Happy holidays from all of us at the Eppley Center for Parks and Public Lands! We have loved reflecting on our work over the past year and preparing for the year to come. We hope the next few weeks are filled with winter fun and holiday cheer for you and yours...
Interpretation courses offer valuable opportunities to gain essential skills in communicating natural and cultural resources to the public. Eppley Center courses cover a wide range of topics, including interpretation basics, interpretive talk, social media and interpretation, and design elements in interpretive media.
Kristin Brethova, A Force at The Eppley Center for Parks and Public Lands
Kris Brethova is a Research Assistant at Eppley and the go-to person for project support.
Eppley Attends the NAI Annual Conference
The Eppley Center for Parks and Public Lands team just got back from the National Association for Interpretation’s 2024 Conference in St. Augustine, Florida! Kate Wiltz, Kristy Anderson, and Ross Edelstein enjoyed presenting at the conference and discussing Eppley's resources, programming, and online interpretation training opportunities with attendees.
The Eppley Center Partners with Indiana and the AWS Foundation to Improve Park Accessibility
The Eppley Center for Parks and Public Lands completed accessibility assessments at five Indiana State Parks. In partnership with the AWS Foundation and IN Department of Natural Resources, multiple days were spent at the following State Parks - Chain O’ Lakes, Mississinewa, Ouabache, Pokagon, and Salamonie Lake.
Hone your skills! Intermediate Methods in Interpretation Cohort now accepting applications
Have you or your staff received basic training in interpretation but feel ready to dig deeper? Are you looking to hone your skills in interpretive media or writing? Are you curious about what exactly ‘dialogic’ interpretation means? The Eppley Center is recruiting students to participate in its six-month, Intermediate Methods in Interpretation online cohort program that will begin in January 2025.
Accessibility Workshop In Virginia… And Your Neck Of The Woods?
Eppley would like to thank our friends at the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation for hosting a three-day workshop on accessibility at beautiful Pocahontas State Park!
CELEBRATING 26 YEARS: THE RETIREMENT OF DIRECTOR STEVE WOLTER
After 26 years, Steve Wolter has retired as Director of the Eppley Center for Parks and Public Lands. Wolter spent his tenure at Indiana University leading Eppley and its many programs including the National Center on Accessibility, Great Lakes Park Training Institute, Playground Maintenance Technician training, World Parks Academy, and proValens and Expand online learning systems.
Don’t Forget To “Opt Outside” November 29th!
Amid the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, don’t forget to take a deep breath and get outside to enjoy all the benefits of the great outdoors! Friday, November 29th, is Opt Outside Day.
To celebrate the end of the year and the start of 2025 we are offering a discount on this certification program during the month of November.
Playground Maintenance Technician Training Partnership to End
After nine years of partnership with the Park District Risk Management Agency of Illinois (PDRMA), the Eppley Center for Parks and Public Lands will no longer manage the Playground Maintenance Technician program.....
2025 Play Conference: Call for Presentations Extended & Registration Opens Soon!
The US Play Coalition’s 2025 National Conference on the Value of Play: Create, Explore, Inspire! is less than six months away (April 15-17, 2025)! We are looking forward to hosting an amazing event, filled with inspiring speakers and a fantastic line up of presenters across research, education, and poster sessions.
Eppley Online Course Discusses Role of Recreation in Mental Health
World Mental Health Day, observed every October 10, emphasizes the importance of mental well-being globally. It serves as a crucial reminder to address mental health issues, reduce the stigma surrounding them, and advocate for accessible mental health care for all. Mental health is fundamental to our overall well-being, affecting how we think, feel, and interact with others. Raising awareness on this day encourages people to prioritize mental health, recognize symptoms early, and seek support when needed.
Registration Open for Women in Parks and Recreation Leadership Certificate Program
The Eppley Center for Parks and Public Land’s 78th Great Lakes Park Training Institute is offering a certificate program for women in leading park and recreation agencies. The program, led by an instructional team of leaders from the National Park Service, park and recreation districts, conservation districts and Eppley, has designed a curriculum that helps future women leaders meet several challenges in leading agencies, especially as these spaces evolve to meet the demands of changing climates, health needs, and the diversity of the nation. The program will be held February 24 to 26, 2025 as part of the Great Lakes Park Training Institute.
Ditch the Halloween ‘Scaries’ Leading Children’s Trips
Leading school-age children’s field trips can seem scary, especially if it’s your first time. In honor of Halloween and scary stuff everywhere, Eppley provides some guidance for interpreters on how to successfully lead field trips. The advice below, along with the online course, More Than Just a Field Trip: Interpretation for School Curriculum, is the perfect prescription to get rid of the ‘scaries’ when leading trips for children.
