Town of Banff

Mountain Parks Heritage Interpretation Association

The Mountain Parks Heritage Interpretation Association (MPHIA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of information delivery to visitors to Canada's mountain parks.

From its beginnings in Banff National Park in 1998, MPHIA has expanded to include members in the other mountain parks in the surrounding region, as well as communities and parks throughout Canada.

Among our more than 350 members, MPHIA counts 215 professional interpreters. More than 500 people have taken MPHIA courses in Banff, Jasper and Golden in the last four years.

The goal of accrediting interpreters and guides is to raise the overall standard of knowledge dissemination and interpretive ability.

Commercial guides and interpreters provide a remarkable conduit for disseminating information and managing the expectations of park visitors. Thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of individuals participate in guided activities in a given year. Commercial guides and interpreters should be viewed as potential ambassadors for the national parks and their messages.
 
Our focus is to create a single body charged with accrediting interpretive guides and working with businesses throughout the mountain parks. In turn, we hope this will provide consistency in the delivery of products and services based upon the rich natural and human heritage of the Canadian Rockies.
 
Goals of the Mountain Parks Heritage Interpretation Association:

• to improve the effectiveness and appeal of natural and cultural heritage programming in the mountain national parks and surrounding areas
• to develop a common commitment within the tourism community to the enhancement of the training of those charged with the responsibility of sharing heritage information and values with park visitors
• to disseminate, for educational or scientific value, information about the natural and human heritage of Canada's Rocky Mountain national parks and surrounding areas
• to exchange information of educational or scientific value about natural and human heritage and any other matters of interest with other heritage organizations which have the same or similar objects, throughout the world
  

More information:

Mountain Parks Heritage Interpretation Association
302 Buffalo Street (Banff Rotary Community Hub, across from CIBC)
PO Box 3039
Banff, Alberta  T1L 1C7
T: 403.760.2854
E-mail: info@mphia.org
Web: Mountain Parks Heritage Interpretation Association