Many non-Native institutions—such as national parks, museums, and historic sites—struggle to interpret Indigenous cultures in culturally responsive ways. This qualitative study examined promising practices at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon. Through onsite observations, interviews with staff, volunteers, partners, subject matter experts, Indigenous knowledge holders, and visitors, as well as an analysis of exhibitions and materials, we identified several culturally responsive approaches to interpreting Indigenous Plateau stories and cultures. Key practices included: maintaining ongoing readiness and reflection, fostering relational accountability with Indigenous partners, honoring and caring for Indigenous stories, and centering Indigenous worldviews. Together, these efforts advanced the museum toward a culturally sustaining model—recalibrating collections, celebrating Indigenous resilience, and building strong Native–non-Native partnerships. Based on these findings, we developed a Model for Culturally Responsive Interpretation to guide non-Native professionals in building and sustaining relationships with Indigenous communities.
Each year, millions of people visit national parks, unaware that many parks’ namesake features are in jeopardy. National parks in southern California and Alaska are experiencing the effects of climate change at an accelerated rate compared to other areas of the country. This paper examines the implications for site programming that emerge when the Four-Truth Framework, developed by the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, is applied to how people respond to climate change at Joshua Tree and Glacier Bay National Parks. Our research team collected data onsite and online in 2023 through observations, artifact analysis, and semi-structured interviews with staff, stakeholders, and visitors—using Reflexive Thematic Analysis to generate our findings. By harnessing the power of the Four-Truth Framework, interpreters can foster a sense of place, encourage critical curiosity, and ultimately shift the dynamics of climate change communication.
American history is shaped by enduring systems of oppression, including chattel slavery, racial segregation, the criminalization and marginalization of same-sex relations and the ongoing legal challenges facing transgender communities. While oppressed communities engage in acts of resistance that can help reclaim humanity and foster healing, interpretation at contested heritage sites may overlook resistance as a vital humanizing and reparative process. This qualitative front-end research study draws on interviews with 32 participants—including scholars, students, artists, activists, law enforcement, clergy, government workers, and business owners—connected to St. Louis’s Central West End gayborhood and Washington, DC’s Black Lives Matter Plaza and uses reflexive thematic analysis to explore how stakeholders understand their contested heritage sites and what stories and meanings may guide their preservation and interpretation. Findings highlight ways to engage narratives of resistance through multiple lenses and practices that could strengthen culturally responsive interpretation at institutional and grassroots levels.
Although the value of incorporating women’s history into heritage sites is widely acknowledged (e.g., March 2024 Presidential Executive Order 14121 on “Recognizing and Honoring Women’s History”), it remains unclear whether heritage interpreters possess the necessary mindsets, skillsets, or support to meet the needs of 21st-century audiences. Using the four truths developed by the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission as a framework, this qualitative study examines how professional development can strengthen interpreters’ ability to address the contributions of women in all spheres of influence at heritage sites and contribute to a more balanced historical narrative. The study engaged site staff and subject matter experts in online focus group interviews. Data were analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis. Key recommendations include expanding interpreter mindsets and skillsets to reframe site stories, infusing women’s history into K-16 courses, building reciprocal partnerships, and fostering supportive site leadership. Framing professional development around the four truths may support interpreters in telling powerful site stories that explore multiple perspectives, engage diverse audiences with nuance and complexity, and foster the healing of social wounds.
Heritage interpreters face the challenge of telling complex, often contested stories involving othering, marginalization, oppression, racialized violence, and environmental degradation. These topics require depth in understanding, cultural humility, nuance, and respect, all while managing polarized rhetoric and partisan divides amid historic and ongoing trauma. It takes considerable skill for interpreters to create experiences where audiences can meaningfully confront contested heritage. However, current approaches to interpretive training do not fully prepare practitioners for this difficult work. To address this, we present a Model for Engaging with Contested Heritage, drawing on existing theories and interdisciplinary scholarship. The model supports trauma-informed heritage practice through consciousness raising , working through contested heritage, and walking alongside others as they learn and grow. The model provides a roadmap for interpreters to develop their practices while helping audiences broaden perspectives, cultivate empathy, and strive toward mindful approaches to thinking, listening, connecting, and ultimately, taking action.
