10: Interpretation ethics
As an ex-Catholic, I spent a good amount of time in my teens thinking about how my personal ethics and rules on morality both differ from and sometimes agree with Catholicism. However, I havenât really taken the time since then to extend my personal ethics past post-Catholic discourse and relate it to my environmental values. I think itâs very valuable to be aware of your own ethical stances in terms of interpretation. Our ethics are the filter that shapes how we interpret nature, whether or not we acknowledge it. And that interpretation is then past on to our audience.
The first belief I bring to nature interpretation is kindness. Showing kindness to the nature around us means walking lightly and respectfully as we explore. Showing kindness to each other means creating a space where everyone feels able to ask questions and learn. I believe that kindness is one of the key elements that goes into creating a welcoming environment. And welcoming environments set up the possibility for growth and learning.
I also believe that curiosity and discovery lead to caring. Itâs very difficult to care about something that you donât know much about. But by encouraging questions, sharing facts/stories, and pointing out the beauty all around us, a nature interpreter can create connections between their audience and nature. In tandem with curiosity and discovery, is the power of awe. I want to get people excited about that cliff, that leaf, that creek. Wonder is a very powerful tool.
Spent a very long time staring at this view awestruck when I visited Vancouver last summer
Interpretation also comes with many responsibilities. When you act as a nature interpreter, people are putting their trust in you to act responsibly in your role. The basis of this trust is safety. Like we learned from the Timiskaming Tragedy, a lot of things can go wrong in outdoor education spaces. Physical safety means being prepared for hazards, natural disasters and changing weather. But emotional safety also play an important role. Words have power. And that power can be used to harm others if wielded carelessly or irresponsibly. Sensitive topics have to be addressed with care and nuance. Your audience should feel welcome and included in the space you create, through the language used and interpretation employed.
I also think that nature interpreters have a responsibility to convey accuracy whenever possible. This is especially important when interpreting for children, who may not have the skills to properly fact-check your claims. Adult audiences also deserve access to well researched and meaningful information. Working as a nature interpreter means positioning yourself as an expert, and your audience is placing their trust in you to know what you are talking about. I believe in putting in the time and effort to research a topic fully before you share it with others.
There are several interpretation approaches that work best for me as an individual. And those approaches vary greatly by age group. For kids, who often have short attention spans, I think that exploration and games work best. Exploration allows kids to experience nature on their own terms and form a more personal relationship with the world around them. It also allows for the reintroduction of unstructured play that is missing from many kids lives. Giving kids a magnifying glass and a simple objective (eg. âFind as many colour as you can!â) gives them the opportunity to look closer at their surroundings and discover something new.
Games are also a powerful tool for interpretation. Minds often wander during lengthy explanation, but games keep kids focused and their attention on the task at hand. They can also help simplify complex topics and break them down into bite sized pieces. As an example, at my summer job last year, I ran a workshop for 10â12 year-olds who were planting a pollinator garden at their school. I wanted to convey the importance of building new pollinator habitat and introduce them to the concept of habitat fragmentation. So, I created a game that was kind of a mashup of musical chairs and shrinking islands. I placed picnic blankets (âhabitatsâ) on the floor and told the children to pretend to be their favorite pollinator. As the music played, they could fly around, and when it stopped, they needed to find a habitat to stand on. As the game progressed, the habitats kept getting smaller and smaller as I folded down the picnic blankets to represent habitat destruction. Near the end of the game, we added another picnic blanket to represent the new habitat the students were creating. The game showed the students the importance of their garden, while also engaging them with the power of fun.
For adults, I think the best approaches for me to use are storytelling and writing. Stories have staying power, and also allow people to come to their own conclusions in a very fluid way. If I tell you about how I tried (and failed) to stop a park tree from being cut down when I was in the second grade, the take home message can be very different depending on how I spin the story and your own personal beliefs. You might walk away thinking about the importance of urban trees, the emotional bonds kids form with nature, or how privilege impacts how people engage with activism.
Article from The Stoney Creek News
From a personal standpoint, I think that writing is an approach that I am very drawn to. I enjoy the act of writing and like that I can fine-tune my words until I am satisfied. Evocative language can really come alive on the page, and writing allows lots of space for larger ideas to be explored. And, as a creative writing and ecology student, writing about nature in an interpretive way seems like the natural way to blend my two areas of study.
I know that my personal ethic will continue to develop and change as I grow as an interpreter. Iâm looking forward to adding more nuance and challenging my own perspective.
Your post reflects a beautifully holistic approach to nature interpretation, with a clear emphasis on kindness, curiosity, and responsibility. I especially love how you emphasize kindness, not only in how we approach nature itself but in creating an open, inclusive space where people feel welcome to learn and ask questions. That foundation of kindness really sets the tone for meaningful connections and helps foster a welcoming environment that supports growth and learning.
Iâm also fascinated by how you blend your love for storytelling and writing with nature interpretation, especially since you have a background in creative writing and ecology. Using storytelling as a tool for adult audiences adds another layer of depth and impact to your approach. Iâd love to hear more about how your studies in creative writing and ecology influence each other. Are there particular themes or projects you're interested in exploring that bring both of these passions together? Your perspective as a nature interpreter with such a strong creative foundation is incredibly compelling, and it sounds like you have so much potential to inspire others in new ways.
Your pollinator garden game is such a clever and engaging way to illustrate habitat fragmentation for kids. Turning a complex concept into an interactive game, youâve shown a wonderful knack for making learning fun and accessible. Itâs evident you put a lot of thought into designing experiences that resonate with childrenâs natural curiosity, encouraging them to explore and make personal connections with nature on their own terms. Your commitment to balancing playfulness with informative content is clear and inspiring!
I also wanted to mention that I have been following your blog posts throughout this course and I think your involvement and writing style are exceptional. I think you did a very good job this semester with this part of the course!
