Greetings from the Wild West! · interpretation immersion in Alaska and my CIG. I also must credit...

Dear Jamie,

Welcome to the newsletter of NAI's Wild West Region, servingsouthern California and southern Nevada.

Featured photo: Red Rock Canyon, Nevada.

Greetings from the Wild West!Summer is peak season for many of us with increased visitation,increased seasonal activities, and increased temperatures. Withthat combination, it's no wonder that stress levels rise. Add tothe mix uncontrollable factors like Mother Nature and we aresometimes pushed to our max. On July 3rd, with a nearly fullcampground and holiday activities in full-swing, a fire broke outat my park. Evacuation of all campers and day-use visitors wasordered as the fire blazed in the direction of the campgrounds.The firefighters extinguished the flames quickly and thankfullyno one was injured. This was all very nerve wracking, yet withthe fire out and park gates reopening, one of our interpretivetrail guides jumped back into the summer rhythm and led eagerhikers to the top of a mountain, albeit an hour later thanscheduled. We plan, our plans are thwarted sometimes, and wecarry on as frontline interpreters. As you sing your last campfiresong, as you wrap up special events, and guide your finaltwilight walk, may you take moments to rest, reflect andcelebrate your accomplishments this season and plan for thebalmy autumn ahead.

Warm regards,Kimberly SeltmannWild West Secretary

Important Announcements The Wild West Region says goodbye to Arizona, which is nowincorporated into the newly established Four Corners Region.Our geographic area encompasses Southern CA and Southern

In This Issue: Fall 2017Greetings from the Wild West!

Important Announcements

Destination of the Month

Upcoming Trainings and Conferences

Job Opportunities in the Wild West Region

Save the Date

NAI National ConferenceSpokane, WashingtonNovember 14-18, 2017

Regional Officers

DirectorAmy Lauder [email protected]

Deputy DirectorMarissa [email protected]

SecretaryKim [email protected]

Treasurer Kim [email protected]

National Officers

Jay [email protected]

Theresa CobleVP for [email protected] Todd BridgewaterVP for [email protected]

NAI Wild West Newsletter https://ui.constantcontact.com/rnavmap/email/action...

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NV. 20 FREE STUDENT memberships are available for grabs! Haveyour professor email Jamie King your name/email [email protected]. NAI National Conference (November 14-18) registration is stillopen! Pre-registration closes October 17, 2017. Visitwww.interpnet.com for more information. Call for newsletter submissions: If you have a program orinteresting destination you would like to share with our readersin the next newsletter, please email [email protected]

Destination of the Month

Alaska: A Land of Interpretive Opportunities by Aleta Walther ([email protected]) Alaskans lovingly and proudly refer to their state as the "LastFrontier," and rightfully so. Encompassing almost 580,000-square miles, Alaska is one-fifth the size of the lower 48 statescombined. It offers 33,900 miles of shoreline, 3,000+ rivers, 3million lakes, the highest mountain in North America and100,000 glaciers covering 29,000 square miles. Let's notoverlook the state's southeast rainforest, with its stately Sitkaspruce and Western Hemlocks, bears, flying squirrels, eagles,whales, sea lions and five species of salmon.

In short, Alaska is a nature and history interpreter's dream.In 2013, I found an employment ad posted on the NAI websitefrom an Alaskan company seeking nature interpreters; "CIGpreferred." Thanks to my CIG, I landed a position withGastineau Guiding, Juneau's premier adventure excursioncompany. Gastineau Guiding excursions "provide morethan scenic landscapes and wildlife viewing, they give avaluable glimpse into the process of a natural world, one that isstill very alive in Southeast Alaska."

Travis [email protected]

Tom [email protected]


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A. Walther interpreting while on a boatin Alaska

As a former newspaper reporter, park aide at California's MountSan Jacinto State Park and a docent for the Irvine RanchConservancy, accepting an assignment as a naturalist in Juneauwas the inspiring adventure I was seeking. Or, so I thought.Two weeks before departing for Alaska, I suffered a case ofbuyer's remorse, aka, cold feet. What was I doing going to "theland of the midnight sun," with its grizzly bears, no-see-ums, avalanches, cold, snow and incredibly high cost of foodand housing? I knew no one, had not acquired housing and hadno idea what to expect.

Sharing my uncertainty with my husband, John said,"Sweetheart, you have a credit card right? You can come homeany time." With two credit cards in hand, I headed to Alaskaand never regretted my decision.

I spent three rainy, but splendid tourist seasons in Juneau, Aprilthrough October, leading more than 225 interpretive mountainhikes, historical town tours, glacier viewing walks and whalewatching/marine mammal excursions. Each adventure averaged


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5 to 6 hours with 15 to 20 guests.

A. Walther holding ice with children atMendenhall Glacier

My overarching theme for all my Gastineau Guiding excursionswas "Little Details Create the Big Picture of Alaska's History andMystery." My secondary themes included: "Little SnowflakesCreate Big Glaciers," "Little Plankton Create Big Whales" and"Little Hints of History Reveal Juneau's Eclectic Past andPresent."

A portion of my heart is still in Southeast Alaska, but today, Iam thriving as an interpretive aide with California State Parks, aposition I would not have secured had it not been for myinterpretation immersion in Alaska and my CIG. I also mustcredit my friend, Sandy Toldza, CIG and a state interpreter forencouraging me to apply for a position with the Santa CruzSector. I currently support four parks: Santa Cruz Mission,Wilder Ranch and Pigeon Point Lighthouse state historic parksand Natural Bridges State Park.

If you want to learn more about my Alaska experiences, checkout my blog: Alaska Experiential.

Upcoming Trainings and Conferences Historic House Call: Interpreting Historic LandscapesÂ Webinar Presented By: American Association for State and LocalHistory


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11/02/2017, 12:00 p.m. Pacific Digital Humanities For State And Local HistoryWebinar Presented By: American Association for State and LocalHistory 12/07/2017, 12:00 p.m. Pacific 5th Annual California STEAM Symposium in San FranciscoDecember 10-11, 2017The 2017 California STEAM Symposium (formerly the STEMSymposium) convenes nearly 3,000 educators from acrossCalifornia to catalyze improved STEAM instruction for allstudents.

Job Opportunities in the Wild West Region Field Naturalists needed for Orange County Department ofEducation's "Inside the Outdoors," which is a unique hands-onscience, social science, and environmental education program.Field Naturalists teach science and environmental education tostudents, Kindergarten through 12th grade in an outdoorsetting. Qualifications necessary include any combination ofeducation, training, and experience that provide the requiredknowledge and abilities. For more information please visit:www.insidetheoutdoors.org.

We're always looking for content Have an idea or want to share your thoughts about this issue?Contact us at [email protected]

National Association for Interpretation | P.O. Box 2246 | Fort Collins | CO | 80522


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