail to jvainterp@aol.com and we will add you to our growing mailing list. Contributions of articles are welcomed. If you would like to have an article published in InterpNEWS let me know what you have in mind. Cover photo: Caterpillar photo under a microscope. www.heritageinterp.com , jvainterp@aol.com. SKYPE: jvainterp.

JVA InterpNews

3

Meet Our Regional Editors Regional Editors are professional interpreters with a mission to help advance the interpretive profession and make connections with other interpreters, agencies and organizations to encourage folks to share knowledge and ideas about heritage interpretation. They may represent InterpNEWS at conferences or other interpretive gatherings to help generate articles about new technologies, approaches, exhibits or other innovative advancements in interpretation. Want to be one of our Regional Editors? Let's chat. jvainterp@aol.com.

Dan Boys BSc, MAHI (40 Strettea Lane, Higham, Derbyshire, DE55 6EJ, England (07800 799561) - "Dan Boys is Creative Director at audiotrails.co.uk, a digital interpretation consultancy specializing in audio guides, location-aware (native and web) app software and formal and informal learning for heritage sites and cultural institutions.” You can contact Dan at: ‘interpnews@audiotrails.co.uk’.

Dr. Martha Benn Macdonald, Professor in the English department at York Technical College, Rock Hill, SC, published author, and heritage performer. She is a dedicated supporter of InterpNEWS and contributor to each issue. She has authored several wonderful books (check her work out at Amazon.com) You can reach her at: doctorbenn@gmail.com

Rod Burns - CPHI - (Certified Professional Heritage Interpreter - Canada).

Rods long career in interpretation includes being the Education Supervisor, Salmonier Nature Park, Newfoundland, Canada, and currently being the owner of Bold Point Centre EcoTourism Training and Services. He also has 22 years of experience as co-owner /operator of Bold Point Farmstay, www.farmstay-ca.com.

He will be working to generate articles on innovative interpretation for IN from Canada. He can be contacted at: bpc@connected.bc.ca

Love to add you to our growing, amazing team. You can also be a "specialty" editor focusing on finding or writing articles for us on specific topics such as botanical gardens or zoo/aquarium interpretation, interpreting climate change, interpreting new technologies, living history interpretation, interpretive management, working on exhibits, or any other specific topic you might have a deep interest and passion in. What do you think?

4

JVA InterpNews

Interpreting Beautiful But Dangerously Toxic Caterpillars.

Scribol.com With our cover photo of the close-up of a caterpillars wonderful face I thought you all would enjoy learning a little more about them. So I hope you enjoy this short trip into the bug world. JV

We all love to gaze in wonder at the fragile beauty of the colorful butterfly or moth as it flutters gracefully through the air, but we should not forget that the young of these lovely creatures can be just as glorious to behold, even if they do take the forms of rather creepy caterpillars.

One should, however, be careful about touching these beasties, because some of them protect themselves with substances that are really bad for you.

The Bag Shelter Caterpillar Bag shelter caterpillars, members of the ‘processionary’ caterpillar family, are among the worst, and should on no account be touched. The larvae live inside a brown bag, made of silk, after which they are named, coming

JVA InterpNews

5

People who are unfortunate enough to touch one of these bag shelter caterpillars can suffer bleeding both external and internal because the venom is highly anti-coagulant. The caterpillars defend themselves with bristles attached to venom glands. The chemicals within the poison produced by the South American Silk Moth are potent enough that a human can easily bleed to death if affected by them.

The Saddleback Caterpillar Saddleback caterpillars are truly obnoxious to the touch. Covered in stiff spines that are housed in potent poison glands, they are aggressive and sting when touched, however unintentional the contact. This can result in immediate swelling of the affected area, severe nausea and a nasty rash that takes days to clear up. These nasty creatures love hibiscus and palm plants, so be very aware.

JVA InterpNews

6

Image: Geoffdelonge

The Puss Caterpillar The Puss Caterpillar or woolly slug is the most poisonous caterpillar in the USA. This little monster will spit acid at any ‘attacker’ and is loaded with poisonous spines all over its body that cause extreme reactions on contact with human skin. Because these creatures can be mistaken for cotton balls as they are quite striking in appearance, people rashly pick them up and really suffer for it. This creepy crawler likes citrus trees, elms, oaks and many different garden plants, so do keep your eyes peeled.

Image: Jensbn

Cinnibar Moth Caterpillar Cinnibar moth young have a taste for bitter tasting chemicals that render them inedible to predators and also use extremely colorful markings as a way of warding off the hunters. They are all covered in short hairs that cause irritation on contact with skin, and chemicals within the hairs can also lead to serious health problems in humans, though skin rashes are far more common. Nonetheless, problems such as atopic asthma, osteochondritis, renal failure, dermatitis and haemorrage have all been caused by these caterpillars in the past, so one needs to be very careful around them.

JVA InterpNews

7

Image: junesbugs, used with permission

The Stinging Rose Caterpillar The stinging rose caterpillar is one of the most colorful and attractive to be found anywhere on the planet. Pairs of long, horn-like, bristly spines can be located along the body length, along with groups of smaller spines that are characteristic of this species. The caterpillar does, as the name suggests, sting, but the effects are fairly minor, though initially painful. This lovely little beast can be found in apple, oak, sycamore, dogwood trees and also on rose bushes, so keep your eyes open.

Image: Ram-man

The Monarch Caterpillar One of the most gorgeous of butterflies is the Monarch and its caterpillar in equally good-looking. Monarch caterpillars are very brightly colored, in those shades that most effectively warn of danger, namely black, red and yellow. Though these splendidly beautiful creatures are not harmful to the touch for humans, they are extremely poisonous because of the plants they eat.

You can check out more caterpillars here: http://scribol.com/environment/animals-environment/10beautiful-but-dangerously-toxic-caterpillars/3/

8

JVA InterpNews Interpreting a Big Story in a Small Space: How to Decide Which Content Belongs in Your Exhibits Chris Brusatte, Interpretive Planner at Taylor Studios, Inc.

We face it all the time – our clients have literally thousands of stories they want to include in their exhibits, but only a small amount of physical space. Cabinets full of artifacts and reams full of information must be distilled into a limited amount of square feet. At the end of the day, your physical space is a very real limitation to what you can show, and a lot of content simply has to be cut.

So the question becomes, how do you decide which content to keep and which to get rid of? The answer is never simple, but professional interpreters use an organized method to help them make these tough decisions. Our interpretive staff at Taylor Studios (an exhibit design-build firm in central Illinois) works intimately with our clients, leading them through this difficult but necessary process.

We begin by having our clients develop a “Central Theme.” This is a one-sentence, single-idea theme that becomes the overarching theme of the entire project. It is the focus and guiding principle behind all of the interpretation within all of the exhibits at the space. It connects tangible things (the site, the unique resources at the site, etc.) to universal intangibles (e.g. family, struggles, love, perseverance). An example of a good Central Theme: The unique but susceptible habitats at Smith Park demonstrate both the adaptability of ecosystems and the struggles to survive.

Once our clients develop their “Central Theme,” they are equipped with the most powerful tool in determining which content to feature in their limited exhibit space. Everything that is developed from here on out – be it content development or design – must relate back to the Central Theme. When we or our clients are puzzling over whether to include a certain subtheme, storyline, artifact, or image, we step back and ask ourselves if it relates to the Central Theme. If so, it remains on the list of possible content to include in the exhibits. If not, we have no qualms about throwing it out. Including too much disparate information in an exhibit space merely confuses your visitors. Being selective in what you present – and always relating it to a single Central Theme – produces not only a focused and coherent interpretive project, but also one that your visitors will remain engaged with.

JVA InterpNews

9

Even when our clients narrow down their content to only that which relates to their Central Theme, they usually still have too many stories, artifacts, and images to fit in their limited space. It is then that we work intimately with them, using a few other tried-and-true practices of the interpretive field. Among other suggestions, we tell them to:   

Gather all of the content that they want to include, and eliminate all duplicate, similar, and repetitive content. For example, include only one story about pollination!

Find representative examples – for example, rather than telling multiple stories about the impact of drought, find one powerful story that by itself illustrates all or most of the impact.

Use creative approaches, both low-tech and high-tech, to layer content. For example, if you can afford computer stations, almost unlimited amounts of content can be included within a small physical space.

A mid-price option could include showing dynamic videos in your space, which could tell multiple stories all on a single video screen. Low-tech options include flip-books, which can layer multiple stories within a small space perhaps only the size of a sheet of paper!

Finally, when all else fails, we remind our clients to “think like the visitor.” Too often, many of our clients are the world-renowned experts in their field, and they know so much more than the common visitor and are far more interested in the content. To them, every story seems interesting and every piece of content is easy to understand. We remind our clients that unfortunately most of their visitors will not be interested in the depth of content that experts are, and that exhibits must be both captivating and easy to understand. By “thinking like the visitor,” our clients can often determine which content can stay and which needs to go.

What do you think? How have you faced this problem of “too many stories and too little space”?

Chris Brusatte Interpretive Planner Taylor Studios, Inc. Designed and built to last, we promise.

217.893.4874 www.taylorstudios.com/blog

JVA InterpNews

10

A Trek of Discovery - Torres Del Paine - Patagonia Rudy Pearce Armsign Pty Ltd, Australia

Following a casual conversation over a cup of tea with a NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Area Manager (NPWS are our #1 customer) about walking trails; the state of them, the wayfinding and interpretation of them and their accessibility the seed of an idea was planted. The Area Manager and one of his counterparts wanted to escape to a world famous national park different to what they manage at home. As a side project they planned to compare how another park agency organizes and delivers a fully engaged visitor experience with minimal expenditure and with low input (management). They were also keen to observe how visitors interacted in with the park as this would help them formulate future strategies for access and education to more remote parks.

As a major supplier of all kinds of outdoor signs (wayfinding, regulatory and interpretive) to NPWS, as well as Queensland Parks, Parks Victoria, DPaW and Parks Australia, and as trained Trail Designer I was invited along to give an expert opinion (and the daily humour!). After researching websites it was a blog photo that prompted the Area Manager to settle on the ‘Q’ trail around the Torres Del Paine National Park in the Magallanes region of Chile. It ticked all the boxes required; world famous, remote, minimal resources.

JVA InterpNews

11

The Torres Del Paine National Park was first established in 1959 and covers an area of 2,422km² (935 sq mi).

It is located 399km north of Punta Arenas, the region’s major city, and lies in a transitional area between the Magellanic sub-polar forests and the Patagonian Steppes. With its snow covered mountains, spectacular glaciers, lakes and rivers, all connected by rugged walking trails and an abundance of wildlife the park is a draw card for visitors from around the globe.

I was interested to see if in creating a truly world class self guided walking trail you needed more than just natural beauty. One of the hardest challenges and one of the leading questions I wanted answered was how the trail addressed the needs of its visitors? Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as a guide I was able to assess what worked and where the trail was lacking.

The physiological need of the visitor has to be addressed as early as possible. Today people are able to gain an understanding of the trail via websites and books. As was the case with the Area Manager public access to images stimulated the desire to seek out the written word about Torres Del Paine National Park.

Knowing beforehand how demanding the trail can be is essential to potential visitors. It assists with consideration about whether the trip is viable and if it is what gear is needed to compete it safely.

The safety need is of course paramount for those people who have made the decision to visit. By forewarning travelers of any potential dangers they may encounter on the trail via a website is a good place to start; backing these messages up on the trail with clear and precise signs. The use of aids such as handrails, climbing ropes, ladders, bridges, boardwalks and wayfinding all help the visitor to stay safe.

Although remote and challenging the trail attracts partner, and groups, more so than individual travelers, so the belongingness need has to be well catered for. People instinctively like to share their experiences and a good trail will take this into account with stopping/viewing points, good interpretive material and even tracks where people can walk side by side.

Satisfying the esteem need in visitors can be enhanced by creating a ‘recreational learning experience’. This can be done with great interpretation to complement the stunning natural beauty of a place.

Finally there is the self actualization need. Fulfilling this can be difficult, especially with such a diverse cross section of visitors. Remembering that people are visiting for different reasons and have differing amounts of knowledge of the place they are visiting is essential. Imparting knowledge through signs or rangers needs to be well thought through to enable a ‘layered’ learning experience.

So! How did the Q Trail in Torres Del Paine fare against these criteria?

JVA InterpNews

12

As this corner of the planet was new to me I set about researching as much as I possibly could about the region and in particularly the park itself. I need to know if the trek was within my capabilities, so addressing my psychological needs.

