In 2022, the Virginia State Parks Department (USA) asked us to design and carry out a 6-week pilot program (online) to help them better serve a growing population of Spanish-speaking park visitors. We taught basic Spanish to 27 park rangers and other staff through weekly semi-interactive classes that featured vocabulary, verbs, and situations relevant to their jobs. Post-course evaluations were overwhelmingly positive, with participants feeling more confident in their ability to interact with Spanish-speaking guests. Based on key findings, we adjusted the length and pace of our original program to 8 weeks, with weekly 1.5-hour classes that include breakout sessions for small-group practice.

In 2024, we are teaching our revised 8-week Spanish for Conservation Professionals course to Colorado State Parks and Wildlife rangers and other staff from throughout the state. 

Designed in 2020, this unique class for bird lovers has been taken by individuals throughout the U.S. as well as in Canada and Costa Rica. In this course we answer questions like: How do you say "LBJ" in Spanish? Or "lifer"? How do you ask about a bird's call, or where the nearest preserve is? And just what is the difference between a "buho" and a "lechuza" if they are both called owls in English? 

It's wonderful that more Spanish-speakers are visiting natural areas and becoming involved in conservation programs in English-speaking countries, but it presents a communication challenge for staff. This introductory level course is perfect for staff, volunteers, and university students in the environmental field who know little or no Spanish. If you studied Spanish in high school (and paid attention), even if it was many years ago, this course will likely be too basic for you. 

In 2023, we taught our 8-week Introductory Spanish course to Colorado State Parks and Wildlife rangers and other staff from throughout the state. The classes were 1.5-hours long and included breakout sessions for small-group practice. Students' feedback was overwhelmingly positive! We'll see them again in our next-level course in 2024.