Archive for July, 2009

Evaluating MinnAqua’s Fishing: Get in the Habitat! Leader’s Guide

By
Legacy
Published: July 25, 2009Posted in: ResearchTags: , , ,

by Julie Athman Ernst

Ernst1Recognizing that recreational fishing and hunting can create strong connections to the environment and that youth involvement in fishing and hunting is declining, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) developed the Fishing: Get in the Habitat! MinnAqua Leader’s Guide for educators in formal and nonformal education settings. The guide aims to increase students’ understanding of Minnesota fish, aquatic resources, and resource management; involve students in aquatic-related service learning projects; and connect students to their local aquatic resources through the recreational activity of angling.

The guide is organized into six chapters: 1. Aquatic Habitats, 2. Minnesota Fish, 3. Water Stewardship, 4. Fish Management, 5. Fishing Equipment and Skills, and 6. Safety and the Fishing Trip. MinnAqua intends for educators to use the guide by selecting one lesson per chapter, along with implementing a fishing trip and an aquatic-based service-learning project. While MinnAqua has distributed the guide primarily through workshops, educators can also request the guide by mail.

Due to the amount of time and money invested into the guide, MinnAqua wanted to know whether program outcomes were being achieved. MinnAqua also was interested in data that could inform decisions relating to future dissemination of the guide, training workshops, and follow-up support. Here’s what we learned through an evaluation conducted in response to those needs:

Assessment of Dissemination Methods
About three-fourths of the respondents received the guide through a MinnAqua workshop; workshops ranged from one to eight hours. Respondents’ rated the workshop overall as effective. Workshop effectiveness was significantly related to length of workshop, with those attending longer workshops rating the workshop as more effective. Effectiveness of the workshop in motivating educators to want to use the guide was also significantly related to length, with those attending longer workshops rating it as more effective in motivating them to want to use the guide.

There were mixed reactions as to whether the workshop should be required; some felt it necessary and the best dissemination approach, while others thought it wasn’t needed. About half of the respondents who had attended a workshop indicated they would have been motivated to access the guide from a website without participating in the workshop, and three-fourths indicated they would have been able to use the guide without the workshop.

While many indicated knowing the underlying purpose of the guide, none of the respondents were able to fully state its purpose. Further, almost all of the respondents thought the guide was to be implemented in whatever way best fit their educational needs (as opposed to MinnAqua’s intention of one activity per chapter, plus a fishing trip and service project). Respondents’ understanding of both the purpose of the guide and how the guide is to be implemented was not related to how they obtained the guide.

Assessment of Implementation
About one-third of respondents indicated they had used some part of the guide. Use was not related to how respondents obtained the guide or to their perceptions as to the effectiveness of the dissemination method in general or the effectiveness of the workshop. Use also was not related to respondents’ understanding of the purpose of the guide or their understanding of how MinnAqua intends it to be implemented. Further, use was not related to whether respondents encountered or anticipated encountering obstacles. Regarding follow-up, two-thirds of respondents indicated support would encourage their general use of the guide, requesting assistance particularly in the areas of implementing the fishing trip and service-learning project.

Assessment of Program Outcomes
When educators implemented the guide in the way MinnAqua intended (one activity per chapter, the fishing trip, and the service-learning project), short-term program outcomes generally were achieved. Students’ knowledge about aquatic habitats, Minnesota fish, and fish management increased, as did their procedural knowledge of and skills in water stewardship and fishing and their science process skills. Students’ awareness of the roles the DNR and Minnesota citizens play in conservation also were increased. While awareness of local aquatic issues increased, there appears to be room for additional awareness-building, as generally low levels of awareness were suggested by post-test scores. Because instructors were directed to implement one activity per chapter, it could be that implementing multiple activities could result in stronger increases of awareness, knowledge, and skills.

Third- and fourth-grade students participate in a MinnAqua fishing trip.

Third- and fourth-grade students participate in a MinnAqua fishing trip.

Students seemed to appreciate Minnesota’s aquatic resources, were aware of the need for natural resource conservation, and appeared interested in fishing prior to their participation in the guide. Thus, while MinnAqua can’t attribute participation in the guide to these outcomes, perhaps these dispositions make the guide more appealing to students and contribute to the building of other understandings and skills.

