Aurora's Nature Interpretation Blog @askenvs3000w22 - Tumblr Blog

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.

dhenvs3000w22

Hi Vee,

Firstly to start off when reading your last blog post, I can relate to being very “iffy” about these weekly blog posts. 1. It was out of my comfort zone, 2. I was not familiar with the tumblr social media platform at all. Although, as we started to get the course moving, I adapted to it very quickly and thoroughly loved this type of format in a class. It is something I've never experienced before. Nextly, stating your thoughts on podcasts, I can relate to very well. I was also very scared to tackle this project, because there were so many questions yet so much free lance to do what we wanted and how we wanted. With all this being said, this course has also pulled me out of my comfort zone so much, but I feel as if it almost reflects the job of a nature interpreter. Exploring new findings, approaches, and tackling new ideas to be able to translate and educate others.

When reading about your beliefs, responsibilities and ethics surrounding a developing nature interpreter, hear what you have taken and learnt from this course is very interesting, and I would say is a little different from what I did. I think it is important as you stated that you want to impact others to keep nature clean of garbage. This is a recurring issue in today's world, but what are some things you could do to start this initiative and impact others to the point of change? I’d love to hear. Thank you for your personal reflection as a developing nature interpreter.

askenvs3000w22

Hi!

I agree that this semester went by super quickly and that it feels like just last week was our first blog post! I was also very unsure about the blogging portion of this course but found it be a useful way to consider other perspectives and gain a more thorough understanding of the course content.

I also agree that technology can be a beneficial tool for exploring nature, I have used apps to identify plants and animals that I’m curious about and I’ve shared meaningful experiences with others through photos and videos which encourage other people to go exploring outdoors! However, I’ve also felt technology as a distraction, like on a nice day when I feel a strong pull to watch TV rather than go for a walk, or when I stand outside waiting and scroll through Instagram rather than taking a moment to enjoy the sights and sounds around me, I think it can be a balance though and that technology is not the root cause of the problem, which in my opinion is exhaustion. When its been a long day of going to work and class and stressing about all of the deadlines, I sometimes can’t bring myself to get back up on my feet and go outside when I could sit and watch a show to let my brain slow down! Sometimes I can feel my brain playing tug of war with the two ideas. I know that nature is healing and makes me feel better, but I’m so tired that staying indoors often wins, which is sad. I know so many environmentalists judge the general population for “being lazy” and not getting outdoors often, but this is misplaced because I’m sure many of them feel like me and are just too tired and busy staying alive to get outside often.

My partner and I out on the water in North Vancouver, BC (behind the bridge is the Vancouver skyline)

I also have similar beliefs to you, in that I would like to interpret nature in a wholesome and unbiased way, leave the environment cleaner than when I found it, and educate others on animals. It is so nice to talk to others who are of a similar mindset, because it makes me feel less alone with my thoughts. I find it very difficult to think about all of the trouble that the environment is in with pollution, climate change, poaching, etc, and I quickly become weighed down and overwhelmed by it all, I remember learning about climate change in elementary school and crying for hours because I felt that the weight of the world rested on my shoulders and that I needed to solve the worlds issues myself. Seeing that other people care as well gives me some hope that things might not out okay if we continue to educate our peers on being mindful of the environment.

Thanks for reading!

Final Blog Post

I thought to take Nature Interpretation because I love nature and thought it would be an interesting course, but I didn’t expect the course to be like this. It has been a very modern approach to learning about interpretation and it covered many more aspects than I expected, which was a pleasant surprise. Looking back, each unit taught me something new which is truly beneficial to nature interpretation and life in general. Some things really stuck out as being important life lessons, including:

1. Privilege. In my 4 years of university, I don’t think a single course I’ve taken has mentioned privilege, which is not great because there is a lot of privilege in science, and it is very important to acknowledge it! I learned about privilege on my own through personal research and reflection, but to have this reflection integrated into course content is a remarkable step towards encouraging an empathetic and educated generation. I especially found that the “invisible backpack” theory by Peggy McIntosh was a perfect introduction in understanding privilege (McIntosh, 1989).

Picture of me enjoying the view from a hike in Haida Gwaii, BC. This image shows privilege because I had the time, money, and physical mobility to go hiking on a remote island.

2. Learning Styles. I have been told about learning styles throughout my education, but it has always been more of interesting fact that people can learn differently rather than a conversation about how to make the learning experience more inclusive. For example, most of my education has been provided through auditory and/or visual forms (a slide show with a lecturer talking, for example), which leaves tactile learners at a disadvantage. Beck et al. (2018) mentions that using more senses provides better learning, but the typical education system rarely uses multiple senses to teach which leads to poor retention of the takeaway messages. I think teaching the importance of learning styles could help revolutionize the education system in the future so that it is more inclusive for all types of learning.

Image of my elementary school classroom. I definitely learned more outside of this room during real experiences than I did within the room memorizing facts from textbooks!

One especially interesting aspect of the course was sharing opinions through these blogs and having discussions to understand how my peers and I are similar and different in many ways. By blogging throughout the units, we were able to better synthesize the information and put it to use, which is the best way to truly understand a topic. As well, reading other responses allowed me to see the information from their perspective, which is an important skill to learn because interpreters should plan their interpretation to be understandable from other points of view.

A forest on Vancouver Island, BC, image by me. The world is made up of many different people who have their own opinions, like how forests are made of many individual trees.

Ethics and Beliefs

As I mentioned, this course covered privilege more in depth than I have seen before, which really opened my eyes to how important it is to be wary of your own privilege. As a nature interpreter, I want to always be sensitive about what I am saying and the lasting effects of misspeaking or saying improper things. I hope to be someone that others can look up to as a source of accurate and unbiased information. This will be hard because each person has their own biases created over time, but constant work towards unlearning these must be done to be a great interpreter.

A sunset over the water, image by me. Images are one way of showing unbiased information because each person who looks at it can interpret it themselves.

Responsibilities and Approaches

As an interpreter, it is my responsibility to lead those I am interpreting for. To counteract my privilege, want to provide a platform for those with less privilege so that they can be heard, but I want to be very careful to not speak over them. When interpreting nature, I will amplify the voices of indigenous groups and encourage all who join me to consider things from multiple perspectives.

In Canada we are always treading on land which was stolen. It is so important to acknowledge, learn about, and respect the indigenous people. In Haida Gwaii, we visited the historical museum to learn more about the Haida people and were respectful of their land and culture while visiting.

I have not always been a strong leader and I will have to work hard to grow this skill. To me, a good leader is one who is comfortable holding a position of power but not abusing their power in any way. I also believe that good leaders support creativity and new ideas brought forth by their followers, and so I would like to encourage my group to think for themselves while following my lead. It is also my responsibility to provide a safe and effective learning experience, and so I will be sure to bring safety gear required for the environment and ensure my interpretive efforts are dispersed over a variety of learning styles (pamphlets, spoken words, demonstrations). From my readings, I found that using art and music in interpretation can increase the benefits of the experience (Beck et al, 2018). I would like to incorporate art and music into my interpretation in a way that doesn’t feel forced, perhaps by having some light music playing or by referencing and showing art related to the experience, such as poems or paintings.

