Sedona, AZ - Pink Jeep Tours announced today that two of their staff members have received advanced certification through the National Association for Interpretation (NAI), a private, non-profit organization located in Ft. Collins and affiliated with Colorado State University and its Natural Resources Recreation and Tourism Department.   The NAI currently serves approximately 5,000 members in thirty-two countries.  Individual members include those who work for the USDA Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service, and other organizations that belong to the heritage interpretation industry.  

Chris Davis, Guide Manager, and Mike Peach, Professional Tour Guide, have both earned their Certified Interpretive Trainer (CIT) credential, a 40-hour course that qualifies them to teach advanced interpretive techniques to other members of the Pink Jeep Tours staff who are working toward their Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG) designation.  Worldwide, there are less than 300 certified trainers and only four others in Arizona.  Both Davis and Peach earned their CIG credentials in 2002, passing a 32-hour course that culminated in written and oral exams.  They completed their CIT credential in 2006.  Both credentials require continuing education in order to maintain certification.  NAI's certification program is monitored by the National Organization for Competency Assurance.  The certification is earned by demonstrated proficiency in interpretive techniques.

Twelve guides have completed their certification training from Peach and Davis and are waiting for the final results of their exams.  Twelve additional staff are slated for the next set of courses at the end of January. All of the costs associated with membership and certification are paid by Pink Jeep Tours. 

"Good interpretation offers our guests an increased awareness of cultural and natural resources." Davis said. "It's our hope that after a tour they'll feel inspired to pursue additional interpretive programs, or to begin a journey of self education and revelation about the resources in their own locality, perhaps ultimately leading them to protection and/or stewardship of the resource. You know you've made a difference when passengers inquire about where they can learn more about what they heard on our tours."

Interpretive certification is only one facet of the training provided to the Pink Jeep Tours staff.  Guides have an extensive reading list and are required to be knowledgeable in subjects that include flora, fauna, geology, archeology, local history, and Native American cultures. In addition, local professionals, including Wayne Ranney, geologist and author of Sedona Through Time, are brought in to provide the staff with advanced capabilities. These educational courses are in addition to nearly eight weeks of driving and mechanical training provided to new hires at Pink Jeep Tours.   

The Association of Interpretive Naturalists and the Western Interpretive Association were created in 1954 and 1965, respectively, offering strong undergraduate and graduate programs in interpretation.  The two consolidated
in 1988 to form the National Association for Interpretation.   

Pink Jeep Tours was founded in 1960 and has its corporate headquarters in Sedona, Arizona.  Today, it has a corporate fleet of fifty-nine tour vehicles, serving visitors from around the world, and providing the premier adventure tours of Northern Arizona.  It is the only Jeep tour company with certified trainers on its staff.