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My personal code of ethics and developing as an interpreter

When I think of ethics, I think about the various business courses I have taken and how a business will have a code of ethics. However, I have never really thought about what my own personal code of ethics would look like. My understanding of ethics from business class would involve parameters for appropriate behaviour based on morals. My personal code of ethics would then act as guidelines for my actions based on the morals I hold. There are many moments in life where I have to choose between two alternative and my own code of ethics plays an important role in the decision I make. Especially as I develop as a nature interpreter my personal code of ethics will impact the groups that I am guiding on interpretive walks or programs. This makes developing my personal ethic very important.

Photo from colourbox (2019).

I think that my personal ethics have developed since I was a child from learning and discovering the world. These are also constantly evolving as I continue to learn about the world and become an adult. There are four ethics I would like to talk about in this blog post: honest and integrity, hardworking and sincere, respect and be prepared.

Honesty and Integrity The truth matters to me. I think it is important to stand up for what is right and just. As a child my parents taught me important values such as honesty and compassion. I quickly learnt the importance of these values because my actions had consequences as a child such as getting a time out. Today as an adult this is still true only the consequences are different. As I develop myself as a nature interpreter, I think that honesty and integrity becomes even more important because the actions I make set an example for others. For example, as a nature interpreter it is important to me that natural landscapes be protected for future generations. To encourage others to be mindful of their own impact on the environment I need to show this to lead as an example for others. It is my responsibility as a nature interpreter to not only provide accurate information on the subject of climate change but also to stand up for the protection of the environment as various issues threaten the conservation of species and landscapes.

Hard work and Sincerity I am hardworking and sincere. It is important to me that I am dedicated to the activities and tasks that I am doing to fulfill my ambitions. I am developing this with each challenge I am met with in my life. Especially since attending university I have been able to over come many challenges and work hard to achieve success. This has made me not afraid to take on difficult tasks. I think this becomes more important as I develop as a nature interpreter because it can be challenging to relate the subject of nature to the variety of peoples live in an audience to offer a “spark” (Beck & Cable, 2011). I have received this “spark” from other nature interpreters that has made a lasting impression on my life. Now as a nature interpreter myself I need to develop this skill of offering the “spark” to others. This will take hard work to develop and practice as I improve in nature interpretation. It is my responsibility as a nature interpreter to understand my audience and what they are interested in to relate my message to the knowledge and experience of the audience and provide an engaging and meaningful experience. This includes catering to different types of learners in the audience such as active and reflective, sensing and intuitive, visual and verbal, sequential and global learners.

Respect I think it is important to be respectful. This ethic has been with me since elementary school and into high school. I developed this because my elementary school motto was: “treat others the way you want to be treated” and in high school the motto was: “respect: give it, get it”. This has stuck with me ever since, highlighting the importance of respect and treating others fairly. As I develop myself as a nature interpreter and communicating to a wide variety of audiences it is important to be respectful to everyone. Especially as everyone carries their own invisible backpack. Being aware of this as a nature interpreter means respecting everyone regardless of what someone might have or not have in their invisible backpack (McIntosh, 1989). It is my responsibility as a nature interpreter to be aware of the privileges I have in my life and not assume things about other peoples lives. This way I can be inclusive to everyone as a nature interpreter.

Be prepared Another important motto I carry with me is from girl guides and that is “be prepared”. In girl guides this meant that guides are ready to cope with anything. I think that as I develop myself as a nature interpreter being prepared means planning for interpretive activities and programs. I also realize as a nature interpreter there are risks in any activity or program. Despite every effort to be prepared incidents can still happen. I carry with me as a nature interpreter the lemon theory to avoid accidents when be prepared isn’t enough. I am still developing my skills as a nature interpreter to manage risks in outdoor activities. It is my responsibility as a nature interpreter that my priority is everyone’s safety when engaging in various outdoor activities (Hahn, 1960). There is an element of being prepared with planning to avoid risks however as a nature interpreter I need to develop my ability to risk manage because accidents are not planned and can be out of my control

My approach to nature interpretation is rooted in my love for beauty in the environment and being able to help people see this for themselves. Because beauty is subjective, and nature is dynamic there is always some aspect of nature that everyone can view as beautiful it just might not be obvious at first. I express the beauty I see in nature with my creativity in photography, so my approach to nature interpretation would involve photography to help others see the beauty in nature for themselves. By helping people who might not see the beauty in nature be able too perceive this beauty can help others understand the intrinsic value of nature to encourage the protection of landscapes and species. I am passionate about protecting the environment and as a nature interpreter my approach is not only to get people engaged with nature but also call people to action to protect nature and be mindful of everyday actions that impact the environment.

Photo of me taken by my sister, to remind myself that my personal code of ethics will help me inform my decisions and help me develop as a nature interpreter (2018).

My personal code of ethics will always influence my decisions and actions when I am faced with a dilemma. Some aspects of my personal ethics are influenced by how my parents raised me and values that have been instilled in me through experiences I had as a child. Other aspects of my personal ethics I am still developing as a nature interpreter and as adult. Because of this my ethics will adapt with my personal growth as a nature interpreter. I value the many lessons and experiences this course has offered me to developing myself as an adult and a nature interpreter.

References

McIntosh, P. (1989, July/August). White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack. Peace and Freedom, 10-12.

Beck, L., & Cable, T. T. (2011). The Gifts of Interpretation: Fifteen Guiding Principles for Interpreting Nature and Culture. Urbana, IL: Sagamore Publishing.

Hahn, K. (1960).Six social declines of modern youth. Retrieved from: http://www.kurthahn.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2017-obt1960.pdf

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Hi Emilia I enjoyed reading your last blog post. I definitely agree with what you said about your personal ethics changing as you get older. I think it’s important to always keep learning from new experiences and you those to grow as a person. The point you brought up about respect are important to bring forward as an interpreter. I think that creating a space that is built on respect for each other and also respect for the environment helps to enhance the experience of an interpretive program as the members of the group can feel that they are in a secure place where they won’t be judged.

I like that you mentioned how subjective beauty can be. Since it’s so subjective there’s always some part of nature for everyone to enjoy whether its changing leaves or a swamp area. I feel like this also works to help others realize that while to them an area may not be their type of beauty it can be a beautiful area for another person.

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The Conclusion of Our Journey

Hello all my readers, as you can tell by the title of this post unfortunately our blog days together are coming to an end. I have enjoyed sharing my perspective on different topics about nature interpretation throughout this semester. As this journey together comes to an end, I thought I would look back on how I have developed as a nature interpreter. So sit back, relax, and let’s conclude this journey.

Photo of my campers and I at the end of our hike / journey. Photo taken by Lucy Cook (co-worker).

