Nature Interpretation @cdwenvs3000w22 - Tumblr Blog

Final Blog Post: My journey

Hello everyone,

I am stoked to have been a part of this journey this semester, sharing and learning each other’s experiences through blog posts. I enjoyed sharing my personal experience on nature and being vulnerable in honestly stating my viewpoint and experiences with nature. Commencing this course, I thought that I did not have as much of a nature interpretation side to myself as my experiences with nature were very different from everyone else’s. Thinking back to the first posts, everyone shared their experiences with camping, hiking, and even summer camps in their childhood that I did not have the privilege to experience because I grew up in a country limited in offering such adventures. Throughout this course, I thought to myself that my nature experience was insufficient or invaluable in comparison to others’, but I learned that that was not true. There is no right or wrong way for us to experience nature. As David Suzuki mentioned, the definition of nature is not as easy as we believe (DavidSuzukiFDN, 2012). He said that we left the description of nature to poets (DavidSuzukiFDN, 2012); his definition of nature is anywhere there are species other than human species. I found this exciting and eye-opening because my idea of nature did not involve other species; I was thinking about trees, plants, and flowers. This made me realize, and this entire course, that everyone has their definition of it and values certain things in nature more than others.

My ethic as a park interpreter

When I think about exploring nature and going on adventures, I think about the dangers that come with it. Tragic accidents happen, and I believe it is more common in nature because we are used to walking on perfect surfaces. Equally, when one is hiking on a trial, in some areas it is necessary to scramble over rocks or climb to get higher up a mountain, which is often when accidents can happen. In my opinion, and in reference to my visit to Banff, Alberta, this past summer, accidents happen when someone is unaware or uninformed and is therefore not fully prepared for the adventure. As I was not experienced in hiking on mountains, I wanted guidance and advice from others around me, for the sake of fun and safety. Thus, I thought my role as a nature interpreter was to be a park interpreter, which I still stand by after the journey we had throughout this semester. As a park interpreter, I plan to research and organize educational programs for visitors to national parks and conservation areas (eco Canada, 2021). Considering people today have access to social media, I believe the best way to start my journey as a park interpreter is through podcasts. I plan to go on hikes to the most visited areas to make podcasts on my journey and help share information with future visitors of the area. Even the social media platform TikTok will aid in my journey of park interpretation because some individuals are visual learners. Seeing national parks may not just spark interest, which may in turn force a TikTok viewer to get out of their comfort zone, but will better prepare viewers for the adventure ahead.

What beliefs do I bring?

Regarding experience with nature, I believe there are two types of people: one has gone through every outdoors adventure as a child and, the other did not have much exposure to experience nature as a child. I believe it is essential for people that had a rich experience with nature not to discourage ones who did not. The right thing to do is not to judge others but guide them in the most appropriate path. For people who have zero experience with nature and wish to step outside of their comfort zone to explore nature, help can best be offered by sharing knowledge about the best attire to wear and how to best prepare for such an adventure. As a result, I choose to become a part interpreter and help individuals who want to explore nature do it safely and without feeling like an outsider. In Alberta, everyone packed their proper attire, trekking poles, and bear sprays or bells. This made me feel embarrassed because I was underprepared and felt unable to complete the hike. Everyone wore just one light jacket but I had a thick coat because of my understanding that the higher the mountain, the colder it gets. This was in September, and the temperature was already 8 degrees. I would wear my jacket because I was cold since I was not used to this type of adventure or even weather because, in Ontario, I would often hike in warm weather. Thus, I believe it is essential not to belittle people doing a specific task differently instead of guiding them to gain confidence and continue their adventure.

What responsibilities do I have?

After going through blog posts, I had a different realization each week. I thought nature was just one specific adventure or experience, but I realized that nature has a different definition for everyone. Throughout this course, I learned that if you are better at something than someone else, it may have been due to the privilege you had of being exposed to it at a younger age; thus, not judging if someone doesn’t know something is crucial. Everyone learns differently from me. If I plan to take the role of park interpreter, I must understand that there are different learning styles such as auditory, visual, or tactile learners. One aspect I never thought about before this course is understanding who I am as an interpreter, who my audience is, and how I can make this experience meaningful. I saw this every time after going through the weekly course notes. It is a tool I learned that I am using in my other classes that have discussion posts, presentations, or even papers to understand why my audience is significant. It pushed me to find ways to be creative to help gain more interest.

What are approaches most suitable for you as an individual?

I learn better once what I read in a lecture or a book is applied to real life. When I learn something, I like to know that I can use it in real-life scenarios. That’s when it sparks an interest in me. Even though I enjoyed these blogposts, if this class were delivered in person, to have components of us exploring the arboretum would have been beneficial. However, I know that this was not possible due to the pandemic. Even though I liked having an external component, I felt more comfortable writing my experience with nature as blogposts because it made me more vulnerable. I was not afraid of being judged; the blogs allowed me to get to know everyone, and if it were in person, I would not have been able to hear everyone’s stories and experiences.

To conclude my final blog post in this course, I would like to share the most important things I learned. To become a nature interpreter, we must understand the value of wildlife and the purpose they serve. We need to respect nature when we explore and not try to change it for our benefit. Going on a hike and playing music is disrespectful as it can disrupt nature; littering during nature walks is like throwing garbage in someone’s home when you are a guest—expecting someone to have the same beliefs as you regarding nature is wrong as everyone has developed their unique definition of nature. Understanding that everyone has different learning strategies and if you are planning to spread awareness or share information about nature, it is essential to present it so that everyone can understand it. There is no right or wrong way of experiencing nature and encouraging individuals to step outside of their comfort zone to explore nature is important, too. Lastly, for me, the most important takeaway from these blogposts is an understanding privilege; some people had the privilege of exploring nature when they were young, and some people are exploring nature in their adult age, and someone not knowing how to swim or canoe should not be seen as incapable compared to a person that spends their childhood expanding these skills. It is never too late to go out into the world and experience nature, and it is okay if someone is not passionate as others regarding nature.