Recommendations for MinnAqua

  • Use multiple forms of dissemination for the guide. Results suggested there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to dissemination of the guide. Some respondents thought they needed the training workshop, and others didn’t. Further, whether respondents used the guide was not related to how they obtained it; thus, there doesn’t appear to be one method of dissemination that is clearly best when the goal is use of the guide.
  • Disseminate the guide through workshops when the aim is motivating instructors to use it. While actual use did not appear to be related to whether or not participants had attended a workshop, motivation to use the guide may likely be related to use. Workshops seemed to be successful in motivating instructors to use the guide, but not as useful in helping instructors learn to use it, as respondents felt they would have been able to use it without a workshop.
  • When using workshops as a form of dissemination, offer workshops that are of longer duration. Those who attended longer workshops (between four and eight hours) rated the workshop as more effective than those attending shorter workshops (less than four hours). If MinnAqua invests in workshops, the workshops need to be longer rather than brief, introductory sessions for participants to perceive the workshop as effective, and in particular, effective in motivating them to want to use the guide. Longer workshops also may reduce participants’ feelings of being rushed and provide an opportunity to explore more of the guide.
  • Emphasize overall purpose of the guide in whatever dissemination method is used. MinnAqua invested much effort in determining this purpose and wants to make sure this purpose is being achieved. Thus, while educators appear to be able to implement the guide without knowing MinnAqua’s purpose for it, making sure educators understand the purpose seems important from MinnAqua’s perspective.
  • Merge the intent behind follow-up support (encouraging use of the guide) with the use of workshops for guide dissemination. Many of the suggestions for follow-up support were topics that could be addressed through a dissemination workshop. For example, workshop leaders could provide time and assistance during the workshop for incorporating activities into lesson plans, locating equipment, brainstorming service project ideas, identifying community partners or local angling experts, etc. Or the guide could be disseminated by mail or electronically, with MinnAqua offering workshops as a form of follow-up support instead of as the avenue for dissemination.

Implications for the Interpretive Community
What does this mean for the interpretive community and the programs we develop to foster resource stewardship? This evaluation provides further evidence of the potential of youth-based programming in efforts toward resource conservation. Through its activities, fishing trip, and service-learning project, the guide aims toward short-term goals of awareness, appreciation, knowledge, and skills. In turn, these short-term outcomes influence medium-term outcomes, such as skill development in issue investigation and participation in fishing, which in turn contribute to the long-term outcomes of participation in local communities as informed decision makers, stewards of aquatic resources, and responsible, life-long participation in recreational fishing.

Since these underlying program assumptions are supported by research literature, we might assume the guide is achieving the ultimate goal of resource conservation. On the other hand, this chain of outcomes illustrates a challenge inherent in our educational or interpretive efforts toward resource stewardship. Often our more significant behavioral goals are assumed to follow, and instead we focus on the short-term outcomes that are more easily emphasized in our programs and materials and measured in evaluation. At some point we need to ask, for example, if our goal is increasing youth involvement in fishing, how can our programs actually get kids fishing? Or if our goal is resource stewardship, how can our programs get kids participating as stewards of the resources around them?

In MinnAqua’s case, Minnesota youth may already appreciate their aquatic resources, be aware of the need for natural resource conservation, and have an interest in fishing—outcomes that are often targeted in our interpretive and educational efforts. MinnAqua may need to reconsider these outcomes. For example, are there barriers that intervene between children’s interest in fishing and the actual behavior of recreational fishing? Perhaps the guide could address those barriers, and a desired program outcome instead might be reducing barriers to youth participation in fishing or getting teachers who aren’t inclined toward fishing to use the guide, rather than inspiring an interest in fishing.

A second implication relates to the incongruence between the implementation MinnAqua intended and educators’ tendency to implement the guide in whatever way suits their needs. This challenge is familiar to many nonformal environmental educators. While some implementation is probably preferable to no implementation, it is unlikely that the desired outcomes (and ultimately resource conservation) will be achieved when implementation is limited to an activity or two, or if implementation is something other than deliberate and sequential. On the other hand, teachers generally are more likely to use a curriculum that is “flexibly adaptive,” a curriculum that allows for teachers to adapt it to their needs and classroom context. Consequently, the following questions may be worth considering as you begin the program development process:

  • How can we design programs in which a variety of forms of implementation can lead to the desired results?
  • How can we design programs so that ideal implementation is feasible for intended users?
  • How can we support users in ideal implementation of the programs we develop?
  • How can we develop programs that encourage deliberate, purposeful use rather than a less-focused, pick-and-choose approach, or do teachers not even want such a structured program?

