2 Refer to table 1 for major/minor differences. Major is Design Type A and minor is Design Types B and C.

3 See Chapter II - Scope, for more detailed description of the following management arrangements:

1. Bureau of Reclamation management

2. Other agency management of Reclamation lands and facilities

3. Joint occupancy or management of an area or facility

Chapter IV

INTERPRETIVE SIGNS

A. Introduction: This chapter discusses interpretation in general and provides "how to" information about interpretive signs. It is not intended to be a comprehensive discussion of a very complex communication process. Rather, it provides some very basic guidance to noninterpreters faced with an interpretation project or task. This section may best serve to encourage a professionally trained resource specialist or a professionally trained public affairs specialist to seek the aid and counsel of a professionally trained interpretive specialist.

1. Interpretation is a communication process designed to reveal meanings and relationships of our cultural and natural heritage to the public through firsthand involvement with facilities, objects, artifacts, landscapes, and sites. Interpretation does much more than just provide facts. Interpretation tells a story and brings meaning and interest to a subject for the enjoyment of the visitor.

2.

Interpretive signs communicate specific messages to visitors. These messages can be written to change behavior, educate, or evoke an emotion in the reader. They are most commonly used for self-guided trails and for wayside exhibits at points of interest, such as viewing areas and resource management areas. They can be constructed of many different materials and are mounted so they are visible to all viewers.

3. Interpretive signs provide communication services to visitors. Interpretive signs support management objectives, tell a story, and reveal meanings of and relationships among built, manipulated, natural, cultural, and other natural resource features. The program's main components are orientation, information, and interpretation. The program functions as a customer service tool, a management tool, and a public awareness tool.

4.

To be "interpretive," the communication process should be based on the principles articulated by Freeman Tilden (see appendix 2). Interpretation should:

a. Provoke the attention or curiosity of the audience.

b.

Relate the message to the everyday life of the audience.

C.

Reveal the essence of the subject through a unique viewpoint.

d.

Address the whole. Show the logical significance of an object to a higher level concept or story line.

e.

Strive for message utility. Use a sufficient but varied repetition of cues to create and accentuate a particular mood, theme, aura, or atmosphere.

5. Interpretive Signs:

a. Use a combination of well-written text and professional graphics to convey a message.

b.

C.

d.

Increase visitor enjoyment through appreciation and understanding of features, concepts, themes, and stories of the natural, cultural, created, managed, and historic environments.

Explain management of public land resources.

Guide or modify visitor behavior to reduce visitor impacts to resources or
facilities.

C. Interpretive Signs in Relation to Other Media:

1. Advantages.

a. More visitor contacts than other types of media.

2.

b.

Relatively inexpensive in terms of cost per visitor contact.

C.

d.

e.

Consistent message to many people at one time and can be viewed at the
visitors' convenience.

In place at all times and available to visitors 24 hours a day.

Long-term value, since visitors' photos tell the story long after the visit.

Disadvantages.

a. Impersonal - contacts by employees are much more effective.

b. Communicate one-way and may become outdated.

C.

No tangible "take home" value except for the visitors' photographs of them.

d.

Draws attention to a fragile resource which, in turn, may be damaged or
destroyed through inappropriate behavior of visitors.

e.

Vulnerable to damage by weathering, decay, wildlife, and vandalism.

D.

Planning: Interpretive sign planning is a process that requires detailed interdisciplinary participation, including the use of interpretive specialists (see appendix 3).

1.

Need.-Consider the following in determining the need for interpretive signs:

a.

b.

C.

d.

Is there something visitors can see, smell, or hear at the area that needs
explaining?

Is there something interesting in the area that visitors will probably miss if not interpreted?

Will visitors get more from their experience if appropriate interpretive signs are provided?

Is interpretive signing appropriate, or will some other method work better?

e.

Are there impacts or damage being caused by visitor use or behavior which can be alleviated by an interpretive sign?

f.

Will enough visitors see the sign to make it cost effective?

g.

Is interpretive signing consistent with the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) class of the proposed area, if ROS is being used?

h. Will people with disabilities be accommodated (reference ADAAG 4.30)?

If the answers are "Yes," plan for the minimum number of signs needed to convey the appropriate message(s) in a professional manner. Too many signs reduce effectiveness.

2. Objectives.-State the objectives of the sign in writing. They should support the objectives and goals listed in the interpretive plan for the site or project area. When developing interpretive signs, consider agency and project objectives, as well as visitor expectations. For example, visitors to a particular site may want to learn something about an historic event that occurred there, or the agency may want them to be aware that sites are being preserved and studied through an ongoing cultural resources management program. Without satisfying both parties' needs, an interpretive sign will be only partially effective. Clear objectives help to evaluate the effectiveness of the sign. Three levels of objectives should be addressed:

3.

a. Educational: What should the visitor KNOW?

b. Behavioral: What should the visitor DO?

C. Emotional: What should the visitor FEEL?

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Example. An agency observes that visitors to a campground are causing damage to trees at the site. A visitor profile reveals that the campsite's predominant users are