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MountainNature.com Wins Back-to-Back Awards

MountainNature.com, an online nature guide developed by Canmore guide and author Ward Cameron, has just won two significant awards. On October 24, Interpretation Canada, a national association of park naturalists, voted MountainNature.com as the top site in the country for interpreting our nature and culture. Just 24 hours later, the site was honoured again with a Heritage Tourism Award as the best marketing brochure.

These awards represent very different worlds. On one hand, the site was recognized as the top source in the country for educating site users about nature and culture. On the other, it was recognized for its marketing power.  The Internet is a world where offering high quality information can serve the dual purpose of educating and marketing.

On October 24, Interpretation Canada (www.interpcan.ca), the national association of park, museum and private sector interpreters, presented its 2001 Awards for Excellence in Interpretation. Canmore website, MountainNature.com won the Gold Award in the web site category. The Silver Award was presented to Jasper National Park (www.worldweb.com/parkscanada-jasper) for its Online Virtual Tour and the Canadian Museum of Civilization (www.civilizations.ca) takes bronze for Resonance, an Interpretive Planner.

Just one day later, MountainNature.com was again honoured, this time at the Banff National Park Heritage Tourism Awards. This annual event celebrates those local companies that best represent the goals of the Heritage Tourism Strategy. The award was in the “Best Heritage Tourism Advertisement or Brochure” category.

Interpretation is the process by which park naturalists, nature guides and museum guides reveal the secret world of nature and culture to their visitors and clients. MountainNature.com founder and cybernaturalist Ward Cameron says: “Interpretation is the tool by which I am able to take the language of science and transform it into something to excite a visitor. I sell wow! That is the basis of my business and my web site! There is no greater honour than to be recognized by your peers. I feel very lucky to be recognized within such a select group of high quality companies and individuals”.

This is just the latest recognition garnered by this unique web site. In December of 2000, Microsoft Corporation showcased this site in its online newsletter FrontPage Bulletin. It was one of only seven sites (world wide) showcased, and the only Canadian example. The October 2001 issue of Canadian Geographic stated: "Before venturing into the Rockies, visit naturalist Ward Cameron's website to get ecological and safety information that will help you to enjoy your trip to the fullest." The Calgary Herald stated: "Naturalist, photographer and all-around mountain guru Ward Cameron is behind the site, www.MountainNature.com which offers a mass of well-organized information about the Rockies." Currently the site receives more than 125,000 visitors and 400,000 page views each year. Clearly something is going on here that attracts huge numbers of regular visitors.

“The mountain landscape is full of complex biological processes and diverse history. If I can take the available research, and transform a technical report into something exciting, then I can use that information to excite visitors. This understanding helps lead to a greater sense of place. My goal is to bring the stories and nature of Canada to as large an audience as possible. The internet has become an amazing conduit for getting the message out. ”

Visitors to www.MountainNature.com can:

• Learn 10 secrets to becoming an expert naturalist

• Access simple tools to identify more than 800 different plants, animals, birds, and landforms in the Canadian west.

• Search for recent sightings to focus your quest for a new species

• Record your observations so that scientists can use your research to help protect the Canadian Rockies.

• Learn how to safely play in bear country with sections on bear and carnivore safety

Ward has been a professional naturalist, guide and storyteller for almost two decades. He has written three books on western Canada and thrilled visitors to the Rockies with his expertise, wit and wealth of knowledge. MountainNature.com allows you to benefit from his expertise and, at the same time, help researchers working in the Canadian Rockies. As a naturalist, outdoorsman and adventurer, Ward has more than a few experiences that your readers would love to hear about. It’s all about sharing the wealth.

Question and Answers

Q:      Where did the term “Interpretation” come from?

A:      This term was originally coined by Freeman Tilden in the late 1950’s. His book, Interpreting our Heritage was the yard stick by which park and museum interpreters were measured. Over the years, the definition of interpretation has evolved to change with the times, but the term usually refers to the revelation of nature and culture through first-hand experiences. Learn about elk by holding an antler, rather than reading a book. Over the years, non-personal interpretation provided means by which ‘interpretive’ messages could be relayed at lower cost and to people that may not be able to visit the actual resource. The internet represents the biggest audience

Q:      What criteria were used in selecting the Heritage Tourism Award for Best Heritage Tourism Advertisement or Brochure” category?

A:      The award was presented to the company that best reflects the following four criteria.

• making the audience aware that the product or service is being offered in a national park and World Heritage Site and that the park has unique natural and cultural history that demands special consideration on behalf of visitors and, in exchange, offers unique aesthetic rewards.

• celebrating cultural and environmental values that are consistent with and unique to our mountain national park heritage.

• supporting or encouraging environmental stewardship initiatives upon which sustainable heritage tourism depends;

• supporting or recognizing the important role that local "sense of place" and accurate local knowledge of our national park heritage play in establishing the image and reputation of our tourism destination.

Q:      How is MountainNature.com different from books and other resources?

A:      Books can be out of date as soon as they are published. In addition, the exchange of information is one-way – from author to reader. The Internet changes all of this! Suddenly, you can use book-like tools to identify a plant, animal or bird, and then follow up with a database record that biologists can use to help determine the future preservation of our mountain wilderness.

Q:      How can a web site help preserve a resource?

A:      As more and more real estate developers cast longing glances at the Rockies, more pressure falls upon scientists. Unfortunately, these same scientists are drowning under shrinking budgets and an ever-present lack of resources (financial and otherwise). At the same time, we have millions of people passing through the mountains every year. If we can record even a few of these visitor’s experiences, and then make this information available to scientists, than perhaps we can help bridge the money gap.

Bio of Ward Cameron

Ward Cameron is a naturalist, photographer, author, speaker, and storyteller. He is the author of four books on the Canadian west including Canmore and Kananaskis – Best Hikes, Best Activities, Mountain Bike! The Canadian Rockies, and Mountain Bike! Southwestern British Columbia.

Born into a photographic family, Ward has always been interested in the outdoors. As he puts it: "From a very young age I tried to incorporate my interest in photography with my interest in the outdoors. From my first photographic recognition in 1980, to today’s much more general acceptance, it has been a tough but exciting trip."

It was Ward's photography skills that helped him break into the field of park naturalist – first in Ontario, and then Alberta. Photography is an integral part of most naturalist presentations, and so these skills helped immeasurably. At the same time, Ward learned to reveal nature’s secrets to groups of all sizes. His presentations include a variety of techniques designed entertain and challenge. Visually, the photography is very strong, and the additional use of story telling, and even some drama, helps bring the message home.

Ward did not plan to become an author, but quickly learned that editors prefer a package of text and images. For five years, he published a natural history column in the Canmore Leader Newspaper and to date has completed four books. The research for these projects has required Ward to spend an enormous amount of time alone in the wilderness, and this has occasionally many unique experiences and great stories.

Moving to the Internet was a natural progression. In the new millennium, more and more of our information and research will take place online. MountainNature.com is designed to combine the tools of the traditional field guide with the interactivity of the web. This same interactivity will allow MountainNature.com to leverage your personal sightings to help current mountain research. This unique web site will create relationships with researchers and naturalists to create an online community where novices and experts can work together to enjoy the mountains while at the same time, helping to protect them.

In 2002, Ward was the course designer for the epic TransRockies Challenge. This 620 km, 7-day adventure mountain bike race is now recognized as the toughest mountain bike race in the world. Beginning on August 11, 2002 in Fernie, B.C., the exhausted racers finished on August 17 in Canmore, Alberta after crossing the Continental Divide three times and climbing some 14,000m.