A final implication is a reinforcement of the value of program evaluation. Much time, effort, and resources were invested into the initial development of the guide and its revision. Through this evaluation, MinnAqua has a more clear understanding of the benefits of that investment, as well as data necessary for sound decision-making relating to future dissemination. And while not a primary purpose for this evaluation, the results of this evaluation can be useful in marketing of the program, as well as for being accountable to stakeholders.

For More Information
Fishman, B. & Krajcik, J. (2003). What does it mean to create more sustainable science curriculum innovations? A commentary. Science Education, 87(4), 564-573.

Acknowledgements
This evaluation was funded by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The author wishes to gratefully acknowledge the assistance of MinnAqua staff, and in particular Jenifer Matthees, as well as the Minnesota educators and program leaders and their students who participated in the evaluation.

Julie Athman Ernst, Ph.D., is an associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. Contact her at jernst@d.umn.edu or 218-726-6761. For a copy of the final evaluation report, which contains a logic model, evaluation questions, instruments, and results, visit www.mndnr.gov/minnaqua.

Weasels, a Downturned Economy, and Your Exhibit Dollar

By
Legacy
Published: July 19, 2009Posted in: Planning & DesignTags: , , , ,

by Pete Salmon

PeteSalmonA bat fell to the ground and was quickly snatched up by a weasel. The bat pleaded for his life. The weasel was having none of it, stating, “I am a natural enemy of all birds, therefore I must eat you!” The bat, thinking quickly, replied, “But I am not a bird, I am a mouse.” Somehow the weasel was convinced, and he set the bat free.

Later that same day, the clumsy bat fell to the ground once again. The bat was quickly snatched up by another weasel. The bat pleaded for his life. The weasel was having none of it, stating, “I am a natural enemy of all mice, therefore I must eat you!” The bat, in a practiced fashion replied, “But I am not a mouse at all, I am a bird.” Somehow, this convinced the weasel and the bat escaped a second time.

The moral of “The Bat and the Weasels” fable: It is wise to make the best of your current circumstances.

Could a timeless classic like Aesop’s Fables still inform us today? Could it possibly guide us in our current economic climate? I consulted Aesop’s Fables when debating the wisdom of investing in exhibits in our prevailing economic atmosphere. I was surprised at the common sense direction the fables provided.

Below are five suggestions for those contemplating exhibit expenditures, all pulled from the morals of Aesop’s Fables.

The Lion and the Three Bulls
Union is strength.

Exhibit design and fabrication employs teamwork. Every exhibit team (composed of clients, stakeholders, and consultants) incorporates the skills of numerous specialists. A cost-savings practice for contractees is to evaluate their team members and utilize their abilities to complete tasks normally reserved for exhibit designers and builders. For instance, a site’s stakeholders might have aptitude for research, photography, text writing, prepping the exhibit room, or building basic exhibit furniture. Each task performed by stakeholders is one less task accounted for in your exhibit consultant’s budget.

The Hare and the Tortoise
Slow but steady wins the race.

“We have been waiting for 12 years to start this project.” Sound familiar? A site’s stakeholders, waiting patiently for upgrades, are usually anxious to move ahead. However, there is another perspective to waiting so long for progress—if project progress has taken so long, what is the harm in waiting a bit longer? If there is little to no harm, perhaps phasing a project is a viable option. Exhibit plans can be segmented or phased into stages for development. Not all exhibits allow for this option; however, many do. Phasing a project allows immediate implementation of priority exhibits, while placing the remainder of the exhibits on hold. One downside of phasing is that it may be more expensive over the life of the project—phasing assumes more than one installation phase.

The Lioness
The value is in the worth, not in the number.

When budgeting an exhibit design and fabrication project, a substantial number of dollars is allocated to administrative costs, namely installation, shipping, project management, and travel. Of all these costs, the most variable is likely travel costs. Plane tickets, car rental, gas, and lodging are all budgeted expenses included in a contract price. These costs accumulate rapidly.

Every project needs quality face-to-face visits. However, it is a cost savings to choose these site visits wisely. Be certain to determine the most productive and beneficial points in the exhibit process for face-to-face meetings. Other considerations include: Can comparable progress be made through a conference call? Is there a low-cost technology application that allows team members to video conference? Can the exhibit firm post progress on a website? How can the exhibit firm enhance communication and involvement?