In this image, sunlight shines through a tiny hole in an empty seashell I found along the beach, which reminds me that nature is art and therefore nature interpretation is similar to art interpretation

Thanks once again for reading,

Farewell!

Reference

Beck, L., Cable, T.T. and Knudson, D.M. Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage For a Better World. Sagamore Venture Publishing. 2018.

McIntosh, P. 1989. White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Peace and Freedom.

nbenvs3000w22

Nature is Pretty Cool, ngl.

So for obvious reasons, I'm pretty biased on this topic; I am in ecology, and I am taking a course on nature interpretation. But I think nature is one of those things that everyone has a connection to, whether they know it or not. Now you don't need to be a "tree-hugger" or intertwined with mother nature to feel a connection (even though those are cool); you can just have a cherished memory within nature. Whether it's driving through a forest or camping with your friends - a connection to nature is always there. Sometimes, you just gotta look for it.

Now, I'll be honest with you - I didn't have a strong connection with nature for some time. Whenever my parents would go for a drive to see the changing colours in the fall or go on a hike, I was never the biggest fan. I loved seeing all the different animals (feeding chickadees and seeing all the farm animals), but I would always question why my parents would freak out about the scenery. I would ask them, "what's so special about the mountains?" or "this is so boring for me, why isn't it for you?". They would always respond, "just wait till you're older; you'll understand," which always annoyed me. They barely answered my question! Plus, they pulled the "wait till you're older" speech which didn't help their argument at all! But as they always say, your parents are always right. My appreciation for nature came gradually with age and maturity as I realized nature's role in my life. Not only did it give my family, friends and I great memories we share till this day; nature gave me curiosity and wonder. Even though it surrounds us in our everyday lives, there is always so much more to see and discover. As I began to learn about the different things nature had to offer (cute animals and pretty blue grottos), I wanted to explore and learn as much as possible. And that's the joy of it - there's always something for someone. Whether you like a relaxing beach to tan on or discovering all the different bugs under a trunk of a tree, nature has it all.

A fun boat trip to Honey Harbour for my Grade 12 Graduation (2020). My friends and I were at the water 24/7.

Now, of course, I gotta share with you guys the most amazing thing I know about nature - animals can have altruistic (selfless; benefiting others without any benefit for themselves) behaviours. I know it sounds pretty strange, but it's not only humans that display these characteristics. For example, with worker bees, all of their actions are devoted to the queen and their colony's longevity (National Aquarium, 2020). Rather than focusing on their own survival, they place all of their attention towards a greater cause - even at the expense of their life. Another example of this is in a study done by Désirée Brucks and Auguste M.P. von Bayern, where they tested the altruistic behaviours of African grey parrots. When given a token to exchange for food, the parrot would voluntarily provide the token to a parrot who did not receive a token. These are some of the many examples of altruistic behaviours displayed within animals. I find this portion of nature to be so interesting - sometimes it is hard to remember that animals are living creatures with feelings and emotions. Diving deep into their psychology shows that they aren't too far away from us humans.

Do you guys have any fond memories of nature? Or any cool facts about it? Let me know!

~Nicole

vwenvs3000w22

Hi Nicole,

I really enjoyed reading your post!

I have a cool fun fact about animals: As you are probably aware, for animals, age correlates positively with size (elephants live longer than mice). Did you know that within a species, it is the other way around (Kraus et al., 2013)? This is especially prevalent with dogs where small dogs live longer than big dogs (Kraus et al., 2013).

It sounds like you came a long way with your relationship with nature! I can definitely relate to that, I used to hate travelling around to different places to see natural and historic sites. I always just wanted to stay in our hotel and play in the pool. My parents made a deal with my sister and me - we explore in the morning and swam in the afternoon!

The concept of altruism is super fascinating! I did know that worker bees had this mentality, however, I did not know that parrots also practise this! After you introduced this concept, I tried to find out a little bit more and I conducted a quick literature search.

Did you know that plants also supposedly practise altruism? Invasive plants, such as Centaurea stoebe, produce chemicals that prevent others from growing next to them (allelopathy) (Biedrzycki & Bais, 2010). This plant, however, recognizes when its own species grows next to it and turns its defences down (Biedrzycki & Bais, 2010).

I find it a little funny that we are talking about animals practising altruism and how similar they are to us, humans. Do humans really practise altruism? If they would, why are so many people poor and why are issues like climate change not solved yet?

Cheers,

Verena

References

Biedrzycki, M. L., & Bais, H. P. (2010). Kin recognition in plants: a mysterious behaviour unsolved. Journal of Experimental Botany, 61(15), 4123–4128. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erq250

Kraus, C., Pavard, S., & Promislow, D. E. L. (2013). The Size–Life span trade-off decomposed: Why large dogs die young. The American Naturalist, 181(4), 492–505. https://doi.org/10.1086/669665

askenvs3000w22

Hi Nicole,

I read your post and I got extra excited because I learned all about altruism in animals in a course I took last semester (ZOO4070: animal behaviour)! There are apparently quite a few theories on why animals (including humans) sometimes behave altruistically, and it usually depends on genetics and/or social behaviour.

For example, in honey bees, worker bees are sterile and cannot pass down any of their own genetics, and so they will protect the queen and the colony to ensure that the queen can reproduce and pass down her genetics. A side note about bees is that workers within the colony have many different fathers and they will actually favour their full siblings (same mother and father) over half siblings (same mother, different father) because their full siblings are much more genetically related!

In other animals, it seems that altruistic behaviour is actually selfish behaviour. This sounds unnecessarily confusing but it really is a pretty simple concept; by helping out another animal during its time of need the “helper” gains a higher chance of receiving help from others when it’s struggling. Think about it this way- when you ask for a pencil from a classmate with many pencils and they refuse to help, would you feel much desire to help them if they forget a pencil on another day when you happen to have an extra? And so, in the animal world, being altruistic can sometimes be like an insurance policy!

Of course, we don’t actually know what animals are thinking, and I like to think that they are empathetic and kind (even though scientific theories beg to differ), but the animal behaviour theories really are fascinating!

Thanks for reading!

More about bees: https://www.lakeforest.edu/news/the-emerging-study-of-kinship-theory-in-the-honeybee-apis-mellifera

More about animal altruism: https://www.nathab.com/blog/is-animal-altruism-real/#:~:text=Some%20wildlife%20researchers%20believe%20that,caring%20for%20a%20baby%20baboon.

Blog Post 8 - Do birds of a feather flock together?

