Michael Liang
Visual Information
Specialist, Santa Monica
Mountains National
Recreation Area National
Park Service
Summit Series Session:
Redesigning National Parks for Future Generations
Michael is an advocate in the National Park Service for
increasing digital and visual literacy—two skills crucial for
connecting with 21st century audiences. With a fine arts
degree and an environmental science background, he has
worked as an interpreter and visual information specialist,
developing publications, multimedia projects, and web
and social media campaigns. He is passionate about
using design and digital tools to make national parks
more relevant to visitors, especially online platforms that
allow visitors to share their experiences. When he is not
designing creative media, Michael can be found cooking,
drawing in the studio, running on park trails, or driving off
on weekend road trips and camping adventures.
“Aha” career moment: Although I grew up Michigan,
I spent my teenage years fantasizing about living in the
mountains out west. During my first summer in college,
I interned with the Student Conservation Association at
North Cascades National Park. That summer of exploring
backcountry trails, working with the public, and living on
the edge of a glacier-fed lake was an affirmation of my
teenage suspicions--that whatever I ended up doing after
college needed to be related to the outdoors. It’s where I
find my inspiration and respite.
Dr. Eric Frauman
Associate Professor in
Recreation Management,
Appalachian State
University
Summit Series session: Outdoor
Programs: Your Message Positioned in Evidence-Based Knowledge
Dr. Eric Frauman has been involved with AORE on and
off since its inception. He helped co-found the AORE
Research Symposium as well as the Journal of Outdoor
Recreation, Education, and Leadership (JOREL). He currently serves as the co-chair of the AORE Environmental
Stewardship Committee. Eric’s primary research and
personal interests lie at the crossroads between outdoor recreation and natural resource management--how
humans fit into the land and waterscapes they use.
Formative outdoor experience: When I was in elementary
school, I participated in an environmental day camp at
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, where my uncle was
a ranger. We followed the scientists as they performed
fieldwork. Only later did I realize that what I thought was
fun—canoeing, turning over rocks and logs, bouncing on
bogs—was what people did for a living. Those experiences
planted a seed that I’ve been nourishing ever since.
Another formative experience was finding my gay community of outdoor enthusiasts when I moved to Seattle.
I finally had like-minded peers to spend every weekend
camping and hiking with. Although I’ve since moved
away, they continue to be some of my best friends, and I
try to find or create that same community wherever I go.
Recent high point: An exploration of southern Utah
this spring. Nine of my friends and I spent a week canyoneering in Zion, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Glen
Canyon. Despite my prior experiences, this was the first
time squeezing myself through narrow slot canyons or
following a riverbed for miles. I loved being unplugged for
that week and pushing myself beyond my comfort zone.
Favorite place on Earth: The Pacific Northwest. Every time
I return, it feels like home. It was the first place I lived after
college, and it was love at first sight.
Favorite indoor place: Art studios, or any creative workshop. These are places of possibility, of ideas not yet
realized or put into form. There’s something about these
spaces that just fosters creativity and collaboration, two
things I value and pursue in my life.
Best book read recently: Rain: A Natural and Cultural
History, by Cynthia Barnett
“Aha” career moment: I secured a graduate assistantship
working for the college outdoor program office at the University of Florida. I was working on a master’s degree in
College Student Development, thinking I would one day
work in student affairs, but got the job with the outdoor
program, and...
Formative outdoor experience: Having the opportunity
to go to a summer camp in the North Carolina mountains
as a young teen opened my eyes to the natural world in a
way that changed me forever. When outdoors, away from
the pace and hum of civilization, where I can “just be,” I
am at peace.
Best book read recently: This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate, by Naomi Klein
Special skill: I am a pretty accomplished Ultimate Frisbee
player, fortunate to have played on some great national-caliber teams that allowed me to travel extensively
throughout the United States.
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