The Man and the Lion
One story is good, until another is told.

We all have been impressed by excellent exhibits that we see at someone else’s site. How often have coworkers insisted that this same “excellent exhibit” should be incorporated somewhere in your own facility? This is an example of a predetermined, preordained exhibit media choice. Predetermined media choices often hinder creativity and can often increase a budget. A variety of exhibit media choices can be considered (including the “excellent exhibit”) only after the exhibit themes are determined. Set media choices dampen the opportunity to devise equally effective and perhaps less expensive choices.

The Thirsty Pigeon
Zeal should not outrun discretion.

Today, it is vital to determine a realistic exhibit budget and hold to it. In order to do so, each project team should compile a list of exhibits, prioritizing each exhibit as a must-have or as a would-love-to-have. The goal here is to create a lean, prioritized, “point-on” exhibit with as little pork as possible. Initially, realistic budgeting can be uncomfortable. However, dream exhibits are even more fulfilling when they are designed and built well within the available budget.

In conclusion, I reference one last fable, one that occasionally and mistakenly is attributed to Aesop—Chicken Little. When acorns fell on Chicken Little’s head during her walk in the forest, she concluded the sky was falling. Chicken Little decides to use an umbrella on all her future forest walks. Chicken Little, in essence, makes the best of her circumstances. She uses an umbrella as protection from her environment. Discretion, planning, budgeting, and teamwork work as your umbrella, allowing you to see your exhibits through to the end…in any economy.

Pete Salmon, CIP, is an interpretive planner with NAI commercial member Taylor Studios, Inc. Reach him at psalmon@taylorstudios.com.

The Woodland Archives: Interpretive Uses of Arborglyphs

By
Legacy
Published: July 13, 2009Posted in: The FrontlineTags: , , , , ,

by Chris Worrell

Arborglyphs in a western aspen grove, including Miguel Carrika’s elegant signature. Courtesy of Hadlock & Potashin

Arborglyphs in a western aspen grove, including Miguel Carrika’s elegant signature. Courtesy of Hadlock & Potashin

Historical interpretation calls to mind costly costumes, elaborate demonstrations, and expensive tools and props. However, among the trees exists a form of history that is as simple and inexpensive as a walk in the woods. Arborglyphs are—as the name implies—names, dates, symbols, messages, and designs etched into the bark of a variety of trees, most notably aspens and beeches. The notion of celebrating glyphs may seem quite foreign to readers who have long equated tree carving with vandalism. However, many historical glyphs were created prior to widespread adoption of tree care standards, and in fact the carvings often predate area public land preservation initiatives. A number of programmers now recognize arborglyphs as valuable interpretive tools. Behind each carving is a story that can entertain and inspire, but also teach valuable lessons.

Whether created by explorers, surveyors, Native Americans, travelers, soldiers, or lovers, arborglyphs—historic and modern—are an expression of man’s relationship to the environment. Contemporary glyphs reflect a discomfort with long periods in nature. Such carvings are typically poorly planned, quickly rendered, and brutally hacked into the tree. (In many areas, tree “artists” have abandoned carving altogether, instead covering the bark with spray paint).

In contrast, carvers of old often worked their entire lives outdoors, maintained a familiarity with natural materials, and exhibited great skill with knives and other tools, and therefore, such carvers planned carefully, labored patiently, and used proper form. Historic carvers employed the scratch technique, which involves thin incisions that expand to reveal an artist’s intent over time. The use of the scratch technique helps distinguish historic arborglyphs from heavy-handed modern graffiti, which can, according to historian Andrew Gulliford, “damage or even destroy trees.” Because historic carvers relied on the environment in a direct manner, they understood that tree health was integral to the survival of the carving and possibly the survival of themselves and their families.

While arborglyphs are intriguing to most people, they also afford interpreters an opportunity to introduce other topics, including stewardship, threats to trees, environmental and historic preservation, and the legacies of various groups of people. Manzanar National Historic Site rangers Richard Potashin and Nancy Hadlock educate patrons about arborglyphs created by Basque herders during off-site programs that they offer on a volunteer basis at Mono Lake in California. The programs address immigration, aspen ecology, the overlooked role of sheepherders in Western history, the effects of grazing on the environment, and an array of other subjects. Above all, Potashin and Hadlock emphasize that the glyphs represent not just a carved name, but an actual person. Careful research allows the pair of glyphers to piece together stories of individuals who lived much of the year in solitude, but still managed to make friends, raise families, and leave a lasting mark on the landscape.