My Beliefs

As someone who was raised to respect others, my core belief has always been “you do you, unless it’s hurting others”. Essentially I was raised to not care what others were doing, feeling, saying, loving, etc., unless it was effecting myself or others. I like to bring this same belief into nature. Going on a nature walk every four days at the Bruce Peninsula National Park, you see a lot of different people. My campers would sometimes make fun of other people who were taking selfies, or singing as they hiked, or using walking sticks. I always asked my campers if those people are living their life and what they’re doing isn’t affecting you, why do you care? What difference does it make to your life? Feeling embarrassed, they never really knew how to answer me. I believe that people shouldn’t judge each other especially in nature where everyone should feel accepted. Where my belief changes is if those people are affecting myself or others. A great example would be a young couple my campers and I came across who were smoking cigarettes and throwing their garbage onto the path. I kindly asked them to put their cigarettes out and told them that I could keep their garbage in my bag but suggested they bring a bag of their own next time. My belief of “you do you” changed because what that couple was doing was affecting nature.

Photo of myself at the Bruce Peninsula National Park, a hike where I practice my belief of “you do you unless it’s hurting others”. Photo taken by Jake Godfrey (co-worker).

Another belief I have while being a nature interpreter is that nature is essential to wellness. I believe that children, adults, and seniors should all have the time and the access to go out into nature. As a nature interpreter and someone who is a part of the nature community, I would try my hardest to reach out to everyone and get them outside. I personally believe being outside significantly increases your wellness and your mental health. For example, I had a camper who had recently transitioned and was going through a lot of mental health issues. He didn’t like camp since he was forced to be in girls cabin with a girl councillor (myself) which I cannot even imagine how difficult that would be for him. I finally convinced him to go to the park and when he saw a beautifully time rainbow on the water, he was taken aback. After that moment his mood completely changed. I am not saying that nature completely helped his mental health issues, but it definitely made a positive difference.

Whenever my campers felt stressed, we would take a trip to the garden to calm down. Photo taken by myself.

My Responsibilities

As a nature interpreter, I believe I have many responsibilities, not only to nature but also to my audience. First there are the obvious responsibilities that I have to nature such as to protect and preserve nature. This means stopping people like my littering couple from before from using the earth as their garbage bag. As well, I owe it to nature to be educated and understand what is happening to our earth. This can help me educate the public on real dangers that are happening to our earth, such as climate change, habitat destruction, and more. With education comes preservation. I also have a responsibility to nature to do as much as I can to raise awareness, and get people out there. Getting people out into nature and having them experience it can lead to them loving it. It is harder to see something you love get destroyed.

Photo of an ice cave, not the most normal nature but still super cool to learn about. Photo taken by myself.

The second and maybe most important responsibility I have as a nature interpreter is my responsibility to my audience. I need to make sure that I am inclusive, accepting, and open to all. As my class talked about in my nature interpretation course, nature should be accessible to everyone. Unfortunately as of today I don’t believe nature is truly attainable to all, but one of my responsibilities will be to try as hard as I can so that one day it is. As well as I have talked about many times before, I need to give my audience a gift of a spark. The textbook I have been reading this semester states “To spark an interest, interpreters must relate the subject to the lives of the people in their audience” (Beck and Cable 2011). I need to be able to relate my audiences lives to nature, and spark their interest. “In addition to being passionate for the interpretive site, the interpreter has a passion for sharing his or her knowledge and wisdom with others” (Beck and Cable 2011). The combination of relating and showing the audience my passion will hopefully have my audience leaving the walk, hike, classroom with a new perspective on nature.

Photo of us councillors out on the court hustling to show our passion and hope the kids passion will shine through. Photo taken by Riley Windsor (co-worker).

My Approaches

As I talked about before in my blog post about my scientific hero, there are many approaches to take to teach auditory, visual and tactile learners. The approach I will continue to take and improve on will be taking my audience out into nature and doing an interactive walk / hike with them. I usually have printed out photos of certain flora or fauna that I like to talk about which can appeal to the visual learner. I also usually have paint chips in my backpack and give each student a paint chip and ask them to go find a flora or fauna that matches that paint colour, appealing to my more tactile learners. Finally I give facts and ask my audience questions for my auditory learners. Obviously, every walk / hike needs to be modified depending on the age and maturity of each group, demonstrating the gift of targeted programming.

Photo of fellow councillor and I dressing up before our hike to make it more interactive for the kids. Photo taken by Logan Barnes (co-worker).

Conclusion

I hope my blogs have provided everyone with a different perspective on nature interpretation and have been a joy to read. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read my posts and respond to. I will leave you all with this final question, what more can we do to help nature be more accessible to all?

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Hi Grace, I think you final post was great and really did a good job of summing up your experience with this course. I really liked the point you brought up about nature being essential for wellness and mental health. I know from experience that sometimes just being out a short hike can be so calming and have such an uplifting effect on how you’re feeling. I think taking that time to enjoy the sounds and the fresh help put you in a better state and makes problems seem less stressful.

Similar to my post you brought up points about being inclusive and accepting of everyone for who they are. I think that is a major responsibility for interpreters especially if someone is just starting out with nature walks/ hikes or in a classroom setting. It can be stressful starting something new and providing a welcoming space takes so much of the stress away.

As for your question, I think making nature more accessible for seniors would be a good next step. Some cities are now including green spaces within the city centers. Since these places aren’t right in the forest or on the outskirts of town they are easy to get to and have accessibility in mind with paved walk ways and seasonal maintenance. Hosting interpretive walks through these areas would be a great way get more seniors and community members engaged with the environment.

The Finale

Nature is universal. She hoists no flag of hatred. The supreme triumph of parks is humanity. …Sometime it may be that an immortal pine will be the flag of a united and peaceful world. -Enos Mills.

I feel that this quote from The Gifts of Interpretation ties into this week’s blog prompt nicely. This blog being the last one of the semester, brings a feeling of finality which I also feel in this quote. “Nature is universal.” As I develop as an interpreter, I would want that idea to be a primary factor when people think of interpretive programs. Just like we learned that the Nature is for everyone even if a person doesn’t consider themselves the ‘out-doorsy’ type. What makes a good interpretive experience in my opinion is making sure the audience can enjoy the time they spend learning something new about nature. So, when the audience will be people who would like to know more about nature but without the swarms of bugs or mud, then planning a walk through a well maintained park or city green space would be more appealing and likely bring more enjoyment to the audience. Through the lectures and lab sections of this course I was able to determine that part of my personal ethic is making sure that audience is comfortable with the type of nature that they will be in. It’s easy to mentally check out during an activity if the whole thing is planned around something that brings you discomfort.

A photo I took while walking through the Arboretum.

