Eden Mill Nature Center, in partnership with the National Association for Interpretation, is offering a professional certification course for individuals who will be delivering interpretive programs or having public contact at any resource, facility or business such as visitor centers, nature centers, parks, museums, zoos, tour companies, living history or heritage sites.

The CIG Program
The Certified Interpretive Guide program is designed for anyone who delivers interpretive programs to the public. It combines both the theoretical foundations of the profession with practical skills in delivering quality interpretive programming to visitors.

This 32-hour course includes:
• History, definition, and principles of interpretation
• Creating programs that are purposeful, enjoyable, relevant, organized, and thematic
• Using tangible objects to connect audiences to intangible ideas and universal concepts in interpretive programs
• Presentation and communication skills
• NAI Certification requirements (open book literature review; program outline; 10-min. presentation)
• All materials, workbook, and CIG course textbook

Your Instructor is Angela Yau, MS, CIP, CIT, CIG, a NAI Certified Interpretive Planner, Trainer, and Guide with over 15 years of experience in interpretation, education, training, planning, and sharing a love of natural and cultural history.  Angela enjoys training fellow interpreters to create wonderful interpretive experiences for their visitors and themselves!  Angela is a part time professor for Harford Community College and Santa Fe College when she is not busy with Interpretive Consulting to help sites reach their mission and goals with the best interpretation possible.

Sessions begin at 8am and end no later than 5pm daily. Meals are not included; there are limited lunch possibilities nearby or bring a bag lunch. To save resources, please bring a water bottle and a coffee cup.  Classroom sessions will be held in the in the classroom at Eden Mill where we will make use of the outdoor areas and the nature center and historic gristmill. Eden Mill is 3 miles South of the Pennsylvania line and 10 miles North of Bel Air, Maryland. The four-day training is intense with completing your literature review and preparing your presentation, so allow yourself an extra day or weekend to explore the area with the great travel tips from your instructor and the Eden Mill staff.  Bring your hiking boots and binoculars for break time on trails and great wildlife viewing opportunities.

Cost:
(Course Registration includes snacks, instructor and facility fee, and course materials)
With certification:
$370 for Certification only as a current member of NAI
$420 for Certification and one year Membership in NAI
$440 for Certification as a non-member of NAI

Without certification (class only):
$340 for Class and one year Membership in NAI without certification
$290 for Class only as a current NAI member without certification              
The optional Personal Interpretation text will be available at the workshop for $12

Requirements for the CIG Course
Anyone age 16 or over with a desire to increase their knowledge and skills related to interpretation may participate. Membership in NAI is not required, but NAI members may pay a discounted fee to participate in the program. You can also elect to take the training without becoming certified.

Interpretation Library
Six texts are necessary for completion of the open-book literature review and will be provided for student use during the workshop. If you wish to purchase your own books, NAI offers a discounted package price of $120 plus $10 shipping. Visit www.interpnet.com/store/ or call NAI at 888-900-8283, order the "Certification Library" and have the books shipped to you now.  I highly recommended reading the material in advance as it is a lot of material to cover and this will free up your evenings and allow you to focus more on class activities.  A set of these books is available in the Harford Community College library for review locally.  I will have two sets of books available during the training for completing the literature review.

The texts used are:
Environmental Interpretation by Sam Ham;
Interpreting Our Heritage by Freeman Tilden;
Interpretation of Natural and Cultural Resources by Knudsen, Cable & Beck;
Interpretation for the 21st Century by Beck & Cable;
Sharing Nature with Children by Joseph Cornell;
Interpreting for Park Visitors by Bill Lewis.

Registration
Basic Course Registration must be completed with Eden Mill Nature Center, visit edenmill.org
call 410-836-3050 or email edenmillnaturecenter@gmail.com to mail a registration. Fees are due within one week of registration via check payable to Eden Mill Nature Center, 1617 Eden Mill Rd., Pylesville, MD 21132
You must complete the CIG registration form and the Eden Mill liability release form.

Lodging
There is ample lodging in and around Harford County, Maryland and York County, PA. More moderately priced hotel/motels are next to the interstates.  Bed and Breakfasts are also available.  Prices range from $50-150 a night, please let me know if you are seeking a roommate so I can match you up with someone!

Further Information
For more information about the course, please contact Angela Yau at angela@parchmentandpcs.com or call 410-838-9694 or 352-281-8216.