The most amazing thing about nature is how everything coexists together and forms an intricate web of life. Within this web of life there are relationships between different organisms, called symbiotic relationships, which can be grouped into the categories of mutualism (both species benefit), commensalism (one species benefits and the other is unaffected), and parasitism (one species benefits and the other is harmed).

- Image by Sylvia Freeman

Here we focus on one relationship:

Mixed-species flocking is when many different species of birds choose to spend time and move around within their habitat together as a large group (Goodale et al., 2015). This phenomena is seen worldwide within many different bird groups across many ecosystem types (Goodale et al, 2015). These flocks usually demonstrate mutualism or commensalism.

- Image by Rangu Narayan

Within Ontario, they can be seen in winter when songbirds such as chickadees, nuthatches, and woodpeckers will feed and fly around as a mixed-species group. So, why do these birds hang out together? The theory is that the group environment works better for avoiding predators and finding food, because some species are better at each task and so working together is mutualistic (Goodale et al., 2015). For example, chickadees are social birds which chirp loudly at signs of danger, and these warnings are obvious to other species as well (Kaufman and Kaufman, 2020).

-Chickadee call! This video belongs to LesleytheBirdNerd

Chickadees are usually the "leaders" of treetop flocks because, as they travel, other birds will follow and listen for their alarm cue while foraging (Kaufman and Kaufman, 2020). The coolest thing about mixed-flocks is that the birds which group together usually all have different foraging methods, which means there is no direct competition for food (Kaufman and Kaufman, 2020)! Isn't that great?

Here is a video on mixed-flocks with a visual and verbal breakdown of what I've mentioned! Video by BioBush.

If you like birds, keep a lookout for mixed-flocks during winter and watch how they coexist gracefully within the environment.

Thanks for reading :)

References

Kaufman, K and Kaufman, K. (2020). Decoding Mixed Winter Flock Behaviour. https://www.birdsandblooms.com/birding/birding-basics/mixed-winter-flocks/

Goodale, E., Ding, P., Liu, X., Martinez, A., Si, X., Walters, M. and Robinson, S. K. (2015). The structure of mixed-species bird flocks, and their response to anthropogenic disturbance, with special reference to East Asia. Avian Research, 6(14).

#Youtube

crdaenvs3000w22

Music Through Nature

I believe music is an art form that is so diverse and capable of transcending any social or cultural barriers. Anyone can listen to music of any sorts and there’s a little bit of something for everyone in music. I feel that music is the one art form that everyone has at least a bit of interest or passion for. When I think about connecting music to nature it’s something that seems to come to mind so naturally.

To me, music has always served as an escape and almost as a type of therapy to whatever I’m going through or feeling at that time. When I’m out in nature I like to try and just be very quiet and really allow myself to just listen. In doing this, you can really allow yourself to hear so many different variations of music throughout nature itself. You can hear the music of birds chirping, wind flying through the tree leaves, water flowing or crashing and so much more. For this reason I’ve always really loved this quote by George Santayana: “The earth has music for those who listen.” The way I understand this quote is that music can be found everywhere and that is in fact not just an independently human invented art form. If you really listen for it, you can see that everything in nature can create its own music and that truly nature itself can be seen as various forms of art.

Many forms of wildlife themselves have also been recognized by humans to create their own music. Birds for example chirp the same tunes rhythmically in variations that are similar to the music humans have created. Similarly, whales have also been known to ‘sing’ to one another in different intervals through symphonies that are similar to that of humans’ music. This is consistent with the idea that nature itself can produce its own music.

It is even evident that many different modern forms of music use nature sounds in the background or even main components of songs/pieces. I myself can usually easily fall asleep to the sounds of nature whether it be on a video online or physically in person. A few examples of this are the sounds of wood crackling in the campfire, waves crashing against the shore, rain hitting the roofs over our heads, birds chirping, or wind breezing through the trees. All in all, I believe nature provides the same effects that music can to people, being that feeling of escape, relaxation and strengthening of emotions. Both nature in music and music and nature are evident throughout the way humans live their lives and appreciate music.

One song that always takes me back to nature is “Better Together” by Jack Johnson. This song itself doesn’t necessarily talk about nature very much in its lyrics although it does touch on some nature aspects at times like ‘sitting beneath the mango tree’ and ‘when the morning light sings’. Mostly, this song just immediately brings me back to nature because it’s a song I really enjoyed listening to with my family growing up when we were on our way to the cottage, what I’d wake up to hear playing in the early mornings, or what my brother would play and sing around the campfire late night. All in all, this song is really simple and upbeat, making it an easy song to sing along to, fall asleep to and feel truly relaxed and carefree when listening to it. For this reason I’ve always tied it to being in nature because it just fits so perfectly with nature, considering both make me feel the same way.

If you’ve never heard this song, I’d highly recommend it. It is one of my favorites! Check it out and let me know what you think :)

askenvs3000w22

Hi!

I really enjoyed reading your blog post and found that it really resonated with me. I also really believe that nature is an art form that anyone can appreciate. When I think of the people I've known throughout my life, I cannot think of anyone who didn't enjoy some type of music. Whether it was my grandma's obsession with Elvis Presley, my Oma's passion for recordings of violin music, my dad's love for classic rock, or my brother's AC/DC phase, I've always made note in my mind of what music the people closest to me enjoy. I think that music is very personal and that sharing your favourite music with someone is a way to trust them with a piece of your personality.

I also listened to Jack Johnson a lot with my family when I was younger, and for me hearing "Better Together" instantly reminds me of each morning my dad drove me to school with that album playing through his car speakers. Isn't it so strange that two people can hear the same song and both have such distinct and different memories?

Thanks for reading :)

Blog 7- Nature and Music

First of all, what is music? It is defined as the arrangement of sounds in time which provides emotional expression and beauty of form. By this definition, I think there is music everywhere in nature. It is in the sound of rain through the trees, bird songs, squirrels chattering, leaves rustling, and really in every natural sound. When I think of standing in a forest, I can hear the overlapping noises from all of the living things coming together to create “music”, which provides relaxation and calmness. When I think of swimming in the ocean, I can hear the crash of waves, the cry of seagulls, overlapped with the humming silence which happens each time my head goes under the water.

The sounds from a natural landscape were probably the inspiration for early human beings to create their own music from voices and instruments. There is archeological evidence that Neanderthals created musical instruments out of bone and stone, and throughout time many fables and stories from cultures around the world were told through music to be remembered. So, where is nature in music? I believe that nature was the foundation on which music was built, and as time has passed the actual sounds of nature in music have decreased but the foundation will never change, and nature will always be a part of music.

