Proceedings of the First Park Naturalists’ Training Conference, November 1 to 30, 1929
LECTURES IN NATIONAL PARKS
PARK NATURALISTS’ CRITICISMS OF PRESENT LECTURES IN THEIR INDIVIDUAL PARKS
Criticism of Lectures in Mount Rainier National Park – By C. Frank Brockman:
Advantages of present lectures:
1. Serves as a means of acquainting the visitor with park features, where to go and how to get there.
2. Is the chief agency of acquainting the visitor with the park educational activities and our serve, nature walks, etc.
Disadvantages of present lectures:
1. Not sufficient illustrative and visual material.
2. No centralized point of contact on a par with operator’s auditorium (Paradise Valley)
3. Not adequate physical needs (Paradise Valley)
4. Net sufficient cooperation with park operators – and possibly at one or two points with rangers.
Changes suggested:
1. That good movies be added to lecture equipment.
2. That more and varied slides be given us to allow a wider field of instruction at each point of lecturing in park. At present one ranger naturalist brings a set of slides from School Board (Seattle)
3. That an adequate system of advertising be disseminated through hotels, etc.
Criticism of Yosemite Lectures – By C. A. Harwell:
Advantages of lectures in Yosemite at present are several:
1. They are given at good locations.
2. They are wanted.
3. They are given by a group of fairly well trained men.
4. They are informal.
5. They are not prescribed as to subject so that initiative of man is brought into play and man is trained in several subjects.
There are a few disadvantages:
1. Not all subjects that should be covered are chosen by man under our scheme.
2. There is no logical sequence of subjects covered.
3. Time is wasted by some men in working up new lectures just because he feels he should do something new.
Changes suggested:
1. Work out more of a “Course of Study” for lecture subjects at some stations and as far as possible fit men available into the scheme so that proper emphasis is given major features which should be stressed in Yosemite.