“She hoists no flag of hatred.” Nature is a space where you can feel at peace and unjudged. I believe that it would be my responsibility as an interpreter to offer that place where people can enjoy nature in their own way without feeling out of place. This course in particular felt like we were able to be the nature nerds that we all are and express how we see the world through these blogs. From the responses to other posts it is clear that everyone in the class accepts the other students and wants to actively engage in discussions about topics that they are excited about. I think it is really important for people to know that there is a place where other nerds can get together and discuses their interests and learn new things that other people are excited to tell you about. Part of my personal ethics would be to encourage that idea of acceptance and foster an environment where everyone feels unjudged and can enthusiastically talk about their passion without worrying that others might find their interests in nature weird.

Another photo from the Arboretum.

“Sometime it may be that an immortal pine will be the flag of a united and peaceful world.” My personal ethics and what beliefs I bring forward as an interpreter is that no matter the differences between people, everyone can be brought together through the nature. There are so many aspects of nature to enjoy that there will always be something for everyone, even if they don’t exactly like the dirtier side of nature. It can be a place to bring people together and it has already shown to be doing that. Wit people becoming more environmentally conscious there are more environmental clean ups happening or tree planting endeavors. These events bring like minded people together and also reaches out members of the public who might want to be involved but don’t yet know how.

Inclusivity, unjudging, community, hard working, inviting. As an interpreter, these are some of the ethics and beliefs that I would bring forward. These are things that I would want to experience as someone who is interested in getting more involved in interpretive walks, tours, or learning about nature in general. It is difficult to put yourself out there and gain new experiences in something you don’t know, so for an interpreter to put forward a sense of inclusivity and acceptance regardless of prior knowledge in the field, it would make becoming involved easier. These approaches are what would draw me to any sort of program, so that is the kind of atmosphere that I would want to make for others so that can feel the same sense of ease and peace when starting something new.

The trails behind my home town in the winter.

As this semester comes to an end and I realize this is my last ever semester as an undergraduate student I get to think about all of the experiences that have led me here. Every lecture, lab, and project, I feel that I have gotten important information about science and the environment and I’ve become more and more invested in the topic. And because I am so excited about science, I tend to want to tell anyone who will listen about it. Since taking this class I feel that I have gained so much knowledge about how to do that without overwhelming someone with the technical side of it. Through the readings of the fifteen gifts of interpretation I am more aware of how to get someone engaged with new information and to offer the same spark that I have to someone else. I’m happy that this class was one of the courses I decided to take in my last semester as it has given me knowledge and experiences that I can use as I move forward in life and in my career.

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Let’s Talk About Gifts!

As many of my readers know, I have been taking a course ENVS*3000 which is all about nature interpretation. Almost every Thursday, my course has a lab. The one lab that stood out to me the most was about nature. At the university of Guelph there is a section on campus dedicated to gardens, walking trails, forests and plants called the Arboretum. One Thursday my class went to the Arboretum and had a guided nature walk with a man named Chris Earley (the chief naturalist). The guided walk started with an educational ice breaker game about bird sounds, then a modified walk (due to the poor weather), and concluded with on the spot interpretive presentations. In this week’s blog I am going to be talking about the three gifts that Chris Earley demonstrated and taught us about.

Photo of my housemate Faye and I finding a trail near our house so I could share the spark I got from Chris about nature walks. Photo taken by Gabriella Ruzhytska (other housemate).

The first gift that Chris demonstrated was the gift of a spark. I personally believe that the gift of a spark may be the most important gift. The textbook states “To spark an interest, interpreters must relate the subject to the lives of the people in their audience” (Beck and Cable 2011). Chris started by explaining to us students how the Arboretum could relate to our lives. He talked about courses he taught through the Arboretum and programs us science nerds could join to be more involved. He realized his audience was university students and gave us a spark that made us more interested in learning about the Arboretum. Before this lab I had NEVER been to the Arboretum. But since Chris’s walk I have been more than five times!

Photo of my friend and I at a massive fire! Talk about a spark! Photo taken by Lucy Cook.

The second gift that Chris demonstrated was the gift of targeted programming. This gift is all about knowing your audience. For example an interpreter leading a walk for a seven year old wouldn’t dive into intense complicated lectures. Chris made sure the programming for the audience of third year science students was appropriate. In the textbook it is written “Just as adults can never be too old, children can never be too young to enjoy nature” (Beck and Cable 2011). We did start the walk with an ice breaker game where we learned bird mating calls. Some could see that as a younger audience game but I thought it was an amazing way for us to get out of our shells, and like the textbook said adults can never be too old to enjoy nature. Then after we played the game Chris lead a debrief and taught us more about the bird calls. Chris was able to target the kid in us as well as the academic student.

Photo of my older campers and I going on a hike. I had to realize since they were sixteen, I could not give them my usual talk that I give to my twelve year old campers. Photo taken by Faye Perchanok.

The third and finale gift that Chris demonstrated was the gift of passion. “In addition to being passionate for the interpretive site, the interpreter has a passion for sharing his or her knowledge and wisdom with others” (Beck and Cable 2011). Chris easily demonstrated this gift. He had so much passion for his work. Chris knew facts, stories, jokes, about everything. Chris was not showing off or proving how intelligent he was to us. Chris genuinely wanted all of us to enjoy the Arboretum like he does. Although at one point I thought Chris almost had too much passion. At one point Chris had us do on the spot interpretive presentations. Four people volunteered and they all did amazing. After the fourth person went, no one wanted to follow, it was cold out and we were all looking pretty tired. Chris was so passionate that he wanted more people to present so he started picking people at random to go. I think that would’ve been a great time to debrief and move onto another activity. I am a big believer in challenge by choice. I don’t think calling people out and forcing them to present something in front of their peers is an effective way to get them to share their passion.

One of my passions is working at this crazy camp and educating kids through games, costumes and fun! Photo taken by Brett MacMillan (camp nurse).

To conclude Chris Earley is an amazing nature interpreter who has many gifts to share, and I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to learn from him.

bfenvs3000-blog

Hi Grace, I enjoyed reading your debrief on the Arboretum walk! Your use of textbook references are great and they really show how applicable the 15 gifts are to everyday interpretation. I also found the nature walk to be a great experience and I enjoyed the use of the bird call game. I feel like its a perfect game for all age groups, it’s easy for kids to understand and it also allows adults to have fun and relax a bit. The poor weather put a bit of a damper on the walk but I think Chris did a good job of adapting the walk for us so that it was still enjoyable and we didn’t have to stand around in the wind for too long. I think that’s one sign of a good interpreter, being able to adapt to changes on a whim and re-plan as needed.

You mentioned the gift of passion as the third gift demonstrated in the walk and I agree it was definitely present. I think Chris’ enthusiasm for the Arboretum and for nature in general added to the overall experience of an interpretive walk and enhanced what we as the viewers got from it.