2024 Fat Bear Week winner named
A fat bear named Grazer wins “Fat Bear Week” at Katmai National Park in Alaska! With over 70,000 votes for the fattest bear, Grazer beat her opponent for the second year in a row. A bear named Chunk received a hearty 30,000 votes but not close enough to oust the reigning queen.
Eppley Continues Survey Work in Europe For ABMC
The Eppley Center for Parks and Public Lands is excited to share completion of successful collaborative project with our partners at the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). Over the summer, Eppley staff travelled overseas to Europe to implement in-person data collection for an ABMC Visitor Use and Satisfaction Study. This phase of the three-year project, conducted between May and August 2024, extended the study, which kicked off in 2021, to three additional ABMC sites: Flanders Field American Cemetery (Waregem, Belgium), Montsec American Monument (Montsec, France), and Rhone American Cemetery (Draguignan, France).
Online Learning Program Promotion – 20% Off Managing Wildlands
Eppley’s online learning courses offer concise, informative, and continuing professional education learning to everyone whenever they wish to learn. There are no class meetings or webinars to attend, and the courses offer continuing education units (CEU).
Eppley Leads the Way in Parks and Public Lands Leader Training
The Eppley Center for Parks and Public Lands is known for its leadership development programs building on the concept of leadership development as a journey across a career and lifetime. Having delivered the highly effective Facility Manager Leaders Program cooperatively with the National Park Service from 2006 through 2023, Eppley offerings at various workshops and events including the Great Lakes Park Training Institute. As Eppley works to roll out an online initial leadership in parks online micro credential and a Women’s Leadership in Parks badge at the Great Lakes Park Training Institute in February 2025, Eppley staff has reviewed the key components of any effective leadership training program. Here are some essential elements that are critical in the development of strong leaders, based on Eppley staff’s experience, expertise and best practices research.
Eppley Continues Monon South Trail Partnership with Radius
The Eppley Center for Parks and Public Lands has kicked off the second phase of their partnership with Radius Indiana to enhance the capacities of communities along the soon to be constructed Monon South Trail (MST) to maximize the trail for economic and quality of life benefits. The MST is a 57-mile trail between Mitchell and Borden in south-central Indiana with construction spearheaded by Radius and largely funded through Indiana’s Next Level Trails program. Radius is an economic development partnership focusing on improving quality of life in the South-Central Indiana region.
Matt Norris joins the Eppley Center
Matt Norris joined the Eppley Center in July. He will be working part-time on various accessibility projects including the Indiana State Park Accessibility Assessment, United States Forest Services National Accessibility Project, and the expansion of online courses on accessibility in Eppley’s IU Expand catalog. Matt has been with the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community for 22 years.
NCA Update – Staff, Projects, and Resources
Eppley’s Ross Edelstein, Visiting Research Assistant in the National Center on Accessibility program, recently attended and spoke at the Kennedy Center’s Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD) AWS conference in Seattle, Washington. This is the third year Ross has attended, and the third that Ross has been on the team presenting the Neurodiversity session of the Foundations Series, a group of introductory sessions at the conference on topics around disability.
2025 Great Lakes Park Training Institute to feature Women’s Leadership Program
The annual Great Lakes Park Training (GLPTI) will return to Pokagon State Park from February 24-27, 2025. GLPTI, the longest continuously running training academy for park professionals in the nation, features educational sessions, networking opportunities, and social events in a unique and relaxed atmosphere.
Save the Date! Eppley to host Play Coalition Conference on the Value of Play
The Eppley Center for Parks and Public Lands, and Indiana University are thrilled to announce that the US Play Coalition’s National Conference on the Value of Play will return to Indiana University Bloomington’s Indiana Memorial Union April 15-17, 2025.
July Disability Pride Month at Eppley
Celebrating the adoption of the Americans with Disabilities Act, July is Disability Pride Month! As the home of the National Center on Accessibility, the Eppley Center for Parks and Public Lands is proud to advance the cause of access and inclusion for people with disabilities, regardless of age, gender, race, or need.
Micro-credentialling Coming to Eppley Expand Course Catalog
Learners using Eppley’s online courses soon will be able to earn endorsed, digital Indiana University micro-credential (Badges) for their online coursework. Digital badges are the hallmark of micro-credentialling which allow learners to track and demonstrate specific skills and qualifications. These badges can be shared on social media profiles and attached to resumés.