Thank you for reading!

Nabila

References

DavidSuzukiFDN. (2012). David Suzuki and Richard Louv @AGO. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/F5DI1Ffdl6Y

Eco Canada. (2021). Park interpreter. Retrieved from https://eco.ca/career-profiles/park-interpreter/

cdwenvs3000w22

Hello Nabila

I truly enjoyed reading your blog, I learnt so much about you and your values I am so glad you were open to sharing! You really opened my eyes about the idea behind one who loves nature and has grown up around it, and one who has not. I always wondered why others were not as passionate about nature as me, or even as intrigued about learning more then what is on the surface of natures wonders. I never thought about how it could be the difference of lifestyle and how they were raised. Being in nature to me is almost nostalgic because I have grown up experiencing nature my whole life. I also feel that the idea that you brought up -not judging someone for not knowing nature or perceiving nature the differently than you do- could correlate with different personality types, such as logical or artistic. For instance, when it comes to math it feels like a whole other language to me and I have no interest in learning the language. My brain relies on visual stimulation in order to peak interest or passion, or even stimulation of my senses such as smell, and taste. In contrast one of my friends loves math because it is so challenging, and the fact that there is only one right answer. When she gets the answer it is satisfying like a reward for solving the seemingly unsolvable. Though we have this difference in learning types and passions we never judge each-other for it, we just accept that our brains are wired differently and that everyones perception is their own. Overall I really loved your post as it caused me to self reflect, and dive deeper into my preconceived ideas on lovers of nature apposed to people exploring their newfound love of nature.

Hope you are doing well,

Clara

akenvs3000w22

Exploring My Role As An Interpreter

Happy Sunday everyone!

This journey exploring my outlook on nature interpretation has been insightful and enriching, and I’ve learned a lot along the way. For my final blog post, I will be exploring what my role as an interpreter has become, but I would like to emphasize that this role is fluid. Firstly, as an interpreter I hope I never become stagnant, and I keep challenging myself to learn more and hone my skills. If I want my audiences to be open to my interpretation, then I need to ensure my mind is always open to new ideas, or else I will become ignorant. I also hope to instill this lifelong learning practice in those around me, as will allow us to grow and aid in our personal lives and endeavors (Beck et al. Ch21, pp 46).

Something else I will continue to adamantly practice is getting to know my audience as well as I possibly can. Obviously, this has barriers when interpreting online via blogposts; however, I have gotten to know you all by reading your blogposts, which are often revealing about your own values and beliefs. Knowing the audience is critical if you want your interpretation to have an impact, because even if the content matters to you, it will have no effect if it matters not to the audience (Beck et al. Ch7, pp 130). From this, embracing and acknowledging the differences and minorities in audience members is integral to creating a welcoming interpretation program. This is not just a priority in interpretation, but every aspect of life.

When interpreting, even though I will try my best to get to know my audience members, there is a challenge in which you will always be interpreting to a group of people with their own unique life stories with unique perspectives on everything. The beauty of interpretation, and one of my main responsibilities as an interpreter, is that we can use shared human experiences to give meaning to anything.

One of my favourite interpretive approaches is to guide and harness the human senses in order to make the interpretation an experience (Beck et al. Ch5, pp 100). The audience may not know where to look, what to listen for, or what to feel, but guiding the audience in the right direction will ensure that they are able to get the first-hand experience. This will make the moment much more authentic and genuine for the audience members, especially because they found the beauty themselves. The use of senses will also make the moment much more memorable and will often act as a catalyst to seeking further education and interpretation (Beck et al. Ch5, pp 101). Using the human senses is an effective approach because it doesn’t matter what your walk of life is, because we all use our senses to experience the same world.

Photo taken by me. This is a simple image of preservation field with a clear sky in Guelph, ON. Think about what senses would be stimulated if you were placed within this photo? How would these senses impact your experience here?

Possibly an even better approach to interpreting, is the harnessing of human emotions. Although we all come from different origins, there are key emotions that are shared amongst humans of every culture, such as suffering, love, overcoming a challenge, and fear (Beck et al. Ch5, pp 88). I believe that using these universal emotions is a great way to invoke empathy within audience members, creating an emotional connection between them and the topic of interpretation. I find this incredibly impactful when mixed with story-telling, because it ties in vivid imagery with vivid emotions, which allows the interpretation to stick with the audience members (Beck et al. Ch10, pp 223).

These approaches will help me fulfill the responsibilities of interpreting: educating and uplifting. Furthermore, as an interpreter, I have the responsibility of ensuring the safety of everyone involved, as well as curating a welcoming and inclusive environment for anyone. This means that I have the responsibility of acknowledging my privileges, such as being an able-bodied middle class man; and understanding my own privilege will aid in better understanding my audience, which I previously stated will elevate my interpreting (Beck et al. Ch7, pp 130). These responsibilities, along with the approaches mentioned to ensure they interpret through their own perspectives, will allow me to meet both the audience’s basic needs and growth needs (Beck et al. Ch3, pp 47).

