Public Interpretation and Education Services
Cultural Resources Management does not necessarily end with the preparation of a technical report for compliance with environmental law.
Particularly because public dollars are utilized to partially or fully fund the studies, interpretation of the data, and public outreach into the community is critical – not only to contribute to the mitigation of impacts to cultural resources but to encourage the continued public support of future projects.
Interpretation of cultural resources data for public benefit can take many forms, depending on the nature of the resource and other constraints.
ECORP provides Public Interpretation and Education Services to teach the public about pre-contact sites, architectural history, and Native American tribal resources by creating interpretative trailhead panels, 3-dimensional exhibits, 2-dimensional digital imagery, contractor brochures, and other materials.
Interpretive Trailhead Panels
ECORP’s team of professionals includes a cultural resources department equipped with:
- A former museum curator with training and professional experience in museum and exhibit design
- A historian with a specialization in public history
- Full-service technical editing staff
Together ECORP’s team of cultural resources experts works with our archaeologists, the lead agencies, tribes, and historical societies to design and develop public displays. As part of our Public Interpretation and Education Services, we work seamlessly with a professional exhibit manufacturer and follow through with documentation of compliance after the panels are installed.
3-Dimensional Museum Exhibits and Replicas
On a smaller scale, ECORP possesses desktop laser scanning and 3-dimensional printing capabilities to create three-dimensional models of artifacts, which can then be transformed into plastic models for use as educational tools, in interpretive displays, and to contribute toward preservation of information as part of a data recovery effort. These models can be scaled up or down to meet the needs of the client and can be painted to replicate material type.
2-Dimensional Digital Imagery
Lidar technology provides a cost-effective data collection method for documenting medium to large-scale archaeological features such as bedrock mortar complexes, mine tailings, water conveyance systems, and historic landscapes.
Above are two images taken from lidar flights used by ECORP in documenting cultural resources under Section 106:
Before is an aerial photograph with a site boundary transposed.
After is the bare earth imagery after vegetation was digitally removed, exposing previously unseen ground sluicing and low-pressure hydraulicking, as well as bucket-line dredging, which are forms of historic placer mining activity.
Use of this lidar imagery allowed ECORP to better define site boundaries and improve the quality and accuracy of archaeological site recording.
Educational Brochures for Contractors
- Videos that construction workers can access on cell phones and tablets;
- Printed brochures for handing out on job sites;
- Signs, placards, and other printed material for display inside job site office trailers
Our bilingual staff produce and distribute educational material for contractors in both English and Spanish on projects sites where both languages are spoken.
Contact ECORP for Public Interpretation and Education Services
Whether your project requires a 3-dimensional exhibit, 2-dimensional imagery, contractor brochures, or even an interpretative trailhead panel, ECORP’s interdisciplinary in-house team of experts has the Cultural Resources Management Staff Credentials required at every stage of the creation process: from gathering the initial data and its compilation to installing and distributing the final product.
Contact ECORP today to discuss your project and learn more about our Public Interpretation and Education Services.