Monthly Archives: April 2011

Our Friends, the National Association for Interpretation

For the past several years Fermata has been a supporter of NAI, the National Association for Interpretation. Ted met Lisa Brochu, NAI’s Associate Director, while in Texas. Yet over the years our involvement has been limited to participating in national events and the like.

Last year, however, Ted became interested in NAI’s certification process. There are only a few certification programs in our field available internationally, and NAI’s is the only one that focuses on interpretation. Given the importance of interpretation to our work, Ted decided to participate in NAI’s program and to become certified himself. As with so much that we do, unless we have actually done the work ourselves it is hard to recommend a program to our clients.

Laurel Highlands Summit

The Laurel Highlands, in southwest Pennsylvania, is the second of the Conservation Landscape Initiatives (CLIs) for which Fermata developed a strategic plan. We worked under the auspices of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), and were partnered with the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) in this initiative. On Monday, April 4, Ted spoke at the second Laurel Highlands Summit in Latrobe at St. Vincent’s College. Over 200 people attended, a testament to just how far this CLI has progressed.

Ted spoke about interpretation in the digital world; specifically, he talked about the new Great American SmartTrail app as well as Space for Place. His PowerPoint from the talk follows.

Quick Response (QR) Codes in Interpretation

It is the framework which changes with each new technology and not just the picture within the frame…Marshall McLuhan

Have you noticed those ubiquitous maze-like squares that are being plastered on everything from dog biscuits to airline tickets? For example, instead of a printed boarding pass you can now check in by having a QR code on your smart phone scanned as an electronic ticket. Quick Response (QR) codes have been the rage in Japan (a Toyota subsidiary developed the technology), but Americans have been slow to adopt the system. Not us. We are into new gizmos, and QR codes are no exception.