North Coast Community Event

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 Interpretive Insights – Lighting the Way

Join us on the North Coast for a full day of inspiring insights into the world of interpretation. This is the second In-Person Community Event of the 2025 Sierra Pacific Region Workshop Training Series. Any second registration or more of an In-Person Event for this Series will receive a discount. This registration is for the North Coast Community Event which will be on Friday, April 25.

Held in Arcata/Bayside, CA, the day will begin with insights and examples on how to craft your programs for your audience using real-life examples of unique presentations. The next session will consist of a program demonstration on restoring old-growth redwoods, known as Redwoods Rising. Using that program and techniques discussed, you will work in teams to restructure & tailor the program for different audiences, settings & challenges.

The last session will consist of thorough and interactive discussions on Dialogic Interpretation (DI), the Arc of Dialog (aka Facilitated Dialog), Mission-Based Dialog, and Audience-Centered Experiences (ACE). Learn what these techniques are all about and how to apply them to your programs!

Field trips to the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center and the Humboldt Natural History Museum for behind-the-scenes glimpses into their program development will round out the Event. An optional social hour & dinner at a local pub will further strengthen the camaraderie at the end of the day.

Special student rates are being offered.

Light breakfast (muffins/coffee/tea) & lunch are included.

Register early as the max. number is 65 for this event.

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Schedule

8:45 – 9:30 am (45 min) Registration Check-in w/ breakfast (muffins/coffee/tea) & raffle sale

9:30 – 9:40 am (10 min) Welcome

9:40 – 10:00 am (20 min) Session 1

How to Craft Your Program for Your Audience

Description: Using models from the California Academy of Sciences, Aquarium of the Bay & other sites from over 20 years of experience, you’ll be inspired by real life examples of crafting unique programs for a variety of audiences using different interpretive techniques & media.

Presented by: Debi Espinoza-Bylin, CIG, 2025 Workshop Series Co-Chair, Sierra Pacific Region Deputy Director

10:00 – 10:10 am (10 min) Break

10:10 – 12:25pm (2 hr. 15 min, with breaks) Session 2

Formal Interpretive Programs: Development and Enhancement

Description: Whether you’re a seasoned interpreter or new to the field, we all have so much to learn from each other. We’ll begin with a program demonstration about Redwoods Rising, a restoration project aimed at restoring old-growth redwood forests. This landscape-wide restoration project works not only to address the trees but to restore all aspects of the forest to create a thriving ecosystem. We’ll discuss the network of collaboration that makes this project possible and how you can help protect our future forests.

After the program, we’ll take some time to dissect the presentation and discuss how it was designed for a target audience. We’ll brainstorm techniques for engaging different groups, and then we’ll work in teams to restructure the Redwoods Rising information. We’ll focus on adapting the program for different audiences, settings, and platforms to best tailor the messaging. Each group will be given a separate set of challenges to operate within, and then we’ll come back together and discuss!  

Presented by: Kyle Achziger, CIG, Interpreter 1, California State Parks, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.

12:25 – 1:25 pm (1 hr) LUNCH w/ raffle sale

1:25 – 3:05 (1 hr. 40 min, with breaks) Session 3

 Presentation: The Building Blocks of Dialogic Interpretation

 Description: Dialogic Interpretation (DI) is a growing set of interpretive practices that help us to see our sites and stories through our visitors’ eyes.

Our audiences come to us with their own opinions, prior knowledge, and lived experiences. How can we tap into these to help them make connections and find meaning? What can we do if their views conflict with the mission or values of our organizations?

This interactive session explores the building blocks of Dialogic Interpretation and some of the current methods used. DI can help you direct productive conversations, discuss “difficult” stories and events, and face conflict or disagreement without having to resort to confrontation.

We’ll learn about and practice the building blocks of:

• Empathy
• Active listening
• Questioning strategies
• Mining the values and mission of your organization

By examining how some DI methods are structured, we will explore where and when they might be useful in your programs and interactions with guests. Case studies will highlight:

• The Arc of Dialog (also called Facilitated Dialog)
• Mission-Based Dialog
• Audience-Centered Experiences (ACE)

Presented by: Lisa Borok, CIG, CIT, CHI, Sierra Pacific Region Director

3:05 – 3:20 pm (15 min): Group photo, Raffle winners, Group Social Time

3:20 – 3:30 pm (10 min): Wrap-up, Break into tour group(s)

3:30 – 5:30 pm (90 min) Tours (Group divides in half, 45 min tour at one site, switch, then 45 min tour at second site)

Tour Sites:

• Humboldt Natural History Museum – 1242 G Street, Arcata, CA 95521
• Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center – 569 S G Street, Arcata, CA 95521

5:30 pm (Optional) Drive to local pub for social hour & dinner.