Once all of the basic levels of needs are met, I believe self-actualization is one of the most enriching parts of interpretation because it challenges one to perceive differently and offers exhilaration and deep satisfaction (Beck et al. Ch3, pp 47). A common theme throughout many of my blog posts has been to explore the feelings of awe and wonder, and how impactful and overlooked they are. It’s even been shown through research that awe-inspiring experiences can change lives in profound ways and can induce empathy and generosity (Beck et al. Ch21, pp 472). I believe harnessing the feeling of awe is key to self-actualization, and it is something I strive to elicit through interpretation.

Nature is abundant with awe. Think about all of the magical sunsets, raging downpours, or colourful autumns you’ve seen in your life, and how you feel during those moments. I’m not sure about you but I just stand there and soak all of the sounds, sights and smells of the moment in and gawk at how incredible these feats of nature are. These things are regular occurrences too, as the sun sets every day, and embracing the feeling of awe can make you feel grateful for these “regular” things. More so, I think awe makes me grateful to be alive in general because I am so lucky to be able to see all of the amazing feats of nature. I strive to instill this gratefulness in others, and hope that all of us can tap in to our curious and inquisitive sides.

Here is a photo of me and my friends watching an everyday sunset. I remember feeling said sense of awe and wonder while letting my senses take in all of the surroundings. Specifically, I remember admiring the deep colours on the horizon, feeling the cool breeze, and smelling the fresh air. Which sense tends to have the greatest impact on your sense of wonder?

This blog has taught me so much about my interpretation approach, and how important it is to uplift each other. Through the practices of understanding my audiences, and using human senses and emotions, I hope that I can lead people to self-actualization and perceiving the world with wide eyes. Nature interpretation is a very fulfilling gift, and I look forward to seeing the next generation of interpreters.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this blogging series, and I hope you enjoyed this journey as much as I have. Good luck with your future endeavours, and I can’t wait to see the paths you’ll forge!

References

Beck, L., Cable, T.T. and Knudson, D.M. Chapter 3: Values to Individuals and Society. Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage: For a Better World. Sagamore Venture Publishing. 2018, pp 41-57

Beck, L., Cable, T.T. and Knudson, D.M. Chapter 5: Guiding Principles of Interpretation. Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage: For a Better World. Sagamore Venture Publishing. 2018, pp 81-102

Beck, L., Cable, T.T. and Knudson, D.M. Chapter 7: Serving Diverse Audiences. Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage: For a Better World. Sagamore Venture Publishing. 2018.

Beck, L., Cable, T.T. and Knudson, D.M. Chapter 10: Arts in Interpretation. Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage: For a Better World. Sagamore Venture Publishing. 2018, pp 215-231

Beck, L., Cable, T.T. and Knudson, D.M. Chapter 21: The bright future of interpretation. Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage: For a Better World. Sagamore Venture Publishing. 2018, pp 457-477

cdwenvs3000w22

Hello Andrew,

Reading your final blog post was so enjoyable and insightful! I like how much emphasis you placed on knowing your audience, because it is critical, and I can see that it has become essential to you by the end of this course. I really admire the way you stated how "Nature is abundant with awe." You have a poetic way of describing nature to your audience who read your blog, and it almost allows us to see through your eyes and feel the deep admiration you have for nature as an art form. I really like how you mentioned the senses in your post as I believe that being in nature is a "surround sound experience" because all of our senses are stimulated. To me, the sense of smell has a huge impact on me when I'm in nature because it makes me feel like I can genuinely breathe; every inhale and exhale in nature is so fresh makes me feel vibrantly alive. For example, I could smell the sea salt in the air while I was on the beach in Cancun, and the air was warm and pleasant. It was the experience of closing my eyes and inhaling that made it feel so serene and meditative. Overall I loved your blog post and I learned so many great things that you took out of this course and want to continue to practice.

Hope you are doing well and staying safe,

Clara

Blog #10: My Responsibilities

For this week’s blog post I will be discussing my personal ethic, my beliefs and responsibilities as a nature interpreter.

Promotion of Nature:

I feel that one of my main responsibilities as a interpreter of nature and as a future landscape architect is to promote nature. Meaning advocating for the education of the environment, wildlife, ecosystems and more. Education on these topics is such an important thing when interpreting nature, because more education results in heightened awareness in the importance of nature. Understanding why us humans need to protect and appreciate it. Gaining knowledge can also be fun, and so I hope in my future designs as a landscape architect I can make learning within nature a fun experience that makes people want to learn more. I remember as a child I would go on field trips to this place called “non Quan” here we learned so many things about the natural world, with games, scavenger hunts, coloured signs on trails, and also hands on learning. Leaning so close to nature instead of inside of a classroom helped me absorb the information more and still remember to this day. In my future designs I want to help people to be educated in a memorable way, that they will carry with them for the rest of their life. Nature itself is a wonder, an art form, and one of the main human resources, it is vital that I promote education in my designs as an interpreter of nature because nature is such an important part of human’s lives. In addition to promoting education, I want to promote why it is important to be educated, if people are to retain information in their natural experiences it is important to show why they should get educated, why they should want to learn more and expand their knowledge. Topics such as climate change, wildlife threats, endangerment, extinction, habitat loss, invasive species, anthropogenic negative effects on nature and more.