I mainly used websites to do my research. I wanted to understand the difficulty level of the trail, the distances that required covering, the shelter option available and how I might best sustain myself over the 11 days.

The official website, http://www.parquetorresdelpaine.cl/en arquetorresdelpaine.cl/en had only the basic information and did little to prepare me for the trek. In fact, as it was not kept up to date we only found out that the Q Trail was closed when we arrived for our first night in the park (we ended up doing the W route). No indication on their website! Also, our first planned camping ground had been closed down completely (even though it was still on the official maps). Certainly there are areas for improvement for The Chilean Authorities to work on, especially when hen considering the expense international tourists go to access the park.

There are though one or two really good websites that offer a greater degree of information, helping you plan for a trip; such as http://www.torresdelpaine.com/en/ and a superb book book ‘Trekking Torres Del Paine’ by Rudolph Abraham.

Moving on to how the safety needs of the visitor are addressed on the trail. When entering the park you are required to purchase a Trail Pass and sign a Declaration in regards to following park rules. You are then made to watch a short video, again about tthe ‘do’s and don’ts’ in the park. You are told that by following these rules you will remain safe and enjoy our visit. My two companions instantly recognized a need to improve the message with some positive content. At least they identified some improvements ts for their home reserves.

The first sign we encountered was just a list of what not to do! There was no information regarding how to keep safe.

13

JVA InterpNews On the trail itself things had been done to ensure the safety of the visitor. There were the obvious things like bridges across rivers and gullies, even if they differed in their state of repair and standards you expect in Australia! My colleagues enjoyed the lower level of infrastructure, accepting the fact that they were in a remote natural environment and not an artificially controlled risk adverse environment like some of their reserves back home. Both found their experience vastly enhanced due to the lower class of infrastructure.

The majority of the way finding on the trail came down to orange/pink paint marks on trees and rocks. These we abundant and offered good guidance, that was until it snowed or the mist came down.

More of the simple trail markers on totems (like the one shown) would offer a higher degree of safety on the trail.

The Rangers, located a certain campsites around the trail offered good local knowledge, a bit of humor and fine safety advice (if somewhat on the cautious side). Overall though I think the trail had a good balance; there was enough to get the heart pumping but where absolutely necessary the safety needs of the visitor were addressed.

A Challenging Boardwalk.

JVA InterpNews

14

The trail is very challenging and offers ample opportunities to see bird and wildlife along with beautiful flora and stunning views.

There is certainly enough to see and plenty of challenges that are worth sharing.

The trail itself offers many natural stopping points and gathering places, great for visitors to reflect and communicate. The more artificial points created basically come down to shelters in the campgrounds. Visitors are forced to congregate as these are the only locations you can cook a meal.

The forced congregation works well though as visitors swap stories from their day on the trail whist preparing a meal or hanging out resting. The exchange of information proved valuable in learning the track ahead and what features were essential to see.

There is little in the way of interpretation on the trail and the majority of the walk is single track, both these factors limit the amount of opportunities to fulfill the belongingness need whilst on the trail.

As I have mentioned there is a lack of interpretation whilst on the trail. There is a little at the Administration Station situated at the park entrance and CONAF Administration Office at Toro Lago. This lack of interpretive material on the trail doesn’t spoil your enjoyment of the walk but it certainly limits your opportunity to discover more about the things around you.

Meeting visitors esteem needs and making the trail a ‘Recreational Learning Experience’ is not absolutely necessary but it does help them have a more memorable experience and one which they would be more likely to recommend to their friends and family.

As you can see the signs that were on the trail lacked any interpretive content.

JVA InterpNews

15

The rangers were extremely knowledgeable but there were no organized talks; so be bold try out your Spanish and ask them questions; learn a little more and be prepared to share a laugh.

Meeting the needs of so many people coming together from so many places is of course not easy. People visiting remote wildernesses are looking for a life experience but they are also the kind of people that want to know more and to explore further.

Due to the limited resources in the park it is hard to comment on the quality of material; but maybe because of this, my group of travelers bought books and spent time researching things we had seen after we left the park; the need for self actualization strong within us.

There are certainly opportunities for the park to make improvements in meeting visitors self actualization needs and potentially improve their revenue stream in the process.

Overall the trail in Torres Del Paine delivered a great visitor experience, although there is a little room to improve, if they so wish. Although not extensive I hope this brief review of my thought may give you something to think about if you are thinking of a new trial for your visitors.

Rudy Pearce Managing Director, Armsign Pty Ltd www.armsign.com.au Thanks to; Damian Hofmeyer (all photographic Images) John Veverka (Maslow’s Hierarchy Graphic)

JVA InterpNews

16

“Jubal, Will You Call Square Dances?”

Dr. Martha Benn Macdonald College English instructor, published author, and performer. doctorbenn@gmail.com

Preparing for what were called “Quarterly Piedmont Festivals in Cragmont,” a town bordering North and South Carolina, the Celebration Board gathered at the Cragmont Art Museum in late April to finish making plans for the Summer Piedmont Festival, set for June 21.

Bracy McWatters, Curator at the museum, smiled, tapped his gavel, and called the meeting to order.

“Before we get started, I want to tell everyone that the Mayor and members of the City Council have said that whatever we plan is fine.” He pushed back his blonde hair, graying at the temples, his blue eyes laughing.

“What an affirmation!” responded Randolph Phillips, President of the CragmontBank.

“Oh, it is. To be truthful, sometimes I think I ride on the coat tails of my parents,” Bracy teased.

“Well, to be sure, your father was an excellent psychiatrist, priest, and professor and your mother, a talented organist, artist, and historical interpreter, despite her poor health, but you are equally gifted. You and your family are all an inspiration to us here in Cragmont, and don’t forget that. Thanks for all you do, Brace.”

Bracy nodded and called on Carolyn Johnston, Equestrian Director at Camp Hill Grove, to call the roll and read the minutes. The woman with cropped red hair cleared her throat.

“Bracy McWatters and Randolph Phillips are present.

Blanding Tasse.”

“Here.” Blanding, a tall, lean young man and Bracy’s adopted nephew, who wore a skater’s haircut, knickerbockers, and a tattered sweater, answered. He served as gardener and caretaker of Seymour’s Landing, now a residence and studio for selected students in the arts at Marlowe College in Cragmont, in fulfillment of the trust left by Dr. Grace Macpherson, psychiatrist, founder of the ArtMuseum, and aunt of Bracy’s mother, Caroline.

“Kathryn Quillan.”

“Present,” the woman who was the assistant minister at Cragmont Presbyterian Church answered, as she straightened her clerical collar, dark waves framing her long face. She scratched her left wrist.

“Jubal Padgett.”

17

JVA InterpNews “I’m here,” Jubal, high school music teacher, responded, his dark brown eyes against his caramel skin glistening, as he held a new violin. “Birthday gift from my mom.”

“Beautiful instrument. Maybe you’ll play it later for us,” Carolyn said, and continued with the roll.

“Dr. Timothy Degraffenreid.”

“Present,” Chair of the History Department at Marlowe College, said, fingering his right hearing aid.

“Dr. Riley Bristow.”

“Here,” a young woman, her blonde hair in a bun and stylishly dressed in a pale green turtle neck with a short black skirt, replied.

“Having all of you here is wonderful because, as you may realize, it is late April, and we are a little short on time since we’ve not made any plans. You may remember that the snow precluded our meeting in January and February. And many of us have been involved with the spring festival which is ending today with Shakespeare’s Birthday at the college.”

“Yes,” Dr. Bristow answered, adding that the theatre department was performing A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the third evening. “Students in the Shakespeare class” read sonnets, and Dr. Cato offered a concert of Shakespeare’s songs, and my senior dancers performed as well.”

“Great,” Bracy affirmed. “So will you read the minutes from the March meeting, please, Carolyn?

After pulling a sharpened pencil from the waist of her jodhpurs, she cleared her throat and began, “Members of the Celebration Committee met at the Art Museum on March the fifteenth. All were present, and President Bracy McWatterscalled the meeting to order and reminded members of his party after the meeting to commemorate the Ides of March. He asked the secretary to call the roll and read the minutes of the December meeting which related details of the Winter Piedmont Festival that included tours of the museum, carriage rides, horses decorated with Christmas bells, the Yuletide parade, visits to houses in the historic district, a concert at Grace Episcopal Church in January, and a Black History Celebration directed by Jubal Padgett.

Following one correction, the minutes were approved as read. Plans were tentatively confirmed for the Spring Piedmont Festival. These included the Daffodil Gatherings, Garden Week in April, the Shakespeare Activities at Marlowe College, a tour of the historic French Huguenot Church at the edge of town, and the May-pole Street Dance in May.” “Thank you,” Bracy said. “Are there any corrections to the minutes?”

“Yes,” Kathryn Quillan answered. The dates for these events should be added for future reference.”

“Thank you,” Bracy said, a sneering look on his face, for he disliked Kathryn. She’s always quibbling about something, sort of like those people dad told me about years ago when he preached at the Presbyterian Church before he went to Sewanee to become an Episcopal priest. That was when he was dating Mom and certain members of the congregation disliked him because of the way he played with the walking stick he was forced to use because of a knee injury. What a sense of humor he had. And I remember some of those old Calvinistic elders disliked the fact that he smoked a pipe and drank wine. Thank God, things have changed. But obviously not Kathryn Quillan.

18

JVA InterpNews “Are you making that as a motion?”

“I am.”

“Is there a second to the emotion?”

“I second the motion,” Dr. Degraffenreid said, winking at Bracy.

“I will appreciate your adding the dates, Carolyn. All in favor, please say ‘Aye.’ The ‘Aye’s’ have it, so with those adjustments, the minutes stand approved, as read. Any reports from the officers?”

“Yes,” Kathryn Quillan,” the Chaplin said. “We did not begin this meeting with a prayer.”

“I forgot. My apologies,” Bracy smiled, “I know my dear dad, looking down from Heaven, will forgive me. I hope you will, Kathryn.”

She said nothing, her pale green eyes glaring.

“Dr. Degraffenreid, do you have the treasurer’s report?”

“By all means. With dues from the members at large and additional gifts from the college and Seymour’s Landing, not including the trust, along with a donation from our president, and two churches: the Huguenot and St. Peter’s Episcopal, we have $50,000.50.”

“Good job.”

“My mother-in-law wrote a check for $10,” Kathryn interrupted, her voice brusque.

“That’s from the general membership, so it is already included, pulling out his right hearing aid.

“You’re making an assumption. My mother-in-law, Dr. Quillan, Professor Emeritus of Dance at Mary Washington University, is not a member-at-large.”

“I apologize,” Dr. Degraffenreid said. “I will make a note of that and send her a personal note if you will be so kind as to give me her address.”

“Thank you, and do you have anything to report, as our First Vice-President, Mr. Phillips?”

“No,” except that the First Methodist Church is offering a concert of sacred and secular music in July and Carolyn’s camp program looks great. Word has it that you’re having a horse show in August.”

“Wonderful,” Bracy said. “Thanks. Maybe that could be part of our Summer Festival.”

“Of course,” Carolyn smiled.

“Out of order. That should come under new business,” Kathryn asserted.

“Ah, you are so right, Ms. Quillan. Thank you,” Bracy answered. “Any tidings from our Corresponding Secretary, Jubal?”

“Only that my mother assists me with correspondence and I hope that is appropriate.”

“Of course, it is. My mother knew your mom,” Bracy affirmed.

“Does she know how to write?” Kathryn interrupted.

“Out of order,” Carolyn chided, turning to Kathryn.

“And it is,” Bracy agreed, tapping the gavel three times, his face scowling, along with other board members.

19

JVA InterpNews “Maybe you should resign, Ms. Quillan,” Blanding whispered, his face blushing.”

“Out of order, Blanding, although I’m inclined to agree,” Bracy smiled, glad Kathryn was coughing and unable hear his nephew’s recommendation.

“Any unfinished business?”

“There being none, we’ll continue with new business.

Realizing, however, that members were shuffling papers and fidgeting with pens, Bracy called for a ten-minute break.

“Thanks, Uncle Brace,” Blanding said, hurrying outside for a smoke.

When board members returned to the room, they discovered delicacies and a punch set on a side table.

“Please enjoy goodies, a la Shakespeare, as we continue with new business,” Bracy invited.

“Now our primary business is planning the upcoming Summer Festival for June, July, and August.”

