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Wildlife and habitat interpretive signs and displays

Wildlife interpretation makes visitors aware of the importance of habitat. Trails are great opportunities to teach the public about the environment and natural history. In urban areas, good educational efforts help build support for preserving open space. On wildlife refuges and protected public lands, interpretive facilities teach about critical habitat issues and the many varieties of ecosystems. Attractive graphics and photos are typically mounted on vertical trailhead displays or smaller angled trail-side signboards. The following examples of interpretive signs come from several parts of the country:

Click on any photo to see it full size:

(Commentary and photos by Stuart Macdonald, September 2009)

Sign on the importance to birds of the rivers; where Sand Creek Trail joins the Platte River Greenway, Denver, CO

Interpretive sign at the confluence of streams: Sand Creek Trail and the Platte River Greenway, Denver, CO

Signs about local fish in the Schuykill River, Philadelphia; photo by Stuart Macdonald, October 6, 2008.

Steel cut-out signs show local fish at East Falls on the Schuykill River Trail, Philadelphia; photo by Stuart Macdonald, October 6, 2008.

Sign along Harbor Island trail on wildlife of the San Diego Bay; photo by Stuart Macdonald, December 16, 2006.

Interpretive signs along the Chattanooga Tennessee Riverpark; photo by Stuart Macdonald, Oct. 28, 2006.

Signs on birdlife in the marsh, Tennessee Riverpark; photo by Stuart Macdonald, Oct. 28, 2006.

Mission Bay trail interpretive signs, San Diego, CA; photo by Stuart Macdonald, Feb. 15, 2007.

Signs on effects of stormwater pollution along Mission Bay trail, San Diego, CA; photo by Stuart Macdonald, Feb. 15, 2007.

"WIldife along the trail:" River Walk Trail at Ridgway State Park, near Ridgway, Colorado

Signs placed at wheellchair height: Happy Creek boardwalk provides an accessible opportunity to visit an old-growth northwest forest in North Cascades National Recreation Area, Washington state; photo by Stuart Macdonald, September 24, 2006

Sign about the old-growth forest on the Happy Creek boardwalk, North Cascades National Recreation Area, Washington; photo by Stuart Macdonald, September 24, 2006

Short paved trail leads to group of interpretive signs; Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge complex, Oregon; photo by Stuart Macdonald, August, 2008.

Interpreting the Muddy Creek floodplain; Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge complex, Oregon; photo by Stuart Macdonald, August, 2008

Shoal Creek Trail interpretive sign, Austin, Texas; photo by Stuart Macdonald, July 15, 2007.

Woodpecker Loop National Recreation Trail, Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge complex, Oregon; photo by Stuart Macdonald, August, 2008.

Overlook structure on Woodpecker Loop National Recreation Trail, Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge complex, Oregon; photo by Stuart Macdonald, August, 2008.

Woodpecker Loop National Recreation Trail, Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge complex, Oregon; photo by Stuart Macdonald, August, 2008.