What is a Park Interpreter?
A goal all Arkansas State Parks employees share – from the most behind-the scenes support staff to the top administrators – is to help make sure you, the park visitor, have the best experience possible. We know your free time is valuable, so we want to help you make the most of your schedule while visiting our state parks.
One particular team of employees primary job function is to help you have fun. They are the park interpreters. They coordinate the interpretive programs. Many people aren’t exactly sure what that means.
The most common question interpreters in Arkansas State Parks are asked is “What languages do you speak?” It is a fair question. Many people are familiar with the term “interpreter” in the realm of translating spoken or sign languages.
Translating languages is not a main job responsibility of park interpreters. Rather, it is to interpret the natural, historical, or cultural resources of the site for park visitors.
In simpler terms, an interpreter’s job is to help make a visit to the park meaningful. When visiting our state park, there are always plenty of activities you can do on your own. At Lake Ouachita State Park, you can hike a self-guided trail, visit the historic Three Sisters Springs, take a swim at the beach, rent a boat, kayak or pedal boat, or just relax at your cabin/campsite.
Imagine though, walking the same trail with a park interpreter as your guide. This is someone who understands the history of the area, who knows the land, who lives in the park day in and day out, 365 days a year. The interpreter is in tune with nature’s rhythms and is able to point out things you might miss, such as bird songs in the tree canopy above, signs of wildlife foraging in the area, or remnants of a bygone era.
Interpreters are the employees responsible for planning, publicizing, and presenting the fun, interactive, and educational programs for which Arkansas State Parks are known. Activities vary at each park, but if your family has ever taken a guided hike, barge cruise, or kayak tour…attended an evening owl prowl, amphitheater talk, or campfire…participated in a nature craft workshop, outdoor skills demonstration, or geocaching workshop, chances are good it was the park interpreter who served as your leader and guide.
Many interpreters at Arkansas State Parks are specialists in several subjects, and from time to time offer multi-day workshops allowing visitors an immersion learning experience in a safe, supervised atmosphere. These include day camps, weekend family camping adventures, kayak overnight trips, Dutch oven cooking workshops, and many more.
In addition, it is often the park interpreters who research and write the brochures and exhibits you enjoy during your park visits.
Officially, our department uses the definition of interpretation adopted by the National Association for Interpretation, asserting that it is “a mission-based communication process that forges emotional and intellectual connections between the interests of the audience and the inherent meanings of the resource.”
Interpretation is communication that goes beyond facts to reveal what things mean, how they fit together, and why they matter. It answers the question, “So what?”
Some park systems, including the National Park Service, refer to interpreters as “rangers.” In Arkansas State Parks, we do have employees with the job title of “ranger” at many park locations, but their main duties are public safety, park security, and law enforcement. Our rangers and interpreters work as a team to educate visitors about how to enjoy the parks safely and protect the valuable resources of the area.
In Arkansas, the interpreter positions used to be called “naturalists.” Today, having naturalist skills is still a major part of their job descriptions; however, they do much more than just identify plants and wildlife. They are biologists, geologists, botanists, historians, educators, recreation specialists, and sometimes park administrators.
More importantly, they are communicators who encourage you to discover your own meanings in the parks. We believe that interpretation helps visitors better understand just how special our parks are. Through understanding, comes appreciation and protection of the parks so that we can remain here for generations to come.
All full-time interpreters hold four-year degrees in a relevant major, such as biology, history, environmental science, park administration, communication or education. They are also required to have professional experience doing frontline interpretation in the field. Many begin their careers as seasonal, or part-time, interpreters.
Park interpreters are passionate people. They love our parks and want you to love them, too. They eagerly share their experience and knowledge. They work hard, doing many things behind the scenes that you may never know about, to help put you in the right place at the right time to create wonderful memories. They help you have special experiences like a hike along Caddo Bend Trail, a kayak tour as the sun sets over Lake Ouachita, a nighttime forest walk with owls hooting overhead, or a trip back in time to cook in cast iron and imagine what pioneer survival was like.
Interpretation is more than just leading you down a trail, though, or simply showing you how to do things. Park interpreters are trained to engage you in conversation, find out what you are interested in, and relate to you in a way that sparks inspiration to know more.
Good interpreters reveal meanings in relationships in the world around them. They ask questions, encourage thoughtful reflection, and listen to the stories that visitors are eager to share. But they don’t stop there. The best interpreters take these emotional and intellectual connections one step further and provoke visitors to act on their newfound interests. This action could be as simple as attending another program (and bringing family and friends along) or as in-depth as becoming a loyal park volunteer. Ultimately, we hope our visitors become more conservation-minded in the parks and in their daily lives at home.
Interpreters routinely schedule programs designed to help you make memories of a lifetime. You can maximize your time while visiting Lake Ouachita State Park by knowing in advance what the interpreters have planned during your scheduled trip. Or maybe, you want to plan a trip around a certain special event. Be sure to stop by the Lake Ouachita State Park Visitor Center for schedules or to meet the interpreters.