“I think we should offer storytelling and hayrides,” Kathryn said.

“We offered those in the fall if you remember,” Bracy answered, “and we try to do our different activities on a seasonal basis.”

Kathryn shook her head in disgust.

“If anyone disagrees,” Bracy said, “please comment. Now is the time.”

“I move that we offer activities for the various festivals, as we have done in the past,” Dr. Degraffenreid said, peering over his glasses at Kathryn. Hayrides and a maze of hay sheaves hardly seem appropriate for the first day of summer.”

Everyone chuckled.

Kathryn glared at them.

“Is there a second?” Bracy said.

“I second the motion,” Carolyn said.

“All in favor, please say ‘Aye’” Bracy continued. “The ‘Aye’s’ have it.”

“You failed to call for discussion,” Kathryn chastised.

“You failed to call for discussion,” Kathryn chastised.

“Am I out of order?” Bracy asked.

“Move on, please, Uncle Brace. I need to get back to the gardens. I know you understand.”

“I think we all do. Suggestions?”

“I move that we have a street fair on the first day of summer,” Carolyn said.

Everyone agreed. “Do we need a motion?” Bracy asked, looking at Kathryn Quillan.

“I think we can skip it,” Randolph Phillips answered, leering at Kathryn, daring her to oppose him, aware that she and her husband did most of their banking in another town and aware that his wife, Allie, disliked the woman’s way of teaching Sunday school at the Presbyterian Church. So I would like to suggest that we offer the street fair with vendors in June and square dancing in July. I remember “Down Yonder” and “Turkey in the Straw.”

JVA InterpNews

20

“You failed to call for discussion,” Kathryn chastised.

“Am I out of order?” Bracy asked.

“Move on, please, Uncle Brace. I need to get back to the gardens. I know you understand.”

“I think we all do. Suggestions?”

“I move that we have a street fair on the first day of summer,” Carolyn said.

Everyone agreed. “Do we need a motion?” Bracy asked, looking at Kathryn Quillan.

“I think we can skip it,” Randolph Phillips answered, leering at Kathryn, daring her to oppose him, aware that she and her husband did most of their banking in another town and aware that his wife, Allie, disliked the woman’s way of teaching Sunday school at the Presbyterian Church. So I would like to suggest that we offer the street fair with vendors in June and square dancing in July. I remember “Down Yonder” and “Turkey in the Straw.”

He stood up and began dancing, calling, “One, two, shuffle, shuffle. It goes something like that.”

Riley Bristow’s eyes glistened. “What fun! We could close off traffic and dance in the street.”

“What if it rains?” Kathryn said.

“I have to be positive,” Riley answered. “And if it does storm, well, we’ll find a big room at the college.

That’s the least of my worries.”

Everyone clapped, except Kathryn.

Bracy tapped the gavel, a broad smile on his face. “I like the suggestion because it follows what could be a theme for our summer festival, something related to streets. No doubt, we’ll celebrate on Stage Road, rather than on The Boulevard surrounding Marlowe College.”

“Right, and maybe for August we could have sports on the street featuring softball, skating and scavenger funds, perhaps ballad singing,” Carolyn affirmed.

“Are you going to teach the origin of ballad singing?” Kathryn queried.

“I think mentioning what Jean Ritchie says about it in her essay included in Something’s Rising put together by Silas House and Jason Howard (28) is sufficient.”

Kathryn shook her head. “And are you going to teach the origin of square dancing?” That’s what my mother-in-law would have done, you know.”

“Your mother-in-law is not here, Kathryn, and, besides, there’s a lot of discussion on the origin of square dancing. I’d rather teach the steps, you know, like promenade, right hands around, and so forth, and have fun rather than to lose the interest of participants, don’t you think?”

“No,” Kathryn said.

“Well, you know what Dr. John A. Veverka says about interpretation. Read Volume I, in particular, of Interpretive Master Planning (37), and I hope you will understand. His books are excellent for interpreters.

Even C. Ward, Crampton, M.D. who put together The Folk Dance Book in 1926 suggested that dancing should be enjoyable (‘Introduction’).”

Kathryn muttered something nobody could hear.

21

JVA InterpNews “Of course, I’ll teach the steps to the square dances, and we may divide into age groups. I am not sure. I am assuming you folks will want me even though you’ve not asked,” she laughed.

“Well, I do,” Bracy said, smiling at Riley. “Do we need to vote?”

“No.” Jubal said. “Will you be the caller, Dr. Riley?”

“Provided I can dance sometimes, and provided you and your friends will play your fiddles.”

“Count on us. I’ll get my band together.”

“All in favor, please vote by saying ‘Aye,’” Bracey said. All but Kathryn voted in favor.

“We’ll probably have a short meeting in June just to review activities. Randolph, I’ll appoint you to form an ad hoc committee for the June 21st Festival, and, Riley and Jubal, will you all work on the July Festival?”

“Of course,” they answered together.

“And, Carolyn, will you work on the August Festival, please? Just let us know what you need.”

“Surely will.”

“And one of the marvelous things about Cragmont is that people are always opening their homes, churches are offering tours and programs, and even if I do boast, the Art Museum has a wide variety of exhibits and programs, to say nothing of the classes we offer. There was a pottery course in January. Is there a motion for adjournment?”

“I so move, provided I lead a prayer first,” Kathryn said.

“Do we need an amendment?” Bracy asked, puzzled.

“Let it go. I’ve got to meet a client for lunch,” Randolph Phillips said.

“And I have Appalachian History in thirty minutes.”

“Please say a prayer, Kathryn,” Bracy requested.

“Not now.”

“Let’s adjourn,” Bracy declared, thoroughly annoyed with the minister, but determined not to show it. He and the others toasted with a cup of punch.

“Good job, Bracy,” Riley said, “Why don’t I take you and Jubal to lunch on that one? And, Blanding?”

“Think he’s already left, Riley,” Bracey answered, as he watched Kathryn leave. “Maybe that woman will resign from the board.”

“I predict she will,” Jubal smiled broadly.

JVA InterpNews

22

Developing a County Quilt Mosaic to help interpret Iowa's quilting heritage.

Ron Blair Senior Project Manager Creative Edge Mastershop When the Iowa State Fair opened in Summer, 2015, up to one million visitors viewed the county-quilt mosaic fabricated by Creative Edge Mastershop on the outside of the Richard O. Jacobson Exhibition Center. Installed as part of this building’s original construction these tiles are a permanent tribute to Iowa’s proud country quilting history. Each piece was precisely cut using waterjet technology at the Creative Edge world headquarters in Fairfield, IA.

Running since 1854, the Iowa State Fair is the biggest single event in the state of Iowa. It is known internationally as one of the largest agricultural and industrial expositions in the United States. The Iowa State Fair honors the state’s best in agriculture, industry, entertainment and achievement. Iowa is composed of 99 counties. Each county provided a quilt pattern for the tile project.

A total of 400 tiles were made for the frieze that wraps around the outside walls of the Richard O. Jacobson Exhibition Center. This 110,000-square-foot building cost $20 million and represented a major addition to indoor space at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. The building hosts events including trade shows, concerts, livestock shows, meetings and sporting events. Installed as a continuous stripe, the 15-inch wide waterjet-cut tiles are midway up the outside of the building.

23

JVA InterpNews

Creative Edge began production by scanning the submitted tile designs into their computers. They created a program for each design so the waterjet system could make the cuts. Ten colors of tiles were used. Some of the more basic quilt designs required just a few dozen cuts; elaborate designs needed hundreds of cuts. Their computers generated templates to help their employees assemble the tile pieces in the right order to make completed tiles. The tile pieces were stuck together into individual tiles and shipped to the fair grounds for installation.

Country quilting is a favorite pastime in Iowa. A mostly rural, agricultural state, Iowa was settled by self-sufficient farming families. They sewed country quilts – some practical and some ornate – for warmth, decoration, and story-telling. Many barns in Iowa are adorned with a painted quilt pattern above the main barn door. Creative Edge’s quilt tiles at the Iowa State Fair are ultradurable stone, designed to delight fairgoers for many decades.

Ron Blair 601 S. 23rd Street Fairfield, IA 52556 Phone: 641-472-8145 cec-waterjet.com

24

JVA InterpNews

Every word counts with Stagetext Emily Gallagher Stagetext (England)

Every word counts with Stagetext Stagetext is a national charity which brings the spoken word to life to ensure that deaf, deafened and hard of hearing audiences have equal access to the arts. It provides captioning and live subtitling in theatres, museums and other creative venues across the UK for events such as musicals, plays and cultural talks and walking tours.

The organization was founded in 2000 by three deaf theatre goers, frustrated by the lack of access to shows and performances. They discovered captioning technology being used on Broadway and set up Stage text to launch the service in the UK. The charity has thrived ever since and now delivers over 400 events around the country each year, for the 11 million deaf, deafened or hard of hearing people in the UK. Captions and live subtitles open up the arts to many people with varying degrees of deafness, including those who experience hearing loss in later life and where learning sign language isn’t an option. Most importantly, it enables deaf and hearing family and friends to enjoy cultural trips together: ‘It’s wonderful to go to a captioned comedy and laugh along with the rest of the audience. I don’t feel left out.’

They can also benefit anyone who has English as a second language: 'We found it very useful for my mother who is hard of hearing and not a native English speaker. Absolutely brilliant, thanks!'

So how does it work? For captioned theatre shows, the actors’ words are displayed on open screens at the same time as they are spoken or sung. They are delivered live by a trained captioner who spends many hours of work preparing the script beforehand so that the captions match the performance perfectly.

For talks in cultural venues, live subtitling is used. A speech-to-text reporter transcribes what a speaker is saying in real time by using a special shorthand keyboard, enabling them to keep up with the speed of spoken English. Excitingly, Stagetext can now provide live subtitles on handheld tablets for tours in museums, galleries and even in outdoor spaces. Earlier this year, through the use of subtitling software and a mifi device, the Canal & River Trust’s Heritage Walk and St Pancras Lock tour in London was subtitled exclusively for deaf customers and their family and friends.

25

JVA InterpNews

Furthermore, Stagetext has recently established a Digital department to caption National Theatre Live Encore broadcasts in cinemas, plus an impressive range of Digital Theatre productions to stream over the internet, in addition to training venues in how to subtitle their online content in in-house, house, including trailers.

To learn more about how you can book or attend attend a captioned or live subtitled event, please visit the Stagetext website: www.stagetext.org or email: enquiries@stagetext.org.

Alternatively you can telephone: 020 7377 00540.

26

JVA InterpNews

Press Release Digital-born media players find new ways to cover the ‘old’ story of climate change.

James Painter, ET AL

‘An outstanding book that represents the best of media scholarship. It is analytically rigorous, evidence-based, and written in a style that is lucid, engaging, and impactful.’ ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR MATT NISBET, NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY, USA ‘A timely and hugely important book about the greatest issue of our time. It maps and analyses the boom in new media and the new ways of reporting and communicating climate change, and – crucially – of engaging new audiences.’ CAROLINE LUCAS MP, JOINT LEADER OF THE GREEN PARTY, UKCAROLINE The media hardly mentioned climate change during the presidential campaign in the USA and the Brexit referendum in the UK. It’s a difficult topic to sell to audiences, many of whom find it remote, frightening or depressing.

At the same time, media profits are being squeezed across the world, and cuts to specialist reporting beats in the mainstream media have become widespread in some countries. Science and environment reporters are no exception.

But for new digital-born players, such as the Huffington Post, BuzzFeed and Vice, investment and innovation in reporting climate change has become an editorial priority. All three have been successful in attracting users interested in the environment to their content.

How are they reaching and engaging new audiences on the issue? And how important is their addition to climate change reporting?

27

JVA InterpNews A new book published by the Reuters Institute, Something Old, Something New: Digital Media and the Coverage of Climate Change, by James Painter and eight other researchers, explores the strategy being taken by these new providers and the content they provide. It examines how their tone, style and formats are setting them apart from mainstream media and engaging younger audiences in new ways.

‘This is the first time that researchers have systematically analyzed the content of some of the new providers and compared it to traditional media’, says lead author James Painter. ‘These new players are finding innovative and interesting ways of engaging their audiences, particularly through social media’.