Schedule an Outdoor and Recreation Accessibility Workshop for your Agency or Region
Eppley’s National Center on Accessibility (NCA) program continues to busy working with public agencies and private organizations around the nation. Recent work with U.S. Forest Service on accessibility, along with continued work training professionals on the fundamentals of accessibility in the outdoors, parks and recreation are being offered in TN, and VA. The NCA has always offered training, technical assistance, and site assessment that supports accessibility in outdoor recreation settings since its founding in 1993 tailoring its work to the needs of agencies and groups of professionals.
Did You Know…? Eppley’s Online Courses Help Protect Resources and Promote Visitor Safety
August is National Motorsports Awareness Month in the United States. While most people associate motorsports with car races, and here in Indiana specifically with the greatest spectacle in racing, the Indianapolis 500, there are a variety of other outdoor motorsports.
NCA Assessment Team works with the US Forest Service
Eppley staff members Kate Wiltz and Kristin Brethova spent four days in the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest measuring everything from trails to toilets. The accessibility site assessment is part of a multi-year agreement with the Forest Service to examine accessibility at recreation sites, field data collection practices, accessibility policies, and training needs for the agency. While in Oregon, Kate and Kristin reviewed the Mt. Ashland Ski Area, a horse campground, picnic area and day use site, and multiple trailheads.
Eppley Discounts Online First-Line Supervisors Management Certificate
Being a first-level supervisor in any organization is one of the most challenging jobs any person can have. The demands to lead, supervise and administer a team on the front line of agencies mission is critically important, requires an ability to work with and through other employees and volunteers, and align those efforts with the operational priorities of the agency. This first-level manager role embraces assigning priorities, planning, coordinating, delivery of, and evaluating services provided by a wide variety of employees each with different skills, attitudes and experiences. The challenges of finding adequate staffing, meeting the expectations of the public, and managing a team of individuals intermingled with agency mission, funding, and ability to recruit talented entry level employees and/or volunteers is an extremely vital success factor for any agency.
Information on PRIDE Month and Parks
At the Eppley Center for Parks and Public Lands, we recognize that parks are for everyone. This June, we want to celebrate Pride by sharing a little bit about the ways that parks not only preserve the heritage of the LGBTQ+ community, but also how parks are helping write this history going forward.
Celebrate National Hike with a Geek Day with Eppley!
Do you often spend your days like us – surrounded by screens, coding away, or crunching data? If so, you are in good company! Here at the Eppley Center for Parks and Public Lands, many of us are self-proclaimed geeks who spend a good chunk of our days in front of screens – but we are deeply passionate about our work because we know it helps make parks and public lands high quality and accessible spaces for all.
Knowing More about Juneteenth with Eppley
The Eppley Center for Parks and Public Land celebrates Juneteenth and its significance related to the national holiday with a free online course titled, Causes of The Civil War.
2025 Play Coalition and Value of Play Conference Planning Begins!
Buckle up, because 2025 is shaping up to be an exhilarating year for the US Play Coalition! After its first year housed at IU Bloomington, we are thrilled to unveil a sneak peek into the programming and events we have in store for the year ahead. Whether you consider yourself an educator, play advocate, student, architect, higher education professional, “parks person,” or any other role where you are passionate about play, we are excited to have you join us!
The 2025 Great Lakes Park Training Institute Kicks Off
The 79th Great Lakes Park Training Institute will take place from February 25 to 28, 2025. GLPTI (Great Lakes Park Training Institute) has been held annually at Pokagon State Park since 1947.
Eppley Discounts Instructor Training Certificate Registration
Becoming an effective presenter and trainer takes experience but also a strong background and knowledge development that are critical components of training success. Eppley’s Instructor Training Certificate Program provides enrollees with this background and knowledge while exploring how to become a better instructor in informal training, staff workshops, and in any presentations. The certificate courses are guided by seasoned Eppley staff who provide learners with a broad understanding of instructor training, particularly as it applies to park and public land agencies and their need to train adults.
History of the National Park Service online courses available
Four free courses on the history of the National Park Service (NPS) are now available on the Eppley Expand catalog.
The National Center for Accessibility at the Eppley Center for Parks and Recreation is excited to celebrate “Global Accessibility Awareness Day” on Thursday, May 16th!
