A field experiment was designed to measure effectiveness of interpretive programming at the San Bernardino National Forest in southern California. The focus of this experiment was to evaluate a newly created youth naturalist program designed by the U.S. Forest Service. During the summer of 1996, 439 visitors completed questionnaires at either a campfire talk or a trail hike. The questionnaires measured their knowledge, attitudes, and/or feelings about how the programs were delivered. Results indicated that interpreters at the campfire talk and the trail hike were successful in accomplishing the stated objectives of knowledge and attitude change. Youth naturalists were equally effective as adults on several, but not all, performance measures.
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