BEAUTY IS MORE THAN SKIN DEEP: EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ON DYNAMIC GEOLOGIC PROCESSES IN SOUTH-CENTRAL ALASKA

Homer, Alaska sits on the North American Plate at the northeastern end of the Aleutian arc above a zone of active subduction. Its location makes Homer an ideal place to observe the dramatic effect of plate tectonics on the landscape. A popular overlook at the entrance to Homer affords a spectacular view across fifty miles of the convergent plate boundary zone, where the Pacific Ocean Plate is descending under the North American Plate. Facing south, the view from east to west includes the accretionary Kenai Mountains, the lower Cook Inlet fore-arc basin and up to four active volcanoes of the Aleutian arc. Two national parks (Katmai and Lake Clark), noted for their geologically dynamic landscapes, are visible on clear days. Thousands of visitors stop at this site annually to marvel at its scenic beauty. Yet, few of the visitors have any idea of the dynamic geologic processes actively occurring beneath their feet that create the beauty before their eyes.

In the context of the National Park Service, interpretation means integrating one’s own knowledge of a resource with the interests of the visitor in order to facilitate the visitor’s connection with the meanings inherent in that resource. This summer, rangers from Lake Clark National Park and Preserve’s Homer Field Office used informal interpretive techniques to create opportunities to help connect visitors with the geologic meanings inherent in the beauty of this south-central Alaskan landscape. Rangers roved the overlook, making themselves available to visitors stopping at the site to take in the view. Using hand samples, diagrams, maps, photographs and the view itself, rangers responded to visitor inquiries offering a range of educational opportunities from basic orientation to in-depth explanations of plate tectonics evident in the landscape. In addition, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve offered a geologic discovery lab for three days this July, in partnership with the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve. At the discovery lab, nearly 300 participants followed their interests through hands-on activities, demonstrations and interactive multimedia to enhance their understanding of the dynamic forces that shape south-central Alaska. The value of these two informal approaches is that they allow the visitor to set the pace and depth of their own geologic experience.