Wander, Explore, Hike, Renew

Did you know that the Wehr Nature Center naturalists are part of a professional organization called the National Association for Interpretation?

You may be wondering what interpretation is. Interpretationis 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. Interpreters connect visitors to important natural, cultural, and historical resources at parks, nature centers, historical sites, aquariums, zoos, and anywhere that people come to learn about places. As part of Black History Month, we wanted to take the time to share the stories of some of our amazing colleagues in the field of interpretation. Our first interpreter we would like to share with you is Ranger Shelton Johnson. Mr. Johnson is a Yosemite National Park Ranger, and he is very well known for sharing the stories of Buffalo Soldiers. In our opinion, he is one of the finest examples of how 1st Person Interpretation can be done. What is 1st person Interpretation? First-person interpretation is a performance technique where a guide adopts the persona, dress, and speech of a historical or fictional character, acting as if they are in that time period, using "I" and "me". It aims to create an immersive, personal experience, allowing audiences to interact directly with history or a story.In this YouTube video you can see Ranger Shelton Johnson embody the life of a Buffalo Soldier. www.youtube.com/watch?v=IArTooKKpgYIf we really break down interpretation into its simplest form, it is really about storytelling, and we hope you are captivated by this outstanding presentation by Ranger Shelton Johnson. … See MoreSee Less

Our last scientist that we will be featuring for Women and Girls in Science is Cheryl Nenn.

Cheryl Nenn has been the Riverkeeper for Milwaukee Riverkeeper for over 23 years. She directs the Community Based Water Quality Monitoring Program in the Milwaukee River Basin, several advanced monitoring projects (identifying sources of human bacteria, phosphorus, chloride, and emerging contaminants), the Milwaukee Urban Water Trail Project, and several stream restoration projects in the Milwaukee River Basin. As the Milwaukee Riverkeeper, Cheryl patrols local waterways, identifies problems in the Milwaukee River Basin, responds to community concerns, reviews permits, and helps find collaborative solutions to problems affecting local rivers.Cheryl is on the Board of Directors for the Waterkeeper Alliance, the Advisory Board for the Milwaukee River Greenway, the Advisory Board for MATC's Environmental Health and Quality program, and on the Advisory Committee for UWM-School of Freshwater Sciences. Cheryl has served on several Technical Advisory Committees for SEWRPC as well as serves on the WDNR’s Fish and Wildlife Technical Team, Beaches Technical Advisory Team, and Sediment Team for the Milwaukee River Estuary Area of Concern. She also sits on the Community Advisory Committee for the Milwaukee River Estuary Area of Concern.Cheryl has a B.S. in Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an M.S. in Natural Resource Ecology and Management from the University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources and Environment. Prior to working with Milwaukee Riverkeeper, Cheryl has worked with the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Peace Corps and Crisis Corps, City of New York Natural Resources Group, Michigan Department of Natural Resources/Dept. of Agriculture, and an environmental consulting firm specializing on natural area management and water quality issues.Women and Girls in Science is being held on February 7th from 11-2pm The Dr. Martin Luther King Community Center. We do ask that people register in advance to make sure we have enough supplies for everyone, however, we will accept walk-ins. For more information, please see this link: www.wehrnaturecenter.com/…/women-and-girls-in…/ … See MoreSee Less