Like Hadlock and Potashin, Carol Pedersen works with aspen arborglyphs created by sheepherders. However, the herders Pedersen chronicles in southern Oregon are not only Basque, but also Irish. Pedersen became hooked on arborglyphs in 1997 when she participated in a documentation project as a Passport in Time (PIT) volunteer for the United States Forest Service. In the years since, she has published a biographical account of an Irish herder and won a Malcolm & Louise Loring grant to document carvings on Steens Mountain, while also presenting annual interpretive hikes that explore the historic glyphs. As an interpreter, Pedersen focuses on cultural aspects and individual lives, noting that the aspens constitute an outdoor library that contains data on men who may not appear in public records.

No single person has done more to document arborglyphs than Joxe Mallea-Olaetxe, who has photographed over 27,000 historic aspen carvings. However, he admits that his arborglyph images represent merely the tip of the iceberg. In 2000, Mallea released Speaking Through the Aspens: Basque Tree Carvings in California and Nevada. While a number of earlier writers surveyed arborglyphs, Mallea’s effort signified a turning point because he addressed tree carvings as a legitimate subject for in-depth historical inquiry.

Each year Mallea leads arborglyph hikes at a variety of locations in the Sierra Nevada range. While introducing program participants to arborglyphs, Mallea discusses Basque culture and history, and he describes the role that sheepherders played in sustaining miners (meat) and eastern industry (wool). He also notes that the names of most sheepherders do not appear on census schedules. Thus, the arborglyphs may be the only source that reveals information about the location and status of specific individuals at a certain point in history. Mallea estimates that 80 percent of the carvings he encounters include both a name and a date, and they often contain further information, along with symbols and artwork. While some of the glyphs are lighthearted, the herders also left serious messages about the Spanish Civil War, area law enforcement, and predators of sheep. Mallea has even discovered carvings related to killings, such as Nevada’s infamous Indian Massacre of 1911.

An LOL tree at Hach-Otis Nature Preserve in Ohio. This carving is a bit more ornate than was typical for trapper Lawrence Orr Linton. Photo by Chris Worrell

An LOL tree at Hach-Otis Nature Preserve in Ohio. This carving is a bit more ornate than was typical for trapper Lawrence Orr Linton. Photo by Chris Worrell

Far from the Sierra Nevada, Lake Metroparks in Ohio regularly features an interpretive program about an early 20th-century tree-carving trapper named Lawrence Orr Linton, whose initials (LOL) appear on more than a dozen area beech trees. Interpreters leading tours of “LOL trees” discuss not only Linton and his carvings, but also trapping, westward expansion, furbearers, beech-maple woodlands, and the relationship between man and nature. Linton created the glyphs as directionals and indicators of cached equipment and, like most historic carvers, he employed the scratch technique. Linton may have learned the technique from his mother who was, according to some sources, of Cherokee ancestry. Cherokee Indians are known for being the creators of countless tree carvings in the Southeast, particularly during the period in which Native Americans were forced west along the Trail of Tears.

Robert Shankland—renowned physicist, Einstein biographer, and former Linton trapping protégé—provided much of the information about Linton. Using Shankland’s memories and basic genealogical research, Lake Metroparks developed a profile of an outdoorsman who once enjoyed a life of relative privilege on the family farm near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but who left behind that life to eke out a bare-bones existence as a trapper in Ohio. Linton’s mysterious death (on the same day as his brother) only adds to the already intriguing tale. Nevertheless, interpreters in general should not feel compelled to invest an inordinate amount of time into research for an arborglyph program. Because historic tree carvings speak to the relationship between man and nature, and because they provide a wonderful opportunity to introduce related topics, research for arborglyph programs can be molded to meet time and budget considerations.

A fairly thorough knowledge of arborglyphs in general can be attained by simply reading works by Pedersen, Mallea, Gulliford, and James DeKorne. A bit of genealogical research can add color to a program. No matter the intended amount of research, libraries and the Internet both provide solid starting points.

