ENVS 3000 Nature Interpretation

[aaenvs3000w24]

Final Post! My reflection as an interpreter

This course provided me with the opportunities to learn about various learning styles and methods of interpretation, giving me the tools to discover who I am as a nature interpreter (Hooykaas, 2024). My approach as an individual comes from the desire to evoke emotional responses through interpretation, whether that be through art or through teaching scientific concepts (Beck et al. 2018, p.44). Looking back to my second blog post, I described my ideal role as an interpreter being a professor. I still resonate with this role, but the idea of interpretation in less of a directly-academic setting has crossed my mind. I still believe that my ideology of presenting scientific information in a setting for open conversation is most suitable to me. Through this open line of communication surrounding scientific topics, it can open a listener to care about things such as plant nutrients or global warming, to lead them to caring for these topics in day-to-day life (Beck et al. 2018, p.60). In addition to interpretation through speaking, I have realised that my learning styles being tactile/visual really reflects in my art (Hooykaas, 2024). I explained my connection to art and nature interpretation previously in my blog, and I have always known that nature has inspired me to create throughout my life. My art provides me with another outlet to showcase nature interpretation in a physical way that can provoke viewers to ask questions and get curious about nature (Beck et al. 2018, p.229). 

Through these two very different paths of interpretation, the responsibilities I uphold are to stay true to my passions and to state unbiased, clear information to my listeners. Staying true to my passions is important for both art and scientific interpretation. If I were to deviate from art that makes me feel fulfilled and from science that applies to concepts I care about it wouldn’t be me. This is a responsibility I have to myself as an individual, and without the passions that drive me to be curious about nature, I would have no role as an interpreter at all. Stating unbiased and clear information is especially true if I am to pursue a professorship in academia. It is a responsibility to pass on information that is factually true so that others can interpret their own opinions off it. Topics that come to mind regarding this include GMO information as well as the various methods of combating climate change. Fulfilling this responsibility can be done through constantly learning, maintaining professionalism, and developing various skill sets to be a credible interpreter (Beck et al. 2018, p.378).

The belief that I feel defines me as an interpreter is that nature is the greatest teacher in balance. When a tree falls, it creates a space for insects and small animals to burrow under, it gives life to fungi and moss, it creates an entirely new ecosystem of life through death. A quote that connects to this belief is “Often the scene interprets itself, so interpreters need not impose.” (Beck et al. 2018, p. 83). I really resonate with this quote because through observing the natural order of life, you learn so many concepts that you can apply without doing anything but taking it all in. On a more cellular level, learning about homeostasis and how plants create antioxidants to keep themselves healthy is applied to human concepts of health constantly. Being taught to eat blueberries as a kid because of their antioxidant potentials, drinking peppermint tea to soothe inflammation in the stomach, health concepts that were learned from nature. I believe that through observing the natural science of life, order can be brought to my own life, and it is a goal to share my interpretation of these instances with others. 

All in all, my ethics as an interpreter lay in being truthful, kind, and curious. I also want to assure to be aware of the privileges I hold in life, and to attribute credit to those who made my interests available to me. As an interpreter, it is important to me to share the truth with all who listen, even if that truth is ugly. I will share the truth about food processing, land colonisation, and inaccuracy of government regulations where it is due. Learning about the beauties of nature is never without the unfortunate facts that may lay underneath the information. Another area of ethics I feel very strongly about is being mindful of each person’s struggles throughout life. This concept is more for the scenario of me as a professor. I have always had the goal of creating an atmosphere built on actually processing and caring about the information learned, not regurgitating facts to fulfil a standard test. I have had many struggles out of my control throughout my university experience, and while some professors have helped, many haven’t, and it is a goal to never be like those people. I want to be able to help students who care about succeeding when life gives them a bad card in the way I wish could be done for me. This is a large basis of my ethics as an interpreter, and it drives me forward to reach my goals. 

It is bitter-sweet that this is my last post, as I have never had an outlet to share my thoughts on nature in a way like this. It has been very interesting to question areas of interpretation that I had never thought of before, and it has helped me reflect on where I see myself going in the future. I look forward to seeing how all your final posts summarise you as an individual interpreter! Enjoy some photos of nature to end this blog off :)

Alleeya 

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage: For a Better World. Sagamore Publishing LLC. 