Research suggests that childhood connection to nature leads to lifelong positive environmental attitudes. This study examines the effects of a day camp program developed using interpretive best practices on youth environmental attitudes. The study also investigates which programmatic elements were most memorable. Children’s Environmental Perceptions Scale questionnaires showed small increases in participant’s ( n = 22) positive environmental attitudes after the program, with slight significant increases in overall attitudes (Wilcoxon signed-ranks test, z = −2.138, p = .031, r = .46) and interest in nature ( z = −2.640, p = .005, r = .56). During interviews, most participants did not report a change in their general feelings toward nature although positive site-specific attitudes increased. Interviews revealed that novel hands-on and exploratory experiences were the most memorable. These results indicate that incorporating these techniques into interpretive programs may increase their impact on participant attitudes.
Connection to nature is a growing area of study and there is consensus that increases in that connection lead to positive individual health outcomes. There is also a growing body of evidence that suggests it could be predictive of increased pro environmental behaviors (PEBs). This article highlights research on nature connection and discusses its implications for interpretation. It then describes a program called “Restorative Birdwatching” inspired by the “Five Pathways to nature connection” created by the Nature Connectedness Research Group at the University of Derby. Using the PANAS and IINS scales, researchers measured participants’ mood and nature connection with pre and post surveys. The results show a relationship between the activity and mood improvement as well as increased nature connection. They corroborate the findings of larger, more scientifically robust studies and demonstrate the viability of nature connection as a modality for interpretive program design and evaluation.
Utah parks are attracting an increasing number of visitors due to the quality dark sky viewing opportunities. Despite increasing engagement in nighttime recreation, limited research exists on visitor interest in interpretation for dark skies in state and national parks. Nighttime visitors at nine Utah state and national park units certified as dark sky parks were surveyed to evaluate their preferences for dark sky-related interpretive topics and communication methods. Visitors expressed the strongest interest in astronomy and improving dark sky viewing, with ranger-led programs emerging as the most favored delivery method. National park visitors showed greater interest than state park visitors in self-guided learning formats such as interpretive displays and mobile apps for topics such as dark sky viewing/astronomy and viewing wildlife at night. These findings highlight the benefits of diverse, yet targeted communication strategies to improve visitor experiences of dark skies and foster stewardship of natural darkness in parks.
Heritage interpretation lacks a unifying framework for training, planning, and delivery that integrates ethical, emotional, and practical communication skills. This article introduces Aristotle’s concept of eunoia —goodwill toward the audience—as a missing cornerstone not currently addressed in the field. It argues that eunoia can function as both an integrative ethos framework and a cognitive schema that unites existing techniques such as trust-building and dialogic responsiveness under a coherent ethical orientation. By cultivating eunoia , interpreters can enhance credibility, foster meaningful audience connections, and develop a more reflective, audience-centred practice. The article concludes with a call for future research on how eunoia can be systematically integrated into interpretation.
This report presents a prototype of a terrarium developed to explore a small-scale method for interpreting Panam Nagar, a historic heritage site in Bangladesh. Rather than treating the terrarium as a decorative object, the report examines how a compact three-dimensional display can communicate site identity, spatial orientation, architectural rhythm, and environmental atmosphere. The prototype was photographed and examined through preliminary viewer feedback from 120 participants. Responses suggest that the terrarium format may support visual engagement, perceived immersion, and exhibition or classroom use when compared with a conventional two-dimensional photograph. The report argues that the interpretive value of the terrarium lies in its ability to combine miniature architecture, live ecological material, and multi-angle viewing into a relocatable heritage communication format. The findings are exploratory and provide a basis for future visitor-centered evaluation of terrarium-based heritage interpretation.
Recreation ecology examines the environmental impacts of wildland recreation, focusing on disturbances to coupled social-ecological systems. However, research on recreation within working rangelands remains limited. Rangeland systems often span jurisdictions and lack controlled access points, creating unique management challenges. This systematic review synthesizes peer-reviewed literature on wildland recreation in rangeland environments, assessing impacts in three key areas: (1) primary production of vegetation, (2) ecological processes and disturbance, and (3) livestock production. Findings highlight knowledge gaps and emphasize the need for recreation management strategies that balance ecological integrity with public access. This review invites dialog on how Leave No Trace (LNT) principles can mitigate recreation-related impacts on rangelands, particularly in dispersed-use settings where formal management interventions may be limited. By suggesting effective LNT applications, specifically interpretation strategies, this work provides insights to guide sustainable recreation practices that support informed decision-making in these complex systems.
