Deception Pass State Park Beach Naturalist Intern

A big part of the Beach Naturalist internship was working with the public using interpretive strategies. Before working in Deception Pass this summer, I was not entirely sure what 'interpretation' meant. I had been to very few park programs as a kid, and it wasn't until working with Interpretive staff that I saw what goes in to writing and creating the programs. On the first weekend of my internship during training Joy and Akiko expanded on what 'interpretation' meant at State and National parks. There are a ton of different ways to think about it, but the one I like the most is: by getting someone to understand what's in front of them you're one step closer to getting them to care more about it. To get people to care about the tidepools at Rosario, me and the other interns had to help them understand it better.