The Nature Guide Service, as it came to be called, was continued by Miller in 1927. He was assisted by his son, who was promoted to temporary ranger naturalist, and Leigh Merriam-Larson, a volunteer assistant. That year Superintendent Thomson reported:
This work is, beyond question, the most popular and worthwhile service ever accomplished at Crater Lake, and I am hopeful of seeing its usefulness expanded by more adequate personnel and at least some minor equipment.
The naturalist program remained much as it had the previous year except that daily field excursions were commenced at the lodge to promote greater visitor participation. [5]
During 1927 initial discussions were held concerning establishment of an observation point on the rim of the lake that would serve educational purposes. Those participating in the discussions were Superintendent Thomson, Miller, and Dr. J.C. Merriam, president of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Miller recommended that the observation point or station “should be architecturally in harmony with the adjacent landscape” and located “at Victor Rock or at some other strategic point near by.” The station should be educational, inspirational, and informative and “should utilize the unique features of the park in such way that they would convey their own message with a minimum of assistance from simply worded statements.” The “matters presented should be few” and “mainly geological in nature.” Such points should include: Llao Rock, Wizard Island, Devil’s Backbone, Dutton Cliff, Feeder Dikes (with. telescope), glacial valleys, and the Cascade Range with its studding cones. The idea of time “should be stressed to emphasize the fact that the present is a result of continuous processes that are still in action.” The geological processes were “intimately related with the biologic,” and thus flora and fauna issues should be given attention at the station. Research and field data collection should be conducted by authorities in the field, and provision should be made for the periodic residence of such experts in the park. These discussions set the stage for the eventual construction of the Sinnott Memorial in 1931. [6]
Meanwhile the park educational program in 1928 was placed in charge of Acting Park Naturalist Earl V. Homuth, a professor of biology at the University of California, San Diego. The summer activities, which extended from July 1 to August 22, included:
Field Trips — 38 (attendance 590)
Lectures — 76 (attendance 4,880)
Contacts (Rim, Lodge, Community House) — over 5,000
Three issues of 100 copies each of “Nature Notes” were printed to supplement the lectures and guided field trips. [7]
In 1929 the park information department, as it was referred to, was again in charge of Acting Park Naturalist Homuth, assisted by one temporary ranger naturalist and two volunteer assistants. Some 65,000 free government leaflets were distributed at the information office and temporary museum in the Community House and park ranger stations during the summer. The leaflets had been prepared by Homuth and his staff and covered topics such as geology, wildlife, and natural history in the park. Two lectures were given each evening, one at the temporary museum and one at the lodge. A total of 94 lectures were given to some 11,235 park visitors. In addition some 53 guided tours were conducted daily “over areas about the rim,” a total of fifty such trips being made during the summer with an attendance of 1,277.
A natural wildflower garden named Castle Crest Garden was established near Government Camp in 1929. Some 200 species of park flowers were planted in the garden, and regularly scheduled tours were conducted through it. Metal labels were placed along the trail to identify the various plants. In addition a labelled nature trail was established along the rim from the lodge to a new lookout point some 1.3 miles westward. [8]
