Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
100 Brown Farm Road Olympia, WA 98516

WHO
Do you give visitor programs or do outreach on behalf of your agency, institution or non-profit? You’ve got the facts–now shape them into a meaningful experience for your audience! Here’s a chance to sharpen your communication skills, capture the essential ingredients of great programs, and create visitor experiences that help accomplish your organizational mission–by turning visitors into supporters. If your job involves reaching visitors about a natural, cultural, or historical resource, this training is for you!
Offered in collaboration with the National Association for Interpretation, an additional course partner is the Great Baikal Trail Association and its United States partner, the Earth Island Institute, as this course will include 4-5 Russian professionals who are developing interpretive programs in and around Lake Baikal in eastern Siberia.
WHAT
The National Association for Interpretation’s (NAI) Certified Interpretive Guide training is internationally recognized professional training for everyone who brings visitors and natural, cultural or historical resources together. Each day consists of presentations of new information followed by hands-on practice of the material.
WHEN
Sunday September 9 – Wednesday September 12, 2012
8:30 AM – 5:30 PM – 32 hours of instruction
WHERE
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, Olympia, WA
The Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge is a premiere birding and wildlife watching area along Puget Sound in Western Washington. Its lands include much of the original delta of the Nisqually River (one of the watersheds from Mount Rainier). Recently, the Refuge has undertaken a major habitat restoration of the delta by removing agricultural dikes—thus restoring a major estuary of the Puget Sound ecosystem. Come see a wonderful area that will be teaming with migratory birds at the time of this workshop.
THE DETAILS
Requirements – To receive NAI certification as an interpretive guide, individuals must attend the 32-hour course, complete with 80% or better a 50-question open-book literature review, develop a presentation outline and deliver a 10-minute presentation. All requirements can be completed during the four days of the workshop (test scores will not be available until after the workshop).
Cost – $320 Current NAI members; $370 non-members. Cost includes all instruction, workbook, certification fees and snacks. You will need to bring a sack lunch each day. Copies of the CIG Library (6 of the major books in the interpretive field) will be available on-site or you can purchase them via the NAI website.

If you are interested please contact: Jean MacGregor — MacGJean@evergreen.edu