Park Botanical Communication: How Managing Invasive Plant Species Shapes the Identity of Parks and Their Personnel

This project concerns how parks as organizations manage invasive alien plant species. Specifically, the project focuses on how park personnel communicate with park visitors about invasive plants, how park personnel describe their roles in managing natural systems of the park, and the role that plants (both native and invasive species) play in defining the identity of a park. Interviews with ten park personnel that work with invasive plant species were considered primary data. Supplementary data included fieldnotes from various parks (one national park in the Midwest and three state parks in Indiana) and various park “texts,” including signage, pamphlets/brochures, social media, and posters. Results showed that parks are havens for plant and animal life, as well as places of inspiration where visitors can appreciate the beauty of nature by recreating outdoors and learning about the parks’ history. Park employees are caretakers, who share in parks’ identity as protectors of valuable natural diversity through restoration efforts. Additionally, the identity of parks is based on education, making parks places of learning, and emphasizing that employees themselves identify as educators. Finally, parks are places of representation for plants, and employees are spokespeople on behalf of plants, which are commonly ignored/not understood. The results of this project furthered theoretical understandings of identity, identification, and tensions within the context of parks.