Wildlife interpretation

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Interpretive panels are hard to do well. In fact I think they are possibly the hardest interpretive medium to master. Panels need to be very carefully planned in order to get the best value from the couple of pictures and limited number of words they can carry. These panels in Mount Field National Park, Tasmania […]

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Opening places to the public and creating interesting days out is hard work – and now I have the blisters to prove it! This year’s Farm Open Day at my brother’s award-winning Norfolk farm begins in 35 minutes. We, and especially he, worked late last night. He had worked for many days before that to […]

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I like and admire a country that sets a minimum population size for its large carnivores. Sweden does this for bear, wolf, wolverine and lynx. This of course is contentious, especially among people whose livelihoods and way of life are threatened the transhumance farmers whose animals graze wild in summer and the Sami reindeer herders. […]

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What makes a guided interpretive experience exceptional? I suspect that Marcus from Wild Sweden has spent much of the the last ten years thinking about that. He has certainly found some answers. We went on a ‘Moose Safari’ with him two nights ago. It was hugely enjoyable, informative and rewarding. Marcus made it all look […]

Heritage interpretation lessons from Stockholm (2)

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I set out yesterday in search of Swedish artists – about whom I was impressively ignorant – and of five interpretation pointers I could write about here (see yesterday’s post). It turns out that are not five pointers today. Just one big five times over – Take time to enjoy the things you love. Inspire, delight and  and educate […]

Focus on first time visitors – is the first time the worst?

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If the first time really is the worst, why would we ever do it again? Smoking , sex, whiskey, going into a bird hide or a stately home can all be a bit of a shock first time around.  It gets better when know what to expect, know what you like and can make it […]

Warning – wildlife interpretation can be even harder than I said last time

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In two previous posts (here and here) I have discussed some of the differences between wildlife and historical interpretation. But there is an elephant in the room … … I believe many wildlife interpreters have much more emotionally invested in their work than historical interpreters. In short, they want what they do to save the […]

Why wildlife interpretation is harder work than historical interpretation

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A little while ago, I asked the question ‘which is easier, wildlife or historical interpretation?’ That’s a difficult question. It made me think. Now I have an answer, but not the one I expected. I work in and train people in both wildlife and historical interpretation. I enjoy both and I think there are some […]

A simple idea, made beautifully

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When we really believe the things we have share are beautiful and valuable it makes a difference to how we share them.  Or, to put it another way, the way we present activities or information carries implicit messages about how much it matters … to us and therefore, by implication, to the visitor. We were […]

Conservation communication – show your love (feat. Gotye and Futerra)

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Last weekend I ran a workshop for the VINE (Values in the Natural Environment) Project, a small and rather lovely organisation, on communicating conservation messages to the wider public. Specifically, how we could do it better. I played this at the start to remind us all, what we seem to be getting wrong.  Thanks to Gotye […]