1.9.13__Visitor_Interpretive_Experience__Plan_(Draft).pdf

Draft VIEP Valle de Oro NWR October 14, 2017

For Internal Review Only

Draft Visitor Interpretive Experience Plan for

Prepared by:

BUCY Associates 2921 NW Hayes Corvallis, OR 97330

(541) 758-3502

October 14, 2017

October 14, 2017

Instructions to Reviewers

Hello all;

We are getting close! Thank you for all your work so far and for the work you will do providing feedback and filling in holes in information. Please consider the following when reviewing this document:

1. This is still a work in progress, so feel free to weigh in on anything. However, much of the document has already gone through reviews and been modified, so I suggest focusing on the sections that are new, which can be found primarily in the actual Plan (interpretive opportunities and other strategies for facilitating visitor interpretive experiences).

2. Many of the comments and suggestions on the previous submittal related to management decisions that are outside the purview of this plan, such as whether to focus first on the Mountain View Community and then expand to the rest of Albuquerque. This is not a VSP or other type of management plan. It is a Visitor Interpretive Experience Plan so it contains recommendations for Visitor Interpretive Experiences and how they should be developed. It’s not that the other comments and suggestions shouldn’t be voiced and considered. It’s just that this isn’t the right forum.

3. In included a section in the Appendices that includes ideas that were not included in the plan, with reasons why they were not.

4. Cost Range Estimates are not included at this point. They will be calculated after the array of strategies and design concepts have been approved.

5. Evaluation of Environmental Education and Outreach is not included. I want to talk with Teresa and Toby before completing these sections. I will send it along when completed.

6. The Background Information (Audiences, Parameters, and Inventory) is not included in this document. The information has been reviewed twice and will be submitted in the next submittal for a final review prior to completion.

7. Don’t worry about the layout or lack of visuals. At this point the priority is on the information.

8. This project has two more submittals after this one. The Final Draft Final, and the Final. To make sure we don’t have to do an extra one it is important that all missing information is added and all corrections made.

9. Although everything should be reviewed, pay extra attention to sections highlighted in yellow because that indicates a significant change or addition based on previous feedback.

10. Questions and requests for information appear in blue type.

If you have questions, please let me know.

Cheers!

Dave Bucy

October 14, 2017

Acknowledgments

The following people contributed to this plan:

Ken Garrahan, Chief of Visitor Services, USFWS, Southwest Region Art Needleman, Division of Visitor Services, USFWS, Southwest Region Jennifer Owen-White, Refuge Manager, Valle de Oro NWR Katie McVey, Deputy Refuge Manager, Valle de Oro NWR Teresa Skiba, Environmental Education Coordinator, Valle de Oro NWR Ariel Elliott, Wildlife Biologist, Valle de Oro NWR Antonio Valdes-Dapena, Visitor Services Coordinator, Valle de Oro NWR Leandra Taylor, Valle de Oro NWR Hannah Redwood, Valle de Oro NWR Amelia Murphy, Conservation Social Scientist, Human Dimensions Branch and Valle de Oro NWR, USFWS Aryn LaBrake, Executive Director, Friends of Valle de Oro Teri Jillson, President, Friends of Valle de Oro

If I have missed anyone, misspelled names, or have the wrong titles, please make the appropriate changes in Track Changes.

October 14, 2017

Table of Contents

Definitions Introduction Vision/Goal Hierarchy Theme Hierarchy Visitor Interpretive Experiences Plan Visitor Interpretive Experiences Strategies by Stage of Visitor Experience Choosing to Engage Pre-Visit Experience Travel Experience Arrival Experience Primary Experience Departure Experience Return Travel Experience Post Visit Experience Building Program Associated with Visitor Interpretive Experiences Suggestions and Ideas Not Included

Draft VIEP for VdO NWR October 13, 2017

Definitions

Understanding the following terms will be useful in understanding this document:

• Visitor Interpretive Experience Plans

• Visitors

• Urban Wildlife Refuges

• Stepping Stones of Engagement

• Native Nature

• Transition Zones

Visitor Interpretive Experience Plans Up until very recently, an ‘Interpretive Plan’ was the document that was typically produced to guide development of an Interpretive Program, which includes all the exhibits, interpretive panels, publications and similar interpretive opportunities for a site or facility. While such plans can identify opportunities that communicate desired messages to target audiences, they often fail because they do not take into consideration the experiential context in which they must function.