One example of how nature and music are intertwined is in whale songs. Whales create songs which are similar in length to those of human songs, have similar song structure, and seem to use rhyming devices just as humans would (Gray et al., 2001). My point from this is that whales and humans create similar music, and therefore when humans listen to whale songs they likely feel moved in a similar way to typical human songs. This could be why humans have been particularly moved by one whale who’s calls are at 52-Hertz, a different frequency from other species (blue whale 10-39 Hz, fin whale 20 Hz) (Fessenden, 2015). This whale has been called the “world’s loneliest whale”, because it is singing at a frequency that the other whale’s do not use, and many musicians have created songs inspired by this whale (Fessenden, 2015). Although the thought of a whale alone in the ocean and unable to communicate with other is heartbreaking, there is a theory that the 52-Hertz songs are from a group of hybrid whales, which would mean that the whale is not alone after all (Fessenden, 2015). Let’s hope that’s the case!

One song that reminds me of nature is The Night We Met by Lord Huron. It reminds me of camping with my friends during summer years ago and laying under the dark sky of stars. In all honesty though, this whole album by Lord Huron reminds me of being outside in nature throughout the summer weather.

#Spotify

ksenvs3000w22

Blog #6 - The Gifts of Interpretation - Edward Hyams

“There is no peculiar merit in ancient things, but there is merit in integrity, and integrity entails the keeping together of the parts of any whole, and if these parts are scattered throughout time, then the maintenance of integrity entails a knowledge, a memory, of ancient things. …. To think, feel or act as though the past is done with, is equivalent to believing that a railway station through which our train has just passed, only existed for as long as our train was in it.” ~ Edward Hyams

I believe that Edward is trying to display the idea that there is no value to something from the past unless we give it a value. He states that there is no merit in ancient things, but there is merit in integrity. He is demonstrating that there is no value both positive or negative associated with an ancient object or detail unless we provide it with one. He is stating that as humans we have a requirement for integrity, and integrity is the process of providing truth to something. He is hinting that in order to keep our past alive we need to interpret historic events and provide these stories with values in order to keep our history alive.

In the YouTube video “National Park Service Chief Historian Robert Sutton on Historical Interpretation in Parks,” Robert Sutton mentions that many national parks are created on historic sites, not necessarily for any purpose, but this has provided humans with the opportunity to create these stories and share the values of our past as Edward Hyam is referring to. Robert mentions that the civil war is a popular topic, but sometimes other events can be shadowed by the war. For example, he explains that there was a trail called “The Trail of Tears” used by indigenous peoples during the war. The story of the trail would have been completely lost if park interpreters had not brought its story, and therefore value, back into existence.

Edward is stating that there is a value associated in looking back to our past to create a story and benefits for our future. And as stated in this week’s unit, we can learn from our past and create unified communities through story telling.

I had the privilege of interpreting a historical logging museum at Marten River Provincial Park where people would come from all over the world to learn about their family’s heritage. I got to meet people from Australia, New Zealand, the United States and more. It was an amazing experience to be able to tell the stories of the past and provide these families with a connection to the local history. This was the moment that I personally realized the importance of storytelling, and I hope everyone has the opportunity to either tell their story or hear a story as heartfelt as the logging stories I heard from people around the world.

A super cool group of artists that sing at Marten River about logging history are the Wakami Wailers! I recommend checking them out if you have the opportunity!

Photo taken from: https://www.wakamiwailers.com (the background building is part of Marten River’s Logging Museum)

Some of my favourite songs by this group are:

- The Lumbercamp Song

- The Winter Camp

- The Last of the White Pine Loggers

Fun Fact - They used to perform at Marten River during one of the parks logging museum weekends!

askenvs3000w22

Hi,

I really enjoyed reading your blog post! I thought it was an amazing incorporation of the course material and your own thoughts on the topic! What I thought of when I read the quote by Edward Hyams was quite different than yours, and I think its amazing that something as simple as a written quote can be interpreted differently by people due to how they read it and their prior life experience, almost like how a poem can mean different things to different people. We both agreed that the quote was mainly to encourage an interest in history, but when I read this quote I though of how important it is to use history as a guide for the future, by attempting to continue with ideas that have worked well and not pursue ideas which have ended poorly in the past. Reading your interpretation made me realize that the physical objects from the past are also important, but only when we provide engaging context for why we should care about the objects!

I really enjoyed your post and thanks for reading my reply,

Aurora

Blog Post 6: History and Nature Interpretation

For this weeks blog we have been prompted to unpack this quote:

To me, this quote is about how important it is to learn and remember history and apply it to our lives. Edward Hyams is saying that although some people do not see any value in understanding things which have happened in the past, it is actually essential to humankind because the past is never over because it is the foundation on which the present has been built.

In my opinion, understanding history is very important because it helps us in the present understand mistakes to not make again and possible “old methods” to instill again for reparation. By this I mean that we can use the past as a guide to make better choices in the present, and by ignoring that the past has happened we would waste valuable knowledge which has already been learned by humankind. For example, when studying the past and observing the many traditional ways in which civilizations coexisted with nature rather than exploiting nature, we can see how that might be beneficial and possibly use their traditional ways to live more peacefully on this Earth. Another example would be to look at the past wars that humankind has engaged in and to see how those horrible situations occurred to try to not fall into the same patterns again.

As well, thinking about history in the terms of nature is very interesting to me because the components of the ecosystem have been around for much longer than each human reading this has been. Is it even possible to call it “history” when the rocks and dirt we stand on were still there long ago during the “historic time” we think about? The water we see flowing in rivers has been recycled so many times over and the trees have survived for centuries, therefore they are all “living history”. “History” implies that it was a chapter that has closed, but these natural components never “end”. Just some hard to explain things I’ve been thinking about!

Thanks for reading,

Aurora

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Pandemic Gecko

The pandemic has been a long one I feel like we have been tracking it in stages from Tiger King (oof) to sourdough to Wordle and a whole lot more in between. It’s wild to think that 2020 was two years ago. It feels like we were just panic buying toilet paper and finding out what masks we needed. But it wasn’t all bad like many others; I fell victim to the pandemic pet craze where you found yourself with ample time at home and want a new friend. Except my pandemic baby was a leopard gecko named Norbert. (You know, after the dragon from Harry Potter, haha).

Now you may wonder why a lizard? Since I am in student housing, I didn’t feel I had the space for a cat or dog. Rodents bedding often has an odour and can be messy. And well, birds live long enough to be included in wills, and I wasn’t ready for that level of commitment. So I landed on a reptile. I am new to the world of reptiles and researched from March to June 2020 to make sure I knew everything I needed to give this little guy the proper care. Leopard geckos are also known to be one of the “easier” reptiles to care for. So I thought it would be a good introduction.

On July 14th, 2020, I got Norbert from PetSmart (now I know better and should have gone to a reputable breeder, but I saw him and knew he was coming home with me). He was timid, but now we are the best of friends. It’s unfortunate how many people think reptiles have no emotion and can’t show affection to their owners, which I don’t believe is true. The world of reptiles is amazing. They might not get excited the way a dog does or as cuddly as a cat, but it’s truly rewarding once you get to know them and understand their cues.