Taking the Paris UN Summit on climate change in December 2015 as a case study, the book analyses more than 500 articles from five different traditional and new media organisations in France, Germany, Poland, Spain, the UK and the USA. Key findings include:  Reporting from large events such as UN Climate Summits has traditionally meant a large press corps covering similar angles at organised press events, but the new players showed a range of new approaches including informal tonality, ‘immersive’ personal narration journalism, and often an emphasis on different themes.  All three new players are very different to each other. For example, over half of the 230 articles published on the Huffington Post’s US site about the Summit took the form of blog posts expressing personal views, often from organisations or individuals with an activist perspective. Vice News included an innovative series of video reports away from the climate negotiations, and BuzzFeed used a more informal, irreverent and entertaining language.  The new players were generally more visually oriented than legacy media. BuzzFeed in particular relied on photos more than any other media, and used a wider range of formats like listicles, audio, and quizzes.  There are many similarities to mainstream media too – the Huffington Post in particular often had the same focus and volume of coverage as The Guardian and The New York Times. All three digital players included in-depth analysis and accounts that had a common approach with legacy media.  Huffington Post paid particular attention to the opportunities provided by taking action against climate change, such as discussions of the economic advantages of investing early in renewable energies and in developing a ‘green economy’.  There were very few instances of climate skepticism in the reporting of legacy media or online players in any of the analyzed countries. BuzzFeed and Vice in several instances made outright fun of it.

‘Our results show that BuzzFeed, Vice and the Huffington Post are beneficial for public debate about complex issues such as climate change,’ says Painter. ‘They search for new ways of covering the ‘old’ theme of climate change and of sustaining its interest for a wider public, and particularly younger audiences.’

Editors’ notes The media included in the study were Huffington Post, Vice, BuzzFeed, and in the UK (The Guardian and Daily Telegraph), France (Le Monde and Le Figaro), Germany (Süddeutsche Z. and Frankfurter Allgemeine Z., Poland (Gazeta Wyborcza and Rzeczpospolita), Spain (El País and El Mundo), and the USA (New York Times and USA Today).

James Painter is director of the Journalism Fellowship Programme at the RISJ. He is the author of several publications on climate change and the media, including two RISJ books Climate Change in the Media: Reporting Risk and Uncertainty and Poles Apart: the International Reporting of Climate Scepticism.

For more information contact Hannah Marsh at hannah.marsh@politics.ox.ac.uk, or on (+44) (0) 1865 611 301.

Purchase the book via the Oxford University Online Shop

http://www.oxforduniversitystores.co.uk/product-catalogue/reuters-institute/reuters-institute/somethingold-something-new-digital-media-and-the-coverage-of-climate-change

28

JVA InterpNews 4 Strategies For Answering Questions (especially when you don’t know the answer) Ethan Rotman iSpeakEASY

The way you handle questions has a large impact on your credibility. You may be asked questions for which you don’t know the answer, you may misunderstand the question, or you may benefit from a small bit of time to consider the correct best answer. Here are four strategies to help increase your creditably when answering questions.

1. Prepare Write a list of questions you may be asked, write the answers, and practice delivering these answers before you are in front of your audience 2. Remember you are an expert You know your topic, your job, and your project 3. Buy time (and think) Use these statements sparingly to help gain focus  “That is a great question”  “I am glad you asked”  “Make sure I understand what you are asking”  “I am not sure I understand what you are asking, can you give me a bit more background? 

4. Give an answer If you don’t know the answer or don’t know the entire answer, you still need to respond in confident manner. Use these statements:  “Here is what I know about that….”  “Here is what I don’t know…”  “This is what I will do to find out…”

Keep your answers short and concise, answer only what was asked, and resist the temptation to tell ALL you know about the question. When you are finished, ask to see if you have given the info being sought.

The best way to maintain your credibility as an expert is to prepare. Be ready for all questions, even the ones you do not know how to answer ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------© 2017 – All Rights Reserved. iSpeakEASY provides coaching and training workshops. Call or email for information. If you want to profit from your words, to feel more confident, increase your credibility, and deliver more effective presentations that audiences want to hear, contact iSpeakEASY at ethan@iSpeakEASY.net or (415) 342-7106. Visit our webpage at www.iSpeakEASY.net

JVA InterpNews

29

Farm Magic: How can a farm have anything to do with heritage interpretation?

Rod Burns, B.Ed., CPHI IN Regional Editor

In the coming issues of Interpnews.com, I will go into details as to how 2 mid 40’s people turned a small farm into an international family destination. I will share some ground truthed events where, a small farm, thanks to interpretation plus farm magic became a place of exceptional experiences for families and individuals.

We began our adventure in 1995, as Bold Point Farmstay and ESL. We offered foreign students immersion English as a Second Language classes and practice sessions. Japanese students came for weeks and months at a time. My wife scheduled mornings for formal language lessons. The afternoons were for practical English sessions, as participants helped with real farm chores. Private time included forest and seashore explorations, lead by Rod – the educator / interpreter.

Life as the ESL field school took a 90% nosedive in 2001 due to a combination of global politics and Japanese economics. The farm, like a beautiful caterpillar, pupated and emerged with a new set of very beautiful wings. Families from around the world began reserving their accommodations! The unique attraction was our offering hands-on, full contact farm activities, modified to account for everyone’s background and personalities.

The roosters begin crowing “good morning – good morning” at sunrise! We scheduled farm time to begin after the parents and children had breakfast i.e. around 8:30 a.m., well past sunrise! In reality, the children, motivated by the roosters wake up calls, very often were at the door by 7:30 a.m,. They were ready moreover, willing to do farm chores. The parents slowly came behind the children, bleary eyed with a large cup of java in their hands.

At first glance, it is easy to think of everyday farm chores as being routine and very boring: feed the sheep, chickens and ducks; collect eggs in the evening. Pick some vegetables for supper!

JVA InterpNews

30

We took into consideration that by 2000, 85% of the world populations are urbanized! City parents and their children have a guarded comfort with nature. Many immigrants have an abject fear of anything that wiggles or crawls, such as snakes and spiders. Conversely, Farmer Rod is very comfortable tracking raccoons, mink and the occasional wolf. For Rod, every step, every smell, every sound, every visual has the opportunity for discovery and appreciation.

On average we keep 30 chickens throughout the year. At feeding time, we portion out about 3 lbs of commercial “Hen Scratch” which is a blend of grains, peas and lentils. In the first experience at feeding 5 pound chickens, the under 6 year old child very often scream in fear, quickly climbing high, into their parents arms. By the fourth feeding event, the children are comfortable with the chickens scratching around their feet! Their feathered friends are eating from small, soft, outstretched hands.

Some children gently reach out and take hold of a chicken. Their chicken buddy is embraced. Sounds of happiness are the clucks and giggles!

Our sheep can weigh between 200 lbs and 400 lbs. – 4 or more times greater than the children. Sheep feeding time might include grains, bean stocks and artichoke stems. Like the chickens, come the 4th feeding event, the children are giving the sheep deep finger scratches, behind their ears! Baaahhhh – don’t stop!!

All of our Ram Sheep quickly learn it is in their interest to become big wooly buddies, teddy bears!. In some cases they let the children climb onto their backs. Sometimes there is an uplifting, then down to earth “sheep ride.” Eee Haw! Ride’m Sheep Girl!

In closing, children over the past 17 years have departed Bold Point Farmstay, in absolute Happy Tears and cries of concern: “Mommy, who will feed Toby the lamb? Who will take care of Mrs. Naked Neck and her brood?”

There is a natural magic on a farm! In the coming issues of InterpNews, I’ll be sharing with you, more amazing farm experiences. How magical is it when a city person falls asleep in the garden, in the middle of the day! What is magical about looking, into the night sky, and for the first time discovering the world of satellites, constellations and shooting stars? What are the possibilities when a naturalist interpreter, with a family in tow, has time in a 600-year-old forest or is at seashore full of squirting water jets?

Rod Burns, B.Ed., CPHI bpc@connected.bc.ca www.farmstay-ca.com

JVA InterpNews

31

Seussian Ode to the Interpreter Amy Lethbridge.

NAI President, 2012

“I am a guide and I speak for the trees, for the rocks and the canyons, for ghosts on the breeze.

My tales are of history – you don’t need to implore me – I endeavor to tell every side of the story.

In my interpretive talks, not one creature’s irrelevant, be it gnat, goat or trout, be it bison or elephant.

I tell of the snail, the tiger and worm; I tell tales of whales – both killer and sperm.

And I speak using facts, while I speak from the heart, and so I’m always combining, both science and art, In hopes that while making, these two grand things link, I am telling a tale, that will make someone think.

“Experience this!” and “Go play with those!” they touch and they taste, and they sniff with their nose, And they learn through these programs, how all things connect. And best of all, they learn what to protect.

I try to provoke, while I help them make sense, of a world that is wonderful, complex and immense.

I am a ranger, a docent, a guide, a teller of tales, and I’m here by your side Let’s go down that trail, let’s open that door, there are worlds and worlds and worlds to explore.”

A Seussian Interpreter

By R.S. Freidin

JVA InterpNews

32

Last Friday would have been the 108th birthday of Theodore Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. Sara Skinner is leading a campaign to call this “Dr. Seuss Day,” which I wholeheartedly endorse. Even though the creative genius behind “The Lorax,” “The Sneetches,” “Yertle the Turtle” and “The Butter Battle Book” (to name only a few) is no longer with us, on his birthday we remember the masterful way he used imaginary creatures and goofy rhymes to bring up important subjects. His made-up words and fanciful critters made tough subjects accessible. Seuss said, “I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living; it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of the telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.” Rather than preach, he provoked, and like any good interpreter he usually ended his tale with a provocative question, never failing to remind his readers that we all have a choice in how we act; we all have the ability to take a stand.

I hope you enjoy my “Ode to Interpreters,” inspired by and in honor of Dr. Seuss. Remember the good Dr.’s words, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

-Amy Lethbridge. NAI President, 2012

Dr. Seuss - imagine.

JVA InterpNews

33

The Twenty Mule Team and Borax a story of the old west.

Compiled and Edited by John Veverka

Growing up as a child in Mansfield, Ohio, and watching black and white TV (we had 3 channels) in the 1950's there were lots of TV shows about the old west, from the Lone Ranger, to the Old Ranger, Death Valley Days (photo below) . The latter TV show had many hosts, one of whom was Ronald Regan (during his acting years) and those shows were sponsored by the Twenty-Mule Team Borax company. I even had a model of the twenty-mule team to put together. So when I came across some articles on the subject, I thought you might enjoy one of the true stories of the old west, cobbled together from several different sources, just for fun. So let's start at the beginning.

First of all -what is Borax anyway. This old advertisement booklet explains. We'll meet Borax Bill a little later in the story.

34

JVA InterpNews The Twenty-mule teams.

Twenty-mule teams were teams of eighteen mules and two horses attached to large wagons that ferried borax out of Death Valley from 1883 to 1889. They traveled from mines across the Mojave Desert to the nearest railroad spur, 165 miles (275 km) away in Mojave. The routes were from the Harmony and Amargosa Borax Works to Daggett, California, and later Mojave, California. After Harmony and Amargosa shut down in 1888, the mule team's route was moved to the mines at Borate, 3 miles east of Calico, back to Daggett. There they worked from 1891 until 1898 when they were replaced by the Borate and Daggett Railroad.

20 Mule Team death valley re-enactment.

The wagons were among the largest ever pulled by draft animals, designed to carry 10 short tons (9 metric tons) of borax ore at a time.

In 1877, six years before twenty-mule teams had been introduced into Death Valley, Scientific American reported that Francis Marion Smith and his brother had shipped their company's borax in a 30-ton load using two large wagons, with a third wagon for food and water, drawn by a 24-mule team over a 160-mile stretch of desert between Teel's Marsh and Wadsworth, Nevada.

The twenty-mule-team wagons were designed to carry 10 short tons (9 metric tons) of borax ore at a time.

The rear wheels measured seven feet (2.1 m) high, with tires made of one-inch-thick (25 mm) iron. The wagon beds measured 16 feet long and were 6 feet deep (4.9 m long, 1.8 m deep); constructed of solid oak, they weighed 7,800 pounds (3,500 kg) empty; when loaded with ore, the total weight of the mule train was 73,200 pounds (33.2 metric tons or 36.6 short tons).

The first wagon was the trailer, the second was "the tender" or the "back action", and the tank wagon brought up the rear (photo below). With the mules, the caravan stretched over 180 feet (55 m). No wagon ever broke down in transit on the desert due to their construction. A 1,200-U.S.-gallon (4542.49 L) water tank was added to supply the mules with water en route. There were water barrels on the wagons for the teamster and the swamper. Water supplies were refilled at springs along the way, as it was not possible to carry enough water for the entire trip. The tank water was used at dry camps and water stops.