Debriefing Downtown

Of the labs that we’ve currently had one in particular stood out the most to me. I found the historical walk through the downtown core to be incredibly interesting. This lab offered an experience to learn about the historic town that many of us have been living in while also working in some physical activity. At the beginning of the lab I expected that our tour was going to be around the museum, I do enjoy going to museums but what was running through my head was how are all of these people going to crowd around an exhibit and be able to see or hear the guide. So at first I was a bit skeptical of how this was going to turn out. It was a happy surprise that our tour was going to be outside and through the core of downtown.

Market square during the 2018 tree lighting. Photo by me.

The first gift used during the historic tour was The Gift of Story. The information given to us during the tour was presented in a way that was interconnected and had a logical flow. Each place or building that we came across we heard the story of what the building is now and what purpose it served in the past and how that history is reflected in the building. One building that I had always wondered about was the old town hall building on market square. I would see it often when downtown and think it was a nice looking building but I didn’t know much more about it. Knowing now that the building was a hub of activity and life completes a kind of puzzle that had formed from always wondering why there was a bust of a man and a cow on the outside of the building.

Guelph’s Old Town Hall. Photo from: https://www.guelphheritage.ca/places/non-residential-buildings/59-carden-street

The second gift that I noticed during this tour was The Gift of Personalizing the Past. The information presented to us, in my opinion, was aimed to make history fun and excited. The way that our guide told us about different sites was tailored so that it would be relatable for us and keep us interested. History in many cases can be seen as dull and impersonal as it is not easy to relate to things that happened in the past since the struggles people faced 100 years ago aren’t struggles people today would have. Our guide shared the histories of many places throughout downtown and made the information accessible to us by telling stories we could relate to such as drinking Sleeman’s beer at the Albion and how it was rumored that Al Capone stayed there to buy the very same beer. This story immediately interested many of us and it felt like the atmosphere changed a bit in the group to one of interest and surprise. This really worked to start the tour off well and get everyone excited to continue, especially since the weather was not something many people wanted to be out in.

The Albion Hotel. Photo from: https://thealbionhotel.ca/contact-us/

The final gift that I observed being used in the tour was The Gift of Passion. It was evident that our guide enjoyed history and enjoyed interpreting the sites for people in the community by the way he talked about the sites and how he seemed unbothered by the less than ideal weather. I think this made the experience that much better. Having an interpreter or guide that is passionate about the topic makes the tour more enjoyable.

The historic tour through downtown was a lab that left a last impression on me and left me with more knowledge of the area than I had before. I can use the information that I was given to spread the joy that I got from the tour with friends and family that visit the area.

I would be interested to know what everyone’s favourite part of the tour was.

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Heroes; They Live Among Us

When you hear the word “hero” who do you think of? I being a massive marvel fan think of Captain America. In this week’s blog I am going to be talking about heroes, but not the fiction or marvel kind, the scientific kind. Now don’t worry this won’t be a snooze fest, I am going to be talking about who influenced my life as a kid to go into the sciences. As a kid I was extremely studious (I mean as studious as an elementary school kid can be) and hated getting low grades. But unfortunately science was a subject I struggled with a lot, I could never quite grasp the concepts. I was encouraged by my elementary school science teacher to take applied science in high school but at the time I wanted to become a OB-GYN and knew a background in science would be crucial. So I decided to take the grade 9 academic science course and my teacher was Ms. Pulford.

Photo of me in an airplane stimulator that Ms. Pulford thought would be a good idea to show me the different kinds of science. Photo taken by Charlotte Tenszen (sister).

My experience with Ms. Pulford made me completely change how I thought about science. Before I was terrified to put my hand up and dreaded the class, but after grade 9 science it became one of my favourite subjects and then my undergraduate degree. Ms. Pulford was an amazing teacher for so many reasons. First being that she actually cared about our success. She didn’t just want us to show up and shut up. Ms. Pulford wanted us to have questions, be curious, and demand answers. One thing we talked about in my ENVS*3000 class earlier in the semester was how everyone is a different learner. Another reason why I learnt so well in Ms. Pulford’s class was because she didn’t just appeal to one type of learner. She did experiments, videos, lecturing, reading, and even a podcast! When it came to her tests, she had a variety of questions such as multiple choice, short answer, long answer, and diagrams. She tried very hard to make sure the auditory, visual and tactile learners all got equal shots at success.

Photo of my teammates and I at a cross country event. A sports team run by Ms. Pulford who encouraged me to join as a way to manage my anxiety with physical activity. Photo taken by Ms. Pulford (teacher).

Most of you properly don’t know this but I use to be a very anxious kid. When my anxiety would get really high in class I would need to physically move or else I’d have an anxiety attack. My mom ended up informing all my grade 9 teachers so they were aware and would let me leave the classroom if I asked. Unfortunately I was really embarrassed and ashamed of my anxiety so I never wanted to ask to leave in front of everyone, which caused me to just skip classes entirely. Ms. Pulford recognized this and came up with the idea that every 30 minutes everyone in the class would get up, walk around the room, and change their seat, kind of like musical chairs. She told the class she liked doing this to give our brains a break which meant no one knew that I was the reason.

Photo of my friend Annika, two science teachers and I at a grade 9 leadership camp which Ms. Pulford nominated me to go on. Photo taken by Gabrielle Bettio (friend).

My current career path has shifted quite a bit from OB-GYN since I am now working towards the goal of becoming a high school biology teacher. As I have mentioned before, in the textbook “The Gifts of Interpretation”, it talks about the gift of a spark and how nature interpreters must try to find a way for their audience to attain that spark. Ms. Pulford wasn’t my spark for nature but she definitely was my spark for science. Some desired traits that I want to take from what I learnt in Ms. Pulford’s classroom is being able to modify the material so all types of learners are able to learn. As well as being able to be there for my students and accommodate them accordingly. I believe these specific traits are important since they are what made me go from hating science to loving it. Ms. Pulford honestly changed my life and hopefully one day I will have the opportunity to change someones life as well. My question for you is, do you have one teacher that you will always remember and why?

bfenvs3000-blog

Hi Grace, I enjoyed reading your blog post this week. It’s great to hear that you had such an amazing high school science teacher. It’s so important for younger students to have a good teacher like that who will actually try to get students engaged with the material and go the extra mile to make them what to come to the class. High school overall is a difficult time for so many students since everyone is trying to figure themselves out and make huge life decisions like picking a major and deciding on a career. It sounds like the teacher you had knew that her students already had a lot to deal with and wanted to give them a class where they could feel encouraged to pursue whatever inspired them.

My high school music teacher is someone who I will always remember because she made such an impact on my high school experience. I played viola in my small strings class and we were encouraged each year to pick our own music for our final playing exam. I tended to pick songs that I liked to listen to without considering if it was too difficult to play. There was a time when I struggled to play the song correctly and I asked if I should switch the song, but she was confident that I could learn the song and encouraged me to practice in small sections at a time. Having support like that I think really helped boost my confidence in myself when I was still a very quiet person. So I understand how important it is for students to feel like their teachers care about making the material accessible and also enjoyable.