I crocheted Norbert a hide because I wanted to give him something cozy. He loves it and sleeps the day away in his little cactus. And when I speak to him, he recognizes my voice and will poke his little head out to say hello. When evening comes, he will walk to the front of the tank and ask to come out, in which he will climb up my shoulder and snuggle into my warmth. He loves watching TV. His favourite shows are the Great British Bake off and Phineas and Ferb. I can’t explain it, but something about those shows have him sitting and watching for an hour.

He is also super vocal and will let you know how he is feeling. He has happy chirps when he eats and is exploring and angry noises when he’s in his carrier. He also has favourite people, my roommates and my sister. And you may be wondering how I know he likes them. Well, let’s just say he flung himself off my partner and rubs himself on anything he touches to remove his scent. He is very clear on who he enjoys and who, um... not so much.

Oh, and SPLOOTING is the best thing ever! If you have a pet, I’m sure you have seen them lay fully extended; now imagine a little lizard laying like a pancake to absorb as much of your warmth as possible. When it happens, you feel like you have been chosen, and you can’t move until the lizard has decided you may.

Norbert’s tank! (40 gallons because he’s spoiled)

So I am sure you have gathered my love of reptiles from this post. They have big personalities, love to communicate, and can form great trust from being worked with. I want to put a disclaimer that they require the best care you can give them and not the bare minimum that many pet stores will suggest. The reptile community also has many divided views on many aspects of care, and it takes a lot of research to make sure you are doing what you ought to. This isn’t to discourage anyone from venturing into the world of reptiles. They are wonderful pets, and I don’t think they get nearly enough excitement.

A series of videos from when Norbert and I️ were playing peekaboo (he loves to pretend he’s stalking me loll)

askenvs3000w22

Hi Leah,

I love Norbert! Thanks for sharing your story about how you came to have him and how much you love him!

It’s great to see people recognizing reptiles for how amazing they are because they tend to be underappreciated animals.

I also acquired some pandemic pets since March 2020, including 3 lizards, a bunny, and a cat (on top of the animals which lived with me pre-pandemic). Although it seems like a crazy zoo (I mean sometimes it is when everyone is misbehaving), I find comfort in having them all. Each animal has such a strong personality and behaves in such an individual way that it inspires me to maybe pursue research on animal personality!

You mentioned that it is up to the owner (pet parent) to provide their reptiles more than the minimal care standards that pet stores explain, and I wanted to say that it is very similar for rabbit care. Although rabbits don’t have the same stigma as reptiles because they are “furry cute” not “scaley cute”, rabbits are often provided extremely inadequate housing by people who do not do further research on the animal. I believe that the pet trade is notorious for perpetuating the idea that animals which aren’t dogs are “disposable” or “starter pets”, when that is simply not true. All pets are living, breathing beings which require their humans to care for them and provide what they need. When these conditions are met, the animal can express its true personality, and seeing that is what makes it worth all the effort!

Here are my pandemic babies:

Grey the bunny

Peanut the Kochi Day Gecko (juvenile)

Pickle the Kochi Day Gecko (adult)

Nimbus the cat

Peach the Crested Gecko (3 legs, no tail, thriving)

Thanks for reading!

Blog Post 5- What have I been thinking about lately? Animal Tracks!

Hi everyone,

As a Zoology major, I’m always thinking about animals and hoping to share my love with others. Therefore, for this week’s open topic blog post, I would like to share my love for animal tracks!

Animal tracks are an amazing insight into the natural world around us. You might be thinking “but it’s winter and I haven’t seen an animal in months, aren’t they all sleeping?” The answer is, no! There are animals all around us, they are just very sneaky to avoid human interaction! But, we know something that they don’t - walking through the snow (or mud) leaves a trail that we can use to identify who was there and what they were doing!

By matching the track to a field guide of tracks (or Internet photos) using the number of toes, where the feet are placed, and size of the tracks we can determine what animal it is. We can understand the direction of travel by determining which way the toes are pointed or where the feet are placed.

Although I would love to provide a complete guide to the animal tracks of the world, I’ll just focus on the two most common species and one fun species whose tracks can be found now in Guelph, ON!

Squirrel: By far the most common winter animal (especially at the University of Guelph campus), squirrels leave a “bounding” track with their larger back feet “in front” of their front feet.

A set of squirrel tracks with student card for size. This squirrel is traveling towards the top of the screen (”up”).

Cottontail Rabbit: Another common winter mammal, rabbits leave a “bounding” track with their back feet in front and their front feet behind. This is similar to the squirrel, but tracks are larger and the front feet are offset (one in front of the other).

Cottontail rabbit track. Usually for a rabbit in-motion the front feet will be further behind the back feet but I think this cottontail might’ve been standing still. This rabbit is travelling towards the top of the screen (”up”).

Porcupine: Although not as common as squirrels and rabbits, porcupines can be found in Guelph in the winter (especially up high in trees in the Arboretum). Their track in the snow creates a cool “tire track” pattern from their feet and their tail dragging.

Porcupine track. Not sure which direction of travel. Image taken from https://northernbushcraft.com/animalTracks/porcupine/notes.htm

I encourage anyone interested to keep an eye on the snow for these 3 neat tracks or any others you find!

Thanks for reading :)

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Nature and Art

When I first read the prompt I was a bit nervous but then I realized that art and nature are everywhere and are very often interconnected. When I think about nature and art I first think of nature photography. My grandpa was always taking pictures when we would go on walks or when we went to the cottage. My family always used to look through the photos all the time and it would often take us back to the moment that photo was taken. My grandpa would always know when, where and why he took the photo, even if it had been many, many years. My grandpa always sends me pictures he finds of me in nature when he is looking through his pictures. He still takes beautiful pictures while out on his walks, even when he goes to cities he always finds something beautiful to photograph. I think seeing his passion for photography really inspired me to start taking pictures when I encountered beauty in nature (he is a way better photographer than I am). Another way nature photography was introduced to me was the kid’s national geographic magazines and books. I always loved getting these during the book fairs when I was a kid. I didn’t always read them but I always looked at the pictures. The photos of animals in their natural habitat are what really intrigued me. Once I found out how the nature photographers took those photos is when I really got into these pictures. I thought it was crazy how people risked their safety to get these pictures, I also loved hearing about how they would sometimes get into a costume or disguise to be less noticeable to the animals they are photographing.

Photo taken by my grandpa during a walk in Stratford, Ontario.

One of the topics that I thought of when thinking about the combination of nature and art is the flower and garden festival at Disney world. My family and I have been to Disney world twice while this festival was taking place, and it really is a sight to behold. They had sculptures of the characters made of plants, mostly flowers and vines. These statues were incredible and the detail seemed almost unreal. Knowing that they were made out of living plants really intrigued me. The work that must go into something like that is crazy, they picked out the perfect colours and somehow arranged them to look like their characters. These sculptures showed me that art can be made of anything, including nature.

