Telling Rivers' Stories
Rivers are complex and often misunderstood by the general public. Yet proper management and protection of rivers depends on public attitudes and values, which often depend on a certain amount of knowledge. Thus, we need to tell the stories of rivers in a way that informs the public and helps them understand their rivers.
“Interpretation” is an unfortunate word here because we usually think of it in regard to language. But it is the term used by the National Park Service and state park systems to describe the learning aspects of parks. Over the past 100 years those organizations have developed principles and methods that are time-tested and effective. Those principles and methods are useful for almost any kind of learning activity, including schools.
Dramatic views like this present valuable learning opportunities. The Goosenecks of the San Juan River in Utah are natural meanders rivers form as they slowly erode the landscape. The word “meander” comes from the Meander River near Ephesus, Turkey, which does meander across the landscape. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus lived in Ephesus. He is quoted as saying “A man can never step in the same river twice…” because rivers are everchanging.
Stories are fundamentally important to us. Most of the knwoledge that shapes us was presented in the form of a story. Much of what we have heard and read but do not remember was not presented as a story.
Interpretation is a form of education, but we don't have "captive" audiences the way we may think we have if we teach in a school. So our stories must be compelling and our methods engaging. Of course, good teachers know and do this in school!
With freshwater and nutrients from the Trinity River, Galveston Bay, like all estuaries, is a complex mixture of freshwater and seawater. The variable salinity within the bay provides nursery sites to a wide variety of sea life. Estuaries can carry out this essential service only as long as the rivers that feed them are healthy.
The role of interpretation is to help inform the public about the importance of estuaries.
State and national parks and most other forms of tourism offer great opportunities to help people understand and appreciate their world.
There cannot be a park ranger behind every tree to enforce rules that are intended to protect natural resources and maintain safety for people. Interpretation is one way to inform the public about resource protection and visitor safety.
Andrea Weisenbuehler developed methods to anchor buoy signs for her master’s thesis at Texas State University.
On-water interpretation is usually done by river guides or sometimes by a separate study leader. River guides must be trained and certified in many skills, including first aid and water rescue. They are often not trained in interpretation.
Interpretation on the river presents potentials and challenges. The potentials include the ever-changing context and the extemporaneous interpretive opportunities that presents. The challenges include logistics, coordination, and safety.
Take a drybag of reference books. When someone asks the name of a plant or animal, show them how to look it up rather than telling them the name. If you tell them the name they will be likely to forget it. If you show them how to find it on their own they will learn the skill and can use it in the future in other places.
"Life-long, life-wide, life-deep learning" was a slogan of the National Science Foundation many years ago. It clearly states our goal of telling rivers' stories. You audiences hopefully will take away from their experience with us a desire to continue to learn and the skills to do their own place- and inquiry-based learning.