Most good interpretive planning models used today reflect the need to take target audience, goals and objectives, constraints, opportunities, and themes into account when selecting information delivery strategies and content. However, they still treat the array of strategies – the Interpretive Program as a whole – as the focal point of the plan. Although any interpretive planning effort should result in identifying the array of interpretive opportunities to develop, the approach of the planning effort should be to first identify the ideal visitor experiences (ones that by their nature would benefit from effective interpretive opportunities) from the perspective of those developing the interpretive program, and then use those experiences to determine what interpretive and other information to offer. Such experiences also have to be ones that target audience are willing to buy with their time, which requires knowing your target audiences beyond basic demographic information. Using the visitor experience approach ensures that you develop a plan, labeled a ‘Visitor Interpretive Experience Plan, for a complete information network that begins with reaching your target audiences where they are – physically, emotionally and intellectually – and taking them where you want them to go by using a linked combination of trip planning information, orientation, wayfinding and interpretive opportunities. It also ensures that you identify and address barriers to the desired experiences, such as facilities that aren’t fully accessible, so you can address those barriers within the context of developing your interpretive program.

In sum, people today buy experiences. Consequently, the desired product to guide development of an interpretive program is a Visitor Interpretive Experience Plan (VIEP), which uses desired audience experiences as the frameworks for determining the interpretive, outreach, orientation, wayfinding, and trip planning information to develop and actions to take to facilitate experiences that will attract, hold and communicate effectively with target audiences, whether on or off-site.

Visitors The goal of the network of interpretive opportunities is to forge an emotional/intellectual connection between a member of a target audience and nature in general, and wildlife refuges specifically.

Although a visit to a refuge might be the most effective vehicle for creating such connections, it is not the only one. In other words, people don’t have to physically step foot on a refuge to be termed a visitor. The term ‘visitor’ in this document is applied to anyone engaging with a Stepping Stone of

Engagement, such as an Island of Habitat, or the Valle de Oro website. Note that the goal of urban refuges is not to increase the number of visitors, no matter how they are identified, but to convert every ‘visitor’ into a member of the connected conservation community. For many, that will require a visit to a natural area, such as a refuge. This is an important distinction for Valle de Oro NWR because it is quite small, so it cannot sustain a high level of visitation without having negative impacts on the wildlife.

Urban Wildlife Refuges

“To garner broad support for conservation, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service must provide a reason, and opportunities, for urban residents to find, appreciate, and care for nature in their cities and beyond. Therefore, engaging our urban neighbors, and fostering a sense of stewardship, reflects the heart of the Urban Wildlife Conservation Program.”

In 2013 the National Wildlife Refuge System established 8 pilot Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnerships as the first step in their Urban Wildlife Conservation Program with the overall goal of creating a connected conservation community. Designated Urban Wildlife Refuges are within 25 miles of a population of 250,000 or more, but Urban Wildlife Refuges are defined by more than proximity to urban areas. They were established to “...create a connected conservation community by providing inspiration and opportunities for urban residents to find, appreciate, and care for nature in their cities and beyond.” The task of engaging urban dwellers and fostering a sense of stewardship among them is a key difference between traditional U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) refuges and Urban Wildlife Refuges. That goal is reflected in the following Standards of Excellence established to guide management of these refuges:

1. Know and Relate to the Community

2. Connect Urban People with Nature via Stepping Stones of Engagement

3. Build Partnerships

4. Be a Community Asset

5. Ensure Adequate Long-Term Resources

6. Provide Equitable Access

7. Ensure Visitors Feel Safe and Welcome

8. Model Sustainability

Wildlife and associated habitat necessary for survival are still the highest priority on Urban Wildlife Refuges, in part because they are a part of the National Wildlife Refuge system and must present an accurate picture of what the USFWS wants the conservation community to support, but also in part because without them an Urban Wildlife Refuge could not fulfill the primary reason for which the Urban Wildlife Conservation Program was created and Urban Wildlife Refuges designated, which is to create a connected conservation community.

The location of refuges in this program reflect the belief that the make-up of the desired conservation community must be more than just traditional users of refuges, which consist primarily of those engaged in wildlife-dependent recreation, such as hunting, wildlife observation and wildlife photography. To be successful, the desired conservation communities must include non-traditional audiences living in urban areas. Urban Wildlife Refuges are seen as a gateway to exposing those audiences to the value of nature, of natural areas, of a specific refuge, and by extension, to the larger network of National Wildlife Refuges in a way that leads to the development of a conservation community that supports conservation, refuges and the USFWS.

The USFWS can take numerous actions that will lead to the local residents valuing the refuge and the agency. Examples include providing job skill training to youth, providing enriching programs, providing a Community Garden, giving away native plants for residents to plant in their yards, providing a community meeting space, offering recreational opportunities valued by residents and supporting community events. All could help make progress toward a favorable attitude toward the refuge and agency, but are unlikely to achieve the other major goal of Urban Wildlife Refuges, which is to create a connected conservation community. None of those actions in themselves are likely to instill a desire among target audiences to conserve natural and cultural resources to the point they overcome barriers to begin practicing stewardship behaviors.