Hooykaas, A. (2024). Nature interpretation. https://courselink.uoguelph.ca/d2l/le/content/858004/Home

[jtenvs3000w24]

Hello Alleeya!

I like that you are still thinking of the same ideal interpreter job from the second blog post but with greater depth as a teacher. It sounds like you have a good understanding of this ideal dream job and through the course it has been developed further incorporating your love for art and your learning styles of visually and hand on. Keeping to your principals of creating art you are proud of and teaching factual information is also important. I can’t even remember how many times in the past, that material taught through different professor has conflicted and confused me. Definitely a very important principle in my opinion.

There are certainly a lot of key remedies and processes in human lives that have origins rooted in nature. Small things we are told as children are carried with us. And here in university we are able to go one step further and develop understand, connecting concepts for remedies to scientific facts and knowledge. I like that you are able to take your own experience and reflect on them in your potential class room. Likewise, many profs are not understanding or lenient of personal issues unfortunately. I think that your principle of being fair to all and understanding through compassion key and will absolutely help to connect to a student audience further when delivery interpretive messages.

Thanks for the final blog post and the pictures of nature. They were both magnificent! Good luck on finals and I hope you can peruse your ideal interpretation. Sounds like to me you would be an amazing professor.

[dsenvs3000w24]

Who Am I as an Interpreter?

Hey everyone, welcome to my last blog post of this course! It has been a pleasure reading all the different ways people relate to nature and interpret it to others, and I can’t wait to see how everyone describes their beliefs, responsibilities, and unique approaches for this week’s blog.  

I have multiple core beliefs that guide how I approach nature interpretation. One belief I have is that we are all a part of nature. We like to categorize ourselves and our inventions as separate from nature, but we are direct products of nature, and operate by all the same rules as any other species. We influence the environment around us and we as a species can have large impacts on nature, but we are also influenced by the environment and can be equally impacted in turn.

Another belief I have is that nature is not necessarily our “responsibility”, but we should still protect and improve it for our own benefits. There are many services provided to us by our ecosystems and we could not survive on earth without the abundance of nature around us. I think that we get our fundamental needs met by the environment, and that our mental or non-physical growth can be significantly improved by our integration with and appreciation for nature. I also think it is important for everyone to develop their own connections to nature and their own sense of appreciation for the world around them.

I view nature interpretation as a way to share knowledge or spread a certain message. We can provide narratives to a collection of facts, which lets us influence other people’s perspectives and understanding. I think that everyone has unique experiences and perspectives that they can contribute to how we interpret nature, and each person should work on fostering and spreading whatever messages they resonate with.

I think that nature interpreters have a few main responsibilities. The most obvious one to me is to provide accurate information. The point of nature interpretation is to interpret nature, so providing false or misleading information is not a great way to fulfill those responsibilities. In addition to providing accurate information, I think it is also the role of a responsible interpreter to integrate multiple viewpoints into their interpretation to avoid biases and include more diverse sources of knowledge. Providing this variety can provide a more complete picture of nature, while also providing representation for a more diverse audience (Hooykaas, 2024). Another important responsibility is to ensure accessibility. Providing interpretive activities to people with disabilities is both a legal and moral responsibility of nature interpreters and should be a significant consideration of planning and executing any activity (Beck et al., 2018). Finally, to ensure that people have positive experiences, nature interpreters are responsible for the health and safety of their activities. Planning for nature interpretation should always include assessing the risks of a given activity and avoiding or reducing any possible safety risks before beginning the interpretation (Hooykaas, 2024).

As an individual, I think I can cater to a variety of learning styles, since I utilize them myself to varying degrees. I have an auditory learning style, which includes learning by listening to things like lectures, discussions, podcasts (Hooykaas, 2024). I enjoy listening to educational content in my spare time or while I do work, and I listen to tons of different online lectures, educational podcasts, and discussions/debates about politics, philosophy, and science. I also sometimes have a visual learning style, which includes using visual aids such as diagrams or graphs (Hooykaas, 2024). Whenever I learn something new or try to work through a problem, especially with difficult concepts, I try to visualize what I can in my head to help my understanding or I will physically sketch it out to give myself a visual aid. For example, whenever I write a paper, I make sure to write out all my main points as bullets so that I can move everything around afterwards and organize my work in a way that makes sense to me while I can see all my points laid out on my screen. However, my most effective learning style is as a tactile learner, which is learning by experience (Hooykaas, 2024). My favorite and most effective way to learn anything new is to have a specific goal and then to immerse myself in an activity and figure out what I’m doing through physical experiences. For example, I will spend a lot of time learning new scales or theories for music by watching videos, listening to recorded lectures, or reading articles on the subject, but I never fully grasp the concepts until I pick up an instrument and start trying to put those theories into practice. I find that I can build a surface-level understanding and retain information, but until I work through something on my own, I can’t fully integrate the new knowledge into my understanding of the subject. Since I use a diverse set of learning styles, I can make the content I interpret reflect those styles and ensure the activities are digestible and engaging for wider varieties of people (Hooykaas, 2024).

