Hi, my name is Sam! I’m the interpretation intern for Allen Centennial Garden this 2026 spring semester. This means that I am writing the informational signs that will be placed throughout the garden.

A little bit about me:

I’m currently a sophomore studying conservation biology. I grew up spending all my free time out in nature whether it was jumping from rock to rock on a trail or paddling a canoe across a lake. As I got older, I realized that I wanted to dedicate my life to protecting the environment. However, I also love connecting with people and engaging in meaningful conversation. I wanted to find a way to combine these passions into a career. I quickly realized that I want to share this love of the outdoors, and ways to protect it in the face of ongoing environmental crises, with more people through the work of interpretation as a naturalist and/or park ranger. I feel really privileged to work for ACG this spring as this work is only continuing to help me grow as an interpreter. 

What is interpretation?

The official definition of interpretation according to the National Association for Interpretation (2021) is: 

Interpretation is a purposeful approach to communication that facilitates meaningful, relevant, and inclusive experiences that deepen understanding, broaden perspectives, and inspire engagement with the world around us.

Let’s unpack this and make it a little less complicated (this itself is a key part of interpretive work!) Interpretation essentially is communicating information to a public audience in a way that is engaging and meant to deepen understanding. This is done by working with the audience and allowing them to connect these lessons to their own experiences and lives. Interpretation takes ideas and information and “translates” it into a language that people can understand. Interpretation also inspires change! Through signage and programs, interpreters inspire people to take action whether it’s small or big. Have you ever read a sign at a park encouraging you to use a reusable water bottle? Or perhaps you’ve attended a guided hike with a ranger who taught you about leaving no trace? 

A little fun fact: the use of the word interpretation for this type of work is credited to John Muir who wrote in a journal that he will “interpret the rocks, learn the language of flood, storm and the avalanche.” (John Muir, 1896)

Interpretation comes in many forms. The work I’m doing for Allen Centennial specifically is writing the informational signs that are placed throughout the garden. This form of writing is considered to be formal interpretation. Informal interpretation is engaging with visitors through speaking, teaching and leading programs. 

You’ve done interpretation before, tell us a little bit about that and how working on ours has been different.

I touched on the different forms of interpretation earlier, which is basically writing vs. speaking. My experience in interpretation has always been informal. I’ve worked as a tour guide twice in the past. I worked on a retired cargo ship called the William A. Irvin in my hometown of Duluth, Minnesota. I also worked on a boat taking people on tours around Duluth. In addition, this past summer I worked for an outfitter in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. There I gained experience in teaching people how to carry a canoe and informing them of leave no trace policies. 

Doing interpretation work for ACG has been extremely different. I’m not actively engaging with people as I work, but rather researching information and finding ways to convey it through writing. My work has been very rewarding as it gives me experience on the other side of interpretation. It has allowed me to grow and expand my experience.

I will be working as an interpretive ranger for the U.S. Forest Service in partnership with the Student Conservation Association this summer in Ketchikan, Alaska. This opportunity wouldn’t have been possible without Allen Centennial Garden, to whom I am extremely grateful. 

Talk to us about the processes that go into creating a sign?

The magic of having such a diverse garden and landscape is that every sign is different. In fact, it’s often really hard narrowing down what I want a sign to focus on. 

To start out, I normally communicate with Reba, Ryan and Jenny in our biweekly meetings. They are fountains of knowledge and very helpful in narrowing down ideas for what each sign should be about. After this initial meeting, I’ll start researching topics related to the specific section of the garden. This includes the plants inside, the history behind it, or working with collaborators on what they want included. From here, I begin to narrow it down until I figure out exactly what I want to write about. I then write a first draft. I’ll sleep on it, and then go back to make any edits necessary. At my next meeting, we will discuss the work I’ve done and any changes they feel should be made. From there, I continue to revise the signs until they reach perfection. 

As all writers know, the editing process can sometimes be tedious, but that’s ok! First drafts are exactly that: first drafts. No one expects it to be perfect on the first try. 

I’ve really appreciated the entire writing process because sometimes ideas will hit me after I’ve already written a draft, and I can change it to be better. Additionally, meeting with Reba, Ryan, and Jenny and receiving feedback from them has been so helpful in growing my writing. I can feel myself improving with every edit and rewrite. This process has also opened my eyes to different writing styles and forced me to switch up my tune. I won’t lie, sometimes it’s hard having to constantly change my writing to fit expectations, but at the end of the day it only grows me as a person, and allows for the best signage out there. 

A huge part of interpretive work is connecting the material with people. This requires human thought and care. Interpretation isn’t just about trying to throw a bunch of different information at you and hoping that some of it sticks. It’s about taking the time to make sure that information is correct, meaningful, and engages the audience. It’s about connecting people to the material so that they leave feeling like they’ve actually learned something. Hopefully they also want to learn more after or practice what they’ve been taught. 

I really hope that as you guys tour the garden, you find our signs informational but also fun! I hope they make you think more about Allen Centennial Garden, the space it occupies, and the values we try to uphold. So take your time, enjoy the scenery, and enjoy the peace that we have to offer. 

Thanks for reading!