The typical approach to modifying visitor behavior in regards to conservation is to focus on changing attitudes towards conservation with the expectation that behavior will then be modified to be consistent with attitudes. This is more likely to work with youth because their attitudes are still being shaped. However, by itself, this approach can fail for a number of reasons, the most common being barriers to engaging in the desired behavior. Douglas McKenzie-Mohr in his book Fostering Sustainable Behavior notes two examples in his own life, both of which involved moving to Canada and an associated change to a colder climate. Upon arriving he bought a composter and set it up in a shed in the back. When the snow started to fall he dutifully trampled a path to the shed to dispose of compostable waste, until the snow got too deep, at which point he threw the compostable waste in the garbage. In another example, instead of walking, bicycling or taking public transport to work, he chose to take a taxi because the cost of the taxi wasn’t much more than the bus and he could travel on his own schedule rather than adapt to the bus schedule. In both cases the barrier to engaging in the sustainable behavior – too much effort to move the snow and too much inconvenience for taking public transport – negated the positive attitude (and strong drive) to sustainable behavior. With that in mind, it is important to look not only at opportunities for education – through interpretation, environmental education and public outreach – but also at the barriers to engaging in desired behaviors with the intent of eliminating or minimizing those barrier so visitors increase the frequency of engaging in sustainable behaviors no matter how . Doing so increases the likelihood that visitors will – at least in some small way

– increase their practicing of sustainable behaviors.

Most members of audiences targeted by the USFWS at Valle de Oro NWR are unlikely to engage in sustainable behaviors even if they have a positive attitude toward such actions due to the increased cost in money and/or time (barriers). For those that are supportive of conservation, removing such barriers, such as by offering free native plants to plant in their yards, may result in achieving the desired impact.

That is one reason it is critical to identify barriers to engagement as quickly as possible and remove them to increase the likelihood that interpretation and environmental education will have the desired impact on visitor behavior.

In the research paper Best Practices for Creating and Sustaining Engagement with Urban Communities:

Recommendations for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by Mimi Kaplan, the following specific policies were recommended for overcoming barriers and engaging audiences:

1. Build strong relationships with the community, in the community Building strong relationships may be a lengthy process given typical mistrust of government agencies, and it may take actions not directly related to managing a refuge. As noted in the paper, Best Practices for Creating and Sustaining Engagement with Urban Communities:

Recommendations for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “Making connections with an urban community and making public lands relevant to them requires understanding that activities that urban residents want may not be directly related to the refuges at all” (Kaplan, pg. 22). The paper points out that nothing can be done without gaining the trust of the community, and convincing them that the refuge, refuge staff, members of the Friends Group and volunteers are an asset may require helping with activities the community deems important. In other words, although some activities the community desired may not appear to have a direct connection to conservation, they may be the critical first step in the pathway to an active conservation community. This requires refuge staff, members of the Friends Group and volunteers who support the refuge to leave the refuge and engage with community members within their space – not the refuge space.

In addition to working with members of the community, the paper suggests working with community groups as a means of exploring how those groups can be allies in conservation and community engagement. The policy recommendation emphasizes that in all meetings the refuge staff should focus on how they can be a community asset as defined by the community – not by the USFWS. All of this must be balanced against the fact that the USFWS is a federal agency, which severely restricts involvement in politics beyond advocating for the refuge and conservation of natural resources.

2. Identify barriers to participation in conservation activities both on and off the refuge, and ways to address and overcome these barriers.

Participants in Kaplan’s study noted that distance between the refuge and residents, lack of public transportation, lack of information about the refuge, belief that people aren’t allowed on refuges, discomfort with nature and lack of diversity of refuge staff are a few of the barriers that affect public participation. These and other such barriers must be addressed to achieve the highest level of participation possible. The paper has several suggestions for removing barriers, including hiring interns and students from the community to increase the diversity of staff while providing youth employment, and scaffolding programs, which means sequencing programs to begin where the audience is able and willing to begin and then progressing, step-by-step through a series of programs designed to move students – physically and/or mentally – to a desired end point. Each program builds on the programs before. For example, giving a program in the natural surroundings of the community and progressing to programs on the refuge to address discomfort with nature.

3. Establish meaningful and beneficial partnerships Not only are partnerships the cornerstone of the USFWS Urban Wildlife Conservation Partnership Program, they have also proven to be essential to successfully engaging with urban communities.

Kaplan’s study identified two types of partnerships that were essential: Partnerships with other conservation organizations and partnerships with community organizations already connected with residents. Partnerships with other organizations provides the opportunity to reach people who might not otherwise think to visit the refuge. Partnership with community organizations provides access to an already established pipeline to people in the community. In the case of Valle de Oro NWR, it is especially important to reach the heads of family hierarchies as they evidently fill the role of ‘leader’’ within those hierarchies rather than looking to leaders from outside the family hierarchy.

