Attachment 2: Seabird Theater Upgrade Project Interpretive prescription 2019

Interpretive Prescription
April 2019

Islands & Ocean Visitor Center
Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge | Interpretive Prescription | Final

Note staff removed not relevant pages in the doc

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | Islands & Ocean Center

Interpretive Prescription | April 2019

Project Brief
Overview

VC Visitorship

The Islands and Ocean Visitor Center offers a window into a remote refuge of over 2,000 islands, rocks, and reefs that outline the Alaskan coast. These islands are a national treasure, set aside to preserve habitat for breeding seabirds and other wildlife and to host scientific research into island biodiversity.

The Visitor Center hosts about 60,000 visitors annually, the majority in summer months. The Center is frequently visited by independent travelers as well as those who come on cruise ships and tour packages.

For nearly 15 years, the Islands and Ocean Center has provided an opportunity for visitors to experience the beauty of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and to learn about the Refuge’s history, scientific endeavors, and the seabirds, marine mammals, and other wildlife and plants that call it home. Through exhibit displays, immersive AV experiences, and educational programs, the visitor center has brought hundreds of thousands of visitors a little bit closer to the Refuge and taught them why these islands merit our protection and study.
While many of the exhibits today provide value, the visitor center staff and Refuge managers recognize that they are due for a refresh. Some exhibits no longer function properly or make use of outdated technology. Others no longer align with FWS’s communication goals or the current management mandate, or new or emerging conservation challenges for the Refuge. Finally, having lived with the current exhibit for more than 15 years, staff members and long-serving volunteers have observed many ways in which the exhibit design does not adequately communicate. They have great ideas for improving visitor engagement. To this end, FWS engaged West Office to document opportunities for improvement at the Visitor Center and to create a road map for revitalizing the visitor experience.

Refuge Vision Statement
The Refuge is a viable, abundant, and resilient community of marine life which scientists, tribes, and the public are actively engaged to conserve.

Visitorship from tourists is disproportionately made up of older patrons, however classroom programs draw in children and local school groups. Additionally, a hotel is under construction next to