Photo from the Disney world website

A more recent example of nature interpretation through art is the opening ceremonies of the 2022 winter Olympics in Beijing. An interpretive dance inspired by the changing of seasons between winter and spring was performed. They used props and background visuals to create the images of blades of grass and changing seasons. I danced for all of my life and have never seen anything like this. I would have loved to take part in something like this. The meaning of this dance was easily interpreted even though the movements are not usually used. This dance reached people all over the world because there is no language barrier that might dilute the message. This is true for most art, it reaches many different people and affects all of those people differently.

Photo of interpretive dance from Beijing Olympics (from LA times)

askenvs3000w22

Hi!

Your post really resonated with me because I also always think of nature photography when thinking about how nature and art coincide. I believe that photography is one of the best ways to capture beauty (and a memory) forever, and I love that it also makes it easier to share this beauty to others who might not be able to access it themselves, or to encourage those who can to get out and go visit! Especially with how popular photo-based social media pages are, I believe that nature interpretation and nature photographer will only continue to intertwine.

Also I totally forgot until reading your post stirred a memory that I also read those kids national geographic magazines when I was little and I definitely did not realize what an influence they had on me, haha!

Your post also taught me new things, including the Disneyland flower and garden festival and the interpretive dance at the Beijing Olympics. Both of these art forms, despite being so different from each other, inspire awe and captive the audience in such a strong way. It really is amazing how art can become a universal language which connects individuals together.

Thanks for reading :)

Blog Post 5: Interpreting Nature Through Art

Who am I to interpret nature through art?

As a kid I always wanted to paint and draw the natural landscape around me but was always unsatisfied with the results because they were not nearly of the same beauty. When I found photography, I realized that it was a perfect way to capture the image my eyes were seeing and immortalize the beauty. I can’t exactly explain it but capturing a beautiful experience through pictures gives me a sense of peace because I know I can go back to look at it over and over and not worry that I will eventually forget. Some people say that it’s bad to take photos of everything and that everyone should “live in the moment” rather than worrying about preserving the memory. I personally don’t think taking a few photos takes me “out of the moment” and I know that I will not regret having photos to look back on.

For example, while traveling when I was young I saw the most beautiful sunset I had yet to see in my life, and I spent a few moments capturing it before continuing on my walk. I still think about that sunset often and whenever I look at the pictures they immediately bring me back to that feeling of seeing it for the first time and being overwhelmed by the beauty.

The beautiful sunset mentioned. Taken by me (Aurora Klassen) in northern BC.

I don’t believe the textbook brought up how important photography is in the interpretation of art- a large amount of people use social media daily and experience “nature” through the eye of other people’s cameras! The use of photography as a way of interpretation is growing rapidly and I follow a few photographers who use their photographic art to educate the public on big topics in nature (climate change, pollution, extinction of animals). These photographers use their platforms on social media to post their photos and educate and include Paul Nicklen, Cristina Mittermeier, and Joel Sartore.

A screenshot of some of Paul Nicklen’s awesome instagram photos. Taken from @ PaulNicklen on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/paulnicklen/?hl=en)

The textbook did mention quite a few other arts which are important to interpretation- theatre, visual art, poetry, and storytelling. I personally have enjoyed many interpretations which use storytelling because I connect with the humans within the story. I don’t know how fond I am of the use of theatre within interpretation because I think it could be cringey if done poorly but also could be very engaging if done well! As for poetry and visual art, I feel like only certain groups of people would respond well and others wouldn’t engage with it. For example, I remember in high school how many of my classmates eyes would glaze over in boredom throughout the poetry and visual arts units.

Overall, I think that the arts hold a great role in nature interpretation, but I’m not sure that everyone engages well with all forms of art and that the art form chosen should be mindful to the audience.

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Privilege

I began to prepare for writing this post by first examining my invisible backpack. There is no doubt that my entire life has been helped along by my vast amounts of privileges. While I am a queer woman, the fact that I am white, middle-class, and well-educated has given me enough of a level of privilege and security that it continues to benefit me to this day. It is this security that allows us white people to stay comfortably unaware of the disadvantages that others around us face. This is why my personal definition for privilege is the advantages given to you solely for your membership within a group as well the ability to not see these advantages.

Privilege is often invisible to those who possess it, which makes fighting for social change an often insurmountable task. In the case of racial injustice, many white people remain oblivious to how deeply intertwined they are, it’s no longer just a case of “not being racist”. I myself only really became aware of how deeply systemized racism was during the Black Lives Matter movement (this ignorance is in itself a privilege).

When it comes to nature interpretation, there are countless ways in which privilege and ignorance come into play especially when considering racial injustice. When reading chapter 7 of our textbook by Beck et al. (2018), the authors highlighted many fantastic ideas for promoting inclusivity such as:

1. Reducing economic barriers by providing transportation to those unable to travel to natural history sites

2. Reducing cultural barriers by “inviting, including, involving” minorities

3. Reducing communication barriers through strategic communication using varied languages and media

While all of these suggestions are absolutely amazing and do have the potential to help make nature interpretation accessible to all, the authors fail to mention the main root of the issue. Much of the book refers back to the national parks service, yet there is no real mention about the racial issues within this agency. When I was reading through the chapter, it was honestly of no surprise when I read that the majority of national park visitors were white, yet I found myself asking “what about the national park service itself?”. I was forced to do my own research, and found that the NPS is actually one of the least diverse agencies in the United States, with 83% of the total workforce being white (this number is assumed to be even higher within its seasonal employees). How can we expect POC to feel comfortable walking through these parks and taking advantage of the wonderful programs being offered when there is such a clear racial bias. By having 80% of the NPS superintendents being white, there is a slim chance that black, hispanic, indigenous and asian voices are being considered when making changes to park programs.

Research conducted by the Center for American Progress found that less than 25% of park sites focused on the cultures of minorities and underrepresented groups. And when these areas are supposed to be a place where the country’s history is being showcased, so many communities are being erased from this history, which is both morally and factually wrong.

As a nature interpreter it is very important to be aware of the systemic racism that is prevalent within all systems of our country, even those we cherish such as the National and Provincial parks. All of this leads me to wonder how we, as relatively new nature interpreters who have yet to be doing this as a career, can make a difference? I would love to hear your thoughts as I often get quite frustrated when thinking about such a large and seemingly insurmountable issue.

askenvs3000w22

Hi Marie,

I first connected with your post because we seem to have some similarities, I am also a queer woman who is white, middle class, and educated. Having these other privileges make it so that being queer doesn’t negatively influence me very often, which is not the experience of most queer women throughout the world. Queer people of colour experience more oppression and difficulty and, as one paper states, “It's Just More Acceptable To Be White or Mixed Race and Gay Than Black and Gay” (Couzens et al.,2017). Walking down the street holding my girlfriend’s hand is safe in Guelph (despite the occasional weird look), but could get me injured or arrested in other countries.