Another approach to nature interpretation where I think I could excel is with cultural or religious approaches, especially pertaining to Judaism. I grew up as a modern-orthodox Jew, and my whole family is Jewish and quite religious, so I have a strong understanding of how Judaism can shape people’s worldviews and environmental ethics.

Here I am at my Shul in 2014 taking pictures for my Bar Mitzvah.

Since I grew up immersed in the Jewish community, I can relate to other Jewish people from both a cultural and religious standpoint and can interpret nature to others through this shared lens of Jewish perspectives. Places of worship can potentially be excellent at motivating communities to organize politically and take environmental actions, but environmentalism is not currently a significant objective for religious communities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) (Caldwell et al., 2022). However, Jewish places of worship in the Greater Toronto Area are some of the most environmentally active places of worship and are most likely to directly frame their actions as environmentally oriented compared to other faith groups (Caldwell et al., 2022). This encourages the idea that connecting to Jewish groups can potentially be a promising avenue for interpreting nature and environmentalism.

Works Cited

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Chapter 7: Serving diverse audiences. Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For a better world (pp. 127-159). Sagamore Venture.

Caldwell, C., Probstein, N., & Yoreh, T. (2022). Shades of green: environmental action in places of worship. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 12(3), 430-452.

Hooykaas, A. (2024) Unit 02: Teaching learners, ENVS*3000. University of Guelph.

Hooykaas, A. (2024) Unit 03: Risk versus reward in interpretation, ENVS*3000. University of Guelph.

[jtenvs3000w24]

Hi Daniel!

I agree with your point that we as humans are a part of nature. I had not thought that it might not be our responsibility as humans to help preserve and protect nature. I also didn’t think about the fact that information shared through interpretation should be true. I had just assumed false information wouldn’t be shared. But that is not true. There are definitely a number of situations where false info is shared. Like in the case of someone not knowing what they are presenting is false.

In our daily lives with all the responsibilities sand stress. It is often hard to remember and acutely practice that we are a part of nature. Unwinding in nature and taking a break to enjoy the sounds and sights that ecosystems provide is definitely a way to do this that I love too. Your thought that we as humans are not responsible to help the environment really has me thinking about my own beliefs and how much of what I myself believe in is rooted in this idea. Despite humans being the major factor for harming the environment and our capabilities with technology. It is not the law to help repair these ecosystems. But like you have said there are many non-monetary benefits to the environment. And fixing it solely for to make more money should not be the purpose.

Considering inaccessibility is also an important factor for interpretation that you have touched on. Through the course we have learned this in a variety of ways; learning styles, privilege and bias as a view. Programs should meet the needs of a different audiences through different styles to provide the best experience. Your mention of working with religious specific communities was a point I had not thought about, but is definitely a good idea for reaching more audiences.

Great blog post. Thanks for posting this semester and good luck with finals.

[jtenvs3000w24]

Looking Back And Looking Forward

Hi all welcome back!

Looking back through the semester I feel I have learned a lot thought he course Nature Interpretation and feel as if though I am at a different place or completely different mindset from when the course first started. Unlike most other courses I have taken at my time at the University of Guelph, this course was not purely academic in the traditional sense and I rather enjoyed the different more hands on angle, through different working mediums that the course has taken. I feel it has provided me with a unique position much like you all my fellow peers and look forward to applying these skills and continue working on my developed mindset towards the environment and environmental interpretation.