First Value of Play Conference at IU Bloomington Successful
The Eppley Center for Parks and Public Lands held its first Value of Play Conference at IU Bloomington April 16 to 18, 2024. Over 225 people attended the 3-day learning event as part of a community of play professionals. Over 50 sessions were scheduled with 100 plus learning presentations from experts around the world including Canada, England, and Finland. The Value of Play Conference was moved from Clemson University to Indiana University this past year after 14 years of success with the Clemson Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management. The Eppley Center was awarded the US Play Coalition and Conference last Spring holding Play Date workshops in July, August, October, and November 2023 around the nation, and this, the 15th conference at IU Bloomington.
Eppley Continues Online Interpretation Training Course Discount Through 5/31/24
The Eppley Center for Parks and Public Lands will continue its discount of online interpretation courses with 20% discounts on interpretation courses purchased through May 31, 2024, in the Eppley Center catalog.
Colleen Durkin-Blackburn and Kate Wiltz were joined by Ray Bloomer of the National Park Service in Tennessee’s Fall Creek Falls State Park in early April. Their mission: spreading awareness about the disability community and the ways in which parks and recreation sites can remove barriers to accessibility. The three-day training included both classroom and field-based activities in which the thirty plus participants applied accessibility and universal design standards to both indoor and outdoor settings.
Gain a Certificate in Facility Asset Management Best Practices from Eppley at a discount!
Stewarding the lands, infrastructure, buildings, and outdoor recreation facilities on public lands is, in many cases, why the agency exists. Everyone almost always agrees that the management of these ‘assets’ for the long-term viability and public use is a central mission of almost all park, recreation, and public lands management organizations. Yet, defining that core function of the organization is not always well understood. Based on Eppley’s decades of work in facility asset management for parks, recreation, and public lands, the basics of this core function are described below.
NCA Identifies Access Trends in Outdoor Places
In October of 2023, Colleen Durkin-Blackburn and Ross Edelstein of the Eppley Center conducted a multi-day accessibility assessment of Maggie Walker National Historic Site and Richmond National Battlefield in Richmond, Virginia.
Monon South Trail Park System Master Plans Near Completion
In the fall of 2023, the Eppley Center partnered with Radius Indiana to develop park and recreation system master plans for four communities in southern Indiana. Radius is a non-profit that supports economic development in the Uplands region of south-central Indiana and is spearheading the development of the Monon South Trail from Mitchell to Borden. The 58-mile trail funded, in part, by the state’s Next Level Trails program will begin construction in the summer of 2028.
Excitement is brewing as the Eppley Center for Parks and Public Lands, the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, and Indiana University Bloomington (IUB) gear up to host the National Conference on the Value of Play in Bloomington, Indiana, at IUB’s Indiana Memorial Union. Set to unfold over three days, this event promises an array of engaging activities including headliner presentations, round tables focusing on critical issues and emerging trends, a research symposium, practitioner-oriented educational sessions, PLAYforums, PLAYinstitutes, networking opportunities, and PLAY! breaks.
News Eppley’s Online Interpretation Training Courses Discounted
As spring arrives, the public usually begins to access parks, outdoor recreation areas, and protected areas. We know that many more Americans took to the Great Outdoors starting in 2020 resulting in a record number of visits, 168.1 million participants according to the Outdoor Industry Association, in 2022. This participation is anticipated to increase in 2023 and includes significant increases among diverse populations with higher levels of outings per participant. 55% of the US population ages 6 and older now access our shared outdoor resources with over 25% indicating they plan to increase access to the outdoors.
Eppley’s Online Learning Catalog Updated
Eppley’s online learning catalog has been updated with over 270 courses and over 100 listings on the IU Expand system. The public can access these courses at the Eppley Center for Parks and Public Lands catalog, and over one-half of the courses available are free. The courses available in catalog, partially shown in the image on the right, ranges from technical professional training on wilderness to safe snowmobiling in Yellowstone National Park, to safe boating in Everglades National Park (Spanish language) to causes of the Civil War and community gardening among all the offerings.
A Successful 2024 Great Lakes Park Training Institute Concludes
The 2024 Great Lakes Park Training Institute (GLPTI) took place from February 26 to 29, 2024 with 248 registered learners in attendance in person and virtually. Known for its ‘outdoorsy flannel kitschy attitude, social learning, and comradery, GLPTI returns annually to Pokagon State Park. Mark your calendars for next year from February 25-28, 2025.
Accessibility Assessments at Five Indiana State Parks
Five northeastern Indiana State Park properties are undergoing accessibility assessments this spring and early summer. Funded in part by the ASW Foundation out of Fort Wayne, IN, the Indiana State Parks Accessibility Assessment Project has moved into high gear this March! This pioneering project has completed several interim project goals, including facilitating listening sessions with Indiana State Parks staff, and members of the disability community.
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