Abstract
This study evaluated the effectiveness of environmental interpretation at the International Crane Foundation, WI by measuring outcomes on visitors. Pre- and post-experience testing was conducted on 404 visitors, 60 of whom participated in a follow-up survey three months later. The results suggest that participating in personal interpretation has the advantage of improving the audience's knowledge level, especially in the short term, but is no more effective than self-guiding in influencing attitude and behavioral intentions. Personal interpretation and non-personal interpretive media are both educationally effective in promoting visitors' knowledge and behavioral intentions for conservation, but do not influence environmental attitude significantly. The time spent on personal interpretation is not a strong predictor for the influences on the audience. Participating in personal interpretation makes more of an impression in the visitors' long-term memory than self-guiding.