4. Create lasting engagement through participatory design.

A key to creating lasting engagement is taking a visible ‘community first’ attitude. This does not supersede the ‘wildlife first’ approach of the agency, but rather elevates the community to a position of significance when it comes to developing an Urban Wildlife Refuge. The ‘wildlife first’ approach simply becomes a parameter that affects what decisions can be made jointly with the community. The paper suggests ‘maintaining the attitude that the refuge works from the community out, not the refuge out,’ and to ‘always consider how the refuge can be relevant and of service to the community, taking into account their needs and their views on conservation.’ This can manifest itself in a variety of ways, including involving the community in decision-making when possible and appropriate rather than simply making decisions and letting them know. The paper also noted the importance of following through after those decisions were made.

Although it is critical for the community to see the USFWS as an asset, the real goal is for the community to consider nature (as defined by the USFWS) an important part of their quality of life.

As noted in the report Nature Doesn’t Pay My Bills: Mapping the Gaps between Expert and Public Understandings of Urban Nature and Health by the Frameworks Institute, “while experts see nearby nature as necessary to human well- being and thus an essential feature of urban landscapes, the public sees nature as a nice, but not necessary, add-on to urban life.” Nearby nature has to be considered more than ‘nice’ if the goal of a connected conservation community is to be realized.

Stepping Stones of Engagement One of the keys to the USFWS approach to creating connected conservation communities is what they term Stepping Stones of Engagement. The implication of a ‘progression’ is apt in that the ideal outcome is for all members of target audiences to become fully engaged in conserving natural resources, a goal that requires a progressive series of commitments, each a step beyond the other. However, the term is a misnomer in that it implies a linear pathway of steps with a specific starting and ending point, which by inference, involves a visit to the refuge.

In reality, Stepping Stones of Engagement includes an array of opportunities that constitute potential starting points to expose target audiences to nature, wildlife, refuges, the USFWS and conservation. By necessity, these ‘starting stepping stones’ are located in places – physical or digital – that the target audience already, which are unlikely to be on the refuge. Ideally, the first stepping stone should be something that is already a comfortable part of everyday life. Most people have some existing relationship with nature, such as having house plants, or a backyard garden. Those existing relationships should be the starting place for stepping stones of engagement, which requires that their nature be considered valid. The discussion won’t proceed very far if it begins with an intimation that only the nearby nature that the USFWS wants to conserve constitutes real nature. The approach of starting where the audience is currently located reflects the commitment by the USFWS to meet people where they are, while also reflecting a key principal in this process, which is to minimize the effort required and barriers that have to be surmounted for a person to begin engaging with nature and/or conservation.

Each stepping stone provides an experience with nature in some way. As a whole, the ‘starting stepping stones’ offer potential visitors an array of opportunities to experience nature so everyone has an opportunity to interact with and experience nature in a way that he or she considers ‘safe’ and within his or her comfort zone. For some it may be a virtual experience on the Internet. For others it might be engaging with Islands of Habitat within their community.

Each stepping stone not only provides an opportunity to experience nature at a specific level, but also seeks to move a visitor along the journey to becoming fully engaged in conserving natural resources.

Consequently, all ‘starting stepping stones’ are linked to a myriad of potential ‘follow-up stepping stones,’ and from those to other Stepping Stones of Engagement in what the USFWS hopes is an endless journey of engagement and associated commitment to conservation that takes the form of actions. The journey does not require a physical visit to the refuge, although a visit may be one of the most effective tools in achieving the goal of a connected conservation community that supports refuges, the USFWS, and most importantly, engages people in conserving natural and cultural resources.

The keys to an effective array of Stepping Stones of Engagement include the following:

1. Begin by validating and starting with whatever relationship the target audience currently has with nature that they consider a part of their quality of life. This could be house plants, a backyard garden, bird feeder, a neighborhood park, etc.

2. Provide easily accessible ‘’next stepping stones’ in locations already frequented by the target audiences, which in this case are within their community.

3. Ensure that each stepping stone offers high benefit to the target audience for the cost of time, attention and other personal resources as defined by the target market. This is especially important for the starting stepping stones.

4. Ensure that the ‘distance’ between stepping stones is such that a person can take ‘baby steps’ of commitment to conservation.

5. Ensure that each stepping stone markets potential next stepping stones.

Native Nature Most people already have a relationship and value nature in some way, but the nature they value may be non-native house plants or non-native vegetation in their yards. To avoid distinguishing ‘good’ nature from ‘bad’ nature, which may not work well with the target audience, the term Native Nature is used to differentiate native flora and fauna from other ‘nature.’

