Outdoor Signs in State and Local Parks

If you enjoy hiking in Southern California, you need to be aware of poison oak. However, if you saw this sign and were not a native speaker, you might think that it was posted to give you information about some common plant in the area. In fact, poison oak is a common plant, but you shouldn't touch it or let your skin touch it. The reason that you shouldn't make contact with it is that you can get a very unpleasant rash from its oil.

The bottom sign, on the other hand, looks much more like a warning sign, doesn't it? The snake is on a yellow field and below the triangle, in large letters, is written the word CAUTION.  Clearly, this sign is meant to warn, even if you do not understand the English.

What English language and culture can we take from these signs? First, the top sign was found in a state park (Palomar Mountain State Park). The assumption seems to be that people who go up there to hike and camp are more knowledgeable about wildlife and this plant, in particular. Most outdoorsy Californians have heard of poison oak. The first few sentences of the top sign focus on a description of the plant. The second sign (to the left) is found in a local urban park (Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve) in the north part of the city of San Diego. Here, families with children, joggers, bicyclists, and dog walkers regularly traverse the park trails and paths. This park gets much heavier use than Palomar. In a dense residential community, park rangers want users to be aware of dangers, especially highly injurious bites from rattlesnakes. Thus, warning signs are much more conspicuous than in the mountain park.

Maybe my explanation for the differences are well known to signmakers, but since I am not one, I cannot verify my speculation. It is strange to have the rattlesnake warning more conspicuous than poison oak since the risk of poison oak rash seems far higher than the risk of a rattlesnake enounter. There is also the risk of poison oak at Los Peñasquitos, yet this sign is not conspicuously posted. Perhaps it is only the potent dangers that are highlighted in an urban park.

Area Closed

Torrey Pines State Reserve, California

What does the sign say?

"AREA CLOSED 

To protect natural features and insure public safety

DO NOT ENTER"

What does the sign mean? Why is the woman sitting on this delicate sandstone formation totally ignoring the directions on the sign? Could she be illiterate, a non-native speaker of English, or a person who doesn't care about protecting the special features of Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve? 

Many of my students from Europe comment that what they don't like about San Diego is the number of rules or laws that we have. However, every major town or city I've ever been to has signs to warn people of danger and to protect valuable historic parks, art, and natural wonders from vandalism or normal daily wear-and-tear.

Signs are a way that we protect ourselves from lawsuits - in case this woman falls and injures herself - but also to communicate to visitors in the absence of police or park rangers. Personally, I prefer to read a sign than to have park guards tell me what to do. Unfortunately, some people don't pay any attention to signs. They are thoughtless and irresponsible, and their actions sometimes lead to complete closure of areas. Please follow the sign directions.