Science and Motivations

My early experiences with science, mostly revolving around animals at that time, came from watching the TV show Zoboomafoo. I absolutely loved the show and would be fixated on what was happening that episode. I was really young when I started watching the show but the one thing I still remember so clearly is an episode about tigers. In this episode they were demonstrating how strong a tiger’s jaws were by showing it biting through objects. The last object they gave to tiger to bit was a basket ball, and my young self thought there was no way a tiger could pop a basket ball, and then the next second the tiger bit the ball and it popped. Zoboomafoo offered a way for kids to engage with science in such a fun and new way so that it would be memorable, and for me it really was. Tigers became a huge fascination for me a kid and I wanted to learn more whenever I could. Being young and not knowing very much about science or nature I feel like this is a really fun way for kids to be engaged in something new and possibly form a new interest, like I did.

Photo from: https://pbskids.fandom.com/wiki/Zoboomafoo

The thing that really got me interested in science more a place than one specific person. Science North is a huge facility for science education and exploration in Sudbury. Fun fact: the building is shaped like a snow flake. This was the place schools brought you for field trips or a place you would bring your kids on the weekend. The four floors of the building all have various theme and exhibits from natural sciences like animals, water systems, and insect life to engineering, chemistry and physics. The facility is built for all ages and going there in my 20s was still such a fantastic experience as when I went there as an 8-year-old. What I always found great about this place was how they tailored these experiences for kids. There were displays you could touch, insects to hold, and toy cars to build and race on the trace. Nearly everything was built to be interactive for kids in an entertaining way and informative for teens and adults without being dull. This really got me excited about science in elementary school and that carried over into high school, ultimately influencing what I would study in university. I feel that the way we are presented things at a young age, and even when you’re older, plays a big part in how we end up perceiving things later, so it shows how tailoring a presentation of knowledge can be so influential to someone.

Science North in the winter with skating on Ramsey Lake Photo from: http://entertainmentsudbury.com/events/festival-lights-launch/

Finally, I wanted to mention someone who helped me become more confident and motivated about my interests. A music teacher I had through high school. I was in a tiny strings class with only 6 students. Since the class was so small it became more one on one of a class and somewhere that my friends and I could have fun. As we continued the class for the next four years we started playing harder group and solo pieces. Throughout this whole time we had our teachers full support, there wasn’t a time when we were told we couldn’t do something because it was too much for us. It made me happy to go to the class and be in an environment that was that supportive and relaxed, since there was only 4 of us by my last year. That confidence that she had in me, made me feel more confident in myself and what I could do. I think that has really carried over to who I am now. I’m not doubting my abilities or worrying if I’ll look dumb while learning new procedures in lab or job. I can see the difference in myself and I think that experience in high school has motivated me to grow throughout my undergrad and in my involvement with science.

isenvs3000-19-blog

Turtles! Look closer, they’re weird as shell

Turtles. Wow! They’re one of the first creatures you learn about. They are hugely represented in the media and in stories. Every 4-year-old that you could find to ask would know what a turtle is.

But beyond the look of them and some species names, most people don’t know much else about turtles. We have 8 species of turtles here in Ontario. There are so many facts and so little time (word count) so I will only mention details on a few. I hope you find their weird facts fascinating and get excited about turtles!

1. Painted Turtle

In Ontario, we have the Midland and the Western Painted Turtle. If you’ve seen any around here, it’s the Midland (as in the photo). The Western lives up above Lake Superior.

The males of these species are smaller than the females and grow long claws that they use to seduce the females by tickling their face. It’s actually the cutest dance move EVER.

2. Snapping Turtle

Snapping turtles are often misunderstood because they look like they came straight out of the Triassic Period… and because they like to SNAP. They evolved this mechanism to protect themselves because their plastron (the bottom part of their shell) is very small and looks kind of like a bikini. With so many squishy parts exposed, it would be dangerous if a predator flipped them over, so they chomp.

Kind of ironically, the common snapping turtle cannot bite downwards over its tummy, though it can reach 2/3 of the way over its back shell (carapace)!

Also, their eggs are perfect spheres like tiny ping pong balls. Weird.

3. Stink-Pot

These are more formally known as Musk Turtles. They’re tiny and they love to hide. They also bite and can bit downwards unlike snapping turtles. They’re not the only turtle that releases a musk, but they’re the only one that got named after it.

4. Spotted Turtle

Spotted turtles are so precious because they have tiny yellow polka dots. When they are young, they have a single yellow polka dot on each skute (lines on the shells), and as they grow older, they grow more spots!

They have been poached extensively for the pet trade. Along with people building things on wetlands, this has caused them to be an endangered species.

5. Blanding’s Turtle

Blanding’s turtles have very high up domed shells and a yellow bottom chin and tummy. Their carapaces (top shells) look like army helmets. The males have a black stripe over their upper lip, which look exactly like a fancy mustache.

Other 3: Wood Turtle, Map Turtle, Spiny Softshell.

Before I go, things you must know:

a. Turtles breathe through their butts… When they hibernate at the bottom of a water bodies, their body systems slow down. They need minimal oxygen, and so these molecules are taken in through their anus.

b. They have their shoulder blades inside their rib cage… Weird! There are many theories about how and when this evolved. And where exactly did turtles evolve from? That’s the question.

**All photos are my own.

References: I made sure to just use prior knowledge so I didn’t have to write a reference list 😉

bfenvs3000-blog

Hi Isabelle I really enjoyed reading about the turtles in our post! I think turtles are super interesting and I find that their faces are so expressive that it just adds to their uniqueness. I’ve mostly only seen the painted turtles around and happen to catch a few when I was a kid, and I’ve only been able to see baby snapping turtles on the sides of a river. It must have been a really cool experience to be so close to a snapping turtle that size and get such a great photo!

It’s really interesting that the shoulder blades are located inside the rib cage! It would be cool to know how that trait evolved over time and if it was and adaptation to some kind of environmental pressure.

Great post this week, it was really interesting and your photos are amazing!

Grab the fish by the face… wait what?

You’ve heard of grabbing the bull by the horns, now get ready for grabbing the fish by the face because that is exactly what I’m going to be talking about! Just to clarify in case you’re worried about the fish grabbing part of this, its not people that are doing the grabbing… its freshwater mussels. One Ontario species of mussel has, in my opinion, the funniest reproductive strategy out there. The Snuffbox, Epioblasma triquetra, is a freshwater species that has a limited home range of the Sydenham and Ausable rivers and is currently on the endangered species list. This mussel has a beautiful and distinct shell pattern that is easily recognizable. Their main habitat can be described as a river with quickly flowing water, and firm substrate on the bottom such as gravel, rubble, and sand.

