Congress Avenue Bats Interpretive Panels

THE GOAL
150,000 people watch the Congress Avenue bats emerge every summer — and most leave without the story. Wildlife filmmaker Skip Hobbie (Bat City Films) asked us to build the interpretive backbone of his educational ecosystem: films, curriculum, and waysides at the bridge itself.

WHAT WE MADE
The interpretive strategy for three bilingual panels — themes, panel structure, draft copy, and image direction — developed further and installed by The Trail Conservancy on Austin's Butler Trail, with QR codes linking every panel to six short films.

THE DESIGN STORY
The panels trace the visitor's arc instead of listing facts: orient (Home to a Million), disarm (Heroes, Not Horror), inspire (From Fear to Love). And ten tons of insects a night becomes "two elephants' worth" — scale a seven-year-old can hold.

CTA: Planning interpretation for a trail, bridge, or urban wildlife spectacle? Let's talk.