The prospectus recommended other interpretive activities, many of which were quickly implemented. These included guided tours along abandoned fire roads, off-trail “explorer” or “discovery hikes,” early morning, evening, and moonlight star walks, winter snowshoe hikes, and continued campfire programs in the large amphitheater at Mazama Campground as well as new programs in the projected amphitheater at South Campground and anticipated campfire circle at Lost Creek Campground.
The prospectus recommended additional staffing for the interpretive program. At the time the Chief of Interpretation and Resource Management supervised the program with the aid of one permanent interpretive technician and seasonal personnel. While not expressly mandated in the prospectus, the ensuing years would witness a shift from hiring older scholarly seasonal personnel to employing younger, less-skilled college students for interpretive work. There was also need for a permanent supervisory interpreter and a park ranger (interpretive specialist). [49]
Increasing interest by the academic community in national park issues in the Pacific Northwest led to a National Park Service Cooperative Park Studies Unit being established at Oregon State University in 1975. The unit was located in the College of Forestry with additional office space and laboratory facilities provided under a cooperative agreement by the Forestry Sciences Laboratory of the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. The purpose of the unit was three-fold: (1) to conduct original research on topics of importance to the management of natural and cultural resources; (2) to encourage and facilitate scientific research in national parks in the Pacific Northwest Region; and (3) to disseminate research results within the management system of the National Park Service. During the next decade a variety of Crater Lake research projects would emanate from this unit. [50]
During the 1970s various projects were undertaken to improve the professionalism of the Crater Lake interpretive program. An example of such efforts was development of a Collection Management Plan by the Division of Museum Services of Harpers Ferry Center in 1977. The report recommended changes in the storage of museum collections to enhance the protection and utilization of specimens for the interpretive program. The park collections consisted of:
Geological Series–10 minerals and 400 rocks.
Botanical Series–2,500-3,000 specimens of vascular plants; 750-1,000 specimens of bryophytes and lichens; 800-1,000 specimens of algae and fungi; and 40 species of slime molds.
Zoological Series–225 study skins of birds and 12 nests; 190 study or cased skins of mammals; 65-70 skulls and related items; 280 cold-blooded vertebrates in alcohol; 20 Cornell drawers of mounted insects.
History Series–40 photographs; 10-12 paintings and water colors; a few documents and artifacts. [51]
Historical themes traditionally had received secondary attention in the park’s overall interpretive program. To rectify this imbalance an Historical Studies Plan for the park was developed in 1979 by Vernon C. Tancil, Regional Historian of the NPS Pacific Northwest Office. The plan provided an analysis of Crater Lake’s historic resources and research needs around five principal themes in the park’s history. The five themes were identified as being (1) Great Plains Indians; (2) Discovery and Exploration; (3) Park Administration; (4) Visitor Use; and (5) Conservation. The plan included recommendations for park research including an historic resource study (completed in 1984), an administrative history, an historic structure preservation guide for Crater Lake Lodge, and a conservation study. [52]
