Before developing interpretative plans for individual sites it is important to consider the overall strategy for the whole area under management. Such a strategy can ensure that interpretation at one site complements rather than duplicates that at another, iind that opportunities for good stories are not missed. Such strategies can be developed by individual owners or agencies, or by consortia covering a much wider area.
A simple but clear example of a strategy is provided by the US Park Service at Craters of the: Moon National Monument in Idaho. This area has a strong character because of its recent volcanic history. A drive takes visitors through it after an introduction to the subject at a small visitor centre. Along the drive are sites with walks of various length, which are interpreted in different but complementary ways. Some deal with different aspects of volcanoes, such as cinder cones, lava tubes or different kinds of lava, while others look at the ecology and wildlife living in such an inhospitable landscape.
