The authors of the Interpreter's Handbook Series are faculty and staff of the College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Over the past 30 years, they have developed and instructed courses that focus on different aspects of interpretation, and have been leaders in one of the largest undergraduate environmental education/interpretation programs in the nation. They are part of a consulting team called Schmeeckle Reserve Interpreters that offers planning services, media design, and training workshops for agencies and organizations. This blend of academics and real-world experience make the Interpreter's Handbook Series unique and practical.
Ron Zimmerman (left) is the former Director of Schmeeckle Reserve, a natural area on the UW-Stevens Point campus, where he helped to develop the interpretation program in the College of Natural Resources. He is a founding member of the Interpreter’s Handbook Series and the Schmeeckle Reserve Interpreters consultant team. Ron’s formative years were spent in the grasslands of Nebraska.
Jim Buchholz (middle left) is the current Director of Schmeeckle Reserve and an instructor of interpretation at UW-Stevens Point. He is a member of the Schmeeckle Reserve Interpreters consultant team and specializes in media design. Jim’s enthusiasm for natural history grew from his childhood explorations of Wisconsin state parks.
Brenda K. Lackey (middle right) is Professor of Interpretation at UW-Stevens Point. She serves as an associate editor of the Journal of Interpretation Research and as a National Association of Interpretation board member. She worked as an interpretive park ranger for eight years with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the upper Mississippi River.
Michael Gross (right) is Professor Emeritus of the College of Natural Resources, UW-Stevens Point where he co-founded the interpretation academic program. He initiated the Interpreter’s Handbook Series and continues to serve on the Schmeeckle Reserve Interpreters consultant team. Mike’s passion for nature grew from his childhood on an Iowa farm.