Final Blog Post
Hi everyone!
This week’s blog prompt definitely had me pondering about this whole semester. I don’t know how everyone else feels, but this semester flew by for me. It is crazy to think that 4 months ago, I didn’t know nearly half the information I know now about nature, and nature interpretation. What I was unsure about when I first read the course outline was weekly blogging but now, I am glad that I chose to take this course. I now have a toolbox of interpretation skills which I can carry with me and use whenever I am surrounded by nature.
This class challenged me to work with others on a project none of us have ever attempted before- podcasts. This process really tested our knowledge on how to be effective nature interpreters based on the age of our audience. I believe that technology is such an amazing tool when it comes to nature. Although some people might say that technology or cellphones take away from the experience of being in nature, I think it can enhance the experience. I’ve used apps on my phone to identify constellations during my camping trips. This allowed me to learn more about what I was experiencing and I know that there are apps out there that identify plants, insects, birds, etc. I read in the textbook of this course that we should not be afraid that technology is a distraction, but rather incorporate it as a tool to teach us more (Beck et al., 2018). On my future nature adventures, I will definitely be looking into technology that I can use to enhance my experience and learning.
My Beliefs:
In the early portion of this course, we learned about invisible backpacks and multiculturalism in terms of nature interpretation. I believe that it is my job to:
Share unbiased stories/knowledge to allow my listeners to form their own ideas
Teach effectively by connecting with my audience on an emotional level
Do my research on accessibility to provide anyone in need with resources such as trails with wheelchair access, or nature guides in various languages.
We never know what other people are facing and what their relationship with nature is like. That why it is important that we are respectful and aim to support them on their own nature journeys rather than force them into something that would dampen their relationship with nature.
My Responsibilities:
While my responsibilities also fall in my list of beliefs, there are a couple other topics that I believe I hold responsibility for. The first is that I hold myself accountable for leaving nature clean or cleaner than I found it. I find that I am constantly reminding people I know to not litter, and now many of those people have gotten out of this habit. Similar to this topic, I try to always compost, and correctly recycle my things (i.e. washing containers before recycling, taking off any non-recyclable components).
Since I have a strong background in animal care, I think it is my responsibility to advocate for animals. As well as to educate others on any animals we may see in nature. It is important that we are aware of how our actions as humans will affect animal populations. We have talked a bit about animals in this course such as the music they provide. Now that it is getting warmer, I do hear more bird sounds outside my window which I now interpret as music in nature.
My Ethics:
Ethics are a guide for us to differentialize right from wrong. One of my main ethics revolves around conservation, preserving wildlife and nature. I hope that my future kids and their kids and so on will be able to experience everything wonderful about nature that we have now. We learned from Beck et al. (2018) that an effective interpreter will instil in their listeners the importance and need for conservation. That is definitely something I will aim towards as an interpreter leaving this course.
-Vee
Reference:
Beck, L., Cable, T.T., & Knudson, D.M. (2018). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage for a Better World. Sagamore-Venture Publishing LLC.
Hi Vee!
I really enjoyed reading your post this week. The beliefs you’ve gained from taking this course are very much in alignment with mine. Making nature accessible to others is something I’m very passionate about. I liked how you incorporated our learnings about privilege into your discussions about accessibility. The sooner we recognize the barriers that many people have to overcome in order to have an experience with nature, the sooner we can work to break these barriers down. Increasing accessibility broadens the audience we can reach and encourages diverse groups of people to get excited about conservation.
I love the insight you shared about advocating for animals. Interpretation brings a voice to nature and allows us to highlight the ways our choices can threaten the livelihood of others species. I really admire your goal to educate your audience about animals, as I think that people are more prone to make changes to protect animals than other biotic species. Bringing awareness to animal-related concerns is a surefire way to increase positive engagement with nature, because no audience member wants to see an animal suffer.
I fully agree that technology can be a useful interpretive tool. I had the opportunity this semester to speak with Chris Earley, the interpretive biologist at the Arboretum. In our conversation he shed light on the asset that technology can be to researchers through citizen science projects. He mentioned FeederWatch, e-Bird, and iNaturalist as great apps for engaging with a community of nature interpreters. For iNaturalist, users can photograph any living species they come across, and other naturalists around the world can help to identify it. For FeederWatch, researchers compile citizen bird sighting data to provide insight into range and migration patterns. Really cool stuff!
Wishing you all the best with the rest of the semester!
Annika
