JVA InterpNews

35

The June 1940 issue of Desert Magazine confirms that the primary water tank was 1200 U.S. gallons. This detail is also given in "The History Behind the Scale Model".

An efficient system of dispersing feed and water along the road was put in use. Teams outbound from Mojave, pulling empty wagons, hauled their own feed and supplies, which were dropped off at successive camps as the outfit traveled. The supplies would be on hand to use when a loaded wagon came back the other way, and no payload space was wasted. There was one stretch of road where a 500-gallon wagon was added to take water to a dry camp for the team that would be coming from the opposite direction. The arriving team would use the water and take the empty tank back to the spring on their haul the next day, ready for re-filling and staging by the next outbound outfit.

The teams hauled more than 20 million pounds (9,000 metric tons) of borax out of Death Valley in the six years of the operation. Pacific Coast Borax began shipping their borax by train in 1898.

Horses were the wheelers, the two closest to the wagon. They were ridden by one of the two men generally required to operate the wagons and were typically larger than their mule brethren. They had great brute strength for starting the wagons moving and could withstand the jarring of the heavy wagon tongue, but the mules were smarter and better suited to work in desert conditions. In the Proceedings Fifth Death Valley Conference on History and Prehistory, two articles discussed freight operations in the Mojave with specific details on the use of mules and horses. In "Of Myths and Men: Separating Fact from Fiction in the Twenty Mule Team Story", author Ted Fave discussed how the teams were assembled, trained, and used. "Nadeau's Freighting Teams in the Mojave", based on Remi Nadeau's historic accomplishments hauling freight throughout the desert region, gives further insight as to the superiority of mules for general use.

The teamster drove the team with a single long rein, known as a "jerk line", and the aid of a long blacksnake whip. The teamster usually rode the left wheeler, but he could also drive from the trailer seat, working the brake on steep descents. The swamper usually rode the trailer, but in hilly country, he would be on the back action available to work the brake. From the trailer, armed with a can of small rocks, he could pelt an inattentive mule and send it back to work. Both men were responsible for readying the team, feeding and watering of the mules, and any veterinary care or repairs that needed to be done. There was a mid-day stop to feed and water the mules in harness. The night stops had corrals and feed boxes for the mules. A day's travel averaged about 17 miles, varying slightly from leg to leg. It took about ten days to make a trip one way. Cabins were constructed by the company for use of drivers and swampers at the night stops.

Francis Marion Smith

Francis Marion Smith, who came to be known as "Borax Smith", founded Pacific Borax. Cora Keagle recounted his history in an article, "Buckboard Days in Borate", published in Desert Magazine in September 1939. Smith was a great promoter and sent drivers out with jerk-line teams to major U.S. cities to promote the company's laundry product with free samples. The exhibition teams were typically mules for the promotion value, but Smith explained that in actual use, wheel horses were a standard practice. Outside contractors hauling for the company typically used mixed teams. Francis Marion Smith, who came to be known as "Borax Smith", founded Pacific Borax. Cora Keagle recounted his history in an article, "Buckboard Days in Borate", published in Desert Magazine in September 1939. Smith was a great promoter and sent drivers out with jerk-line teams to major U.S. cities to promote the company's laundry product with free samples. The exhibition teams were typically mules for the promotion value, but Smith explained that in actual use, wheel horses were a standard practice.

JVA InterpNews

36

Joe Zentner wrote of the origins of the advertising campaign on the Desert USA website in "Twenty Mule Teams on the move in Death Valley". Bill Parkinson, formerly a night watchman for the company, had to learn quickly how to drive the team when he was given the role of "Borax Bill". He was the first, but not the last, driver known by that name. The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair was the maiden appearance for the team and was such a success that Parkinson went on tour.

The team eventually made its way to New York City, parading down Broadway. After that showing, the mules were sold, and the wagons shipped back to California. The mules also appeared at the Golden Gate Bridge dedication, according to "The Last Ride, the Borax Twenty Mule Team 1883 - 1999".

A short item in the June 1940 edition of Desert Magazine mentioned that two of the original borax wagons were en route to the New York World's Fair. The item followed with the note that muleskinner "Borax Bill" Parkinson had driven an original wagon from Oakland, California, to New York City in 1917, spending two years on the journey. The mule team also made periodic re-enactment appearances on hauls into Death Valley.

In 1958, a twenty-mule team made a symbolic haul out of the new pit at U.S. Borax, commemorating the transition from underground to open-pit mining. Other appearances for twenty-mule teams included President Wilson's inauguration in 1917. Promotional team appearances ended with an outing in the January 1, 1999, Rose Parade. The team had a shakedown outing in a 1998 Boron, California, parade. The company spent $100,000, refitting the 115-year-old wagons and obtaining harness and mules for the performance. There were no plans for additional public appearances for advertising purposes, as the company no longer had a retail product line.

U.S. Borax put out a paperback publication entitled The Last Ride, the Borax Twenty Mule Team 1883 - 1999 that included many details about the history of the team and the preparation for the Rose Parade outing. There is a photo of Borax Bill driving the team down Broadway in New York City with bells on every animal. Most of the time, only the leaders wore bells. Another picture shows the team in San Francisco in 1917. This picture clearly shows the teamster on a horse. Another historic picture shows a working borax freight team with a mixture of horses and mules. https://www.amazon.com/Last-Ride-Borax-Twenty-Mule/dp/B0016G0XSG

References: -Of Myths and Men: Separating Fact from Fiction in the Twenty Mule Team Story, by Ted Faye, Proceedings Fifth Death Valley Conference on History and Prehistory.

-Desert Magazine, http://www.scribd.com/doc/2095190/193909-Desert-Magazine-1939-September Desert Magazine September 1939, Buckboard Days in Borate.

-The Last Ride, the Borax Twenty Mule Team 1883 - 1999.

-Proceedings Fifth Death Valley Conference on History and Prehistory: Remi Nadeau's Freighting Teams in the Southern Mining Camps; Of Myths and Men: Separating Fact from Fiction in the Twenty-Mule Team Story. Community Printing and Publishing, Bishop, California 93514. 1999. ISBN 0-912494-05-0.

JVA InterpNews

37

Interpreting Plate Tectonics Edward Clifton Geologist eclifton@es-designs.com Supercontinent Pangea (named by Wegener), as it is inferred to exist about 200 million years ago. The modern continents created as Pangea rifted apart 175 million years ago are shown by name.

(Figure adapted from University of Texas Institute for Geophysics).

When I began my undergraduate training as a geologist in the early 1950s, the concept of plate tectonics was unknown. The continents were deemed stable fixtures on the surface of the earth full of impenetrable mysteries. The floors of the ocean basins were presumed to be flat expanses of sediment, mostly mud, that had accumulated through the ages. No one dreamed that the earth’s surface resembled a huge mobile jigsaw puzzle.

Well, almost no one. A German meteorologist named Alfred Wegener (1880-1930) was intrigued by the apparent fit of the west coast of South America with the east coast of Africa (Fig. 1)

Figure 1.The remarkable fit of the eastern margin of South America with the western margin of Africa led meteorologist Alfred Wegener to postulate in 1912 that the two continents had been conjoined and subsequently drifted apart.

He found support in a comparison of the geology of the two continents and in 1912 presented the concept of “continental drift”. He proposed that the continents were mobile features on the earth’s surface that could collide or split asunder.

Wegener’s ideas were roundly rejected by the geologic community, particularly in the U. S.. How could the continents move?? A highly-respected geologist at the University of Chicago said, "Wegener's hypothesis in general is of the footloose type, in that it takes considerable liberty with our globe, and is less bound by restrictions or tied down by awkward, ugly facts than most of its rival theories."Bailey Willis, a renowned geologist with the U. S. Geological Survey, called continental drift “a fairy tale”. Geologist William Scott, president of the prestigious American Philosophical Society was more emphatic—he pronounced continental drift to be”utter damned rot!”

JVA InterpNews

38

A few geologists took Wegener seriously. Arthur Holmes, a British pioneer of geochronology (the science of dating rocks and geologic events) and the first to correctly assess the age of the earth, devoted the last chapter of his classic1944 textbook ,“Principals of Physical Geology”, to a re-examination of continental drift.

In it, he proposed that great convection cells in the earth’s mantle could be the driving force behind the movement of the continents.

The evidence for a mobile crust remained meager, however, until the aftermath of World War II. Submarine warfare generated a burst of new information about the deep ocean floor. Major advances in underwater acoustics and sea-floor mapping, as well as in the detection of undersea magnetic anomalies, allowed the floor of the ocean to be described at an unprecedented scale and resolution. Undersea volcanoes and mountain ranges, and deep ocean trenches became evident. The most striking features, however were the “midocean ridges”, parts of an interconnected mountain chain that extended through the oceans like a giant seam across the surface of the earth(Fig. 2).

Figure 2. Mapping of the deep-sea floor following World War II revealed an interconnected chain of underwater mountains that were dubbed “oceanic ridges” (shown by the red lines). The ridges in many places are broken and step sideways across large fractures in the crust (shown in white). Image Modified from a NOAA image (http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/mid-oceanridge.html).

In 1960-61, two American geologists published papers that incorporated Wegener’s and Holmes’ ideas.

Harry Hess of Princeton University and Robert Dietz, a scientist with the US Coast and Geodetic Survey, independently proposed that new oceanic crust was forming at the oceanic ridges, from whence it moved in both directions away from the ridge, providing space at the ridge for volcanism to generate still younger crust.

Dietz call the process, “seafloor spreading”. Their concept was intriguing, but hard evidence for it remained meager. It took another set of studies in the 1960s using reversals in the earth’s magnetic polarity to convince most geologists.

Magnetic reversals remain a mysterious phenomenon of our planet. The north magnetic pole switches from its position near the north geographic pole to a location near the south geographic pole. A reversal today would cause the needle on a your compass to point to the south rather than to the north. Reversal of the earth’s magnetic field was documented in the 1920s, but was deemed a curiosity with little consequence to the interpretation of the earth. Volcanic rocks, however retain the imprint of the magnetic field at the time of eruption and thus record its polarity. Radiometrically dating these rocks provides a time scale of reversals and the construction in the 1950’s of a geo-magnetic time scale. Reversals occur infrequently: during the last 5 million years, reversals have happened 10 times, with the most recent occurring 780,000 years ago.

JVA InterpNews

39

In the 1960s, magnetometer surveys across the rocks near oceanic ridges revealed a striking set of linear anomalies (local variations in intensity of the magnetic field) that paralleled the ridge. These anomalies were found to result from magnetic reversals, whereby normal (i.e., present-day) polarities increased intensity and reversed polarities decreased it. The result was a set of magnetic stripes that were mirror images on opposite sides of the ridge (Fig. 3).

Figure 3. Magnetic anomaly “stripes” adjacent to an oceanic ridge (red line). Plus signs indicate positive anomalies of intensity in the earth’s magnetic field; minus signs indicate negative anomalies. These anomalies correspond to reversals of the earth’s magnetic field as recorded in the volcanic rocks underlying the sea floor (shown by the red and blue arrows).

Numbers indicate the relative ages of the rocks, with (1) being the youngest. This pattern confirmed that new seafloor was being created at the oceanic ridges and spreading laterally to either side.

Radiometric dating of the rocks beneath the anomalies demonstrated that matched anomalies on either side of the ridge were of similar age and that the crust became progressively older with distance from the ridge. Sea floor spreading was confirmed!

There remained the problem of creating space for the newly formed crust. The earth is not thought to be expanding, and therefore the amount of newly created crust must be balanced by a loss of crust elsewhere.

Earth scientists who studied the areas where slabs of the crust seemed to be in collision concluded that the denser crust was sliding beneath lighter crust in a process they called “subduction”, and this remains the prevailing theory. It is now generally thought that, because the subducted oceanic crust is denser than the mantle into which it moves, it sinks, and drags the entire plate behind it. (Fig. 4) Figure 4. The movement of the earth’s crustal plates was initially thought to result from convection cells within the mantle, and this still may be an initiating mechanism. Another possibility, however, is that as oceanic crust recedes from an oceanic ridge, it progressively cools and its density increases accordingly. When the cooled crust encounters another plate of lesser density, it slides beneath it and sinks into the hot upper mantle. Because the “colder” subsiding crust has a greater density than does the mantle, it continues to sink, pulling the whole plate behind it. This mechanism, called “slab pull”, is currently considered by many geoscientists to be the driving force behind plate tectonics.