Restoration, rehabilitation and protection of nature:

I feel that it is important for me as a nature interpreter and future landscape architect to have a positive impact on the environment. When considering my personal life, I will strive to walk or ride my bike when I am able to instead of drive, I will aim to reduce the amount of waste I accumulate, I will use reusable and eco friendly wax papers to store my food instead of plastic baggies, picking up garbage outside and put it in the trash. Outside of my personal life I will strive to restore nature in my designs, rehabilitating nature when needed as well as providing nature means of protection. For instance, if I were to design a brownfield (which is an abandoned property” I would design with nature in mind, to create a better and highly stable natural environment that can grow and flourish.

Designing with balance in mind:

It is important to understand how much humans and nature coexist. In my suture career as a landscape architect, I am to design natural spaces for human clients. But, as an interpreter of nature it is my duty to find balance, and design with nature in mind as much as humans. In my mind it is not one or the other, both sides have great significance and I have learned this through this course. It is my responsibility as a future designer to find balance between the natural world and the built.

Always understanding historical and locational context:

Historical and locational context is one of the most important aspects to understand about a landscape, this is because history boosts a sites ability to be conserved and protected, and it’s opportunity to remain untouched by anthropogenic effects. A sites historical context also allows me to design as a landscape architect, emphasising a landscapes history, which can turn any natural site into an educational experience in the interpretation of nature. Locational context is also quite significant because specific species exist in certain locations around the world, some rarer and more exotic than others. Plant species are a great opportunity for interaction and education and so, in my opinion, it is very important to understand locational context. Both landscape history and location can be vital to the interpretation of nature.

Nature is Art:

In a previous blog post I discussed how nature coincides with art. I believe that natural sites that are more beautiful to the eye get more attention because they resemble a piece of art. While on the other hand, a less appealing landscape tends to feel less special and less meaningful. My responsibility as a landscape architect and nature interpreter is to make any piece of nature look like a beautiful piece of art. No matter how simple a landscape may be, underneath there are complex ecosystems that the untrained eye just does not see.

Actively trying to understand the environment, wildlife and how each ecosystem thrives:

Site visits are vital to gather information about plant, shrub, and tree species, water and natural filtration areas, and current fauna. This must be done prior to the design process since I need to know the environment in which I will be working in order to create with nature in mind. If I do not study the land in this manner, I run the risk of endangering the present natural life. Knowing where wetland habitats are located can help me avoid designing a path that may damage them. Another example is when I want to improve habitat conditions. For example, if a river exists that is very straight and water travels dangerously fast during extreme rainfall, flooding surrounding areas, I can advocate in my design for the river to have an additional bend or curve to slow the flow of water, or add additional plant life to catch and separate natural debris that has fallen into the river. Overall, when I consider the ideal job of an environmental interpreter in my future career, I think about environmental analysis before designing.

Thank you for reading :)

Blog#9: Nature is Amazing

For this weeks blog I am going to discuss how amazing the natural world operates, specifically the beauty of cenote’s.

Cenotes come in many forms, shapes and sizes. Some centote variations include: cavern cenotes, Semi-open cenotes, open cenotes, ancient cenotes, and dead cenotes. When I first experienced the wonder of cenotes I was in Mexico.

Cavern Cenote

Imagine hearing the slow sound of water droplets falling, the water as clear as glass, the echo of the waves formed by your body making its way through the cave, the feeling of the cold refreshing water on your skin. I can tell you that your imagination may never do this place justice, but it is a start on knowing how it feels to be here, inside of this cave.

cavern cenotes are among the youngest cenotes that exist. The colour of the water is usually an emerald green or a vibrant blue which can only been seen if light reaches the inside of the cave. Cenotes are are formed when rainwater absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and creates a weak acid. As this flows down through small spaces in the limestone, the weak acid dissolves a mineral called calcite in the limestone. Then over a period of time the limestone is dissolved and a cenote is formed. This means that cenotes are made up of fresh water. Many of these cenotes are used as tourist attractions, and people can buy them for their own reasons.

ALUX restaurant

This is an example of a cenote that was purchased to become a restaurant. Most of this cenote is dead and non-operative. Yet some parts of the cenote on the sides were still active which were closed off to restaurant guests. This was a truly remarkable place, the cave was extremely large with little alcoves for small dining areas. I was so enamoured that I barley sat down for dinner, I just wanted to explore the various cave pathways that led to different areas of the cave. Yet I did find that it was very humid considering that it is a cave below the ground that still holds moisture. For this reason they had many fans along the top of the cenote that provide some form of air conditioning.

This restaurant is called ALUX because there are many legends surrounding cenote history. According to legend, Aluxes are property guardians who only emerge at night. They seek mystical places to hide and play, such as caverns and cenotes, where they were born in the moonlight. Aluxes are important to cenote history as the Mayan gods and goddesses were served by the so-called Alux, or light spirits. They swept through the cenotes every day at 5 p.m., turning off all lights. Because the majority of cenotes are still privately owned by pious Mayan families, to this day they close at 4:59 p.m.

Open Cenote

Open cenotes are the oldest amoung the various kinds of cenotes. Over millions of years the roof that once covered the cave collapses leaving them out in the open. These cenotes are renowned for their natural beauty as the walls surrounding the body of water are adorned with flowers and plants which cover rocks with different tones of green, orange and red. Many bird and butterfly species live here as it is a rich habitat for wild life above ground. Open cenotes are also rich with aquatic life. The cenote that I went to is also considered a estuary which is when a freshwater river, stream or cenote meets the ocean.The water turns brackish, or somewhat salty, when freshwater and seawater mix. While I was swimming I could sometimes notice when the salt water met the freshwater. It is so beautiful when two separate parts of nature collide in this way.