Much like all you readers out there I imagine this week’s final blog prompt provided some difficulty. With double the number of words to write and responses to answer and such an open-ended question, that requires lots of self-reflection. I felt that this blog post was the most difficult out of all of them so far. Not because of the word count but the time and effort and sometimes difficulty in assessing ourselves and accurately and honestly pinpointing where I am compared to where I have been. When the course Nature Interpretation first started, I was scared to tackle blog posts. This being my first-time blogging ad I imagine it has been for quite a few other students in the class. Currently I am in second year and have come from college. And despite the 5 years of schooling that is still ongoing. I had felt like I didn’t really have a voice. Or more accurately, that there was no merit in anything for me to share to readers. Despite that I had still blogged and come to find that is not true.

Currently looking back on where I had begun, I feel that I have more of a care and an appreciation for the environment than when the course first started. I feel that I am now able to understand the environment and nature interpretation more from a nonacademic view point. In school its always about grades and how well you are doing. And I feel that despite still wanting to do well in this course, it has emphasized that success is not everything, with grading being somewhat ambiguous at the start. And growing into a better blogger and interpreter by the end of the course. Personally, one of the main reasons why I love the environment so much is that it is expansive. It is literally all of the Earth and I feel that it is free. Despite all the land titles and treaties and ownership. There are still parts of the environment and the world that no one owns and had even discovered. When I am in nature it makes me feel free and I feel that this course has reminded me of that. Hearing birds chirping and crickets cricketing. The animals are and insects and other organisms are also free. And when I am in nature it helps me relax and feel like I am acutely a part of the whole big world and its environment.

For me, getting to experience the environment in some capacity regularly throughout all stages of life is an important belief of mine. I know that nature has shaped my life from a very young age, and without the exposure to nature and animals and the natural elements. I don’t believe I would be the person I am today writing this blog post. There are so many positive benefits to being out in nature which I feel are under appreciated and taken for granted. The physical benefits of moving around and being active. The health benefits of eating freshly produced food that tastes and is good for you. The mental health benefits of unplugging for a while and living in the moment. Something I know struggle with often and experiencing the beauty of nature through all your senses.

Reflecting on myself for this blog post. I believe that I have come to get a better understanding of the things that are expected of me in some capacity. Partly from myself and other people. I feel that I expect myself to protect the beauty of nature in some capacity. That has always been a guiding goal for me from ever since I was younger. I want to make sure that nature is available for other people to experience. Be it future generations or even people who are alive now that have yet to come around to loving the environment. This is merely a first step into the restoration of the environment (Hooykaas, n.d.) and I know that I would love to be one small part of it that accumulates to helping the earth. I also know that I want to feel at home in the environment.

Through the course content from learning styles to individual experience to dream jobs. I believe we all have a deeper understanding of where we see ourselves as some sort of nature interpreter. As well as how we expect to accomplish our goals in some capacity. For me I have never been a fan of school and I know that an academic pathway to help protect the environment is not something I would enjoy. From experience I know I enjoy to be outside in nature helping out and taking care of vegetation and animals through a hands-on experience. However, despite the dream job exercise. I am still not sure what that looks like exactly. There are no career paths that I feel I gravitate to stronger than the other. And with so many choices it all feels overwhelming and frightening. But I know that like many others, there is time. And personally, knowing that I want to do something in field where I get to experience nature very day in some capacity, is more than I had hoped to figure out from this course.

Thank you for reading! I know the last blog posts are long. And good luck on finals we're almost there!!!

Hooykaas, A. (n.d.). Unit 10Nature Interpretation's Role in Environmental Sustainability [Lecture notes]. ENVS3000 Nature Interpretation. University of Guelph.

Free stock photos, royalty free stock images & copyright free ... (n.d.-a). https://www.pexels.com/

Yellow Flower with green leaves · Free Stock Photo. (n.d.). https://www.pexels.com/photo/yellow-flower-with-green-leaves-9324330/

[ahenvs3000w24]

09: Something Pretty Amazing

Hey all!

After a week-long break, I am back with another blog post. This week we were all asked to reflect upon the most amazing thing we know about nature. Having experienced the two extremes of hours basking under the hot sun in the Greek Islands and being bundled in layers in strong windstorms up north, I recognize the great amount of diversity we have in natural landscapes across the world. Not only did the species and climate differ in each location I have travelled to, but the people did as well.

What has inspired me about the natural world throughout my travels and experiences is how through the evolution of humanity, our relationship with the natural world has changed. 