Snuffbox mussel valves. Photo by G. Thomas Watters, Ohio State University, photo taken from U.S Fish and Wildlife services

In order for mussels to reproduce they need to attach their larval offspring, called glochidia, onto a host fish. Glochidia are microscopic larval that, when looked at under a microscope, look like small Pac-Men. The snuffbox has two host fish species in Ontario, the Logperch, and the Blackside Darter, with the Logperch being the primary host. Now mussels can’t chase their host species, so many mussel species use a lure to attract a fish close enough to them so that they can spray their glochidia at the fish so that some of the offspring are able to use their microscopic hooks to attach themselves to the fish’s gills. Snuffbox glochidia on the other hand, do not have hooks to help grab onto the gills so the female mussel has developed another method to ensure her offspring attach to the host. This method involves the use denticles, which are essentially teeth on the posterior end of the shell. Denticles are only present in the female Snuffbox

Denticles from a female Snuffbox. Photo from Unio Gallery at Missouri State University. http://unionid.missouristate.edu/

The female Snuffbox will sit on the bottom of a river and gape slightly to display their mantle tissue and lure a logperch towards them. Once the fish has started to bite at the mantle tissue the mussel closes down on the fishes head, essentially “grabbing the fish by the face”. This procedure doesn’t negatively affect or hurt the fish at all due to the fish having a very solid head. Now that the mussel has a hold on the fish it starts a pumping motion that sprays the glochidia directly onto the fish. Once finished the mussel releases the fish who is now covered in glochidia and probably annoyed from being grabbed. The glochidia will remain on the host fish for about 3-6 weeks and once developed to their juvenile stage, will drop off where ever the fish happens to be swimming and start their benthic life.

There are other methods of securing your glochidia to a host such as using a lure that looks like a small fish, wrapping your glochidia up in a package that looks like fish larva called conglutinates, or just spraying glochidia into the water column and hoping they encounter a host. I hope you enjoyed this little fact about mussel reproduction and for more fun here’s a video of a Logperch being grabbed. Let me know what you think!

Video from Chris Barnhart’s Youtube channel

References:

Ontario.ca https://www.ontario.ca/page/snuffbox

Government of Canada website- species profile page https://wildlife-species.canada.ca/species-risk-registry/species/speciesDetails_e.cfm?sid=670

Unio Gallery at the Missouri State University http://unionid.missouristate.edu/gallery/Epioblasma/default.htm

U.S Fish and Wildlife Services- Midwest Region Endangered Species https://www.fws.gov/midwest/Endangered/clams/snuffbox/index.html

rainy-autumn-day

Hello November

mhenvs3000-19

Music in Nature // Nature in Music

Music is defined as “sounds combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion”. From this definition, I don’t think it’s hard to see where music can be found in nature.

When you think of “nature in music” what comes to mind. For me, it’s whale calls on the ocean, the constant, crashing of waves on a beach, and bird songs early in the morning (I mean come on it even has song in the name). All of these things contain the components of music; rhythm, melody, sync. Furthermore, they encompass the subjective definitions of music- they’re nice to listen to. Who hasn’t been relaxed sitting outside late at night, listening to the quiet chirping of crickets? You can find hundreds of hours of “ambient nature sounds” online. There’s something very comforting and melodic about it.

This prompt ties in very well with the last one about Art. Art is a way to express emotion, to capture the feeling of something and present it to other people. Music is a type of art, and as such is an extension of this.

I personally don’t play any instruments or write music (just not something that’s every appealed to me), but there are a great many bands that use music to express their views on nature. One such band is Gojira. Gojira is a death metal band that, on the surface, seems to be just like any other heavy metal band. Because of the fact that the vocals are “rough” I wasn’t able to realize at first what the meaning in their songs actually is.

Their lyrics are heavily environmentally focused. In fact they released an entire concept album called “From Mars to Sirius” which tackles environmental issues. Their song “Into the Wilderness” contains the following lines: “Living respectful, Low your axe, And learn from the trees.” This line illustrates the idea that people’s relationship with nature has become about taking resources, and asks that people instead try to learn something from the world. The ending track of their album is literally called “Global Warming”, about humanity causing global warming and about overcoming it.

As interpreter’s, music can be a tool to deliver messages to people, be that environmental messages, or simply showing people where to find melodies in nature.

“Relaxing Music with Nature Sounds- Waterfall HD” One of the many videos of nature sounds on youtube, this one has 26 million views.

bfenvs3000-blog

Hi Madeleine, I really liked your blog post this week! I definitely agree that with that definition music can be found anywhere in nature. Bird songs are something that I found beautiful and always came across as being natural music. Waking up to the sound of birds outside my window in the summer was just like waking up to a music alarm, only this one meant that it was usually a really nice day.

I also checked out the band Gojira that you mentioned and while the tone of their music is exactly what I expected from a heavy metal band their message about the environment was so different from what I normally hear from these bands. I listened to a lot of metal bands in high school and into first year and this is the first time that I’ve heard a message about what we are doing to the environment in this genre of music. I think its a great way to spread awareness to people in a way that engages them and has a way to connect with them through a pre-existing interest.

Natures Melody

Leaves shaking in the wind, spring peepers at night, water flowing down a rocky stream, the sound of cicadas in the middle of summer... which I swore as a kid was just a sound made because it was hot outside. All of these things you could say are just the sounds of nature, and they are, for me even just mentioning spring peepers brings back memories of sitting of the front deck as the sun went down listening as the sounds of the frogs grew louder the darker it got. These are normal nature sounds but they also form a kind of melody that is unique to the area that you’re hearing it in. Music is everywhere in nature. Those normal nature sounds that can be heard any time you step out the door, make up a different type of music that doesn’t follow any structure or have any words. This natural music can bring a sense of peace and serenity when one stops to listen and enjoys the feeling of nature with their ears.

This can be used as a means of interpreting nature to varying audiences. Part of the interpretation experience is about the sounds you hear while out on a walk, guided or on your own. Whether you find enjoyment in identifying the sounds you are hearing to specific bird or insect species or just stopping to appreciate the sounds and imagine who could be making the noise, it is an opportunity to spark joy in your audience.

Photo taken from Colourbox

Nature also has it’s influence in music. The easiest way to see this is by searching up ‘relaxing music’. Many of the songs in this category will have some sort of soft music playing that is accompanied by the sounds of falling rain, waves breaking, or birds singing. These pairing of music and natural sounds offers a calming tone with more structure that you normally wouldn’t hear while being out in nature.

Nature themes in music are a common occurrence and can often be used to express a depth of feeling or when comparing something to a beautiful part of nature. Nature is something that can be used to interpret any number of thoughts or feelings and I think that is why it is used so often in songs, it offers a way to connect the songs meaning to nature, something many people are familiar with.

Finally, nature-based music is also a genre of its own. Songs can be used to spread information and awareness in a more entertaining or engaging way and environmental issues often become the topic of these songs. As I remember from elementary school, environmental kids shows and songs were the main way to teach kids about being eco-conscious. Now these songs are being adapted for all ages groups to make learning easier and hopefully, as songs do, become stuck in your head so you keep thinking about it.