“T.G.S. Hell’s Delight, July 4th, 1877” reads this Yosemite pine tree blaze. Smooth-barked trees were not always available, and therefore bark was sometimes removed prior to etching the wood. Courtesy of James Snyder

“T.G.S. Hell’s Delight, July 4th, 1877” reads this Yosemite pine tree blaze. Smooth-barked trees were not always available, and therefore bark was sometimes removed prior to etching the wood. Courtesy of James Snyder

Any program about arborglyphs should, of course, dissuade modern carvers. There are a number of arguments against contemporary tree carving. First, the rules of public lands generally dictate against carving. Second, while carvers of years past may not have even enjoyed easy access to paper, today we possess myriad outlets for creativity and communication. Third, trees now contend with a number of imported threats, and therefore we should avoid creating wounds that can be exploited by pests and pathogens. Finally, there are simply too many of us for everyone to carve a tree in our already diminished woodlands. Through education we can not only discourage modern carvings, but also encourage documentation and preservation of historic glyphs.

Arborglyphs provide a valuable material link to past lives, a link that cannot be experienced through mere words in a book. Historical figures who have created glyphs include Henry David Thoreau, Kit Carson, Ronald Reagan, and William Clark, while arborglyphs have been documented by Ansel Adams, 18th-century Moravian missionaries, and the Roman poet Virgil. Such tree carvings exist at the juncture of nature and history, thereby affording nearly limitless opportunities for interpretation. The woodland archives await; explore, document, learn, and teach.

For More Information
Gulliford, Andrew. (2007). Reading the Trees: Colorado’s Endangered Arborglyphs and Aspen Art. Colorado Heritage, Autumn.

Mallea-Olaetxe, Joxe. (2000). Speaking Through the Aspens: Basque Tree Carvings in California and Nevada. Reno: University of Nevada Press.

Chris Worrell works in interpretation for the National Park Service. Reach him at uitdenworrell@oh.rr.com.

Know Your Audience, Speak Their Language, and Get the Support You Need

By
Legacy
Published: July 7, 2009Posted in: AdministrationTags: , , , , ,

by Michael Kirschman

Budget being cut? Interpretive positions at your site being eliminated, or at risk of being eliminated? If so, welcome to the “new” economic reality—“new” only in the broadest sense of the word, as interpreters seem to face this dread on a yearly basis regardless of the economic climate. The fact is our services are usually not valued at the same level as mandated services such as police, fire, social services, and schools. Yet the open spaces we typically protect and interpret—nature preserves, forest preserves, conservation areas, parks, watershed properties—arguably provide a far greater return on investment than most realize.

According to Larry Beck and Ted Cable, interpretive programs must be capable of attracting support—financial, volunteer, political, administrative—whatever is needed for the program to flourish. This has never been truer, yet many of us wonder, “How can I, as a frontline interpreter or site manager, actually gain true, sustained political and administrative support?” One way is to learn and speak the language of your administrators and decision makers. In other words, “Know your audience!”

Plants are nature’s air filters, removing pollution and saving us money. This beechwood tree is found at Latta Plantation Nature Preserve.

Plants are nature’s air filters, removing pollution and saving us money. This beechwood tree is found at Latta Plantation Nature Preserve.

Arguably, never before has the need and desire by the public for natural areas, access to nature trails and facilities, and nature-based outdoor programming been so strong at both the local and national level. Yet, all too often these services are overlooked, forgotten about, and dismissed as being less important by those holding the purse strings. The justifications for mandated services have become so strong in some municipalities, we must ask, Does this hold up? Are the benefits of our programs and facilities truly that minimal? What are the true comprehensive benefits of our services? and Can these benefits be quantified?

Most decision makers want to make informed decisions. To do so, they need to have quantifiable data that stands up to public scrutiny. Unfortunately, all too often interpreters depend solely on anecdotal comments, visitation estimates, or vague “quality of life” innuendos to justify their services.

To assist decision makers in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, data was compiled on the environmental, economic, and health benefits of our nature preserves. Combined, these benefits provide a conservative five-to-one return on investment. Armed with this data, interpreters can now relate the “true value” of our preserves. Interpretive themes have also been developed to highlight benefits of specific nature preserves. For example, “Your community is healthier with nature next door” is the new thematic foundation for one preserve that protects our city’s drinking water. Following is a brief overview of the benefits and the associated values determined for Mecklenburg County nature preserves.

Water Quality Benefits
The benefits of protecting open space, tree canopy, and watersheds are extensive, as there are direct correlations to water quality. Even relatively impermeable forest soils, such as those found in Charlotte, can absorb a one-inch rainfall. Remove those trees and replace them with roads, parking lots, and roofs, and the same rainfall produces 27,000 gallons of runoff per acre.

