If students are to become aware of the vital, but fragile, interrelationships in their environment, they require many firsthand experiences in the out-of-doors. Environmental education is taught in some classrooms and nature centers, but to date, little research has been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the instructional methods used. Nature center managers are finding it difficult to personally educate an increasing number of park visitors. School teachers who may lack expertise in the natural sciences need educational resources that can be used to supplement their science curricula. These situations indicate that there is a growing demand for environmental interpretive methods that are dynamic, convenient, and accessible to a large number of people.The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a particular method of interpretation which involves the use of a taped message and hands-on activities along a nature trail. Middle school students took part in the project. The treatment for the experimental group consisted of taped instruction and nature trail activities. The control group toured Christy Woods Arboretum without a taped message. Both groups completed a short written questionnaire after theirexperience. Responses were analyzed to determine if the taped interpretive method was effective in helping students learn concepts and develop positive attitudes toward the natural environment. Teacher response was also evaluated.

This creative project presents a plan for interpreting the natural, cultural, and historical features of the Whitewater Gorge Park in Richmond, Indiana to the people who will visit the park in the future. The plan begins with inventories of natural, cultural, and historical resources, management concerns, and visual character, and also examines patterns of use in the park. The park's greatest assets are summarized in a series of interpretive themes; for each theme, specific interpretive media and methods are proposed and discussed. Interpretive measures are then grouped in lists of short-term and long-term priorities.An appendix to this creative project outlines the results of a questionnaire completed by a group of hikers in the park. The questionnaire was designed to sample hikers' opinions about the usefulness of a printed trail guide with which they had been supplied, and to investigate their reactions to the Whitewater Gorge Park as a whole. / Department of Landscape Architecture