Looking Ahead
This is my last semester of my undergraduate degree. I have switched majors three times, going from a BA in English, to International Development, and finally to a BSc in Wildlife Biology and Conservation. I have spent the last five years studying and taking courses from all of these disciplines, and I truly feel like I have accumulated vast amounts of knowledge from all three areas. And out of all the courses I have taken (trust me, there's a lot), Nature Interpretation was by far the most inspiring and meaningful, and I'm grateful to finish my degree with this course in my final semester.
As someone in STEM, I'm used to looking at facts. Whether it's completing my own experiments, or reading other's research, I am drawn to conclusions and results. I'm lucky that I have been given the resources to understand scientific literature and apply these facts to the world around me. Five years ago, in my first year as an English major, I don't think I would be able to say that. Learning the ins and outs of Nature Interpretation has allowed me to fully grasp how important this is, but it has also allowed me to gain an appreciation for scientific accessibility. Nature interpretation offers a pathway of accessibility to scientific information that otherwise might not be readily available. Nature interpreters have such an important role in the scientific world, as they are the ones who convey the science to others. This exchange of information allows for collaboration that could improve society's relationship with the natural world. This course has made me appreciate this, and I'll carry this appreciation with me after I graduate.
Reminding myself of the importance of accessibility in STEM helps me to establish my personal ethics. I know how it feels to be so interested in a topic and yet know nothing about it, and feel like it's too difficult to learn. I am lucky that my university education has helped me in this aspect, but I know that not everyone has this opportunity. Reaching as many people as possible to spread scientific awareness of our natural world is important to me, and I hope that as an ethic this will remain an important part of my life and career. Learning about the importance of nature interpretation has established this ethic in the foundation of who I am as an interpreter.
As I enter this next chapter of my life post-graduation, I have to remind myself of my responsibilities as a nature interpreter going forward. Outside of university life, I will have the opportunity to reach more people and share more knowledge and experiences. I am looking forward to working jobs and volunteering in spaces that give me these opportunities.
I talked about the responsibility of keeping STEM accessible, but there is more to the story. I am privileged to be able to go outside and hike in nature, or two buy a plane ticket and travel to a new location. I know this privilege does not extend to everyone, and it is my responsibility to help others establish these connections with nature in any way that they can. I want everyone to find a space in nature that they can connect with- something that is special just to them.
My childhood best friend, Maya, works as an educational guide in Ontario. She often tells me stories about high school students that she takes on guided hikes, who have spent so many of their teen years inside, partly due to COVID and partly due to technology. It makes her so sad to see these teenagers bored by nature, and unable to connect with it, as they would rather spend time on their phones. I feel sad as well. And I feel like I have a responsibility to help that generation form connections with nature. We were all teenagers once, and teenagers are stubborn, but I haven't given up hope. When people like Maya and I, and you (my fellow nature interpreters) work together to help people experience the natural world, I think we can heal the world around us by forming connections.
Maya and I, 2019
When I think about how I will approach my role as a nature interpreter, I think it comes down to encouraging people to find out what fascinates them. I want to encourage curiosity and for people to be eager to learn. I want to bring people outside and show them just how much we depend on the natural world so they can connect and develop their own fascinations. What I'm interested in may have no impact on someone else, but maybe it will spark an inquiry elsewhere. When people are curious, they observe their surroundings more in depth, and are constantly coming up with thoughts and ideas. From a nature interpretation standpoint, curiosity could allow people to actively engage with the natural world, instead of just being in it. By approaching interpretation as a way of fostering this curiosity in people, I hope to spark creativity in those around me.
When people are encouraged to learn more about their natural surroundings, they are also more confident in their ability to conserve them (Merenlender et al. 2016). This is an important step towards environmental conservation, and this confidence can be achieved at any age. While it is important to start teaching people about the importance of our environment at a young age, we should not neglect those in high school or older, as it is not "too late" to spark their interests.
In conclusion, I hope that I am able to use my personal ethics as a route to actively pursuing my responsibilities as an interpreter. Throughout this course, I have been able to reflect on what being a nature interpreter means to me on an individual level, and it boils down to these three points:
I want to be someone who conveys scientific information in a way that is accessible to people of all ages/ backgrounds
I want to encourage curiosity and spark interest in others, in the hope that they will find something they are passionate about and pursue it
I not only want to share information and experiences with others, but I also want people to share things with me. We all have so much to learn from one another, and every day we interact with new people. I want to learn from these interactions.
I have truly enjoyed reading everyone's blog posts this semester. I have learned a lot, and have much to reflect on going forward. I wish you all good luck with your schooling and future endeavours!
Merenlender, A. M., Crall, A. W., Drill, S., Prysby, M., & Ballard, H. (2016). Evaluating Environmental Education, citizen science, and stewardship through naturalist programs. Conservation Biology, 30(6), 1255–1265. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12737
Hi Lauren, first, I want to congratulate you on finishing your undergraduate degree and for pursuing your passion for wildlife biology and conservation. I’m sure, as many of us can assume, this achievement is in no way easy. It's interesting to see how you have switched your program multiple times and, through doing that, you obtained knowledge in those different disciplines. It's inspiring to hear about your journey and the different paths you've taken to get to where you are now. This is reassuring for me as I have also questioned my degree countless times, but I fear ever switching it.
Your commitment to educating people about our ecosystem makes me so happy. We definitely need more people that have these passions in our world. Hopefully, through many of us in this course finding inspiration in the discipline of nature interpretation, we can encourage people to appreciate the beauty of the natural world.
The approach of nature interpretation that you discuss seems very well thought out and effective. I agree that people must find what makes them truly passionate about nature. Nature interpreters that present fact after fact do not effectively teach an audience as they are unlikely to pay attention and care. It is essential to give the audience time to take in the beauty of a scene on their own to find their own unique appreciation of it (Beck et al., 2018). Thus people can develop a form of curiosity, fascination, and love for the environment, making them eager to learn.
I hope that our generation of nature interpreters has the enthusiasm and knowledge to truly make the changes needed for our environment to thrive and continue to give us all of the benefits we take for granted every day.
Thank you for sharing!
References
Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Personal Interpretation. Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage for A Better World.




