The Western world is motivated by production. Developers compete with other companies and expand their businesses via surface area or internal connections. Large oil companies in western Canada extract thousands of litres of oil daily and plant a few trees in efforts to reconcile the damage they have done. Our ancestors recognized the natural world has some of the purest remedies and resources one could need and readily foraged for them (Geniusz & Geniusz, 2015). It has been noted that Sphagnum moss (peat moss) was regularly used by the Annishabee peoples are diaper lining for the incredible absorbent quality of the moss species (Geniusz & Geniusz, 2015). Our Arboretum has several berry species and weed species such as Dandelions that can be sourced as a pasta alternative (Ontario Nature, 2017). Some of the greatest teachings from our ancestors describe how fulfilled their life is when they become one with nature. 

While travelling Europe, I appreciated the value of nature that several countries still hold. Italy is industrialized, without doubt, but even through industry, I was astonished by how many home gardens I saw. People see the value in producing their own food, spending time outdoors, and have the appreciation that much of the Western world is lacking. 

As someone who lives in the Ontarian consumer driven society like many of you, we often look for efficiency, regardless of the impact it has on our environment. I have noticed our society is growing increasingly impatient with far shorter attention spans as time goes on. This transfers into the lack of acknowledgement and respect of our natural world. Nature interpretation is the bridge to providing the knowledge and exposure to the natural world and the value it holds (Hooykaas, 2024). 

I am extremely passionate about sourcing from local markets and sourcing my food from nature. I have the utmost respect for our ancestors and the teachings they have provided us. Rather than seeing my walk to the grocery store as simply moving from point A to B, I appreciate the time spent in the outdoors. To summarize, the ability for humans to connect with the natural world both physically and emotionally is what has always amazed me most. This is a connection I will continue to cherish as I continue to learn about nature interpretation.

References

Geniusz, M. S., & Geniusz, A. (2015). Four traditional plants in the Anishinaabeg culture. In W. M. Geniusz (Ed.), Plants have so much to give us, all we have to do is ask: Anishinaabe botanical teachings (pp. 139–174). University of Minnesota Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5749/j.ctt189tth4.11

Hooykaas, A. (2024). Unit 1: Launching into Nature interpretation. University of Guelph. https://courselink.uoguelph.ca/d2l/le/content/858004/viewContent/3640015/View

Ontario Nature. (2017, October). Northern Forest Foraging Guide.                                                            https://ontarionature.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Ontario_Nature_Forest_

Foraging_Guide_official.pdf

[jtenvs3000w24]

Hi Ainslie!

You went to Greek, that sounds amazingly fun, hope you enjoyed the trip and happy to hear that it was an eye opening and fun experience.

Your take on the most amazing thing about the environment, humans’ relationships with nature, was an insightful perspective I had not thought of. Here in the western world as you have said, the vast majority of people and corporations are driven by profit and how much money they can make. When compared to the past practices of first nations communities like the Annishabee, that you have pointed out, there was a deeper connection and appreciation for the environment. The environment and nature around all of us was seen as something intrinsic that humans were a part of as another species of animals.

I have never been to Italy myself but it is good to hear and experience second hand through the images you posted in your post that there is a deeper connection and appreciation for the environment outside of the monetary value that here in the west we put on and use nature for. With the oncoming trend that you have pointed out, I believe many people have noticed as well, being the lack of attention span in our daily lives. I do feel a concern as well for the future and already some observed impacts that shorter attention will have on caring for the environment. It is already hard to draw up change for helping ecosystems and nature. I do believe that through nature interpretation as well, there is a chance and an increasing potential to help people and society as a whole care more for the environment and its ecosystems through first hand experience and appreciation of all the beauty it has to offer outside of monetary value.

Welcome back and great post and pictures this week.