If you can come up with a better term do so, but we need a term to distinguish native habitat from nature such as house plants, ornamentals and other non-native species with which residents already have a relationship.

Transition Zones on Refuges The area, typically on the edges of refuges, that contains parking lots, visitor centers and similar infrastructure can be thought of as a Transition Zone within which the visitor moves from a built area catering to people, to a more natural area that focuses on conserving wildlife. The Transition Zone on traditional wildlife refuges is relatively small, with infrastructure limited to parking, visitor centers, trails, boardwalks, restrooms, viewing blinds and other low impact modifications to the environment. These typical Transition Zones are consistent with the current situation in which visitors to refuges come to immerse themselves in the natural world, and want to move into the refuge quickly. In other words, these small Transition Zones are sufficient for traditional users.

On designated Urban Wildlife Refuges, accomplishing the goal of moving non-traditional visitors physically, intellectually and emotionally from an urban area to a natural area may necessitate a series of stepping stones on the refuge that as a whole may require wider Transition Zones. People visit attractions if they believe that the personal benefits are worth the personal costs of the visit, the most significant of which is time. Locating refuges adjacent to urban areas reduces the personal cost by reducing travel time. However, they don’t address the perceived lack of personal benefit that deters many potential visitors from taking the time to visit a refuge. One way to address that issue is to provide experiences and activities within the Transition Zone that are already valued by the local community, but not typically associated with a wildlife refuge. Examples include picnicking with a large extended family unit, celebrating a family milestone such as a birthday, and meeting friends to socialize. Such activities create the opportunity for the USFWS to expose people to the wonders of nature, have nature become a part of what they consider quality of life even if just a backdrop for social activities, and inspire them to care for nature in their communities and beyond. They also provide the opportunity to motivate visitors to move further along the Stepping Stones of Engagement.

To maximize the quantity and quality of habitat while also achieving the goal of putting non-traditional urban visitors adjacent to a natural setting, the Transition Zone should be concentrated in a band along the interface between refuge lands and the community, creating a space where the boundaries blur and necessary Stepping Stones of Engagement can be developed that will continue the journey – literally, intellectually and emotionally – of the visitor from an urban setting to a natural setting. In most cases, these Transition Zones will all be on refuge property because lack of control over surrounding land. In a sense, Islands of Habitat function the same as Transition Zones – to help move people intellectually physically from a focus on a built environment to a focus on a natural environment.

One way to think about Urban Wildlife Refuges is that they extend into a community in such ways as planting Islands of Habitat in schoolyards through partnerships with public schools, and helping people plant native plants in their yards to develop conducive habitat to attract local birds and wildlife. It may also include partnerships with entities that have different agendas, such as human health or community service, to create projects that are mutually beneficial, which in this case are ones where people experience nature beyond what they already value in their lifestyles. Such projects may inspire those partners and communities to engage in other activities that support conservation of natural resources.

In turn, the community extends into the refuge by using it for activities they already participate in within their community that are compatible with the refuge’s goal of restoring populations of native wildlife and plants. The goal is for the refuge to become a part of the community and the community to become a part of the refuge. The refuge can facilitate this connection by making all visitors feel welcome, creating environments with nature where they feel comfortable, and by offering non-traditional opportunities for the community to use the refuge. One way to make visitors feel more comfortable and welcome is by including and integrating cultural facets of target audiences such as language, stories, and traditions, in tours, signage, programs, facilities, etc.

In short, attracting non-traditional urban audiences may require offering non-traditional experiences and opportunities, such as a Community Garden or the opportunity to get coffee, which are in conflict with existing parameters regarding what can and can’t happen on a traditional refuge. Those parameters may need to be modified to provide urban refuges a wider array of options for attracting and engaging such audiences. However, care must be taken to separate the Transition Zone in an urban refuge from the refuge proper to avoid creating the expectation that activities that occur within those areas can occur in the refuge proper.

Introduction

The Refuge Valle de Oro NWR, established in 2012, is the first Urban NWR in the Service’s Southwest Region (New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Arizona) and the first developed under the Service’s Standards of Excellence for Urban National Wildlife Refuges. One major purpose of refuges designated as Urban Wildlife Refuges, is to work with community partners to reconnect urban residents to nature and build a connected conservation community. Urban Wildlife Refuges have been designated because they are near population centers, creating a better opportunity to work with community partners attract non-traditional urban audiences with the intention of to engaging them physically, intellectually and emotionally in ways that help reconnect them with nature and build a connected conservation community.

