The overarching goal of NPS resource management should be to steward NPS resources for continuous change that is not yet fully understood, in order

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2 The overarching goal of NPS resource management should be to steward NPS resources for continuous change that is not yet fully understood, in order to preserve ecological integrity and cultural and historical authenticity, provide visitors with transformative experiences, and form the core of a national conservation landand seascape. 2

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14 Visitor: The, um, the salamanders. Uh, which later we saw at the National Zoo. They had a project there. Yeah. About the, the Shenandoah salamanders and I tried to get a picture of it because I said, hey, those are those salamanders that he was talking about. I don t remember if it was Virginia Tech or UVA, which one, they, they ve got kids coming up to do the, um, the measuring of the salamanders, the, the, there s a Shenandoah salamander and there s the other one and they re being pushed up higher and higher. Interviewer: Right, right. Did you recall why it is that they re being pushed up higher? Visitor: Um, they re being pushed up because, of, another controversial topic (laughs), which is climate change, which um, is a bone of contention, and he, um, I think I asked about who is studying it, but yeah, the species is being pushed up. I know we talked about, a salamander. I think there s one native to the park but then, uh my family was discussing, I thought there was something about there was an invasive salamander or maybe it was that salamander, the one native to the park that has to keep going higher and higher to find cooler temperatures for itself because of climate change. Um. 14

15 She also talked about the, uh, a salamander that had been more widespread in the region but is gradually moving to the tops of mountains because of changes, it needs cooler, um, climate, and, um, may become extinct. Those are some of the things that she discussed. 14

16 Visitor: The geology section, uh, I forget the ranger s name, but he had a string thing that was an easy way to show deep time, geological time, deep time, which was topical because my daughter had just been learning about knots and string on a test as an ancient way of keeping track of things, that was nice, a modern use of it I thought that was a clever and easy way to show geologic time. Wow, you can just have that wrapped up in your pocket and you can stretch it out and show like here we are at the one second (laugh) 15

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18 Interviewer: Is there anything else about your snorkeling experience that you want to share with me? Visitor: Just that we loved it, and the plants and everything, the way it came through, it felt, so wonderful and so magical to be experiencing it that it felt like something that you wanted to protect. And, you know, because you don t want to see things like that disappear, it made you feel connected to it. 17

19 Um, the, well, he was passing by us right at the base of the trail where the hike started and, um, the ranger kind of ah, grabbed and said are you going through um..are you going through on the trail and he said yes and would you mind talking to our group and the man said no so he said he was Misty Pony from Germany and he had been hiking since about March, Georgia, I believe it is, and then, yeah, and then the people asked him, well, how many pairs of shoes have you gone through and how much is your pack and how do you get what you need and things like that. 18

20 I do recall that she was great at, um, sort of asking, she was gearing toward the kids, and asking the kids, uh, questions, and there were a number of other, uh, elementary school aged kids in the audience and she had them, you know, raising hands and calling out answers, and able to kind of go with the flow, you know, when the answer might have been off base. I was quite impressed with her, professionalism and ability to engage. 19

21 It is kind of a loop trail and I was walking one way and the park ranger was walking the other. She had just started and I was about to finish up. I saw the park ranger coming up the trail and it struck me as a very odd sight because you don t usually see the ranger out by his or her self, just one person. You might see them with a group, you might see trail crews, but it s not a common, not a common sight to see one ranger. That s kind of the thing I remember most. 20

22 Visitor: It was a very good experience for us. [My daughter] really enjoyed it. It was a, it was a compliment to the ranger we had that it also helped her to put things in perspective and it also energized her energy, er, her interest in the park itself, rather than saying, oooo, that s a pretty place to go it was more of, Oh, now it s a specific kind of thing that I have a connection to. Interviewer: In the case of do you think it was the choice of something about animals, something that [your daughter] has such a love for? Visitor: I think that s part of it but I also think that the experience of being treated well in a situation like that, like not being brushed off We have had experiences where we have done stuff and the person doing the presentation tends to brush off the younger, the kids. And this was not even close to that kind of experience and so I think that kind of interaction helps solidify and experience for just a super positive one. TWAIN: They talk forever and forever. Inspiration itself could hardly comprehend them. If they would only show you a masterpiece of art, or a venerable tomb, or a prison house, or a battle field, hallowed by touching memories or historical reminiscences, or grand traditions, and then step aside and hold still for ten minutes and let you think, it would not be so bad. (p. 127) 21

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