My question to you is: what is your favourite nature sound that is ‘music to your ears’?

kvenvs3000-19

B-E-A-utiful

A photo taken by my mom this weekend at the cottage. (I asked her to send me a photo of a flower because she loves taking photos of flowers, and she sent me 63 photos)

I believe that everyone is qualified to interpret nature through art. Although some people may interpret things in different ways, everyone has that one thing in nature that they love. Whether it be close-up photos of flowers (that’s what my mom stops for) or animals in the wild (what I stop for), everyone has something that peaks their interest. Even if you have no experience and no knowledge about interpretation, you can still be an engaging interpreter if you can personally connect with something around you.

I think for me, photography is one of the best ways to capture the beauty of nature. Since photography is both easy to do and yields rewarding results, I believe that photography can help to spark interest in nature. In my personal experience, giving a child a camera automatically sets a little light off in their heads where they think it’s a competition to get the best photo or the perfect flower for the photo and I think that this is a great way to get kids interested in nature. We discussed in class that one of the nature parks in Niagara Falls awards points to kids with photos of certain things. I think that photography is a way to put yourself in nature and since you end up with beautiful pictures, it is really rewarding.

I think one of the things that stuck with me the most on our lab this week was when Chris talked about how to engage an audience when you don’t have any knowledge on the subject. Chris mentioned that even if you have no knowledge on the subject, if you show interest and share your interest with others, you can engage people. I can personally relate to this strongly and I completely agree. As someone who has never worked as an interpreter, I find this world completely out of my comfort zone. Seeing so many of my classmates thrive in this environment is incredible because all of them seem so confident and are so knowledgeable and when you are surrounded by such incredible people, it’s a bit intimidating. I think that one common ground all of us share is the interest we have in nature. I think that Chris’s comment about sharing your interest really put this course into a different light for me. Since I don’t have experience to contribute to interpretation, I know I can contribute my interest.

Another photo taken by my mom at the cottage this weekend.

I think the “Gift of Beauty” as described by Beck and Cable related to me on more of a personal level than I thought it would. They discussed how being an interpreter is about “helping people see beauty beyond the ordinary” and that it “convinces people to become as passionate about your cause as you are” (Beck and Cable 2011). I think both of these quotes represent a different way of looking at nature. To me, these quotes mean that as long as you have an interest in nature and you appreciate nature for what it is, I believe you van be a great interpreter. I believe the first step is being really interested and committed to sharing your interest with others. Everything else, every other skill, will come as time passes.

My question for you:

“Do you think that a nature walk led by someone with little to no knowledge of the area can be as rewarding as an experienced interpreter if they have enough passion and interest in nature?

References

Beck, L., & Cable, T. T. (2011). The Gifts of Interpretation: Fifteen Guiding Principles for Interpreting Nature and Culture. Urbana, IL: Sagamore Publishing.

bfenvs3000-blog

Hi Katie, Great post! I really liked how inclusive your post is, that was what caught me when I first started reading. You started off by saying that every is qualified to interpret nature and they have some aspect that they really love about it. It’s great to be encouraging like that in an interpretation setting or for someone who is just starting to discover nature, it helps them feel more confident and might even make them enjoy nature more.

I do think that a nature walk with some who has little knowledge of the area but makes up for it with passion and enthusiasm is just as rewarding and can be very fun. If you and the other person both don’t have much knowledge of the area that opens up so many possibilities to discover what the area has to offer. Exploring and learning about a new area with someone who has extensive knowledge of the place already is great but I think it adds to the experience of enjoying and learning about nature when you can go on a walk with someone and learn new things together. I feel like it would make the experience more memorable in a way, even if you come away from the experience not learning as much as you would have with the experienced guild, you will have gained more fun memories of walking off the path to see where it goes or finding an insect neither of you know about. Both offer great experiences so I think it would all come down to what you’re looking for from the walk, greater knowledge of the area or some knowledge with the chance to discover it for yourself.

The Gift of Beauty

How can you interpret nature through art? Is there art in nature or is art restricted to the works found in galleries? I never considered myself to be very artsy, I do enjoy looking at art and using it as a decoration but I’m less adept at pulling deep meanings from a work of art. So, when I read the prompt “Who are you to interpret nature through art” I thought really who am I to? I’m not an artist, I can’t interpret how the artist must have felt while creating the work by the colours used or pressure of the brush strokes. I don’t really know art but I do know nature, the intricacies of the natural world, the unbelievable amount of life existing just under a rock. Interpreting nature through art to me is conveying the wonder of nature to someone so that they are able to experience the beauty of the world around them.

A still pond last fall in my home town

Nature scenes are often the subject of many works of art, sprawling grassy fields with birds on the horizon, a dense forest covered with colourful leaves, or dramatic sunsets painting the clouds with colour. Through works of art that have natural scenes as the focal point we are offered another way to enjoy the beauty of our planet. Viewers can come to their own conclusions about scenes they are seeing and take the time to understand how nature makes them feel. Displaying nature based art work in your home can often make you feel that you are still connected to the natural world, so that you can look back at that scene and remember how you felt seeing the whole world below from the top of a mountain. It was said in ‘The Gifts of Interpretation’ that there was both the exterior and interior landscapes, the thing we experience and how it affects us. Works of art are our exterior landscapes, we take in the whole scene first and then notice the details on the leaves, the sky line, how realistic the cracks of the tree bark looks. The way the art makes us feel and the thoughts or memories that are brought up from the experience is the interior landscape. We are able to come back to that scene that will not change and experience those feelings again. To me that is the beauty of art work, to be able to pause and appreciate the worlds beauty and have a new compassion for the world’s wonders.

Nature based artwork. Photo taken from Colourbox.

Chapter 13 ‘The Gift of Beauty’ talks about interpreting beauty in a natural environment and bringing joy to others through that experience. Beauty in nature can be seen in many different ways depending on who is observing it. There is beauty in a forest during the fall, when the sun sparkles on the lake, or while watching snow fall, but there is also beauty in last years dead leaves or a still swamp. When I was younger I really didn’t see the beauty in dead leaves or swamps, it wasn’t something I stopped to think about very much. To interpret beauty in nature is to offer a new perspective on an already known subject. We see that trees are beautiful but the beautiful part of dead leaves is in the organisms who consume them. They break them down and turn them into rich soil for new plants to grown in. “Interpreters help people see beauty in the ordinary, miracles in the mundane”. These underlying life cycles that are often not considered beautiful are what make it possible for us to marvel at a field of flowers or the dense forest beneath the mountain. The gift of beauty is seeing beauty in all aspects of life even when there is no visible beauty to be seen.