The refuge, comprised of 570 acres that was formerly the Price’s Dairy and Valley Gold Farms, is located primarily between 2nd Street SW and the Rio Grande in Albuquerque’s South Valley in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. To the west, the refuge is bordered by the Rio Grande riparian / river forest (bosque), which is part of the Rio Grande Valley State Park. Homes within the Mountain View neighborhood border the refuge to the north and south, and an industrial area borders the refuge to the east. Because of its location within the Albuquerque urban area, the refuge is well situated to serve the residents of the Albuquerque area.

The primary goal for the acquisition of the property was “to protect the land and water needed to provide refuge visitors from a large urban area with an understanding and appreciation of fish and wildlife resources through environmental education and interpretation and through wildlife-dependent recreational experiences and to improve the ecological integrity of the Middle Rio Grande ecosystem.”

Specifically, the goals for establishing the refuge were to:

• Foster environmental awareness through environmental educational opportunities and outreach programs;

• Expose an urban population to the larger NWRS;

• Develop an informed and involved citizenry that will support fish and wildlife conservation;

• Expand outdoor recreational opportunities in proximity to the trail system in the Rio Grande bosque (riparian forest);

• Conserve and enhance the natural resource values that may have been degraded or lost through conversion of the site to other uses, including the protection of senior water rights associated with the site; and

• Capitalize on the Service’s partnerships with Bernalillo County, AMAFCA, NMSLO, MRGCD, and USBR to achieve shared goals.

The Visitor Interpretive Experience Plan This Visitor Interpretive Experience Plan (VIEP) focuses on identifying and conceptualizing the network of orientation, wayfinding and interpretive opportunities to create and facilitate visitor interpretive experiences associated with Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), which are visitor experiences with a significant interpretive component. All visitor interpretive experiences do not have to occur on the refuge itself. For example, people encountering Pollinator Gardens or Butterfly Gardens in public areas planted through partnerships between the USFWS and others are considered visitors and could have a complete visitor interpretive experience associated with that feature.

The Continuums Used to Develop the Plan Developing the VIEP for Valle de Oro NWR is based on the framework described in the previous section, and on moving people along two continuums – the Continuum of Active Involvement in Conservation and the Continuum of Experiences in Native Nature, which moves from an urban environment where a built environment dominates to a natural environment where native nature dominates.

Continuum of Active Involvement in Conservation One of the goals for the refuge is for visitors to experience nature in ways that make them more aware of and comfortable (less afraid of) with native nature, motivates them to actively support the refuge, and inspires them to engage in other acts of stewardship regarding natural resources both individually and as part of a connected conservation community. Consequently the interpretive opportunities should be designed to move people along a continuum of valuing native nature in urban (and non-urban) environments as part of their quality of life, and also be designed as part of a network that not only motivates them to take actions reflecting stewardship, such as by developing natural landscapes, but helps them do so. For example, if a goal is for local residents to use native vegetation in landscaping, the refuge could work out an agreement with local nurseries that allows residents to purchase plants at reduced cost or obtain them for free.

Continuum of Experiences in Native Nature Ultimately, the desire is for visitors to have interpretive experiences that lead to a never-ending string of experiences in natural areas, helping to establish native nature as a valued part of a visitor’s lifestyle. Not all visitors will venture all the way along the continuum of experiences, but they should always have the opportunity to go further. That goal dictates that every interpretive experience should include marketing additional interpretive experiences; that the Visitor Center should function as a portal into the more natural parts of the refuge; that the sequence of experiences at the refuge should progress from environments dominated by built features with some native nature to environments dominated by native nature with minimal built elements; and that Valle de Oro NWR as a whole should function as a portal to other areas that provide experiences in native nature, including other refuges, that are more immersive than can be had at the refuge because of the difficulty escaping stimuli originating in a built environment, such as views of buildings and the sounds of traffic and airplanes

What Interpretation can and cannot do A major goal of Urban Wildlife Refuges is to create a connected conservation community. It’s not enough for residents to simply value the resource; they need to take actions to help restore and protect the resource, and/or to support the efforts of the USFWS. Motivating people to take action of this kind generally requires caring about whatever they are restoring or protecting, or caring about the USFWS, to the point that the personal benefit they derive from their actions is worth the time and effort they expend. In this case the key is for residents to care about native flora and fauna in urban areas.

Interpretation can help that effort by creating strong positive emotional, intellectual and physical connections with nature, the refuge and its inhabitants. It can also help facilitate the physical transition of residents from urban areas to natural areas by stirring curiosity and interest while removing some of the barriers that obstruct visitation, such as fear of nature.

It is not the interpretive opportunities by themselves that are going to attract visitors, but the actual experiences they can have that provide the attraction power. Interpretation can add value and create the desired connections through the course of that experience. For example:

• When an urban visitor hears a bird call and asks, “What bird is making that call?” it is interpretation that can provide the answer.