[jtenvs3000w24]

#8: Cultural norms in the environment

The most amazing thing that I know about nature is the diversity that nature has. Nature as a whole is comprised of many different interconnected and moving parts that work together. Within this diversity there are different environments themselves and species. There are many animal species that are similar to humans in many ways through communications and holding rituals or cultures. Birds in particular communicate through chirping with different pitches and tones. Back to a few weeks ago and the article The Music of Nature and the Nature of Music (Gray et al, 2024). As we know humans are not the sole exception for communication between individuals. Many animals are like us and have a diverse and complicated form of communication that is unique to them. Birds for example are one of the species that surprisingly mimic human activities. Aside from the obvious ways that birds are similar to humans, being the use of chirping as communication, through the change of pitches and octaves (Gray et al, 2024). Birds are have even been known to use tools similar to humans, to make eating easier, or reach things. Birds also build nests like humans which many other animals do as well in the building of dens as homes. Some bird species are even known to mourn birds that have passed away or have been killed, like crows and magpies (Leffer, 2023). This being most akin to human traditions such as holding funerals and saying goodbye to the deceased. I know for crows, if they have seen an animal kill a fellow crow, they for large groups and gang up on the assailant which I imagine to be rather terrifying, really putting the murder in the name a murder of crows.

Aside from the striking social and traditional similarities that birds have to humans there are a variety of other animals that exhibit similar behavior to human traditions. The noises whales make to communicate, the clicks, whistles and pulses are seen as their language (Gray et al, 2024). Monkeys are commonly known to use tools and play around with one another as social norms. Some wolves have even been studied and during times where an individual is sick or sad they isolate away from the rest of the pack similar to human depression. And when individuals pass away within a pack, the rest of the pack has at times, been observed to show signs of grief, most similar to humans through sadness and being closed off to the other members of the pack (Grief, 2019).

To me this is one of the most amazing things I have found out about nature so far. Despite all the diversity in environments and species, many animals are like us. Birds, monkeys which we are more closely related to and even aquatic mammals like whales and wolves. With how big the world is and all the differences between species, environments and even DNA. I find it fascinating that even without having interacted, or at times having limits short interactions, various species can all exhibit the same or similar social traits, that we as humans rely on heavily from day to day and deem to be important for the end stages of life!

References

Gray, Patricia M., et al. "The Music of Nature and the Nature of Music." Science, vol. 291, no. 5501, 5 Jan. 2001, p. 52. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A69270354/AONE?u=guel77241&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=fb9366a8.

Leffer, L. (2023, February 21). 6 unexpected ways birds are important for the environment (and people). Audubon. https://www.audubon.org/news/6-unexpected-ways-birds-are-important-environment-and-people

Grief is not uniquely human. wolves mourn too. Wolf Conservation Center. (2019, February 8). https://nywolf.org/2016/09/grief-is-not-uniquely-human-wolves-mourn-too/

Free photo: Shallow focus shot of a crow standing on a wooden branch with a blurred background. Freepik. (2021, March 8). https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/shallow-focus-shot-crow-standing-wooden-branch-with-blurred-background_13061685.htm#query=crow&position=6&from_view=keyword&track=sph&uuid=292a945f-14ae-49d0-94ca-98ce840e951c

Free photo: Wolf in a forest covered in the snow under the sunlight. Freepik. (2020, November 12). https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/wolf-forest-covered-snow-sunlight_11063216.htm#fromView=search&page=1&position=12&uuid=b151c392-3b31-4504-a3cb-2eb1df0a2ae0

[ntenvs3000w24]

07: Music in Nature, Nature in Music

Music, like nature, surrounds us. Natural music is something we hear every day, from birds chirping to communicate in the morning to the sound of leaves struggling when a gust of wind blows. A symphony in nature can be as simple as a cricket at night, the crackling of a fire, the sound of waves at the beach, or even the silence we observe during a snowfall. Although this music lacks words, it can nonetheless tell a tale that we can interpret. This style of music might evoke specific emotions in readers or perhaps serve as a reminder of a lost memory. 

Another method to consider where music exists in nature is to reflect back many years before mass creation of instruments. Many instruments were made from the natural world around us. Shakers are a wonderful illustration of this, as they are typically created from shells or seeds sealed in containers. Another good example is conch cells, which, when blown into, provide a wonderful sound comparable to a trumpet or horn. 

Nature is often represented in music. This can be achieved directly by artists incorporating noises from the natural environment into their music, as Zach Bryan did in Smaller Acts. It almost seems like he is recording around a campfire next to a lake, giving the song the country ambiance he is attempting to convey. As stated in the textbook, when preparing to write, the first step should be to determine what you want to convey your audience (Beck et al., 2018). In the instance of Zach Bryan's song, it appears that he is attempting to emphasize someone's appreciation for the basic things in life, and the outside setting while listening to the music connects it to being appreciative of life and the environment we get to enjoy. 