The beauty of leaves here in Guelph.

kbenvs3000-19

My Love for our Furry Friends

This week’s prompt for the blog post had me a little stressed, not going to lie. I am not a very creative person so thinking of something to write about was a task for me. This week I have chosen to talk about a job I had for two summers in a row. I worked as a veterinary assistant at Northumberland Veterinary Services in Colborne, Ontario. I have always had a love for animals, but this experience verified that working with them is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

This opportunity started as a co-op placement when I was thinking about applying to colleges for their veterinary technician program. The owner of the clinic convinced me to instead work there in the summer, take other courses to finish off my grade 12 year and go to university to try to get accepted into the Ontario Veterinary College. So, here I am.

Image taken from Colourbox.

Instead of doing a placement, working at the clinic allowed me to be more hands on with the animals and learn much more about this field. As a veterinary assistant I had to help feed the animals in the morning and afternoon, give whatever meds were required, clean surgical packs, help monitor animals during and after surgery, and much more. Yes, I did get to play with puppies and kittens, but I also got to see the much more difficult side of this profession. I had to assist with euthanasia’s while the family was in the room, saying their final goodbye to their loyal best friend. I had to comfort animals as they passed away because their owners wouldn’t stay for their final moments. On many occasions we had animals come into the clinic through a rescue organization or even with their owners, in horrible condition and I realized how cruel and inhumane people can be. Many days took an emotional toll on myself and the other staff, so we were grateful for the good days and the success stories.

Of course no one can work at a veterinary clinic and not adopt an animal or two, right? Leo came into the clinic at only a month old, on his death bed. He couldn’t move, other than to cry out in pain. As we were trying to help him, we were told to “just put him down.” I promised him that if he lived, he could come home with me. We were finally able to find a vein to put his catheter in and hook him up to an IV. To this day we still aren’t sure what was wrong with him, but he fought for his life and is now spoiled every day. Leo is one of my own success stories. Photo taken by me.

Meet Darla, another one of my own success stories. My sister found Darla all alone on the streets when she was only a couple of weeks old. She had fleas, worms and was extremely underweight. After a trip to Northumberland Veterinary Services and lots of TLC, Darla is healthy and living her best life. Photo taken by me.

Taking your animals to the vet can be a scary experience and one that many people often dread. I often interacted with clients in these stressful situations and had to try my best to reassure them that we would do everything in our power to help their sick pet. People were trusting us with their furry friends, and we couldn’t let them down. In many of my classmates’ blogs and during class, we have discussed that not everyone who interacts with nature comes from the same background. You have to read your audience and shape the activities and information you will be giving to fit them and their interests. Interacting with clients meant I had to interpret how they were feeling and what was the best way to go about delivering information to them. Not all pet owners are the same, so you need to adjust the way you speak to them and give them the possibilities they have when it comes to pet care.

Working at the clinic has taught me that working with animals is my true calling, and school has taught me that I will be happy doing it whether I am working in a clinic with domesticated animals or working in nature with wildlife. It has made me a better pet owner myself and has improved my skills of interacting with and interpreting people.

bfenvs3000-blog

Hi Katrina, I really enjoyed reading about your experiences working with animals in a clinical setting. It’s great to be able to have a summer job in the field that you truly enjoy and know that you want to pursue as a career. While I was in high school I was also thinking about veterinary school as an option so I shadowed my dogs vet for the day to really see what the field was like. I completely understood when you said how some days could be so emotionally draining, when I shadowed at my local clinic we would go from a normal dog check up to monitoring a sick cat in an incubator. There was always so much that was happening in different parts of the building.

I think you related your experiences at the animal clinic perfectly to ‘The Gift of Interpretation’. While normally you wouldn’t think of nature interpretation and veterinary medicine having much common ground, like you mentioned some of the main principles of interpretation can be used when speaking to owners about their pets. This wasn’t something that had occurred to me before before reading your post and learning about these concepts in lecture.

Your cats are also very adorable and they look very happy to be living such a comfortable and loved life!

Summer Mussels

Not having a specific prompt for blog number four opened up a lot of possibilities for things to write about, so many that it became almost overwhelming. After thinking about it for a while though I’ve finally settled on a topic. This summer I had the opportunity to work with Fisheries and Oceans Canada as a student fisheries technician, specifically on the mussel field crew. This was the first job that I had gotten that was actually in my field, making it even more exciting. Beginning this job, I had very minimal knowledge about mussels beyond that native mussels were beneficial in lakes and streams. Thankfully training started with mussel identification and it surprised me to learn that there 41 species of freshwater mussels living just in Ontario. The diversity between species amazed me, and I enjoyed learning the specific distinguishing characters of each species such as bumps over the shells, size and shape, or shell patterns.

Mussels on display in the lab with their feet out. These mussels were returned to the stream they were collected from after three days. Photo take by me.

Once water levels went down in June, that’s when field season really began. The majority of the work we conducted was population surveys in rivers in Walkerton, the Canard River in Windsor, and in the Grand River area. Each mussel that we found was categorized by species and measured, some sites would produce populations in the hundreds so I’m sure you could imagine how long this process would take in that case! It was amazing to me that a river with water that reached only to the top of my boots could contain so much life just below the sand or between the rocks.

This position also offered the opportunity to increase awareness and educate youth about the vast amount of biodiversity within Ontario. It was a great experience to introduce biodiversity and the connectedness of animals to the environment and see how this new information was exciting and fun for the kids. Similarly, it was always nice when members of the public would take an interest in the surveys we were conducting when a work site was close to hiking trails or property lines. From the road some of the streams we sampled looked like nothing would ever live there, so for people passing by to hear that there is a population of mussels there was often a surprise.

These six species were collected from a very muddy stream. An example of life in an unexpected place! Photo taken by another crew member.

Over the course of the summer I was able to work with professionals in the environmental science field and have the opportunity to learn about everything that goes into conducting research on endangered species and how that information will then be used to protect species that are at risk or on the endangered list. Additionally, I was able to work alongside other students with similar interests in science and the environment. This experience not only provided me with a new interest in freshwater mussels but also new friendships with people I may not have met otherwise. Climbing over fallen trees in a narrow cold stream really functioned as a bonding experience in our case!

Mussel crew students after completing a survey site. Photo taken by another crew member.

Throughout the summer I had the opportunity to gain experience in my field of interest, work alongside people with similar interests, and learn scientific procedures that I found really exciting. Thanks to this incredible experience working for Fisheries and Oceans Canada I feel as though it has given me insight into where I want to take my career and how I want to use the knowledge that I have gained from attending university.

If anyone is interested in learning about mussels Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Toronto Zoo have developed an app called Clam Counter where you can track any mussel sightings you come across on nature walks and explore the huge range of mussels species here in Ontario.

Edit: Also wanted to mention that all of the mussels collected for measurements and abundance counts were returned to the streams where we found them :)

drxgonfly

Yellow Illusion (by hitohira_)

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