• Interpretation can transport people into the past where they can ‘visit’ the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro when it was a major travel corridor.

• Interpretation can reveal key concepts, such as the critical relationship between wildlife and habitat, which are crucial to achieving the goals of the refuge.

• Interpretation can reveal the relationship between a healthy ecosystem and quality of life while also revealing the interconnectedness between biological organisms in an ecosystem.

• Interpretation helps connect people’s lived experiences with nature to other interrelated concepts, behaviors, and physical locations that motivate people to engage in stewardship of natural resources.

In sum, the role of interpretation is to help forge strong emotional and intellectual bonds between the natural world and people, and to attract people to the natural world where they can also form strong positive physical bonds through personal experience.

Although interpretation can be a key tool in helping achieve the goal of a connected conservation community, it will not, by itself achieve significant progress on that front. As noted in the book, Fostering Sustainable Behavior by Douglas McKenzie-Mohr, numerous studies show that education alone has little or no effect on sustainable behavior. In other words, the interpretive and environmental education programs are important tools to cause the desired outcomes, but by themselves are unlikely to cause a significant shift in the level of conservation in the community unless barriers that increase the difficulty of engaging in the desired behaviors, such as lack of transportation to the refuge, are reduced or eliminated. That requires a different set of actions, noted in the Definitions Section under Urban Wildlife Refuges.

The Information Network Approach In today's world people have a very limited amount of time and virtually unlimited options for spending it, which makes time a highly valued currency. Interpretive opportunities are commodities, with the cost measured primarily in time and attention, which includes opportunity cost. To compete successfully for a visitor's attention requires offering information that the target audience considers to be worthwhile benefit for the cost involved. That is why the number of people reading interpretive panels increases with the use of visuals (higher promise of benefit at lower cost), limited text (reduces perception of and actual 'cost' in terms of time and effort), and application of a myriad of other factors that contribute to the perception of a good benefit to cost ratio.

In general, people prefer to commit small increments of time when making choices on engaging and staying engaged in interpretive opportunities (if I like the heading I will read the text; if I like this sign I will read the next one; if I like this exhibit I will look at the next one; and so on). A commitment at the beginning of an interpretive experience to stay engaged throughout, such as to read all the signs or view all the exhibits, is rare. We have all experienced this when reading books. We choose them based on an expectation that we will find a particular benefit we seek (entertainment, mental stimulation, etc.) at a particular 'cost' related to time and difficulty. If the book does not provide the desired benefit, or it is too hard to read (higher cost) we often quit.

Applying the incremental approach to interpretation results in a series of opportunities arranged in a network, beginning with ones that are highly visible, attract attention and do not require a significant amount of time and effort, and then moving to opportunities that provide more detail on different aspects of the story. A book is a good example of an information network approach. The story that the author wants people to engage in is contained in the chapters, but to motivate people to start reading the book designers use a cover to attract attention so people see and pick up the book, a back cover to entice them to open the book, excerpts and other information on flyleaves to motivate them to start reading chapter one, and so on. Books are designed this way because it matches the process people use to choose and use information.

This is the approach being used to develop the Interpretive Network for Valle de Oro NWR. For visitors, highly visible, low effort and interesting strategies, such as interpretive panels, in or adjacent to areas already frequented by visitors (so additional cost in time to access the panel is minimized) will attract attention and quickly introduce people to key concepts, hopefully piquing their interest so they are more amenable to spending time with other opportunities that provide more detail. Successive levels of information providing more detail and requiring more time and effort, such as the exhibits and interpretive trails, will build off the panels.

Assumptions Most plans of this type are prepared for established sites, which by way of developed infrastructure and natural and cultural features define the framework for an interpretive program. The natural and cultural features dictate what stories and messages can be effectively communicated and the existing trails, roadways and facilities define what features are most accessible and the sequence in which they will be encountered. In the case of Valle de Oro NWR, the actual refuge habitat and infrastructure do not yet exist. The land is still essentially an old agricultural field with a few buildings associated with the previous agricultural function of the land. This creates issues when developing an interpretive program about wildlife, conservation, natural areas and refuges since interpretation works best when it focuses on existing features, of which there are few relating to those topics. Consequently, the features to be developed and the type of access corridors (trails) must either be assumed or dictated in order to complete the plan. Although developing a Visitor Interpretive Experience Plan for Valle de Oro NWR is challenging because of the lack of features and access corridors on the site, the lack of such parameters also means that interpretive opportunities do not have to be retrofit into an existing refuge that may not have been planned with interpretation as a key feature and allows the Refuge to develop its features while comprehensively considering the purpose behind them including how they should be interpreted.

