Mi'kmaq Program Plan

Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and NS Tourism, Culture and Heritage. JVA has sub-contracted to Form:Media, a premier Nova Scotia Consulting firm, to assist in the development of a Mi'Kmaq Interpretive Programming Interpretive Plan, for the Provance of Nova Scotia. This project will inventory the wealth of Mi'Knaq First Nation stories in the Province, and how they might be interpreted in NS Provincial Parks. You can visit Form:Media at their web site: http://www.form-media.ca. The project is due to be completed by March/April, 2010.

2010 Interpretive Training Courses

We are planning ahead for 2010 for my two interpretive training courses I offer in Wales, UK. The courses for 2010 include: 19 – 21 May 2010 – Planning and Design of Interpretive Media – Cost £264 and 31 August – 3 September 2010 – Interpretive Master Planning – Cost £357. These courses are offered at Plas Tan y Bwlch (Snowdonia National Park Training Center in Wales). If you would like more details on these coures send me an e-mail (jvainterp@aol.com) and I will send you the course content. We attract participants world-wide. We have have participants from South Africa, Sweden, Channel Islands, the US, and from throughout the UK.

The photos show the training center and one of the class activities from last year.

Louisiana Winter - umm good.

Just got the contract to start work on a host of interpretive media for the Corps of Engineers Bonnet Carre Spillway, located a short drive from New Orleans and located on the Mississippi. We did the interpretive plan last year, and our recommendations were funded for 09/2010. These include several interpretive kiosks, a self-guiding auto tour, interpretive panels at select sites and visitor center exhibits. Matt Kaser, an interpretive designer from Texas will be working with me. It will be cold in MI, so working in Louisiana during winter months will be OK. The photo shows the "long view" of the spillway, which works as a safety valve for Mississippi River water. If the spillway is opened during high river water (a farely rare occurance), the spillway basin is flooded and the overflow is directed to Lake Ponchartrain and into the Gulf. This project will run from November 09 through May of 2010.

Off to England in January.

I have been asked to conduct a 4-day interpretive training course for the staff of the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Peterborough in the UK, with a focus in preparing for new interpretive media and services for the Great Fen for 2010. I do a lot of work in the UK and this is a very special site. Training sessions will focus on a general overview of interpretation and interpretive planning, then special sessions on design of interpretive panels, audio guides, school program development, special event planning and web site interpretation. The workshop is scheduled for January 2010. You can learn more about this special place at: http://www.greatfen.org.uk. The photo was taken from one of their on-line newsletters.