developing a wetland centre, English - Wetland Link International

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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
• Touch screens are one example of an interactive technique.Essentially computer screens with layers of information, they arepopular with the IT-literate and allow for a large amount ofinformation to be conveyed. Beware of short attention spans andchildren that hack from touch screens to main computers (it hashappened). Touch screens are expensive and need regularmaintenance.• Outdoor signs such as trails that are designed for outdoor usetherefore resilient to vandalism and the weather.• Tactile signs are useful for visually impaired visitors and children.Signs that utilise animal coverings or feature 3D model maps maybe popular.Wetland-themed play grounds or play areas introduce concepts to younger childrenthrough offering sculpture and other materials/structures that encourage creative play.Play items might include giant animal homes (e.g. fibreglass heron nests on springsthat children sit in and sway, Water Vole burrows), aerial rope rides to ‘ be amigratory bird’; sit-on springy models of various toad lifestyle stages, and water playitself (e.g. using pumps, Archimedes Screw, paddling pools) etc.Demonstration wetlands, sustainable garden exhibits or sensory garden, exhibitionsof ways to attract wildlife (like bird and bat boxes) followed up with retailopportunities to buy such objects in the centre shop, and ‘how to build your owngarden pond’ displays may encourage behavioural change.Permanent and temporary exhibitions about current issues and the work of thecentre. Art exhibitions are also popular. Travelling exhibitions that can be taken intoschools and hard to reach communities/ visitors.Pledge boards – it is often good to have a board that visitors can write theirconservation pledges on.Printed materials – more interpretation can be imparted through printed leaflets,seasonal trail leaflets and guidebooks.41
Page 1 and 2: DEVELOPING AWETLANDCENTRE1: Public
Page 3 and 4: Chapter 1 - Introduction“Can you
Page 5 and 6: Chapter 2 - The world of wetland ce
Page 7 and 8: Chapter 3 - The contextPeter Scott,
Page 9 and 10: • Using a diversity of approaches
Page 11 and 12: Wetland Link International (WLI)WLI
Page 13 and 14: through the conservation of the par
Page 15 and 16: At the end of the process, the Mast
Page 17 and 18: Learning Policies - These are likel
Page 19 and 20: Please note that the above sequence
Page 21 and 22: Wetland knowledgeWater and wetlands
Page 23 and 24: Sustainability• Concept and defin
Page 25 and 26: CommunicationCommunication• Commu
Page 27 and 28: Chapter 7 - And to whom?Who will vi
Page 29 and 30: • Financial - can the visitor aff
Page 31 and 32: • Basic physiological needs - are
Page 33 and 34: At site level• Ecological integra
Page 35 and 36: • Information - ensuring a hierar
Page 37 and 38: Modularity - The wetland centre fac
Page 39: Chapter 9 - HardwareChapters 9 and
Page 43 and 44: Chapter 10 - SoftwareBy ‘software
Page 45 and 46: Chapter 11 - OperationsOperating or
Page 47 and 48: Sometimes there will be tensions in
Page 49 and 50: Chapter 13 Case studiesAs an online
Page 51 and 52: SUDS - Sustainable Urban Drainage S
Page 53 and 54: Chapter 16 AcknowledgmentsProduced
Page 55: This manual was produced withthe he

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