40

JVA InterpNews

Geologists now consider the earth’s surface to consist of a set of major crustal plates (Figure 5) and a host of smaller plates that continually move relative to one another. Interactions between the plates largely determine the nature of the landscape and the geologic processes of much of our world. These interactions depend in part on the relative motion of the plates. Geologists recognize three basic types of plate boundaries: divergent (where the plates are moving apart), convergent (where they collide), and transform (where two plates slide by one another).

Figure 5.Distribution of the earth’s larger crustal plates. Note that the oceanic ridges shown in Figure 2 are plate boundaries, as are some of the large fractures.

Geologic processes at the plate boundaries further depend on the nature of the crust involved (continental or oceanic). Oceanic crust is composed of rocks similar to those that form the Hawaiian Islands. It is denser than continental crust and generally less than 10 km (6 miles) thick. Continental crust is less dense and much thicker (25-70 km or 15-40 miles) than oceanic crust. These differences in density and thickness become important in the behavior of the crust at the plate boundaries.

The following section looks at different types of plate interactions and some of the prominent geological features that result.

Divergent plate boundaries Divergent plate boundaries occur where plates are moving apart. A divergent boundary separating oceanic crust produces a mid-ocean ridge, an undersea mountain chain like those shown in Figure 3. Undersea volcanism at the ridge provides new oceanic crust, which gradually moves away as still younger crust is formed (Fig. 5). Earthquakes are common along these ridges.

Continental crust can also harbor divergent plate boundaries, where forces in the mantle cause it to rift apart(Fig. 6).

Figure 6. Divergent oceanic crust forming an oceanic ridge.

Illustration: USGS

JVA InterpNews

41

Valleys develop, and lakes may fill some of the lower areas. Lava is likely to well up into the rift in the form of volcanoes. A growing rift near the coast may create a narrow arm of the sea. Newly formed oceanic crust can ever widen the gulf between the originally contiguous continental crust, and with time, the rift may become the site of mid-ocean ridge in a new ocean. Eastern Africa provides a good example of a continent that is rifting apart (Fig. 7).

Figure 7.Divergent continental crust forming a rift valley. The initial phase of continental rifting create valleys in which lakes may be prominent. Volcanoes derived from the underlying mantle spew basalt, the stuff of oceanic crust in and around the rift. With continued rifting, an arm of the sea may invade the rift. If the rift continues, its site may ultimately become an oceanic ridge in a newly formed ocean.

Millions of years in the future, what today is the East African Rift may form the centerline of a new ocean.

Continental rifting may have significantly influenced the development of life on the planet. Some of the greatest extinctions in earth history have coincided with great outpourings of lava in ancient continental rifts.

Even rifts that failed long ago may have repercussions today. Among the greatest earthquakes to shake North America in historic times were the New Madrid (Missouri) quakes of 1811 and 1812. These quakes were unusual in that they lay far from any plate boundary (which is where most earthquakes occur).They have since been interpreted as consequence of weakness in the crust caused by a rift in the continent that developed and failed some 750 millions of years ago.

Convergent plate boundaries Convergent boundaries result from the collision of plates, and as with divergent boundaries, the nature of the plates involved determines the geological outcome. A very significant type of plate collision, in terms of societal consequences, is that of an oceanic plate and a continental plate. The thinner, denser oceanic plate is driven under the lighter continental plate in a process geologists call subduction (Fig. 8).

JVA InterpNews

42

Figure 8. The breaking apart of eastern Africa. With continued divergence, the African Rift may become an arm of the sea and the newly-formed plate boundary in the Red Sea may become a ridge in a new ocean. Derived from the U. S. Geological Survey (http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/East_Afr ica.html).

The rocks and sediment that accumulated on the ocean floor is scraped off against the underside of the continental crust, producing a “mélange” of broken, twisted and altered rock.

The consequences of subduction can extend far from the coast. The American Rocky Mountains are thought to be the result of shallow subduction at the coast that began some 70-80 million years ago. The ensuing drag on the continental crust caused it to foreshorten, creating uplift of the Rockies.

Subducting boundaries are rife with geologic hazards. They generate some of the largest known earthquakes and, because they are proximal to a coastline, can cause devastating tsunamis. Volcanoes pose an additional threat. The “Ring of Fire” around the Pacific Ocean coincides with subduction zones around the ocean’s edge.

The greatest oceanic depths occur where two plates of oceanic crust collide (Fig. 9).

Figure 9. An oceanic plate (A) collides with and under-rides a continental plate (B). Water carried down within the subducting plate lowers the melting temperature of the rocks at depth, producing magma (molten rock) chambers (C) and volcanoes (D). The convergence can create a deep depression or trenchin the sea floor (E)/ Rocks and sediment of the oceanic plate are crushed beneath the continental crust in the subduction zone (F). Older volcanoes on the oceanic plate (seamount, G) can be carried into the subduction zone.

JVA InterpNews

43

The convergent boundary between the Pacific Plate and the Marianas Plate (a small oceanic plate east of the Philippine Plate) generates the greatest ocean depths (nearly 7 miles) on the planet. Convergent oceanic crust also generates volcanoes in the form of “island arcs� (Fig. 9). The Aleutian Island chain extending west from southern Alaska is a good example.

Whereas convergent boundaries of oceanic crust produce the deepest part of the ocean, convergent boundaries of continental crust produce our highest mountains (Fig. 10).

Figure 10. Oceanic crust convergence.

When plates underlain by thin, dense oceanic crust collide, the older crust, which is cooler (and therefore of greater density) is driven beneath the warmer and less dense newer crust in a form of subduction. This type of collision produces oceanic trenches and a volcanic island arc.

The Himalayas formed when the Indian Plate detached from an Indo-Australian plate and moved north, colliding with Asia 40-50 million years ago . The Alps similarly formed when the African Plate pushed north into the Eurasian Plate some 30 million years ago. The stresses produced by convergent continental masses generate powerful earthquakes.

Transform plate boundaries A glance at figure 5 shows that the oceanic ridges are not smoothly continuous features, but rather are offset along great fractures in the crust. Between the offset ridges, the crust moves in the opposing direction along a transform fault (Fig.11).

Figure 11. When plates composed of continental crust converge, the lighter one is driven upward, creating a high mountain range, such as the Himalayas or the Alps.

JVA InterpNews

44

These faults compose a boundary between two plates, which grind past one another potentially generating powerful earthquakes. Beyond the ridges, the crust moves in the same direction, but the rocks on either side are of different ages and commonly of differing elevations. The crack in the crust that separates them is called a fracture zone and it can be traces for hundreds, even thousands of miles, across the ocean floor.

Although most of the transform faults lie within the ocean basins, a few form the boundary between crustal plates within, or at the margin of, a continent. Prime examples exist along the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate in California (the San Andreas Fault) and just off the coast of British Columbia and southeastern Alaska (the Queen Charlotte-Fair weather Fault System) (Fig. 12).

Figure 12. Transform fault and fracture zones interrupting an oceanic ridge. The area between the displaced ridges represents a transform fault, a plate boundary across which the crust moves in the opposite direction. Where the crust is broken, but moves in the same relative direction, the break is called a “Fracture zone�.

In both places, the Pacific Plate slides laterally by the North American Plate. Such movement can create low mountains and devastating earthquakes.

Hot spots Although most volcanic activity occurs near the plate boundaries, some volcanoes form within a plate.

Ascending plumes of ultra-hot mantle heats the crust upon contacting it, melting the rock and creating local volcanism. There are many possible hotspots, some on plate boundaries and others far from them (Fig. 13).

Figure 13. Transform faults on the west coast of North America. In most of California, the boundary between the Pacific and North American Plates is the San Andreastrans form fault. Near Alaska, the Fair weather/Queen Charlotte Fault system forms another transform fault. Between the two transform faults is the small remnant Juan de Fuca Plate, which has a subduction boundary with the North American Plate

JVA InterpNews

45

The sliding of a plate over a fixed underlying plume can create a chain of volcanoes or large volcanic craters (calderas).The Hawaiian Island chain (Fig. 14) is attributed to the transit of oceanic crust over a hot plume within the underlying mantle.

Figure 14. Location of probable hot spots(upward welling plumes of hot mantle material) around the globe (data source: USGS).

The nature of the hotspot volcanoes depends in part on the nature of the crust that is melted. Oceanic crust produces shield volcanoes, composed mostly of solidified fluid lava (like those forming the Hawaiian Islands).

Continental crust produces more explosive volcanoes that can leave huge craters (“calderas”). The Yellowstone caldera in Wyoming, 35-45 miles across, was produced by an immense explosive volcanic eruption about 630,000 years ago. Ash from this eruption blanketed nearly 2/3 of the area of the United States; such an eruption today would not only devastate this nation, but also could change the global climate for years, bringing misery to most of mankind. As with Hawaii, the current Yellowstone caldera reflects only the most recent eruptions; a chain of fossil calderas that extends from western Wyoming to eastern Oregon document previous eruptions as the slow-moving North American Plate passed over a plume in the mantle (Fig. 15).

Figure 15. The Hawaiian Islands form the southeastern end of a long chain of small islands and seamounts (undersea volcanoes).

The numbers indicate the age of the oldest volcanic rock dated radiometrically on each island (my = millions of years ago). The age of the earliest volcanism increases systematically to the northwest, owing to the northwest movement of the crustal plate (on which the islands sit) over a “hot spot” in the underlying mantle.

Data from Macdonald, Abbott and Peterson (1983)Volcanoes in the Sea, 2nd Ed.

JVA InterpNews

46

Plate tectonics through geologic time When crustal plates on this planet first began to move is much debated. Some geologists feel that plate tectonics began shortly after the crust of the earth formed more than 4 billion years ago. Plate motions at a global scale, however, may have taken another billion years to materialize. Remnant magnetism in the rocks allows us to position the continents on the globe through geologic time. It is not clear, however, whether the most ancient continent salternatively merged into and then split apart from great supercontinents, or whether they remained part of a single supercontinent for a very long interval of geologic time. The most recent, and best defined supercontinent is Pangea, (Fig. 16) formed as continents merged about 300 million years ago and remaining intact until about 175 million years ago, when it split into our present-day continents.

Figure 16. Yellowstone Caldera (volcanic crater) chain produced by a series of mega-eruptions during the past 16 million years. Calderas are progressively younger in a northeasterly direction as a consequence of the North American Plate moving across a stationary hot plume in the underlying mantle. The rate of movement here is significantly less than that shown for the Hawaiian Islands.

Although the effects of plate motions are likely to be most manifest near plate boundaries, their influence can extend far inland. The rocks of the midcontinent can consist of sediment deposited in ancient seas that rose and withdrew in concert with the great forces active at the continent’s edge. Regardless of where one explains geology, plate tectonics is likely to be part of the story. Understanding its role in shaping the rocks at hand can enhance nearly every geological interpretation.

The introduction and acceptance of plate tectonic theory may well be the greatest single advance ever made in the field of geology, and the second half of the 20th Century forever known as the “Golden Age of Geological Science�. By coincidence, my professional career spans that period: I took my introductory class in Physical Geology in 1952 and retired (for the second time) in 1999. What a great time to be a geologist!

Edward Clifton Geologist eclifton@es-designs.com

47

JVA InterpNews If it Bugs you - eat it!

John Veverka

Interpretive Planner/Trainer Director - Heritage Interpretation Training Center.

I guess this story started back in the 1970's when I was working my way through college at Ohio State University, majoring in interpretation. I was on the staff of the OSU Museum of Zoology, for the academic year, but need a summer job. Found one with Ohio State Parks as a Seasonal Naturalist, and my interpretive career was born. One of my "nature hike themes" was that all of nature was connected together and we were part of that connection. One of my trail stops was interpreting a shrew skull, and then talking about what shrews ate. "Our next stop on the trail will be a shrew's grocery store. Let's see what they might be shopping for today. In case the shelves are a little empty, I've brought some shrew food with me for you all to try - if you dare"!

You can order your own mealworms at: www.HotLix.com

Of course eyebrows were raised as they wondered just what the "experience" at the next stop would be. At the next stop I would ask them if they were ready to eat like a shrew and try shrew food? I then brought out my freeze dried mealworms (see photo) - open the package and give each person a worm or worms to try (BBQ flavored). Most tried them and I talked about how not just shrews eat insects, but for a majority of the people in the world, insects were a prime source of protein.