A VIEP would typically be a step-down plan from the CCP, and developed prior to or concurrently with a VSP because it identifies the strategies for Standard 7: Interpretation in that document. However, neither a CCP nor a VSP has been completed, so this plan had to be developed based on the following assumptions:

1. The habitats on the refuge will represent the major habitats found in the area, including riparian habitat (bosque), wetlands, grassland, and upland habitats.

2. The initial on-site focus will be on programs for school youth because of the general lack of visitor opportunities.

3. As an Urban Wildlife Refuge, some Visitor Interpretive Experiences may occur entirely off-site and function as Stepping Stones of Engagement.

4. A focal point of interpretation during the next decade will be on the continuum of the process of developing mature habitat, and the associations between habitat and wildlife. Ideally, as habitat matures, native birds and wildlife associated with the habitat will start using it.

5. Other focal points for interpretation will be the cultural importance and value of the mature habitat being developed, and the associations between habitat, wildlife and people. The focus on value will be from the perspective of the residents of the Albuquerque area.

6. Youth employment is an essential part of the refuge operation on and off the refuge because it involves hiring local youth. As noted by Lamar Gore, Refuge Director at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Service, in Best Practices for Creating and Sustaining Engagement with Urban Communities: Recommendations for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, “People want to see their kids working. We see them respond to us keeping their kids off the street, their eyes light up.”

Vision / Goal Hierarchy

This section focuses on the drivers of the Visitor Interpretive Experience Plan – the Vision and Goals for the project. The basic logic model used in developing the goal hierarchy for Valle de Oro NWR has 3 primary elements – Outputs, Outcomes and Impacts. As shown below, Outputs (what the USFWS does) cause Outcomes (impacts on knowledge, attitude and/or behavior of the audience), which result in Impacts on the resource or agency. The Impacts on the resource or agency help achieve the overall Management Goals, and consequently, the overall Mission/Vision of the USFWS for Valle de Oro NWR.

The purpose in using this model is to ensure that the Interpretive Program and all the visitor opportunities developed for that program make progress towards achieving the overall mission of the refuge, and by extension, the mission of the USFWS.

Valle de Oro VIEP Goal Hierarchy This goal hierarchy for the VIEP reflects the Urban Wildlife Refuge Initiative Programmatic Logic Model, modified to match the terminology adopted by the USFWS and other institutions as a result of the 2007 Definitions Project. The VIEP takes its direction (Interpretive Program Goals) from the Management Goals for the refuge, which reflect how the USFWS intends to achieve the Vision/Mission for the refuge.

The Measurable Objectives are the Outcomes that reflect impacts on the behavior, knowledge and attitude of the target audience, which, if achieved, result in achieving the Interpretive Program Goals.

The media prescription and associated actions in the Action Plan that are identified near the end of this planning process are the Outputs by the USFWS that are the tools for achieving the desired impacts on target audiences.

The structure of the goal hierarchy depicted on the next page reflects several significant aspects of the hierarchy. First, everything stems from the USFWS mission. Second, the statements at each level, whether goals, missions or visions, are derived from the statements at the level above. Determining each set of statements requires asking the question, “how can this level help achieve the next level up?”

For example, the specific mission of Valle de Oro NWR can be determined by asking, “How can Valle de Oro NWR help achieve the USFWS Mission?” The connection between all levels provides the planner with tools for identifying each level of goals, and for defending those goals. Finally, the structure clearly shows the link between the purposes for which the refuge is managed and the recommended actions associated with developing a network of interpretive opportunities to help create visitor interpretive experiences.

Outcomes (Impacts on people)

Impacts (Impacts on resource or agency)

Outputs (What the

USFWS does)

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Mission

USFWS National Wildlife Refuge Mission

Urban Wildlife Conservation Program Mission

Valle de Oro NWR Mission

Valle de Oro NWR Vision

Valle de Oro NWR Management Goals

Interpretive Network Goals

Information Network Objectives (Outcomes)

Actions (Outputs)

The following are the elements, arranged in descending order, of the goal hierarchy that drives the development of visitor interpretive experiences.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Mission First, it is important not to forget that this is a National Wildlife Refuge managed by the USFWS, an entity with a mission:

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

Every action the USFWS takes, including at Valle de Oro NWR, should in some way support and make progress towards that mission. Creating a connected conservation community who values nature enough to take an active role in helping conserve and restore natural habitat supports and makes progress towards that mission.

USFWS National Wildlife Refuge Mission The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge system is “to administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management and, where appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats within the United States for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.”

Urban Wildlife Conservation Program Mission The mission of the Urban Wildlife Conservation Partnership Program is to “. . . create a connected conservation community by providing inspiration and opportunities for urban residents to find, appreciate, and care for nature in their cities and…