I also love learning about new ways that nature can apply to humans. Our guide during this excursion told us that if we rub this seaweed in our goggles they would not fog up while we are swimming.

I was unsure when I was first rubbing the seaweed on my googles, but once I got in the water I immediately noticed that my goggles did not fog up.

Cenotes are so beautiful, the way they form, the way they work. The history, legends and wildlife that surround them are truly amazing. Seeing these various cenotes was such a great experience, and it gave me a new perspective on natural bodies of water. I never knew that cenotes existed before going to one, when thinking of water bodies I think of rivers, oceans, lakes, ponds, now I can think of cenotes too. I also love that no cenote can be the same, each one is unique based on where and how long ago they were formed. There is so much natural beauty hidden in the world around us. I feel that traveling is the only way to truly see it all, as many places in the world have unique natural systems that Canada does not have. I aspire to travel and experience more and more natural wonders in my life time. I hope that I was able to effectively explain cenotes and my personal experience with them in my trip to mexico. I hope you learned from reading my post and that it inspired you to be adventurous and keep your mind open to the natural surprises the world has.

Have a great day!

Blog #7: Nature and Music

For this weeks blog I will be discussing the relationship between music and nature.

1: Music in nature

I feel that music always exists in nature. As I walk through nature I can hear the birds chirping in unique melodies, the water in rivers ebbing and flowing, The crash of a wave, the wind rustling through the trees, the sound of animals scurrying in the distance. All of these sounds together create the “song that nature sings” it is quite a beautiful song in my opinion. Music in nature is so beautiful because it is a result of nature just existing, nothing is planned or rehearsed, the song does not require production. The song flows freely which makes it all the more amazing to hear.

2: Nature in music

I feel that nature is used a lot in music for storytelling purposes and lyrical symbolisms. I feel this also goes for writing such as poetry, nature is used to portray thoughts and feelings. I believe that nature exists in music within lyrics because nature represents many things for the human world. For example, roses symbolize romance, love, beauty and courage and so through lyrics roses can be used to symbolize these meanings through song.

When thinking of these nature/music relationships it brings me to think about songs that trigger a memory or feeling concerning the natural world. The first song that comes to mind is “letting go” by Ziggy Alberts.

Album Cover: Letting Go- Ziggy Alberts

As you can see from the album cover, the artist created this album with nature as his muse. The feeling that nature brings, the freedom and the ability to let go of weights pulling you down, making you feel stuck. The first verse of this song is:

We cut through glaciers and coastlines, by the afternoon, and rivers cut through the gorge and waters clean and the waters smooth.

See, i’ve been trying to move along, move along, consumed in keeping strong, for far too long, when all i had to do was rest my head and rest my heart. You don’t have to feel like this no.

Im letting go.

When I think of music I like to listen to while walking through nature, I think of songs that help me relax, help me let go of my anxiety and stress. This song really calls to me because the artist relates the freedom nature has, flowing and moving along to letting go of fear and just letting what happens happen and stop trying so hard to be perfect or keep yourself composed all the time. I usually listen to this song on walks by myself through the forest, at a time when I am feeling stressed or sad.

Album Cover: Texas Sun- Khruangbin & Leon Bridges

This is a song I like to listen to on nice car rides in the summer, when the sun is out or going down. The windows open and the warm summer air on my face. This song makes me feel at peace in that summer moment, when I have nothing to worry about but the drive, the views of the country side or waterfront and an empty road ahead. The first couple lines of this song are:

You say you like the wind blowing through your hair

Well, come on, roll with me ‘till the sun goes down

Texas sun.

Say you wanna hit the highway while the engine roars

Well, come on, roll with me ‘till the sun goes down

That Texas sun.

It is a beautiful song that really captures the feeling I get while driving through nature. There is a beautiful guitar inside of the song that truly creates this summer loving and relaxing atmosphere while listening.

Overall the relationship between nature and music is evident to me. In my life music plays a large roll in my connection to nature as a whole. I am happy that I got to dive a little deeper into my personal connections with nature and music.

Hope you enjoyed reading this weeks post :)

Blog #6: The Quote (Nature Interpretation Through History)

For this weeks blog, I will unpack this quote:

“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, Chapter 7, The Gifts of Interpretation)

At first this was hard for me to understand. I found it was easier for me to dive into the meaning of this quote if I separated it into two parts.

Part 1: 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.

In this passage: Merit= worth, value, goodness, Integrity=unity, wholeness.

This first portion indicates to me that historical objects have no intrinsic value, but there is value in the relationship between historical objects and how they are perpetuated through memories and knowledge. For example, historical artefacts in museums have value because they contain knowledge and memories; but, an object from the past can be little more than an object if it lacks historical significance. Emperors governed in China's history, for example, and people know this because of stories told in ancient texts that were left behind. These emperors sat atop thrones, which may now be found in museums all around the world.This object just discovered could be seen with no historical significance, could be considered a glamorized chair, yet we comprehend what this chair is and its historical significance to China because of what we know and what has been passed down through history. This, I believe, is what was meant by integrity: taking scattered parts and putting them together to form a whole. Historical information and objects are dispersed over time; some become separated and forgotten, yet these pieces have been discovered and linked to their historical context and meaning thanks to research and conservation. The maintenance of this integrity entails the memories and knowledge that are attached to it. This can also apply to historical sites, you can see evidence from ancient architecture, and piece together what it is, who created it, why it was created, and when. We are able to identify these things by historical knowledge that has been preserved though time. Overall, I feel this first part of the quote speaks to how historical objects and sites only have value if the scattered parts of their historical story are held together through time....or are reconnected over time based on the knowledge we gather to be able to reconnect them.

