December 2020 - Parks & Recreation - 51

noticed that she would not let her
daughter go, he asked about her concern, which she quickly shared. Other Latino participants confirmed the
rumor. The group talked and as the
interpretive forest bathing program
progressed, Ford witnessed change.
" It was neat to see the cautious steps
as they walked away from the group
out to the sit spot. After 10 to 15 minutes, their comfort when returning to
the group was evident. They entered
the forest with nervousness and departed with confidence, " he says.
Since interpretation deepens appreciation and relationships with
places, as opposed to teaching information, the integration of forest bathing techniques accelerates
transformation toward greater
wholeness for new audiences.
Goals: Health and wellness; equity; conservation
L.A. State Historic Park Builds
Community with Interpretation
On September 28, 2001, California Governor Gray Davis signed
the bill authorizing the purchase
of 34 acres that would become
the Los Angeles State Historic
Park, located downtown in Chinatown. Some 35 community organizations lobbied for the park's
establishment to benefit local
communities, some of the most
underrepresented and park-poor
in the United States' secondlargest city.
Eighteen years later, this
community-based park continues
its local focus with an idea based
on the community healthcare worker model, whereby organizations
train community members to help
their local counterparts navigate the
healthcare system. In this case, park
collaborators adapted the model to
parks. Park Community Engagement Coordinator Luis Rincon says,

PHOTO COURTESY OF CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS

Promotorx staﬀ (in purple) attend the
grand opening of the Los Angeles State
Historic Park.

" We provide a green space to get
people walking, lower cardiovascular disease and cortisone, and they
may also get to know the plants. "
When the park officially opened
in 2018, people wondered where
the park had stashed its basketball
courts and barbecue pits, confusing
it with state and city parks. That's
when Promotorx stepped in.
The nonprofit Community Nature Connection managed the project, training locals and park managers in engagement skills, such as
community listening workshops
and heritage interpretation. Promotorx then worked with park staff to
co-create introductory interpretive
programs that helped people understand the importance of this historical park, navigate its operation
and encourage their engagement.
They also worked with community
members to organize and advocate
for what they wanted there. Consequently, the park has implemented
most of its wish list, according to
Rincon, including a farmers market, bilingual yoga, tai chi, cultural
festivals, campfires and camping.
Rincon also notes that community involvement bubbled over into
community advocacy (the park,
of course, remains neutral). When
a developer proposed a 920-unit
apartment complex along the park's
edge, community members, including Promotorx, mobilized to ask the

developer how it would benefit the
community. Community members
don't want a gentrified Chinatown;
they want a voice in the community
that develops around their park.
Goals: Health and wellness; equity; community building and relations
Interpretive Strategy
at Quinta Mazatlán
Colleen Hook realized that many of
Quinta's visitors never visited other
WBC sites; she had to learn how to
reroute them. So, she prepared an
interpretive plan that specified how
to deploy interpretation to achieve
just that. Effectively, she would create interpretive exhibits and artwork
inside the mansion to coax people
into the encircling forest gardens.
There, educators, interpreters and
outdoor trail signs would interpret
the Central North American Migratory Flyway that passes through
Texas and how backyard patches
support migrating birds, as well as
WBC's avian abundance. Those
sites then would interpret bird conservation to complete the migratory
passage of city dwellers to conservation-contributors and meet Quinta
Mazatlán's management goals.
Goals: Conservation; human
migration outdoors; World Birding
Center support
Jon Kohl is Executive Director at PUP Global Heritage
Consortium (jon@ùČù¤íæĀíüćÍČåĿæ®ć).

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Parks & Recreation

December 2020 - Parks & Recreation

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