developing a wetland centre, English - Wetland Link International

Boardwalks are timber pathways elevated above ground or water. There is a longtradition of using elevated paths to traverse wet ground. In England the remains ofthe ‘Sweet Track’ that once crossed 2km of the Somerset levels marshes have beendated to 6,000 years old. Boardwalks allow visitors in to areas that would otherwisebe inaccessible to them because of the fragility of the habitat or the difficulty of theterrain. Their elevated nature also means that they will have less of an impact on thehydrology of the site in comparison to a normally constructed path. Whenconstructing boardwalks it is important to remember wheelchair access and allowenough room for two to pass (or numerous passing spaces) and provide rampedaccess with a sufficiently gentle gradient to be usable.Public art is an interesting way of aesthetically interpreting a wetland. Examplesinclude giant water sculptures and living willow structures together with objects madefrom reed.Life-size models may be used to convey detail and scale when living examples areunavailable or too far away. Similarly real biofacts (taxidermy, shells, feathers etc.)and artefacts (fishing equipment and wetland products) may feature in exhibitions.Indoor and outdoor exhibits may use any or all media commonly seen in museums,science centres and related institutions. Some of these include:Graphics and signage. Concise graphics are best – often with a pithy, catchy slogan;a headlining summary, and further text as needed. Beware being verbose and boring– it is actually quite unnatural to read things on walls while standing up. Colour isgood but don’t just illustrate what people can clearly see in front of them. Showsome context – behaviour to look for or seasonal changes. Illustrating birds is mostimportant when interpreting mixed species exhibits or when, say, the sexes lookdifferent. Interpretation should generally refer to what the visitor can see/sense infront of them, and invite them to engage intellectually or emotionally with it.Abstruse, irrelevant displays don’t work. Signs may be permanent or temporary (aspart of seasonal trails). Centres will need information (e.g. directional) signage aswell as interpretative signage.• Interactive signs and exhibits illustrate concepts by inviting visitorsto push levers, open doors, play games or suchlike. They can bevery effective at conveying certain messages, but are expensive andmust be maintained – they will break with constant visitor use.Beware overuse of the technique, and watch for people attackingthe moving parts without picking up the underlying messages.40