Part 2: 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.

To me, this part implies that living your life as if history is merely the past with no relevance to the present or future is naive. It is critical to recognize that history has led to the present, and that our present will one day become history. History is an important aspect of revolution and the story of human progress in architecture, art, technology, and nature, among other things. If you choose to ignore it and think, act and feel that history is the past and its over, it is like believing that a railway station through which our train has recently passed only existed for the duration of the train's stay.

What does this have to do with interpreting nature?

History, I believe, has an important part in how we view nature. History lends value to nature and natural sites, and by doing so, history serves to support environmental conservation. When a historical architectural site is saved, the land on which the historical structure rests is also conserved. History brings people in to observe and enjoy natural wonders while also promoting historical education.

I hope you enjoyed reading this weeks post!

Blog #5: Mood & The Seasons

For this weeks blog I will be writing about what is in my thoughts. I feel these past couple days I have been bummed out because of the weather, I see the world around me these days as if there is a consistent gloomy filter on it. I have been thinking about how the weather impacts my mood. For instance my boyfriend Alec does not see this gloomy grey filter on the world right now that I see. He just sees it as the beauty of winter, of snowfall, therefor the weather does not have an impact on him. I am the complete opposite, I love the world around me in every season but winter. I love how spring means new growth and I can see it in my walks through the forest, I love how in the fall the colours of leaves change and I love how in the summer everything is full of life, everything is warm and sunny. I recognize that in the summer I am at my happiest, and in the winter I am at my lowest. I tried to do some research on what this might be called and I found “Seasonal Affective Disorder” which entails that the weather or the seasons can effect an individuals mood. I find this extremely interesting, and it is probably the reason I would like to move to somewhere that is green, sunny and hot all the time.

What about me is effected by weather or the seasons?

Motivation: In the summer I am a very motivated person, I love to be productive. Yet in the winter, My motivation slips away and I tend to not want to do anything. My homework gets pilled up, I leave most things till last minute. The worst part about losing my motivation is that I struggle to even start anything, starting projects feels almost like a difficult mission to me.

Sleep:In the summer, I sleep very well. I am naturally a night owl and get tired by 1-2 am, but I do get proper rest until I wake up. In winter this drastically changes, I like to sleep in because I feel that there is nothing to look forward to. I love going outside and enjoying nature, but it just feels so depressing outside these days that going outside feels like a miserable task. I hate going out even for the necessities, such as getting groceries, once I open my front door and the frigid air hits my face I am immediately let down. I also struggle to sleep, I stay inside all day so time moves differently for me. I usually end up falling asleep at 5am because I am so restless and cant seem to settle my mind. So overall in the winter my sleep schedule is a vicious cycle of sleeping in because I cant sleep when I should be.

Activity: My physical activity level drops drastically, in the summer I am usually doing things outdoors every day. In the winter I avoid doing anything outdoors at all.

Relationships: Since I am unmotivated and get little sleep, my relationships with people in my life get effected. I am more irritable which in turn causes tension in my relationships.

Stress/anxiety: With the combination of little sleep, no motivation, lower physical activity levels my anxiety and stress are through the roof. I natural am very anxious and stressed person, but in the summer I have outlets to let it go, to find relaxation and peace in the activities that I do. But in the winter I find there is close to no outlets for me.

Suggested activities:

If anyone is struggling like I am, I do have some activities that may help boost your mood. Personally I feel I really have to find alternative activities to being outside that make me happy.

Creative Outlets: painting, drawing and collaging

Collaging is my favourite creative outlet of them all, its one thing that makes me happy that can be done inside. I usually will go to a second hand store, buy a bunch of books that have cool photography in them and use them as-well as magazines. See here, Some collages I am currently working on.

Collage

Organizing: Organizing a specific part of your room, rearranging room and more.

My favourite Organizing activity is rearranging my room, I love revisioning the space where I spend most of my time. I feel it is also a great way to change things up and feel refreshed.

I hope that you enjoyed reading my blog this week, and I hope I gave good suggestions that can help you if you feel the same way I do!

Blog #4: Nature Through ART

For this weeks blog post I will be discussing the relationship between nature interpretation and art in my life. First, I would like to share that my two main passions in life are nature and art. In high school I would describe myself as creative and artistic, I took classes like media arts, visual arts and photography. I was in love with nature as well, I would always use nature as my muse for most of my projects for photography, painting, collaging and more. Nature truly inspires me, and my creativity. With knowing my passions I was able to chose what route I would like to take educationally- landscape architecture- This field allows me to work with both my artistic side and my love of nature. I use my skills to create art through nature.

When I look at the natural world around me all I see is art, I cant help but take photos whenever I can, to keep that peaceful moment with me forever. To me “the gift of beauty” is the beauty that nature organically creates. It is not painted or made....nature grows. The true beauty lies in the unique art that nature holds. For instance, an obsession of mine is to capture the natural patterns that nature produces. See here, an example of a photograph I have taken that showcases natural patterns in nature

Turkey Tail Mushroom

Why is nature art to me?

Nature is art to me not only due to the natural patterns, colours, textures and sculptures that exist within it, but also because of the emotions that are evoked by it. Nature is always strongly related to wellness and metal health, experiencing nature in any way to me is extremely therapeutic. Many people also strongly relate art to wellness, making art often has a therapeutic effect much like experiencing nature. My ideal mental rest day, when I am not feeling the best involves music, my phone to take pictures, art and taking a long hike through nature. I love to let the visual art of nature cure me in a way, the fresh smell of dirt and trees, the sound of birds singing in the distance, the feeling of the bark of a tree or the water that runs though the forest on my fingertips. This ideal day is like one great work of art, one amazing composition of sound, colour, shape, texture and more.