From that time on, no matter which hike I would lead - people asked - "will we eat a bug on this hike?" Word spread - and edible insects became a part of the interpretive story.

First - let's learn a little more about edible insets.

Entomophagy, from ĂŠntomon, "insect", and phagein, "to eat") is the human use of insects as food. The eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults of certain insects have been eaten by humans from prehistoric times to the present day.

Human insect-eating is common to cultures in most parts of the world, including North, Central, and South America; and Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Over 1,000 species of insects are known to be eaten in 80% of the world's nations. The total number of ethnic groups recorded to practice entomophagy is around 3,000. However, in some societies insect-eating is uncommon or even taboo.

JVA InterpNews

48

Today insect eating is rare in the developed world, but insects remain a popular food in many regions of Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Some companies are trying to introduce insects into Western diets. FAO has registered some 1900 edible insect species and estimates there were in 2005 some 2 billion insect consumers worldwide. They also suggest entomophagy should be considered as a solution to environmental pollution.

Before humans had tools to hunt or farm, insects may have represented an important part of their diet. Evidence has been found analyzing coprolites from caves in the US and Mexico. Coprolites in caves in the Ozark Mountains were found to contain ants, beetle larvae, lice, ticks, and mites. Evidence suggests that evolutionary precursors of Homo sapiens were also entomophagous. Insectivory also features to various degrees amongst extant primates, such as marmosets and tamarins, and some researchers suggest that the earliest primates were nocturnal, arboreal insectivores. Similarly, most extant apes are insectivorous to some degree.

Cave paintings in Altamira, north Spain, dated from about 30,000 to 9,000 BC, depict the collection of edible insects and wild bee nests, suggesting a possibly entomophagous society. Cocoons of wild silkworm (Theophilia religiosae) were found in ruins in the Shanxi province of China, from 2,000 to 2,500 years BC. The cocoons were discovered with large holes, suggesting the pupae were eaten.[22] Many ancient entomophagy practices have changed little over time compared with other agricultural practices, leading to the development of modern traditional entomophagy.

Eight Bugs to try: According to the cookbook, Creepy Crawly Cuisine by biologist Julieta Ramos-Elorduy, a leading proponent of the entomophagy movement, here are the eight critters most often ingested worldwide.

1. Beetles The most commonly eaten beetles are the long-horned, june, dung, and rhinoceros varieties. These are munched by people living in the Amazon basin, parts of Africa, and other heavily forested regions, both tropical and temperate, as diverse species are easily found in trees, fallen logs, and on the forest floor. (Native Americans, I've heard, would roast them over coals and eat them like popcorn.) They are efficient at turning cellulose from trees (indigestible to humans) into digestible fat. Beetles also have more protein than most other insects.

2. Butterflies and Moths They do more than look pretty fluttering across a meadow; these winged insects, during their larval and pupal stages, are succulent and full of protein and iron. They're very popular in African countries, and are an excellent supplement for children and pregnant women who may be deficient in these nutrients. In Central and South America, fat and fleshy agave worms, which live between the leaves of the agave plant and turn into butterflies, are highly sought after for food and as the famed worm dropped into mescal, a Mexican liquor. Cultivation of these worms could help protect them from overharvesting.

3. Bees and Wasps We love bees for their honey, but they have more to give. Indigenous people in Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, and Mexico commonly eat these insects when they are in their immature stages. Stingless bees are most commonly munched, with wasps a distant second. Bee brood (bees still in egg, larval, or pupal form tucked away in hive cells) taste like peanuts or almonds. Wasps, some say, have a pine-nutty flavor.

JVA InterpNews

49

4. Ants You're probably thinking that it takes a lot of ants to make a meal. True. But they pack a punch: 100 grams of red ant (one of thousands of ant species) provide some 14 grams of protein (more than eggs), nearly 48 grams of calcium, and a nice hit of iron, among other nutrients. nutrients. All that in less than 100 calories. Plus, they're low in carbs.

5. Grasshoppers, Crickets, and Locusts Grasshoppers and their ilk are the most consumed type of insect, probably because they're simply all over the place and they're easy to catch. There are a lot of different kinds, and they're a great protein source. The hoppers have a neutral flavor, so they y pick up other flavors nicely. Cricket curry, anyone? Meanwhile, locusts move in swarms that devastate vegetation in countries where people are already struggling to eat—one eat of several reasons to turn them into dinner.

6. Flies and Mosquitoes Not as popular ular as some of the others, these insects insects—including including edible termites and, yes, lice—still lice have a place at some tables. Flies that develop on various types of cheese take on the flavor of their host, and the species from water habitats may taste like duck or fish.

7. Water Boatmen and Backswimmers Easy to cultivate and harvest, these cosmopolitan little guys deposit eggs on the stems of aquatic plants, in both freshwater and saltwater environments—even environments even in stagnant water. The eggs can be dried and shaken from the plants to make Mexican caviar (tastes like shrimp), or eaten eaten fresh for their fishy flavor.

8. Stinkbugs If you can get past the funky smell, these insects apparently add an apple flavor to sauces and are a valuable source of iodine. They're also known own to have anesthetic and analgesic properties. Who would have thought?

My favorite places for bugs.

I have a few favorite places to order my edibles: In a recent order from: http://www.bizarrefood.com/ediblehttp://www.bizarrefood.com/edible insects-bugs - I received:

- Sago Worms - Silkworm Pupae - Jungle Trail mix (giant water bugs, diving beetle and of course Asian Forest Scorpions.)

S - One can of cicadas.

- One can of zebra tarantulas - One can of mixed pupae.

- One can of chocolate covered silkworms silkworms.

JVA InterpNews

50

If you're ready to try some unique interpretive experiences for your next forest walk, and also to interpret an important cultural story as well, give bugs a try.

So when you're on your next walk in the forest or beach and the bugs start to bother you... don't just swat them ..... eat them!

Other website for bug eaters: - https://www.amazon.com (search for edible insects).

- https://www.edibleinsects.com/ - https://www.teachersource.com/category/biologycandy?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Biology%2FLife%20Science&utm_term=edible %20insects&utm_content=Insect%20Candy - https://www.thailandunique.com/edible-insects-bugs John Veverka Director The Heritage Interpretation Training Center www.heritageinterp.com You can bug me at: jvainterp@aol.com

JVA InterpNews

51

Nature Bullet Journaling Kelli Parke Four Rivers Environmental Education Center Channahon, Illinois, USA

What is a Bullet Journal?

A Bullet Journal is a way to organize your life. It is a tool to help you collect all of your lists and put them in one location. It also provides a system to make it easy to keep up with all your lists. Bullet Journaling was created by Ryder Carroll. He sees Bullet Journaling as an ever evolving practice that can be adapted to best suit your needs. Find out more information here about Bullet Journaling: http://bulletjournal.com/ Bullet Journal Basics Bullet Journals consist of a few basic features, which include an index, daily logs and bullets. Bullet lists highlight information with rapid logging. Rapid logging is a form of quick writing. Bullets can be divided up by tasks, events, or observations and may contain signifiers of priority. The most important thing to know is that Bullet Journaling is completely adaptable. Bullet Journaling can be revised to what is most useful for each person. There are multiple ways people use Bullet Journaling. (Look on http://pinterest.com for more ideas on Bullet Journaling.)

Standard Bullet Journal Parts Defined  The Notebook o You begin with a blank notebook or journal. One that is not too big that it won’t be easily carried and not too small that there aren’t enough pages. The first thing you do with your Bullet Journal is number the pages.  Index o The Index is the guide of your journal. Therefore, it is located at the beginning. It keeps track of and organizes the notes and logsthat are in following pages of your Bullet Journal. o The Index states what is in your journal and what items are on specific page numbers. It states: “January Daily Log 6-15”, which means your daily observations for January is from pages 615. Check out Picture A for an example of a Bullet Journal index. 

Daily Log o This is where you can put your daily nature observations. You would use bullets or signifiers to indicate different observations. Look at Picture B for an example of a Daily Log.

JVA InterpNews

52

Picture A (left) and picture B, right photo. 

Bullets or Signifiers o Bullets or signifiers are symbols located at the beginning of your rapid logging statements.

These statements are not complete sentences. Rapid logging is composed of short statements or topics. This method can aide in keeping in the habit of journaling. journaling.

How can it help with phenology?

Phenology is the study of the changing of seasons, specifically the changes in nature. A modified Bullet Journal or a section of your Bullet Journal can help you keep track of phenology. When you study phenology, a lot of what is noted is the first time something is observed. For example, you may record the first red-winged red black bird, skunk cabbage or hepatica which signifies the change from winter to spring. (Those are all indicators of spring in the Midwest United nited States.) It can help with phenology by organizing your observations in an easily readable and searchable format from one year to the next.

How is Bullet Journaling helpful?

This can be helpful if you want to keep track of natural happenings fro from m year to year. Identifying what was the first sighting of an organism for the year can be interesting and useful when seasons change.

How is Bullet Journaling helpful?

This can be helpful if you want to keep track of natural happenings from year to yyear. Identifying what was the first sighting of an organism for the year can be interesting and useful when seasons change

JVA InterpNews

53

How can it help with phenology?

Phenology is the study of the changing of seasons, specifically the changes in nature. A modified Bullet Journal or a section of your Bullet Journal can help you keep track of phenology. When you study phenology, a lot of what is noted is the first time something is observed. For example, you may record the first red-winged black bird, skunk cabbage or hepatica which signifies the change from winter to spring. (Those are all indicators of spring in the Midwest United States.) It can help with phenology by organizing your observations in an easily readable and searchable format from one year to the next.

How is Bullet Journaling helpful?

This can be helpful if you want to keep track of natural happenings from year to year. Identifying what was the first sighting of an organism for the year can be interesting and useful when seasons change.

Look at Picture B on the previous page for an example of a Bullet Journal. As with any nature journaling recording the date, time, and weather is encouraged. A signifier is used to highlight something of note. For example I put a small triangle to highlight the location and a wavy line for the weather. I put a circled B, as a signifier, next to a bird sighting and could add a circled P for a plant observation. I use my bullet journal to help me plan my nature programs from year to year. What did I observe on July 24 last year? Which birds or plants did I see on that date? Or if I want to do an insect program this year, when did I hear katydids at night last year? I can look back at my Bullet Journal and search for what I observed from year to year.

Journaling can be overwhelming. With Bullet Journaling, observations can be easily noted, organized and can be searchable from year to year.

Kelli Parke, CIG Interpretive Naturalist 1 Four Rivers Environmental Education Center 25055 W Walnut Lane Channahon, IL 60410 P: 815.722.9486 F: 815-521-2883 kparke@fpdwc.org

JVA InterpNews

54

We’ll do the content ourselves…

Dan Boys runs audiotrails.co.uk Dan is also a InterpNEWS Assoc. Editor.

Do non-interpreters overlook the art, skill and time required to create good content? Dan Boys from Audio Trails argues that it may come down to growing confidence and shrinking budgets.

Over the last few years I have noticed something of a trend at work: more and more clients want to provide and curate their own digital content.

I don’t have an issue with this per-se; there are plenty of talented people out there who can write fantastic interpretive text and work wonders with a camera. Sometimes I am struck by the quality.

We’ve recently finished a project in the Forest of Dean. The client supplied a series of over twenty animated gifs for inclusion in the Hidden Heritage of the Dean app. The images seamlessly fade from historical photos (some 120 years old) to perfect modern day reproductions. These accurate match-ups took months to produce.

Firstly our client had to identify the footprints of the original photographer before shooting a replica. Due to differences between the camera lenses used now and then, the images then needed tweaking in Photoshop to enable the seamless fade from old to new.

House now and then: one of HiddenHeritage’s animated gifs in mid-fade © Mark Ward

JVA InterpNews

55

Underestimating the job Unfortunately, I have found that this example is the exception rather than the rule. I think it is fair to say that most people do not appreciate how long it takes to bring high quality interpretive content together; the Forest of Dean team of volunteers had themselves massively underestimated the time resources required and were quite fatigued by the end of the project.

Arguably, we have noticed this trend because we have shifted from being solely content creators - until 2010 we focused almost solely on producing audio trails - to offering app software. Apps themselves are a vehicle for delivering content but this issue goes deeper and I suspect the following two reasons play a major role: 1) People feel far more confident about making and curating their own digital media than they did just a few years ago 2) The content is seen of as something that can be done in-house to save a bit of money, whereas app development is far more tricky and therefore out-sourced to external companies to deliver Less is more But what every interpreter will impress on you is that ‘content is king’. You can’t just chuck a few words on a page, snap a few photos on a dull day and use your iPad to record an interview with someone in a noisy room and think you’ve done your job - yes, we’ve seen all of these!

