The Catalyst: The Newsletter for Interpretation in California State Parks

  Your questions answered! Dear Master Interpreter:  I appreciated your guidance about finding ways to do evaluations for docent groups (peers, audience, self RAPPORTS) in the previous issue however I need help dealing with the actual one-on-one coaching of a volunteer docent. One of my docents has been with the park longer than I and knows the history after statehood very well. However, this docent does not seem to want to provide stories of indigenous lifeways, in place since time immemorial, to their program. I’ve shared the outline of content developed in agreement with our local tribal community through the efforts of our Tribal Liaison with all docents and yet I can’t seem to get this one docent to do their part. What can I do? — Spreading Respect for Tribal Communities Dear Spreading Respect: It can be one of the most challenging parts of your job as a docent coordinator when you need to sit down with a docent and coach them on their programs suggesting improvement and ...

How the Service Centers Serve Parks What is a Service Center, where are they, and what do they provide? California State Parks has two Service Centers: one in Sacramento and another in San Diego. The Northern Service Center (NSC) and the Southern Service Center (SSC) trace their origins to the Office of Interpretive Services (OIS), organized in the 1960s. Back then, visitor center design was a collaboration between interpreters, museum curators, exhibit designers, and staff architects. Almost everything was done in-house, and it was a rare exception to utilize outside vendors for interpretive services.  Collaboration continues at the Northern and Southern Service Centers. The potent combination of interpreters, museum curators, and exhibit designers allow the service centers to assist parks and districts with everything from the design of a single interpretive panel for a trail to the development of a new Interpretation Master Plan. This includes the ability to design new visitor c...

  For interpreters in classifications eligible for uniform reimbursements, there are two key updates to what you may have understood from years past. Footwear is, in fact, reimbursable . The current Uniform Manual indicates that Dress/Work shoes and Boots may be required but are not reimbursable; however, this is severely outdated. The annual uniform replacement allowance has been increased from $450 to $650 . You can verify both of these updates for yourself by viewing the current  BU01 Tentative Agreement (see page 876) . This is a large file and may take a while to load.

 The Resources Hub: A Central Location of Resources for Interpreters Statewide This may sound like a familiar story to many Parks employees. When I first joined State Parks in July I had a lot of questions, and in my quest for information, I was pointed to, well, everywhere . There was the State Parks official webpage, the intranet, the network drive, seven different SharePoint sites, an old workbook on our library shelves, the Post-It stuck on the bottom of my chair, etc. There was no central place to find information, and even the designated area for information ( the Interpretation and Education Resources Hub ) was hard to navigate. Then Heather asked me to make it more functional. I set to accomplish this by: Building an intuitive navigation structure outside of files/folders. Uploading or linking to all the resources scattered throughout the Parks' databases. Organizing and grouping similar resources logically, whether by group or by type. Continuing to u...

Two decades ago, California State Parks launched PORTS: Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students ®, aiming to harness technology to engage a diverse K-12 audience. The global pandemic propelled our popularity, solidifying PORTS as a vital resource for thousands of educators seeking to bring learning beyond the traditional classroom. In 2020, we reflected on our journey and proudly announced that PORTS had engaged over 1 million students since its inception in 2004. Just four years later, we are thrilled to share that we have now reached over 2 million students with our innovative educational programming across California. This milestone is a testament to the dedication of our field staff and the enthusiasm of educators eager to connect their students with the wonders of nature and history. To learn more about the impact of the PORTS Program, we invite you to explore our annual report for the 2023/2024 school year . Thank you for being a part of this incredible journey! — Br...

Strap on your helmet, buckle your seat belt, bring a buddy, and grab plenty of water for hydration as you participate in this year’s OHV Safety Week November 16-24 .   Safety Week is an opportunity for state parks and their partners to showcase safety measures while enjoying California State Parks.   Messaging includes information about sharing the trail, and keeping yourself and others safe while enjoying the park and various OHV recreational opportunities.   Parks host a variety of classes and activities that illustrate these messages. This event is co-hosted by the California Outdoor Recreation Foundation (CORF) and the Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association (ROHVA) . According to Safety Week co-founder Don Schmidt, “Safety Week was born out of the idea to highlight and enhance off-highway vehicle safety throughout California.   The OHMVR Division works with a large off-highway vehicle community who recognizes the importance of getting participants to in...

California State Parks’ Division of Interpretation and Education is introducing the 2024 Interpretive Excellence Awards to recognize the tremendous variety and depth of staff accomplishments in support of the department mission to “provide for the health, inspiration and education of the people of California."  Nomination forms must be submitted by 1/8/25. For awards details, view the nomination form at this link: https://forms.gle/yuFsqbG6GfCwWtab9