A 2003 analysis found our preserves have a storm water retention capacity of 29 million cubic feet per year. Furthermore, this value can be conservatively estimated at $58 million, which equals a $2 per cubic foot of construction cost to build a facility capable of filtering this amount of storm water. This does not include yearly operating costs.

Air Quality Benefits
Urban forests reduce the effects of air pollution by removing carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, and particulate matter. Using City Green software, it was determined the trees within our nature preserves remove 458,000 pounds of pollution every year. This service can conservatively be estimated at $2,210,000 per year, based on a 2005 study for the city of Houston.

Economic Benefits: Increased Property Values, Tourism, and Direct Revenue
Although not well known (or interpreted), nature preserves provide significant economic benefits. The greatest of these derive from higher sale prices and higher property taxes via the “proximity effect,” or hedonic value. It results from the fact that people are willing to pay more for homes near parks, especially natural areas. The resulting higher sale price and associated taxes paid by an owner represent direct, immediate, and on-going economic returns. On average, properties adjacent to passive properties such as preserves experience a 20 percent increase in value. This declines to zero for properties 2,000 feet away. Using these estimates and public tax records, the adjacent 2,026 property owners and 3,146 nearby property owners living within just 1,000 feet of Mecklenburg County nature preserves provided an extra $1,181,878 to the tax base in 2008.

Tourism impacts can be calculated using local tourism spending data ($98.60/day) and preserve visitation data (75,000 tourists/year), which indicates the preserves contribute $7,395,000 in tourism every year. Additionally, revenues from programs, campground fees, shelter rentals, boat launch fees, and the nature center gift shops were approximately $230,000 in 2008. Combined, the economic impacts of the preserves exceed $8.8 million each year.

Health Benefits
Nature provides significant health benefits, one being stress reduction. According to Stress Directions, Inc., stress is recognized as a major drain on corporate productivity and competitiveness. Stress Directions, Inc., calculates that $300 billion, or $7,500 per employee, is spent annually on stress-related issues. Since over 100 studies find that spending time in nature reduces stress, it can be argued nature preserves and their facilities have a positive impact on the health of our residents. As mentioned in Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods, even rooms with a view of nature help protect children against stress. Researchers have found that children with more nature near their homes have lower levels of behavioral disorders, anxiety, and depression. Other fascinating studies clearly show the benefits even a view of nature or a walk in nature can have on the office worker. And of course it has long been known that hospital rooms with views of trees or nature contribute to faster recovery times and discharges.

Additional studies cited by Louv find that children with nature near their home report lower levels of behavioral conduct disorders, anxiety, and depression. Incredibly, studies even suggest that nature can be used as therapy for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A study of children with ADHD found that walks outdoors appeared to improve attention and concentration. The researchers found that a dose of nature worked as well as a dose of medication to improve concentration, or even better.

Without a doubt, thousands of children with ADHD hike, walk, and explore Mecklenburg County nature preserves. The value of these health benefits may be hard, if not impossible, to calculate but they cannot be denied—and should always be highlighted in any justification for services.

Conclusion
Mecklenburg County residents and elected officials value nature preserves. However, do they truly understand the magnitude of their benefits? Combined, the benefits exceed a staggering $69 million. Excluding the large water quality benefit, a conservative estimate still exceeds $11 million per year. This is based solely on air quality benefits and quantifiable economic impacts. Since the preserves operate on a $3.1 million budget, this represents a nearly 350 percent return on investment and doesn’t even include the well-documented (but unquantifiable) benefits to health.

Other studies find similar results. A 2008 report showed Philadelphia parks provide about 100 times the amount the city spends on them each year. Similarly, a 2009 New York State Parks study concluded the 55.7 million park visitors support $1.9 billion in economic activity and 20,000 jobs. Furthermore the benefits exceed the direct costs of maintaining the state parks by a ratio of more than five to one. Another North Carolina State Parks study concluded each park in the system produced an economic return ranging from 1:1.8 to 1:25.1, meaning that for each dollar the state invested in a park, between $1.80 and $25.10 was generated.

These studies use sound economic theory and models to calculate impacts. This is the language of our decision makers. And if you can learn it, this is the type of information that can help ensure the continued success of your program.

