
filed under: interpretation
Trails and greenways create an opportunity to teach visitors about history, the environment, and the community
by Stuart Macdonald, Trail Consultant, American Trails
One of the attractions of trails is that they provide a close look at natural areas, neighborhoods, or wild places. This "sense of place" is what brings people back to a pathway. Many trails are specifically designed as "nature trails" to teach school groups and the public about a particular habitat or ecosystem. Others, such as the examples here, are just typical trails where managers have provided one or a few displays on local topics of interest. Many different kinds of signs are in use, from the basic plaque to large gazebo-style exhibits.
Classic vertical display board on the Lomaki Trail, which accesses Pueblo ruins sites in Wupatki National Monument in northeast Arizona
Metal structure creates a substantial interpretive display along the Platte River Greenway, Denver, CO
Interpretive sign celebrating the explorers and fur traders who travelled along what is now the Platte River Greenway
Another example of environmental education focused on the topic of Nature and community balance along The Colony Shoreline Trail, TX
Sign at Elk Meadow Park west of Denver tells visitors about the role their sales tax pays in preserving Jefferson County Open Space
The natural history of fire is the topic in Big Cypress Trail in Goethe State Forest, central Florida
Published September 2019
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