Personal Interpretation is Effective and Should be Supported

Personal Interpretation is Effective and Should be Supported

Presenter: Glen Hvenegaard, Professor of Environmental Science, University of Alberta

Join Glen Hvengaard as he shares learnings from data analysis on personal interpretation.

Personal interpretation is widely used in many park, wildlife, and tourism settings, but managers rarely evaluate its effectiveness. Looking at the hard data collected over a period of 2 years from 11 provincial parks, 1672 surveys, 135 evaluations, this new research from Alberta will demonstrate the value of interpretation and can help interpretive planners and frontline staff manage and improve target outcomes from personal programs.

This 40-minute presentation with 20-minute small group dialogue session is suitable front line interpreters, supervisors, planner, and managers.

Presenter bio:

Glen Hvenegaard is a former interpreter and is now a Professor of Environmental Science at the University of Alberta. He studies human interactions with nature, focusing on interpretation, parks, and birds. He is a member of the World Commission on Protected Areas and co-author or co-editor of Frank Farley and the Birds of Alberta (2025) and Parks and Protected Areas: Mobilizing Knowledge for Effective Decision-Making (2021).

Cost to attend:

• IC Members: this event is free, but we invite you to choose to donate between $5 and $20 to help IC cover costs of planning our professional development sessions
• Non-members: $60

Cancellation policy:

If you wish to cancel your registration and are a non-member who has paid for a ticket, please note that refunds are only offered if the cancellation is made 72 hours or more in advance of the event. No refund will be issued if you cancel within the 72-hour period. Refunds can only be offered via e-transfer and may take 1-2 weeks to be processed. To request that a refund, please email info@interpretationcanada.ca. Non-attendance at an event does not qualify for a refund.