Master Interpreter

	Peter Duck “Interpretation has been one approach I have used to encourage others to come to the conclusion that natural systems are worth protecting”
	Nadine Fletcher “Interpretation can and should extend people’s connection to their home ecosystem, to nature as a whole, to the planet”
	Ben Gadd “If I am a good interpreter, the people who accompany me will have their minds and hearts opened to the places I take them.”
	Joel Hagen “Good interpreters help people comprehend history and nature in a way that might transform both their understanding of society and how they live in it.”
	Bob Sandford “To be successful, we must challenge ourselves in new ways. We must transcend the ‘Already known’,the ‘already said’ the ‘already thought’ to redefine interpretation as fundamental to meaningful experience in National Parks…”
	Ward Cameron “The more I help other people to achieve their goals, the more I am able to reach my own”
	Michael Vincent If I can, in any small way, get the idea across that protecting these places is not only good for the creatures and plants that live here but its good for all of us as a whole, then I have had a good day at work.
	Dave Verhulst If we are going to accomplish the true power of interpretation to have people love and care for themselves and the natural world, we must also recognize that doing so requires connecting our community of guides to nature and to themselves.
	Laurie Schwartz the purpose of professional interpretation is to create the opportunity for “a-ha!” moments for people, to connect them emotionally to something through a positive, even profound experience, and to teach them about a place, person or thing in an enjoyable way.
	Peter Lemieux I feel that it is important to let our guests see and experience nature for themselves. Our world, and our survival as a species, truly depends on a healthy environment. A population that is removed from the natural world and a knowledge of its systems is doomed to fail. Interpretation has a role to play here, in helping people to understand the natural systems that allow us to survive and prosper. As an interpreter I can stimulate curiosity and raise questions that help guests truly experience and care about what lies before them.
	Ronna Schnerberger Interpreters are the storytellers. We are the ones that infuse ones consciousness with stories from the land, stories of connection. Most people live very disconnected to nature (and themselves) and when they can go out with a good interpreter they start to remember their connection on a very visceral level and it touches them. It can create change in attitudes and behaviour.
	Kristi Beetch Interpretation provides a broader understanding to the relevance of our protected places.
	Dave Holder Society as a whole is suffering from Nature Deficit Disorder many people are unaware of this. As interpreters we can inform people of the healthy benefits to humans, and the eco system as a whole of preserving wild places and spaces. We are an inherently a selfish species so hopefully when people realize that nature can actually rejuvenate their health, and this lonely planet, they may take more consideration over its preservation. This can be done through good informative Professional Interpretation. Therefore it is our job as Interpreters to take examples of what has happened in the past, good and bad, look at what is going on now and draw a conclusion on how the actions of our species may benefit the future. We have an important job and can never rest on our laurels we are more than JUST guides’, we are ambassadors of the future.
	Fusako Shimura Interpretation is a bridge which takes someone from being a bystander of a place, object and history to someone who was there in their mind.
	Kirsten Schmitten Interpretation is about matchmaking. It is finding a way to connect people with the natural world or the history of a place in a very personal way. Sometimes it is done with very little information, but with giving a pace, time and quite to be immersed in nature and the stories that unfold.