Hearing, in some ways, reminds me of scent.  Have you ever said that a specific scent reminds you of a time or event in your life? For me, an old fragrance that I no longer use but did in high school may instantly transport me back to the feeling of sharing lunch with my friends at the cafeteria table. It gives back memories that I enjoy. Similarly, there are songs that I stumble across that I haven't heard in a while and they transport me back to a specific time in my life. Whether it's a classic TikTok sound or a tune I used to listen to before soccer or hockey games. I find that music may provide me with the same experience as spending time in nature and connecting with it. So I suppose this is another way I see nature in music.

Empire of the Sun's song Walking On A Dream frequently reminds me of a natural setting. This song takes me back to a variety of places. I initially added it to my playlist during the onset of the pandemic. During the lockdown, I spent a lot of time on nearby hiking trails, and in general, I spent more time outside. Hearing this song takes me back to this time period. Later, this song was added to my travel playlist, which I created before visiting Europe for the first time. Flying over every city in Greece and all of the cities  in Italy while listening to this song made me feel removed from all of my stresses and enthusiastic for the few weeks ahead. Do you have any songs that remind you of a specific period in your life?

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: for a better world. Sagamore Venture.

[jtenvs3000w24]

Hi Nicoletta!

I agree that music can really be found everywhere and as you have stated is inspired by nature. Through the impaction of forms and sounds which we as humans try to embody, to become closer to nature through the physical forms and styles that we perceive all around us in the natural world. I myself also like to use music as an escape from the world. Certain songs do give a nice nostalgic vide when you hear them again after a long time. Or set the ambience of specific moods and situations that we are in.

Back to what your right about music being found everywhere. There are specific sounds that are rather nostalgic for me like crickets and leaves you have written about. They remind me of specific times of the year like cricket noises at night when I have my window open. Or the morning doves that like to perch on my window sill and wake me up early on summer mornings. I remember on of my favorite instruments being the rain sticker when I was younger. It reminded of the natural soothing sound of the rain which I liked to fall asleep to whenever it rained. This clearly being an imitation of the sound of rain in the environment.

I gave Empire of the Sun's song Walking On A Dream, a listen and talk about nostalgia. I feel like I haven’t heard that song in forever. For me one of the settings this song reminds me of is being outside during a fundraiser for school, another outdoor memory related to nature. For you it also takes you back to various places. Empire of the sun on a walking playlist sounds like a nice vibe.

Thanks for your blog post!

[jtenvs3000w24]

#7: We Love The Earth

A song that takes me immediately back to a natural landscape is Lil Dicky Earth. The natural landscape that this song reminds me of is the Earth as a whole specifically all the forests and parks that I myself enjoy. For context this is a song from 2019 featuring a lot of different artists like Justin Bieber, Airana Grande, Halsey, Torey Lanez and many others. The songs premise is to deliver a message about how we as humans love the Earth but are destroying it with our various activities. The message is delivered through song and in a funny non serious tone especially when watching the music video. That I personally feel still gets the message across, without making listeners and viewers feel terrible.

Nature within the song is seen through the incorporation of various music artists from a variety of different genres. Even though this song may be outside most people’s genres of music, I feel that it can still be an enjoyable listening or watching experience. Whether this is because of the song using artists from genres of music that people like, listen to and are familiar with. Or if its message for helping the environment comes across well. Maybe a bit of both.

Back to how this song uses nature. In one of the articles for this week’s topic The Music of Nature and the Nature of Music, there is a discussion about all the different animals that use music as a means of communication. How whales use short sounds as a form of sentences. And how birds change octaves for different emotions when communication, as a few specific examples (Gray et al, 2024). The usage of various artists from different genres through animals, reminds me of how different animals use music to communicate in a similar manner. Through using different artists and featuring them all on one song, a wider audience can be reached. While at the same time alluding to the communication of animals through music. To me this is similar to how you can be in a forest on a hike or even outside on a summer day in a park and hear all sort of different sounds from animals, bugs and other critters. We as humans may not understand what all these different sounds mean, but they still convey a feeling to us. For me personally just hearing bees buzzing, crickets and birds chirping reminds me of different specific times of the day and seasons.

