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Welcome to the newsletter of NAI's Wild West Region, serving southern California and southern Nevada.
Featured photo: Red Rock Canyon, Nevada.
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Greetings from the Wild West!
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Amy Erickson demonstrates her Tegu wrangling skills. |
Happy Holidays to everyone in the Wild West! As 2017 comes to a close, we can reflect on the great year we have had in our region. Our workshop in O'Neill Park in Orange County was a success- bringing together interpreters from all over our region and beyond! We were able to provide a scholarship to the National Conference in Spokane to one of our members and we unveiled our awesome new Wild West logo!
2018 is gearing up to be even better. Plans are underway for our joint Regional Workshop in Phoenix, AZ with the Four Corners region- make sure you save the date: April 5-8th. It will be hosted at the Phoenix Zoo and other area institutions. We will also have two positions up for re-election this year, look for more information coming your way in the spring. The more involved our members become, the more we can offer in our region and to our members.
I hope 2018 is your best and brightest yet, and I look forward to seeing all of the wonderful interpretive stories that come out of the Wild West next year.
See you in Phoenix!
Amy
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Important Announcements
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Regional Workshop, April 5-8, 2018 located in Phoenix Arizona. For more information visit: www.facebook.com/NAIwildwest
Call for presentations: We are looking for presenters who use interpretation in their work and want to share their stories, successes, and challenges at our Regional Workshop. Apply by Mon. Jan. 8, 2018 here.
Call for newsletter submissions: If you have a story or destination you would like to share with our readers in the next newsletter, please email [email protected]
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My National Conference Experience
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| Wild West attendees at the NAI National Conference in Spokane |
There are so many benefits to attending a conference it is hard to name them all. One can find new technologies, networking contacts, job opportunities, volunteers for your site and, perhaps most importantly, inspiration. Receiving the Region 8 scholarship enabled me to attend this year's NAI National Conference in Spokane, WA from November 14-18th. I would like to thank the scholarship committee for awarding me with the funds to register for my first NAI National Conference; not only was I able to present my workshop on teaching young children, I also went home with a head full of new ideas.
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| "These Kids are Nuts: Tools for Working with Young Children" session sign |
My first priority of the trip was to present my workshop entitled "These Kids Are Nuts! Tools for Working with Young Children" on the first day of concurrent sessions. There were 60+ attendees at my presentation each of whom built their own "toolkit" of useful methods for educating kids aged 4-10.
As an attendee visiting other speakers I had over sixty concurrent sessions to choose from. I learned about geological education at Mt. Rainer National Park, how to teach toddlers about big ideas using age-appropriate language, community engagement at California State Parks and developing personal resilience to become a better public leader. I also listened to the keynote speech by Clarence Moriwaki, President of the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community. His presentation about Washington state's participation in the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII revealed four important themes: history, honor, healing and hope.
On Wednesday evening, I attended the Native American dance performance organized by folks from the Gathering at the Falls Pow Wow. Spectators watched dances from the fancy shawl, jingle dress and prairie chicken dancers, to name just a few. To begin and end the program, the organizers invited all participants in the room to join in a communal round dance. Until that experience, I never realized how colorful and decorative the regalia of Native dancers is!
The product expo was a large and crowded affair. While I was browsing the booths a funny thing happened... a business owner and I got to talking and before long we realized that, as a kid, I used to attend the summer camp that he once owned. As proof of my fond memories, I showed him the moon-shaped scar on my knee from a feisty game of camp tug-of-war and drew him a copy of the old logo. What a coincidence! Check out his company's wide array of nature craft supplies here: www.nature-watch.com.
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| Our first National Conference 5K fun run had participants who win marathons and participants who took a huge step out of their comfort zone to join in. The runners who finished first waited in the near freezing temperatures to be here when our last walking participants crossed the finish line. We are all one tribe. |
At the end of the trip, I returned home with a head full of new ideas, a folder full of business cards and a backpack full of Washington apples. During my time there I was able to learn more about the history of the Pacific Northwest and also touch base with our Wild West region members. It seems that a person only gets as much out of the conference experience as they are willing to put in. So if you plan on attending our regional workshop in April 2018, my advice is to network like crazy, attend presentations that are relevant to your interests and site and bring something to the table such as your own great idea.
Thank you again to the scholarship committee. See you all April 5-8th at the Phoenix Zoo in Arizona!
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| Region 8 Scholarship Recipient Stephanie Ambrosia |
Stephanie Ambrosia
Senior Park Aide, Malibu Creek State Park
CA State Parks
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Upcoming Trainings and Conferences
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Part 1: January 22, 2018 - March 23, 2018
Part 2: July 23-September 21, 2018
Regional Workshop
Presented by NAI Wild West Region 8 and Four Corners Region 7
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| Save the Date |
NAI National Conference
New Orleans, Louisiana
November 27-December 1, 2018
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| Regional Officers |
Director
Amy Lauder Erickson
[email protected]
Deputy Director
Marissa Llanes
[email protected]
Secretary
Kim Seltmann
[email protected]
Treasurer
Kim Casey
[email protected]
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| National Officers |
Jay Miller
President
[email protected]
Theresa Coble
VP for Administration
[email protected]
Todd Bridgewater
VP for Programs
[email protected]
Vicki Basman
Treasurer
[email protected]
Tom Mullin
Secretary
[email protected]
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