“We have long believed that the visitor center was the gateway to the park; the first stop to learn all that the park had to offer– where to go and what to see,” Jarvis said.
“Today’s visitors are more technologically attuned than ever before. Many people – and not just those under 30 – plan their visits online, using the National Park Service’s website and other sources to find interactive maps, watch videos of the trails they will hike, listen to podcasts about the wildlife they will encounter, and study online exhibits on the history of the place.
“They download everything they need to iPhones, iPads, Droid, devices that also tell them where they are and where they want to be, and allow them to share the experience in real time with friends and family anywhere on the planet.”
The current plan for visitor centers was hatched in the 1950s, and may be due for a reconsideration. For instance, is the visitor center the best format for real visitors to interact with real rangers and information docents?
Do budget constraints, and the need for funds to tackle the $10 maintenance backlog of existing infrastructure, demand that funds be pulled from building additional visitor centers on the scale that has been the rule up until now?
Will designs of the future be more focused around online information, which is now quite extensive on the NPS website, and away from large buildings, personal contact, and paper maps and brochures? The struggle for funds will certainly be a contentious issue as the park service looks ahead to its second hundred years.
I find this article most interesting as I complete my sixth month as a volunteer at national park this week. The park is in the process of installing a new visitor center format with fresh pictures and text on the walls to replace the existing, 50ish exhibit. I spent my time as a fee collector at the campground kiosk. Many of the people I encountered had not stopped at the visitor center, and were receiving from me, their introduction to the park, complete with a brochure and any information I had time to share before greeting the next visitor. I believe the NPS must take better advantage of sharing information via the internet and apps for smart phones. NPS must the information in the hands of our visitors to enhance their experience any way we can. That is the way to reach our newly enlightened visitors.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate visitor centers as they are the best source of questions to be answered. Many of the volunteers are guides that are most helpful to novice travelers. I don't think they need to be palaces though just functional. I appreciate all the folks that volunteer-my brother-in-law is one of them.
ReplyDeleteJudy B
Other than a few of Civil War battlefields ( I'm a reenactor) I don't go to National Parks. I find them too crowded with screeming kids and I'm not that "into" nature. I leave them to those who like that sort of thing. I do enjoy the visitors centers though.
ReplyDeleteTom, you obviously don't visit many of the lesser used National Parks and/or visit in the off season. In either case you can find plenty of solitude, away from the crowds. "Too crowded with screaming kids," you say. . . wow. . . you sound like Scrooge. -- Chuck (editor, RVtravel.com)
ReplyDeleteI may research before my outings but I always go to the visitor centers first!!!
ReplyDelete