As I read your post I found it very educational and eye opening, and I loved that you turned your research onto the national park system itself. I believe that this course and other courses like it are encouraging a more diverse future within nature interpretation and teaching inclusivity. I believe if this new generation of nature interpreters are aware of privilege and racism, we can create a better world for nature interpretation by breaking down barriers, being inclusive of all groups, and making space within nature for those with less privilege.

Thanks for reading,

Aurora

Reference: Couzens, J., Mahoney, B. and Wilkinson, D. 2017. “It's Just More Acceptable To Be White or Mixed Race and Gay Than Black and Gay”: The Perceptions and Experiences of Homophobia in St. Lucia. Front. Psychol.

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Blog 3 - Privilege and Nature Interpretation

In 2018, only 6 % of visitors to national parks in America identified as black (Ebbs & Dwyer, 2020). Clearly, there is a bias of who visits national parks and attends interpretation programs.

To me, privilege is something that exists that gives you an advantage in life. You did not work towards gaining it but it has been handed to you. For example, the fact that no person in my friend group, including myself, had a job during university. We were able to not work because our parents were middle-class people and made enough money to pay our rent and fees. Clearly, I am privileged. It took me a long time to realize that because I grew up in a bubble with other white, privileged people. I only started to unpack my "invisible knapsack" when I left that bubble to go travelling which is kind of ironic because I was only able to go travelling because of my privilege (Gallavan, 2005).

A picture of the concept of privilege.

5 ways of how privilege play a role in nature interpretation

1. The privileged founding fathers of conservation

The beginning of nature and its interpretation was initiated by the American president Theodore Roosevelt and his inner circle that had a big influence on the environmentalist movement (National Park Service, 2021). To this date, Roosevelt is commemorated at six national parks in the US (National Park Service, 2021).

#DYK that this group was also extremely racist?

One of Roosevelt's friends, Madison Grant, wrote a book about preserving the white race. Not surprisingly, there is also a national park named after him (Purdy, 2015).

Faces of American History at the Mount Rushmore National Park Memorial, including Theodore Roosevelt

2. The establishment of parks - fortress conservation

The "wilderness" that parks were established in belonged to someone - native people. For example, when the Yellowknife national park was established, the Miwok tribe that had lived in the area for thousands of years was forced to leave and threatened with death (Fererra, 2016). This is the foundation of the playgrounds for privileged people.

Yellowstone National Park - established 1872

3. The privilege of enjoying nature

Many Protected Areas are established in poor countries with high inequality. Who is using these areas? The privileged! We travel all the way to a different continent to go on Safari tours which makes it economically viable for the country itself to have this protected area (Kashwan, 2017). However, local resident do not visit those area or even profit from their existence (Kashwan, 2017).

4. Economic Barriers: Privilege and nature interpretation today

Privilege still plays a big role in nature interpretation. Minorities and people that are not very privileged experience certain barriers that prevent them from partaking in programs. Accessibility can be a big reason why people don't attend programs and visit national parks for example, if money or a car is required to experience nature. For instance, 50 % of UK's poorest people live 25 km from parks, further than privileged people (Mell, 2019). A good solution to this is free entrance and transport to sites (Beck et al., 2019).

Underprivileged people have less access to nature (Tomer, 2019).

5. Communication Barriers: Privilege and nature interpretation today

Another big barrier to attending programs is language. Most programs are only offered in English and maybe in French. It is important to offer programs in other languages as well. Moreover, having diverse staff might encourage more people to partake in programs (Beck et al., 2019).

In conclusion, we all need to identify our privilege and then work towards removing barriers for underprivileged people. Nature should be for everyone to enjoy.

“When we identify where our privilege intersects with somebody else's oppression, we'll find our opportunities to make real change.” (Oluo, 2019)

References

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2019). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage. Van Haren Publishing.

Ebbs, S., & Dwyer, D. (2020, July 2). America’s national parks face existential crisis over race. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/americas-national-parks-face-existential-crisis-race/story?id=71528972

Ferrara, G. (2016, April 22). Fortress Conservation & the Makings of Yosemite National Park. School of Marine and Environmental Affairs. https://smea.uw.edu/currents/fortress-conservation-the-makings-of-yosemite-national-park/

Gallavan, N. P. (2005). Helping teachers unpack their "invisible knapsacks". Multicultural Education, 13(1), 36. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A137921591/AONE?u=guel77241&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=9fe2f151

Kashwan, P. (2017). Inequality, democracy, and the environment: A cross-national analysis. Ecological Economics, 131, 139–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2016.08.018

Mell, I. (2019, February 20). National parks are beautiful, but austerity and inequality prevent many from enjoying them. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/national-parks-are-beautiful-but-austerity-and-inequality-prevent-many-from-enjoying-them-111768

Purdy, J. (2015, August 13). Environmentalism’s Racist History. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/environmentalisms-racist-history

Oluo, I. (2018). So You Want to Talk About Race. Seal Press.

Theodore Roosevelt and the National Park System. (2021, January 14). National Park Service. Retrieved January 25, 2022, from https://www.nps.gov/thrb/learn/historyculture/trandthenpsystem.htm#:%7E:text=As%20President%20from%201901%20to,of%20Chickasaw%20National%20Recreation%20Area)

Tomer, J. K. A. A. (2019, August 22). Parks make great places, but not enough Americans can reach them. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2019/08/21/parks-make-great-places-but-not-enough-americans-can-reach-them/

askenvs3000w22

Hi Verena,

I thought that your blog post was written very well with a lot of thought and care into what you were saying, which is especially important when discussing such an important topic. I had no idea that Roosevelt was important in creating parks or that his racist friend has a park named after him (not that I’m surprised). While writing my blog post I was thinking hard about how Europeans colonized Canada, disconnected Indigenous people from their own land, created Parks out of this land, then created barriers to accessing the Parks which makes them inaccessible to many groups including Indigenous people. There are no words to describe how sickening it is.

While researching for my own blog post I found an article about how an area for Indigenous cultural use was created in Jasper National park. I found this graphic showing Indigenous relations within the park, and, as shown, it took 95 years since Indigenous people were removed from the land for an office to be designated, and over 100 years for a cultural use site to be established.

Although reestablishing one piece of land specifically for Indigenous cultural use is clearly not nearly enough to make up for the damages of colonialism, it is a start, and I hope to see many more changes like this throughout my lifetime.

Thanks for reading,

Aurora

Blog Post 3: Privilege

The subject of this weeks blog post is one that is very personal and somewhat sensitive. Privilege, to me, is the unearned advantages that are automatically given to members of certain groups based solely on their membership within the group, which is not optional. As explained in the Courselink text, understanding privilege can be made easier by thinking of it as an “invisible backpack”, a concept introduced by Peggy McIntosh. The contents of your backpack vary depending on your life circumstances, but those with more within their backpack do not often acknowledge that the contents were given without being earned and that the backpacks of the people around them might have less content.