I also feel like nature is almost spiritual to me, I feel so connected with the earth on my ventures into nature. I feel so at peace in my mind and find a space in my thoughts for personal refection as-well as gratitude. The art in nature, the gift of beauty it gives makes me reflect on all of the other things in life that I am grateful for.

That is why I chose Landscape Architecture, so I can create spaces that evoke these feelings for others. I want to create spaces, utilizing nature because it is art. For example, I went to Niagara falls during the summer. See here,

Niagara On The Lake

As you can see, there is so much art through nature lining this strip. This use of nature as a visual art form is amazing because it makes this side walk experience more alluring in comparison to a regular sidewalk with grass. The walk on this path can be related to a walk through an art gallery, each garden, each tree, each flower is a work of art in itself.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed and learned a little bit more about me, hope you have a great day :)

Blog #3: Privilege

In this weeks blog post I will be discussing the topic of privilege. To me privilege is having more opportunities and less obstacles in your day-to-day life based upon what you are and what you have. For instance, through every era, humans have had their ideal body types and standards of beauty. The standards have changed drastically over the years - way back in the day, women that weighed more were considered more desirable because it insinuated that they came from wealth. With wealth came access to an abundance of food, more than skinnier women at that time. As time has passed, food has become more accessible and does not correlate as strongly with wealth. I know that in my lifetime the beauty standard is very unrealistic, and if you obtain them, you are considered more valuable with even more opportunity compared to someone that does not reach that standard. I feel that this beauty standard is perpetuated by social media, not truly by the people experiencing it. I am sure that everyone understands this “pretty privilege” that comes with meeting the beauty standards. I feel that this standard of beauty has a toll on my metal heath, consistently wishing I was beautiful enough, questioning my value based on my looks and weight.

I feel that this type of privilege relates strongly to nature interpretation. For instance, people who have pretty privilege are treated better, and people tend to see and value them more. When interpreting nature, people assign things that are stereotypically beautiful with more value, causing them to view nature in a more aesthetic way that disregards the things deemed less beautiful by society. For instance if there is a beautiful place in nature, like a great waterfall, people will go and visit this place more then a plain landscape. Yet underneath the aesthetic beauty, both places may be filled with complexities that go underneath the surface, beneath what the human eye can see. Such as, wildlife, food webs, specific plant species that may be rare to the location and more. This is the beauty that needs to be uncovered and represented. This idea also relates to politics and climate change. While people love beautiful natural sites and appreciate the look of nature, they do not see the damage we cause to it because it is all under the surface. You cannot see the direct impact of human activities on nature because nature still proceeds to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye. This is why humans do not take every action possible to decrease the state of global warming. In the Arctic we are not there to see the beauty unfold, to see the ice melt. Humans are seeing the aesthetic value of nature over the real and true value of nature in our lives - nature in general is the main resource for humans.

It is clear to me that aesthetic beauty is of high value in this present day, and the privilege that comes with it can apply to people and nature interpretation.

Blog #2: My Ideal Role of Environmental Interpreter

When thinking about my future job as a Landscape Architect it is very easy to think about my ideal role of Environmental Interpreter. I have learned to much through my education that can give me these ideal roles I may have as a student and in my future career. The best way I can describe these roles is listing and describing how they apply to me and why.

1) Actively trying to understand the environment, wildlife and how each ecosystem thrives.

In my future career site analysis is extremely vital in the beginning of a project. In my previous post I discussed that I take multiple site visits and accumulate research including plant, shrub and tree species, areas of water and natural filtration, and identifying existing wildlife. I have to do this before the design process because I need to understand the environment I am going to be designing in order to design with nature in mind. If I did not analyze the site in this way then I am at risk of threatening the natural life that is already existing. For instance locating rivers and wetland vegetation, this is significant because I want to protect wetlands and avoid destroying them with my designs. Knowing where wetland habitats are I will be aware not to design a pathway disrupting them. Another example can apply when I want to improve the habitats conditions, for instance a river exists that is very straight and during extreme rainfall water travels dangerously fast and floods surrounding areas, I can then advocate in my design knowing this, for the river to have an additional bend or curve in it to slow the flow of water, or add additional plant life to catch and separate natural debris that has fallen into the river. Overall when thinking about the ideal role of an environmental interpreter in my future career the analyzation of the environment before designing comes to mind.

2) Understanding what people want, while also keeping the protection, conservation and promotion of nature in mind.

In my future career people play a significant role as I would be expected to be designing for a client or a community. This is when my role as an environmental interpreter would be trying to find balance between humans and nature, finding a way to integrate them in my design where both people and nature have a voice. For instance in one of my previous classes I was required to design a space for the community to enjoy and nature to thrive organically. For this design I had to think about humans interpreting nature around them, without disrupting the existing natural environment. Most dense vegetation was located around the river and the surrounding forest, but the middle of the site was cleared for sports fields and open areas. I decided to design separate areas where people can have fun and peacefully interact with nature. In my design I replaced the sports fields and open areas with an educational garden, a community garden, and eco park, and a harmony and wellness path. I feel that finding the balance between human needs and natures needs would certainly be a role of environmental entrepreneur in my future career.

