Meeting Abstract
The United States and its territories contain over 400 national parks and other protected areas managed by the National Park Service (NPS). Collectively, these sites attract over 300 million visits per year which makes the NPS one of the largest informal education institutions in the country. That education can and does include science. Because the NPS supports and facilitates scientific research in parks, the national park system provides boundless opportunity for scientists to engage diverse audiences in learning, exploring, and even conducting science. Those opportunities are best pursued through collaborations between researchers and the parks’ interpretive and education staff and with non-NPS education partners who work in parks. Among other activities, scientists in these collaborations are conducting citizen science projects, contributing to teacher education workshops, helping interpreters develop new programs and visitor center displays, presenting research results at annual in-park science symposia, and appearing in science videos posted on park websites and social media. This presentation explores lessons the NPS and its partners have learned about effective practices and impact of scientists’ involvement in public outreach and engagement. It also identifies what still needs to be learned. Examples from parks will illustrate the diverse ways in which scientists, park staff, and partners customize outreach opportunities according to their different strengths, interests, and capacity. The presentation aims to provoke interest and new ideas among session participants for making science part of the park visitor’s experience.