United States (U.S.) national parks utilize various forms of media to deter the visitors from feeding wildlife. Understanding communication strategies used within these media is important for evaluating message efficacy yet remains understudied. In this study, we examined the presence and frequency of rational, emotional (i.e., responsibility, fear, guilt, shame, humor, pride, anger, kinship), and normative (subjective, descriptive, prescriptive, personal, and proscriptive norms) appeals, along with the framing of feeding consequences (e.g., wildlife or visitor health and safety) and behavior (i.e., preventative versus promotion) through a content analysis of materials used to communicate with visitors ( N = 232) from nine U.S. national parks. We found that many materials mirrored the traditional ethic of interpretation and park stewardship with responsibility and rational appeals and wildlife centered messaging. Based on these findings, practitioners are encouraged to explore integrating messages personalized to visitor experience into current strategy and testing efficacy of current strategies.
The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting disease spread mitigation protocols afforded a unique opportunity (i.e., a “natural experiment”) to study the impact of the interruption of in-person interpretation on the visitor experience. Using data collected for a previously scheduled visitor use study at Waco Mammoth National Monument during 2021–2022, we investigated how the interruption in some interpersonal interpretive services impacted visitors’ perception of the quality of interpretation and the resulting overall visitor satisfaction levels. Results indicated that while some interpretation quality indicators were negatively affected by the interruption of some interpretation programs, overall visit satisfaction was not. The data also indicated that the interruption in interpretation was associated with a change in visitors’ activity preferences during future visits to the monument. The findings reinforce the importance of in-person interpretation and provide insight into how managers can approach the next event that impacts how interpretive services are delivered.
Tour guides play an important role serving as cultural ambassadors in the tourism industry. Self-leadership strategies can help tour guides to excel in their profession. However, little is known about the practices and competencies that tour guides implement to achieve self-leadership especially in developing countries where tour guide training programs are still emerging such as in Sri Lanka. We conducted a survey of National Tour Guides and interviews with tourism experts from the Sri Lankan Tourism Development Authority to investigate the current state of self-leadership practices relating to Behavior Awareness, Task Motivation, and Constructive Cognition. We present a theoretical framework to assess these three self-leadership strategies and specific practices relevant to this framework. Our recommendations on how to assess and enhance tour guide performance may be adapted in other cultural contexts to inform tour guide training programs.
Visitor-wildlife conflict is a persistent Leave No Trace management challenge for parks and protected areas in the American West. Throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecoregion (GYE), conflict with grizzly bears is occurring with increasing frequency—especially near roadways. The chance to experience close encounters with bears is highly sought after by visitors despite the serious risk to both humans and animals. This “bear blindness” results in patterns of inappropriate viewing behaviors, such as approaching bears from the roadway on foot, and remains a top managerial concern. Efforts to mitigate human-bear conflict through indirect strategies (e.g., education) are longstanding, but traditional messaging strategies inadequately influence visitor actions. This study evaluates the design elements and messaging strategies of roadside bear safety signage, centering on the capacity to capture attention, convey the authority behind the message, and persuade visitors to keep a safe distance from bears. Guided by the Personal Responses Tour (PRT) methodology, researchers evaluated viewer reflections using a gallery of prototype signs with varied approaches to assess their perceptions of design effectiveness for bear safety messaging in roadside settings. Through qualitative thematic analysis, key design principles were identified—including the importance of legibility in roadside settings, telegraphic messaging, and association with agency visual branding—that enhance the efficacy of safety communications. Findings from this study offer actionable insights for mitigating human-grizzly conflicts through improved safety messaging on the roadside.
As bear populations increase in areas like the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), human-bear interactions are rising, with grizzly bear encounters more than doubling in the past decade. To reduce conflicts, land management agencies promote Leave No Trace (LNT) behaviors, emphasizing bear awareness, proper food storage, maintaining distance from wildlife, and carrying bear spray. However, a survey of 566 visitors across the GYE found that 27% of respondents report never carrying bear spray. Non-carriers were often first-time visitors, traveling in larger groups, or day-use visitors to front-country areas. They also viewed the message to carry bear spray as less important than those who carry bear spray. Providing affordable bear spray at trailheads and targeted messaging may help increase carry rates. These findings highlight the importance of emphasizing LNT’s “Plan Ahead and Prepare” principle in combination with “Respect Wildlife,” guiding wildlife management strategies to reduce human-bear conflicts.