How successful has Mecklenburg County been? Last fall, during a declining economy, residents passed a $250 million park and recreation bond package, the largest in state history. This followed a $36 million land bond in 2007, of which $31 million was earmarked for nature preserves. The county is planning to open five new preserves, replace an aging nature center, and build a new fourth nature center. Operating funding has steadily increased over the past five years, with our first operating cuts in years occurring this fiscal year. However, even with these recent cuts, no educators or interpreters were cut, all preserves and nature centers remain open, and no programs were cancelled.

An understanding of the environmental, economic, and health benefits provided by your site can be critical to its long-term success. Elected officials and decision makers truly desire to make informed decisions regarding government services, and it is your responsibility to ensure this information is clearly understood and incorporated into any decision-making process. I think Beck and Cable would agree—we as interpreters must know our audience and learn to speak their language if we’re to expect the support we need.

For More Information
American Forests. (2003). Urban Ecosystem Analysis Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. www.americanforests.org.

Beck, L., and Cable, T. (Eds.). (2002). Interpretation for the 21st Century. Champaign, IL: Sagamore.

Center for Applied GIS and the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute. (2008). Forecasting Urbanization in the Carolina Piedmont Region.
www.gis.uncc.edu/ospc.

Crompton, John. (2004). The Proximate Principle: The Impact of Parks, Open Space and Water Features on Residential Property Values and the Property Tax Base. National Recreation and Park Association.

Greenwood, Jerusha and Candace Vick. (2008). Economic Contribution of Visitors to Selected North Carolina State Parks. Recreation Resources Service and NC State University.

Heintz, J., Pollin, Robert & Garrett-Peltier. (2009). The NYS Park System: An Economic Asset to the Empire State. Political Economy Research Institute University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Louv, Richard. (2008). Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books.

Mecklenburg County Land Use and Environmental Services Agency. (2008). State of the Environment Report 2008.

North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation. North Carolina Outdoor Recreation Plan 2003–2008.

Outdoor Industry Foundation. (2006). Outdoor Recreation Participation Study. Eighth edition for year 2005. www.outdoorindustryfoundation.org.

The Trust for Public Land. (2008). How Much Value Does the City of Philadelphia Receive from its Park and Recreation System?

U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service, and U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.

U.S. Forest Service and Texas Forest Service. (2005). Houston’s Regional Forest.

Michael Kirschman is the division director for nature preserves and natural resources in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He will be a featured speaker during the Interpretive Management Institute at the NAI National Workshop in Hartford, Connecticut. (Visit www.interpnet.com/workshop for information.) Contact him at Michael.Kirschman@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov.

In These Tough Economic Times…

By
Legacy
Published: July 1, 2009Posted in: From the EditorTags: , ,

by Paul Caputo

Legacy-JulyAug09-CoverIn these tough economic times, it seems that everything you read begins with the phrase, “In these tough economic times.” Understandably, we have become consumed by the financial crisis that has dominated headlines, wreaked havoc on the job market, and devastated the global economy. It seems that everything we do is defined in terms of “surviving” the economic downturn—a term that can be taken literally, as interpretive organizations, sites, and programs, not to mention the livelihoods of those who oversee them, are endangered.

Of course, adjusting to the crisis means finding ways to deal with it. One of the things that strikes me whenever I am around NAI members is a sense of community, an innate camaraderie even between folks who have never met each other. (I was warned when I first started with NAI in 2002 that this was “a very huggy group.”) Whether it’s a regional training event, the NAI National Workshop, or the NAI International Conference, there is a kinship among members of this association that I have not felt in other professional groups. In a post on NAI’s blog (www.interpnet.com/naiblog), Amy Lethbridge wrote this about the recent NAI International Conference in Greece:

While I learned a great deal from every session, I must admit that, for me, the magic was in the individuals. Strip away the PowerPoint, the agency and title, and the citations, and what you had was an amazing group of passionate warriors for the earth and our heritage.

So in these tough economic times, I am struck once again by the way interpreters band together and lean on one another. This professional network becomes more than just a vehicle for sharing ideas and information. I witness NAI members at events—or even on e-mail and Facebook—sharing job leads, offering support, or simply lending a compassionate ear. I can honestly say that I have never experienced anything like that as a member of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) or the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP).

This magazine offers another, more traditional venue for NAI members to offer support to one another. Within these pages you will find some unique and interesting thoughts about how to save money or generate funds for your interpretive program or site. And as always, you have the chance to participate in the discussion, to offer your own helping hand by commenting on these articles online at www.onlinelegacy.org.

Paul Caputo is the art and publications director for the National Association for Interpretation.