At the other end of the spectrum we have some clients who are so passionate about their subject that they will inevitably try and include everything hing they can, without realising that this overload of information will turn many people off. With a bit of guidance, clients are quite happy to except that ‘less is more’. However, it is a very hard discipline to execute well.

Create a souvenir photo on Ayr Through the Ages and replace Robert Burns face with your own (left). The MK Trails app has a good mix of thoughtful content for each place of interest (right)

JVA InterpNews

56

Early on I was told to make every word, photograph and second of audio/video earn it’s place. Question the content you have chosen to include time and time again and then leave it to stew. Invariably, once you return after a leave of absence you will wonder why you’ve included some of it, and further trimming can take place.

Put yourself in the shoes of your target audience. Test it out on them.

Remember, the content needs to grab the end user, inspire and engage them. It needs to swiftly enhance their experience which in turn will encourage them to further explore the site and app.

Interpretive writing is an art I’ve been producing interpretative content for 15 years and still learning. I will often revisit old course notes and learn from what others have done well to refresh myself on those little techniques that can make content come alive and grab the visitor.

And when I read a particularly beautiful sentence from a novel I add it to a document on my laptop for later inspiration, such as this one from Tess of the Durbervilles: “The quick-silvery glaze on the rivers and pools vanished; from broad mirrors of light they changed to lustreless sheets of lead, with a surface like a rasp.” Nice!

Connecting people and place Our Places and Trails app software connects people with place. Each Place page we have on an app doesn’t need to contain chapter and verse just because the page will scroll endlessly. When clients choose to supply their own content we try and encourage clients to break down their content; treat each page as an interpretation panel - a panel with a maximum of 150 words, some pictures, plus some audio.

Less is more: 18 words can say a lot! Magna SteelosGallery”© Audio Trails Ltd

JVA InterpNews

57

the screen and listen as they explore the place of interest with their feet and eyes. A mix of sound-bite media will assist in the various ways people learn and consume content Adding questions and activities is a simple way to enliven the text further, and through apps we can add all manner of exciting functionality to make that content fly in ways we couldn’t have imagined just a few years ago.

Dumbing down?

There is of course the concern that you may be accused of dumbing down your interpretation, but you will have already assussed who your key audiences are and carefully targeted the content at them. As previously mentioned, in our apps we often contain links to further reading for those who want to learn more - websites can be a perfect receptacle for those bits that have been left on the cutting room floor.

The bottom line is to treat content like your own children. Give it all the love and attention you can muster.

Devote lots of time to it and in due course it will reward you when it flies the nest and becomes part of the wider community. You can then look upon it like a proud parent and pat yourself on the back for a good job done.

Bio Dan Boys runs audiotrails.co.uk, a digital interpretation consultancy delivering audio trails and location-aware (native and web) app software,pike_house.jpg) danboys@audiotrails.co.uk,

JVA InterpNews

58

InterpNEWS Marketplace

Kaser Design

InterpNEWS is now offers advertising for interpretive services and media. If you'd like to advertise with InterpNEWS let me know and we can send you our advertising information so you too can reach our 300,000 IN recipients in 60 countries. http://heritageinterp.com/interpnews_advertising_details.html

Advertisers in this issue: Creative Edge MasterShop iZone Imaging Taylor Studios Inc. Kaser Design Museum Study Heritage Interpretation Training Center John Veverka & Associates Plas tan y Bwlch (Snowdonia National Park Training Center) Wales, UK

JVA InterpNews

59

InterpNEWS reaches more interpreters, government agencies, organizations, universities and related heritage sites than anyone, over 300K in 60 countries. A great publication to write for and advertise with, eh? http://www.heritageinterp.com/interpnews_advertising_details.html jvainterp@aol.com

JVA InterpNews

60

61

JVA InterpNews

JVA InterpNews

62

Do you need an Interpretive Plan for your historic site, park, zoo, botanical garden or heritage site or attraction?

If you do, put our 40 years of interpretive planning and training experience to work for you.

We can help you with three options: 1. John Veverka can do your interpretive planning project for you (send us your RFP); 2. Act as a interpretive coach to your interpretive planning team; 3. Provide interpretive training courses for your staff in how to develop an interpretive master plan in a hands-on workshop setting or on-line.

Visit our web site for our current and recent interpretive projects and services and our credentials specifically in interpretation. We also offer our interpretive planning and training services internationally with recent projects in Lithuania, Budapest Hungary and Mexico.

Some of our current recent projects: Arab American National Museum. JVA has been contracted to provide a program for visitor research studies and exhibition evaluation needs assessment for a new museum exhibition program. Services will also include consultation on interpretive exhibit planning and design based on the survey research outcomes, and focus workshop theme and objectives development. The project will run from March - June 2017.

Barksdale Global Power Museum (Air Force Museum). JVA has the pleasure of sub-contracting to Kaser Design to provide an interpretive planning focus workshop and interpretive planning for developing new exhibits for this important military museum. You can visit this museum at: http://barksdaleglobalpowermuseum.com/.

Clemson University Interpretive Plan. ( Sep 2016) JVA began working on a unique and exciting project, developing an interpretive plan for Clemson University Campus. We completed a 3-day intensive focus workshop session to determine the main interpretive theme, objectives and storyline flow and completed the final working draft for the interpretive master plan. The project is scheduled for completion in March 2017.

John Veverka & Associates and The Center for Interpretive Planning Advancement & Excellence. www.heritageinterp.com http://www.heritageinterp.com/the_center_for_interpretive_planning_adva ncement_.html jvainterp@aol.com

JVA InterpNews

63

Looking for Interpretive Training Courses to expand your expertise and help with new or ongoing projects? http://www.heritageinterp.com/interpretive_training_center_ course_catalogue_.html jvainterp@aol.com

The Heritage Interpretation Training Center offers 37 college level courses in heritage interpretation. Start the course any time and work on the course at your own pace. All courses are offered on-line via our e-Live program where you correspond with and send assignments to your interpretive coach.

We also offer our courses live to be presented at your site for your organization staff or regional interpretive training - from one-day seminars to 5-day courses. All courses award certificates of completion and CEU credits. $800.00/day of training. Ask for details.

Some of our most popular courses. Cut and paste the link to visit that courses web site page for complete course content.

Introduction to Heritage Interpretation Course. 14 Units - 2 CEU credits. $150.00 http://www.heritageinterp.com/introduction_to_heritage_interpretation_course.html Planning/Designing Interpretive Panels e-LIVE Course - 10 Units awarding 1.5 CEU Credits $125.00 http://www.heritageinterp.com/interpretive_panels_course.html Planning Interpretive Trails e-LIVE Course - 13 Units - 2.5 CEU Credits $200.00 http://www.heritageinterp.com/interpretive_trails_course.html Interpretive Writing e-LIVE Course - 8 Units and 2 CEU Credits $200.00 http://www.heritageinterp.com/interpretive_writing_course.html Interpretive Master Planning - e-LIVE. 13 Units, 3 CEU Credits. $275.00 http://www.heritageinterp.com/interpretive_master_planning_course.html

Interpretive planning course (Forest Service), Interpretive trails course, and US Army Corps of Engineers Interpretive Services Course.

64

JVA InterpNews Do you want to start your own Interpretive Consulting Business - Know How? These courses may help. http://www.heritageinterp.com/interpretive_training_center_ course_catalogue_.html Over the past year I have chatted with lots of folks thinking of retiring from their interpretive jobs and starting their own consulting business, or younger folks wanting to start their own tour guiding business. So we've created a few courses to help you think through this process and avoid common errors in starting your own interpretive business.

Planning and developing a new commercial tour guiding business.

This course is designed to help folks who want to start an interpretive tour guiding business get a focused and good business planning start. 17 Units, 3 CEU Credits, Course Tuition - $500.00 www.heritageinterp.com/planning_and_developing_a_new_commercial_tour_guid.html How to use interpretation to make a profit and grow a commercial heritage tourism business for resorts, cruise ships, campgrounds and tourism sites. 15 Units - 3 CEU Credits, Tuition: $700.00 www.heritageinterp.com/developing_commercial_interpretation_for_resorts_.html

An Interpreters Guide for Survival Economics or Proving your economic value and benefits to your agency during funding cuts, and keeping your job. 10 Units, 1.5 CEU Credits Tuition $300.00. www.heritageinterp.com/an_interpreters_guide_for_survival_economics.html

Developing Marketing Plans for Heritage Interpretation & Tourism Sites and Attractions. 12 Units, 4 CEU's $300.00

http://www.heritageinterp.com/developing_marketing_plans_for_heritate__tourism_.html

Heritage Interpretation Training Center http://www.heritageinterp.com/interpretive_t raining_center_ course_catalogue_.html

2016 Tour guide training course - Lithuania. Dec, 2016. John V. with some of the participants.

jvainterp@aol.com

JVA InterpNews

65

Online Professional Development.

MuseumStudy.com At Museum Study our mission is to help you build a better cultural institution and be a stronger member of the team that carries out the mission of your institution.

To accomplish this we provide online professional development courses on a broad range of topics important for running a cultural institution including; Administration, Exhibits & Public Programming, Facilities Management, Collections Management, and Collection Preservation & Care. Our goal is to help you develop policies, procedures and programs to increase your institutions management and operations success.

New museum courses for 2017.

For more information on these courses click the links below or visit our schedule page to see what other courses are coming in the months ahead. http://www.museumstudy.com/courses/course-schedule/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 10, 2017

June, 2017

AASHL ď€ Project Management for History Professionals.

Social Relevance: Environmental Sustainability in Museums.

May 1, 2017

June, 2017

- Storage Techniques - Policies for Managing Collections - Interpretive Planning for Historic Homes and

Emergency preparedness

Gardens

May 22, 2017

Visit our website for more details and registration information for each of these courses.

AASLH Basics of Archives.

For more information on our courses visit the course schedule on MuseumStudy.com.

66

Interpretive Master Planning Course 10th – 13th October 2017 Plas tan y Bwlch (Snowdonia National Park Training Center, Wales, UK). http://www.eryri-npa.gov.uk/study-centre

Join Interpretive Planner/Trainer and author Prof. John Veverka for his 2017 Interpretive Master Planning Course at Plas tan y Bwlch. John will provide training/coaching in developing new state-of-the art interpretive planning documents and strategies for parks, gardens, zoos, historic homes, heritage sites, museums and facilities to include: * Experience based interpretive planning. * Experience inventories and visitor psychology. * Planning for "markets of one" and "outcome based interpretation". * Financial aspects of interpretive planning - what things cost and budget phasing. * The Model of Interpretive Planning * Interpretive plan content - planning forms. * New interpretive media options and old ones that still work. * Interpretive writing overview for labels and panels. * Objectives of the interpretive plan and how it will be used. * Marketing aspects of interpretive planning for audience development and market creation. * Developing marketing plans as part of interpretive plans. * Using interpretive plans for grant applications. * Cost/contact and cost effectiveness - making interpretation successful.

JVA InterpNews

67

This is a very hands-on course and participants are asked to bring an interpretive planning project with them to work on during the course. One-on-one consultation on your project will be provided by Prof. Veverka. Leave with a good draft of your interpretive plan with postcourse follow up via SKYPE and e-mail available with the course instructor. The course is limited to 15 participants to allow maximum contact time with the instructor.

Course Instructor: Prof. John Veverka. John is a certified interpretive planner and trainer and author with 35 years of interpretive planning and teaching/coaching experience. John is the author of several interpretive planning text books, of which e-book copies will be available to participants as part of the course fee as well as an interpretive planning resource CD. John is the author of: - Interpretive Master Planning - Strategies for the New Millennium - Interpretive Master Planning - Philosophy, Theory and Practice.

-The Interpretive Trainers Handbook -Advanced Interpretive Planning -The Interpretive Trails Book - Publisher of InterpNEWS - the international heritage interpretation e-magazine. http://www.heritageinterp.com/interpnews.html You are invited to visit John's web site: www.heritageinterp.com.

For course registration details and costs and to be placed on the course mailing list for more details, please contact the course manager at Plas tan y Bwlch, Andrew R J Oughton at: Andrew.Oughton@eryri-npa.gov.uk (Tel.: 01766 772600). For course content details please feel free to contact John Veverka at: jvainterp@aol.com