Overview of The Acorn Group, Inc. Blending the skills of planners, designers, and educators, The Acorn Group offers award-winning services in interpretive planning and design. Part art, part science, accented with storytelling and exquisite design, our interpretive master plans, exhibits, panels, and programs create sensory-rich experiences that bring your content to life. Established in 1990, The Acorn Group is dedicated to the field of interpretation and actively in- volved in the National Association for Interpretation, as well as other professional organizations. Our clients are diverse, ranging from government agencies to private and non-profit institutions. Project sites include interpretive centers, ecological reserves, museums, botanical gardens, zoos, parklands, and educational institutions. Our greatest satisfaction comes from seeing plans and drawings become reality and watching visitors take delight in new experiences. The Acorn Group’s projects and efforts have been recognized nationally, receiving such awards as the Exhibit Design Award, Print and Media Award, and Interpretive Media Award by the National Association for Interpretation, Award of Excellence by the American Society of Landscape Archi- tects, Best of Show by the Western Fairs Association, Award of Excellence by the California Parks and Recreation Society, and National Education Award by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The Orange County League of Conservation Voters presented The Acorn Group with the Orange County Environmental Business of the Year Award in 2005. In 2007, The Acorn Group received the First Place Interpretive Media Award from the National Association for Interpretation for design of Nix Nature Center. In 2012, the North American Association for Environment Education presented The Acorn Group and Acorn Naturalists with their Outstanding Service Award. In 2016, we joined the Owens Lake project team in accepting the Southern California Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects’ prestigious Award of Excellence. This project also received the National 2017 Professional Award by the American Society of Landscape Architects. Our work at Holden Forest and Gardens earned a 2019 Interpretive Media Award from the National Association for Interpretation. Capabilities of The Acorn Group include: interpretive master planning interpretive writing and editing design, exterior wayside exhibits and interiors of visitor centers and museums environmental graphics education master planning curriculum development donor recognition media, including panels, pavers, banners print media, including exhibit brochures, exhibit passports, discovery kits, and trail guides formative and summative evaluation front-end research, including intercept and online surveys, needs assessments, and focus groups illustration, including fine art, maps, and scientific illustrations script development for audiovisual media strategic planning for both interpretation and education visitor engagement through community science and stewardship activities wayfinding design, including monument markers, orientation panels, directional signs Director of The Acorn Group, Jennifer Rigby has been working in the field of interpretation since 1981. First working in a nature center, followed by an aquarium and later a zoo, she founded The Acorn Group in 1990. Since that time she has been directly involved in the development of hundreds of interpretive master plans, interpretive panels, and exhibit design packages. Projects have taken her to California’s coastal dunes, Oregon’s rugged coastline, New Mexico’s arid desert and steppe, the hardwood forests of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Arkansas, and cypress swamps of Florida. Regardless of setting, her focus is on creating sensory-rich experiences and helping visitors cultivate their own sense of place. Jenny’s training and experience have earned her a reputation for creating effective, dynamic educational and interpretive experiences. Her projects and efforts are nationally recognized. She is the recipient of the 2002 California Project Learning Tree Award for Service to Environmental Education, the 2002 California Institute for Biodiversity Educator of the Year Award, and the 2005 Jennifer Rigby Howard Bell Award for outstanding achievements and contributions as a leader in the field by the Director Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education. In 2012 the North American Association for The Acorn Group Environment Education honored her with their Outstanding Service to Environmental Education Award. Education Certified Interpretive Planner/ A member of the National Association for Interpretation (NAI) since its inception in 1988, Jenny National Association for Interpretation serves on NAI’s board certification team. She also serves on the executive board of American rails,T a national organization dedicated to the creation, conservation, and enjoyment of quality trails MS/ Education/ California State and greenways. In addition, Jenny has been involved in the Environmental Literacy Initiative of the University, Fullerton California Department of Education, having served as project manager of the State’s Environmental Education Master Plan, co-consultant of the Education and the Environment Initiative, and California Community College contributing author of the Blueprint for Environmental Literacy. Instructor Credential Her background includes interpretive master planning; teaching in formal and non-formal Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential institutions, including zoos and aquaria; interpretive writing; exhibit and graphic design; and University of California, Irvine program evaluation, research, and training. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social ecology, a master’s degree in education, two California teaching credentials, and NAI national certification as BA/ Social Ecology/ University of an interpretive planner. California, Irvine Exhibit designer James Freed brings 14 years of experience and an uncanny ability to translate exhibit narratives into stunning renderings. A skilled draftsman and illustrator, he also has a back- ground in architectural design. Jim holds a BFA in Illustration from the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and a master’s degree in education. Jim’s work is showcased in many of The Acorn Group’s recent projects, including interpretive master plans for the Diamond Valley Lake Visitor Center, Alameda Creek Watershed Center, Hay- ward Shoreline Interpretive Center, Garvan Woodland Gardens, Placerita Canyon Nature Area, West Basin Municipal Water District’s Water Education Center, West Coyote Hills, New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, State of Oregon/Coos Bay Region, Chilao Visitor Center, Coral Mountain Regional Park, Agua Hedionda Lagoon Discovery Center, Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy Center, George F Canyon Nature Center, and White Point Nature Preserve. James Freed Jim brings his understanding of natural and cultural history to the drawing board, using hundreds of the digital photos he takes, as well as reference materials, to create realistic and biologically ac- curate drawings. His work is showcased on The Acorn Group website. Jim has helped develop the look and feel of our interpretive pods, pullouts, vista points, adult-child interactions, and audience- media interactions for numerous interpretive master plans. He is remarkably adept at capturing the moods and nuances of such experiences, while at the same time, remaining spatially precise about building envelopes, ADA standards, square footage, access and egress, and other essential factors that cannot be ignored. Further, his spectacular renderings become significant fund-raising and friend-raising tools once master plan documents are finalized and implementation begins. Brian Burton’s areas of expertise include interpretive panel design and production, as well as design and production of educational media, brochures, advertisements, packaging, and graphic identity and standards. With more than 25 years experience, Brian’s work has encompassed hundreds of logos, brochures, posters, and packaging, and recently, interpretive panels and other media related to outdoor in- terpretation of natural and cultural history. Brian’s creative talents can be seen in work created by The Acorn Group for Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, City of Highland, Alameda Creek Watershed Center, Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy’s new center, Orange County’s Old Courthouse, Glendale’s Verdugo Mountain Trail, Highland’s Parkland Trail, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, Coast- keepers Garden, DeForest Wetlands, Chadwick School, West Basin’s Water Education Center, Dana Point Headlands, White Point Preserve, Coral Mountain Discovery Park, Agua Hedionda Lagoon and Discovery Center, Environmental Nature Center, Big Canyon Creek Nature Park at the Up- per Newport Bay, and West Coyote Hills. In addition to digital art, Brian works with traditional art methods, such as pencil, ink, and airbrush. Brian Burton Laura Stahlberg has worked with The Acorn Group since 1996, bringing both expertise and over a quarter century of experience in the graphics industry. Laura is responsible for design and production development and coordinating media selection, commissioned art, and photogra- phy for The Acorn Group’s projects. She travels to numerous trade shows throughout the year to search for new and innovative fabrication media. Her work is showcased in The Acorn Group portfolio. Like others within The Acorn Group, Laura thrives in the outdoors—she