Now to unpack my own privilege, I am a white, cis, able-bodied woman who was raised in an English-speaking, middle class home by two parents who are still willing to support me financially and emotionally. Because of these privileges I have been able to have many experiences which I am truly grateful for, but these experiences are not those which I have earned. Learning about privilege can be difficult for those who have a large amount of it because it can make them feel guilty that they did not earn what they have or, sometimes, angry that other people believe that they did not “work hard” for it. However, being unaware of privilege is a luxury that only those with privilege have, because those without privilege notice how unfair the world is towards them.

Privilege plays a large role within nature interpretation. To be able to access and enjoy natural areas you need to be able to take time off work, travel to the location, pay for entrance/parking/food, and physically maneuver within the natural area. These aspects and many others are barriers. Some way to increase inclusivity are mentioned within the textbook, including 1) reducing economic barriers by providing transportation or bringing the park to the people through outreach, 2) reducing cultural barriers by personally inviting groups of people to the park, 3) reducing communication barriers by providing multilingual interpretation and varied media forms, 4) provide clear information on where to go, what to do, and how to prepare for visits, and 5) creating a diverse interpretation team trained in cultural sensitivity so that visitors feel represented and safe when interacting with staff (Beck et al. 2018). It is so crucial that this new generation of nature interpreters is sensitive to privilege and culture in order to provide a meaningful nature experience to anyone interested.

It is also important to acknowledge that in Canada I am interpreting the nature of stolen land. I believe it is essential to listen to Indigenous knowledge holders and make ample space for them within the colonized world. I hope to use my privilege to amplify the thoughts of those who are not being listened to, although I wish we lived in a world where they were heard without someone of privilege repeating it.

Thanks for reading.

Reference: Beck, L., Cable, T.T. and Knudson, D.M. Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage For a Better World. Sagamore Venture Publishing. 2018.

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Blog #2: Environmental Interpreter

As someone who loves animals and had once aspired to be a wildlife rehabilitator, I would be a wildlife rehabilitation interpreter. I had once volunteered at the High Park Zoo in Toronto where I had an insight into what an interpreter in this context does. One of the roles I had was supervising children spending time with chickens. They would sit on the perimeter of an animal pen and the chickens would interact with them while staying inside the pen. I would explain how to handle chicken as well as give some fun facts to keep the children interested and have an educational experience. Another major role was introducing the visitors to llamas in which I also educate them on how to properly interact with these animals as well as giving some interesting background on llamas and answering any questions.

I also had the opportunity to volunteer at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China where giant pandas and red pandas were sometimes brought in for rehabilitation. My supervisor acted as a wildlife interpreter in which he elucidated the significance of these types of facilities. He also explained the impact pandas had on the environment in China and the history of the center. The learning experience included talking, an educational video, a walkthrough of the base, and a mini-museum. We also prepared food and fed the pandas as part of learning about their species and their endangerment.

Coming out of these experiences, a wildlife rehabilitation interpreter would be an ideal role. As someone who is very comfortable with public speaking and capable of keeping people engaged when telling stories, I would be interacting firsthand with the guests. Considering art is something I consider a weakness, I would not be able to produce media to engage with people passively which would affect my efficacy as an interpreter. Therefore, this is a skill I should acquire to be a good interpreter. I am also mainly a visual learner, using live animals would enhance the learning experience and emphasize the main message. However, to provide a universal optimal learning experience, I need to cater to other learning styles. If an animal is endangered or threatened or if the rehabilitation process needed to be explained, then I need to be concise and explain these topics in an interesting yet serious manner. From my past experiences, I feel that I have an idea of how to do so. One key skill I need to have as an interpreter is adaptability. My audience will always vary in education, age, and level of understanding so I need to be able to communicate accordingly.

A wildlife rehabilition interpreter requires a lot of knowledge and experience (as does any interpreter). My experiences had left me with a positive outlook on the places and a closer connection to animals. I hope that I can eventually return the experience to the public in the distant future.

Best,

Lisa Chung

askenvs3000w22

Hi Lisa,

I think that the experiences you have had interpreting animal encounters sound really amazing and like they have been awesome opportunities for you to grow as an interpreter! As a child I would have loved to have the opportunity to learn how to safely interact with chickens and llamas while under supervision. I think that by providing that experience to the children you likely impacted their life and increased their respect for animals, which is an amazing thing to do.

As well, your experience working with pandas sounds like a dream come true! It reminds me of when I had the chance to volunteer with orphaned seals at a marine wildlife rehabilitation center for a summer and would prepare their meals and wash their enclosures. However, in my experience the rehabilitation center did not accept visitors and so there was very little opportunity to interpret the important work they did to the public. At most rehabilitation centers in my area there is not much daily interpretation to the public and instead there is a yearly “open house” to attract visitors and explain the critical work being done. I wonder if hiring someone specifically as a wildlife interpreter to run more frequent public events or tours would increase donations to a rehabilitation center, and if so I hope you find a position that values you and that you enjoy!

Have a great day!

When I think about what I want to do as my career I feel endless amounts of opportunity coupled with massive fear and anxiety about actually attempting to reach any goals I make. This fear has been restricting me from creating any goals for after my graduation and has resulted in a desire to pretend that I am not graduating soon, which is an (unfortunately) unsustainable mental state. However, I believe that this fear stems not from a lack of knowing what I want to do but from an excess of ideas of what I could do and the worry that I might miss out on better options by picking one. It's like I can see from where I am standing many different paths leading to different careers and lives and I'm afraid to take a step in any direction.

If I were to pursue nature interpretation, I would like to work outside in a natural area with forests and biodiversity (invertebrates, large animals, plants). This would probably be in the National Parks or National Forests sectors. I would like to teach others about how fragile yet resilient the environment is and how there is natural beauty in everything, whether it be an ant, a berry, a bear, or a mountain.

From the quizzes on learning styles which were presented on Courselink, I have learned that I am a visual learner. This connects to me because I have always learned the most about the environment by being immersed in it and I would love to lead experiences that allow that for others who learn like me. I find that it's really hard to learn about something if I don't inherently care about it, and that I can't care about something if I don't see it and feel it myself. Therefore, when I spend time surrounded by what I am learning or teaching others about then I will be much more connected and passionate about the subject.

To live this life of interpretation I would definitely need to work on my communication skills. I tend to have a lot of anxiety when public speaking, although I've noticed that I gain much more courage when I am passionate about the topic. I would also need to work on presenting information in ways which all learning types could connect with (including visuals, hands on learning, and auditory information). I would also need to learn how to adjust my interpretive teaching style to the different groups I get so that I can really connect with the people in a way that captivates them. I haven’t found myself in many teaching situations throughout my life so to be an interpreter I would have to learn how to teach, but I do believe I already have what it takes, which is passion and a desire to share that passion with others!

Thanks for reading!

#envs3000

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