Exploring Roving Interpretation as a Tool for Visitor Engagement at Schmeeckle Reserve
Rachel Henneman Wildlife Ecology and Management
Zoe Forss (Not Pictured) Botany
Roving programs are planned and organized in advance without public promotion, allowing for spontaneous, audience-driven interactions. While roving interpretation is common, especially in state and national parks, there is a lack of literature surrounding it. To determine feasibility of roving programs at Schmeeckle Reserve, a 280-acre natural area that provides education and recreation opportunities to the community, research was conducted by two educators focusing on the most visited trail, the Lake Loop. The educators designed an interpretive program exploring wetlands. They alternated presenter and data collector roles during 11 one-hour intervals with the goal of interacting with 10% of visitors passing the table per hour. Data collected includes temperature, time, date, and a tallied count of those who did not stop at the table. During each interaction, the following was recorded: number of individuals in the group, length of encounter, and topics discussed (“Program,” “Schmeeckle,” and “Other”). Educators interacted with 67 of the 162 visitors that passed the table, with interactions averaging 2.5 minutes and ranging from 30 seconds to 8 minutes. Out of the individuals encountered, 41% chose to participate, 50% acknowledged but kept walking, and 9% ignored the educators completely. Due to the frequency and statistical significance (t-test: P-value=0.0178) of questions about the educators’ student experience, “Schooling” is proposed as a separate topic of discussion for future research. Educators believe that instituting long-term roving programs would benefit Schmeeckle guests. Interactions in which individuals ask questions and share their Schmeeckle experiences seemed to benefit both guests and educators.
Advisors: Melissa Ruether, M.S. Becca Franzen, Ed.D.
Subject Area: Human Dimensions
Type: Poster
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Jim and Katie Krause CNR Student Research Symposium
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