3) Be aware of the opportunities and constraints that apply to a site

This also relates to site analysis, this is a separate part of site analysis that comes after indicating what exist on the site. In this stage of site analysis I am required to take my findings and understand what is possible and what is not possible design wise. For instance, another one of my projects was designing an alleyway in downtown Guelph. From my site visit I found that minimal vegetation existed, there was a-lot of garbage as this alley is neighboured with two restaurants. The employees of these restaurants used this alleyway to hang out in on their breaks, they had makeshift chairs that were un-safe and made of forgotten objects. Due to all of the garbage and lack of organization the alley had a bad odour and was not easy or pleasing to walk through. I also found out that the alley was the route that disabled people used to get to the back patio of one of the restaurants. I had to think to myself, what is the possible interpretation of nature here? what is possible to make this space better for the employees that use it and the people that have to move through it? For instance, the lack of vegetation and natural light was a key factor helping me to see the possibilities of what vegetation could be in this space. Vegetation was able to grow, but the alley was small and narrow, and so I decided to design the vegetation to be english ivy that climbs the walls. Understanding a sites opportunities and constraints allows me to problem solve and design to the best of my ability. I feel that one of my ideal roles of environmental interpreter is to understand opportunities and constraints, as I will be able to design seeing the whole story.

4) Understanding context and history

I have found that conserving nature is much like preserving history, I had a project where I had to design nature while keeping a historical lighthouse on the site. Understanding its historical importance, I was able to design for the client while also keeping nature in mind. The rest of the land seemed to be a mess in my site visitation, looking like an abandoned brownfield with an abandoned boat storage area. The client wanted the history to be shown and so I decided to design paths over the whole area in the shape of a lighthouse that can be seen from above. I thought that the history would be best represented this way, and best represented to the people who would potentially enjoy this site. I feel that it would be an important role in environmental interpreting in my future career - finding a balance and connection between a sites history and nature.

6) Implement education

My final role as an environmental interpreter in my future career would be implementing education about nature in my designs. I feel that learning about nature is best experienced and absorbed within nature, walking through it, seeing it, smelling it and touching it. Often when I think about people interacting with the sites I design I want them to learn from nature, walking through and experiencing what is already existing and what I have designed. Usually I will try to place informational signs around my sites. This is my final role that I will discuss in this post, I believe this role of implementing education on nature in my future designs is extremely significant.

I hope you enjoyed reading this weeks post!

Blog #1: My Relationship with Nature

Hello! my name is Clara and this blog is going to be used for me to reflect about various topics in relation to nature interpretation, to discuss and dive deep into my opinions, thoughts and feelings on these topics :)

First I will introduce myself. I am 20 years old and I am currently in my 3rd year in the bachelor of Landscape Architecture program at the University of Guelph. The reason I chose this field is because of my love of art and design along with my love, appreciation and passion for nature. Landscape architecture allows me work with both of my interests and over the course of my education I have been able to foster my skills in designing with nature. I have also been able to deepen my knowledge of nature, and designing with the environment and ecology in mind. In my future career my goal is to create beautiful outdoor spaces that adhere to the needs of people as-well as protecting, conserving, and promoting nature within the spaces I design.

The first topic I will be discussing is what my current relationship with nature is today. As you can see from my introduction my education surrounds nature. in most of my previous classes when I would begin a project to design a site the first thing I do is site analysis. Site analysis is where I take multiple site visits to accumulate research on what is existing on the site a large part of this process in identifying plant, shrub and tree species, water, and soil. This enables me to begin my creating my designs that usually end up looking like this...

Apart from my interactions with nature through my education I also have a love for hiking, swimming, traveling to beautiful natural sites, and winter sports such as skating and snowboarding. I love to do activities where I am surrounded by nature. I love to feel connected to the earth in these ways and it truly brings me peace. I have 2 dogs, Crosby and Louis, I love going on hikes with them it makes the experience even better because I see them running and feeling free in nature. They get so excited, as excited to be in nature as me!

Winter Hike (Louis- left, Crosby-right)

Lake Scugog

There is one place that has offered me my sense of place in nature. This place for me is Lake Scugog, because I grew up on this lake as a little girl. I lived in a small house on the lake, with direct access to the water and surrounding nature. I feel that this place gave me my love of nature as all of my memories with my family in my early stages of development were here. My life consisted of boat rides, playing in my backyard, and using the base of a tree as a fort which I considered a safe space at the time, my little piece of paradise. My family moved to Whitby when I was 7 being in the suburbs made us miss living in this area, and so my family bought a trailer near where I used to live where i spend most of my summers. This place has been consistent part of my life, and it truly gives me sense of place in nature. The person I would say gives me my sense of place in nature is my sister Holly, she has been by my side most of my life as we are only one year apart. I feel that we share this place in our hearts. We learned how to play in nature as little girls together, we learned how to fish, drive a boat, ride bikes, skate, snowboard, drive atv’s and snowmobiles together. To this day we continue to appreciate and take adventures in nature together, and together we have learned the beauty and importance of nature around us.

Cenote- Mexico (October 5th 2021)

I would like to note that my favourite and most memorable experiences in nature occur when I travel. I have been fortunate enough to travel a multitude of times in my life so far. I love to see how the state of nature is different from place to place, how the normative plants in Canada are vastly different then in Mexico. In my last trip to Mexico I explored the beauty of a cenote, a cenote is filled with both fresh water and salt water it was truly amazing to witness with my own eyes. I feel like traveling, seeing nature and learning about it makes me feel extremely alive.

Thank you for reading, I hope you learned a little bit about me and found an interest in what I have talked about in this post!

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