In the song nature can be seen through the lyrics and the music video. The lyrics focus on the negative effects that humans have on the earth like forest fires caused by global warming. There is also a focus on different animals that are affected by our activities, and natural landscapes like the forests which are destroyed. In the music video, Lil Dicky travels the earth meeting all these different animals, touring the Earth and its continents, all to convey the message of coming together to make a change and help one another, the environment and the Earth.

Here is the link to the song and the website for helping the Earth. It's not for everybody, but let me know what you though.

Lil Dicky Earth

Help the Cause | We Love the Earth

The Earth needs our help. If we don’t make massive changes to our behavior over the next twelve years, the damage we’ve done to this planet

And here is the article for the week I referenced

Gray, Patricia M., et al. "The Music of Nature and the Nature of Music." Science, vol. 291, no. 5501, 5 Jan. 2001, p. 52. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A69270354/AONE?u=guel77241&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=fb9366a8. Accessed 27 Feb. 2024.

Thanks for reading 🌎 🌍 🌏

[sabenvs3000w24]

Blog 6: Unpacking Edward Hyams Quote

With the following thought-provoking quote from the book "The Gifts of Interpretation", Edward Hyams makes a strong case for the importance of history and the necessity of integrity.  "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." To fully grasp the significance of this verse, which is full of implications and meaning, it is worth delving further.

Hyams begins by refuting the idea that objects that are ancient are valuable just because of their age. Rather, he turns the emphasis to integrity, characterizing it as a structural need that sustains the many constituents of any organism across time, as well as a moral virtue. In this sense, integrity encompasses not just personal qualities but also the collective consciousness and knowledge of the community as a whole. It follows that society's integrity is maintained by ongoing, shared remembrance and comprehension of its history.

The comparison of a train station perfectly captures the spirit of Hyams' argument. The past does not become irrelevant as time goes on, just as a train station does not vanish the instant a train leaves. It is a misperception of time and existence to think that history is meaningless once it has been lived. History is a continuum that both shapes and is shaped by the present, not a collection of discrete occurrences. Our comprehension of the present is shaped by the past, which also directs our future course of action. This perspective challenges us to reevaluate how we relate to the past. It implies that a society's integrity is preserved by its capacity to recall, comprehend, and incorporate its past into its current identity in addition to its outward accomplishments and inventions. In order to achieve this integration, the past must be actively engaged with and acknowledged for its effect on the present and future.

The quotation from Hyams is an appeal for a more in-depth study of history as a vital component of leading an honorable life rather than just as an academic exercise. It inspires us to view history as an essential component of our shared identity rather than as a burden or an outmoded relic. We may safeguard the integrity of society and become better equipped to handle the problems of the present and the future by accepting our historical consciousness.

By dissecting Hyams' quotation, we are reminded of how important history is to maintaining social order. It pushes us to see history as a dynamic, breathing aspect of our shared identity that influences both the present and the future, rather than merely a chronicle of past occurrences. Recognising the ongoing significance of the past is crucial to preserving our society's integrity and making sure we proceed with discernment and wisdom.

References:

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For A Better World. Sagamore-Venture Publishing.

[jtenvs3000w24]

Hi Samantha!

I really liked your blog post for this week. Your analysis on Edward Hyams quote was insightful and you conveyed some ideas about integrity that I had not thought about. Your points on objects within history not automatically having a value just because they are ancient but instead relating the importance of these objects to integrity specifically societies integrity was not a perspective I had thought of. For me I had believed that ancient objects, over time had become important due to the stories, values and people that they had gone through in the past. Your perspective provides a different take and I thought provoking.

Referencing the example of a train station as the continued importance of the past, is a take on the quote I had thought of similarly. As you have said, society and people must continue to grow while looking to the past as an example for what has and has not worked. The individual and collective actions of people and communities respectively, all add up and accumulate to make the present day. Even within today’s society, we are all still trying to learn from past mistakes, in environmental issues specifically to create a better more sustainable future for both the present population and future generations. History is truly a gift that should be treasured, preserved, taught and learned from. Only when we truly know our past, can we begin to move forward. In the field of environmental interpretation, history is often a key piece of the interpretation research and delivery, that must be understood, to properly retell stories.

Great post!

[jtenvs3000w24]

#6 Integrity in history and the environment

Hey there bloggers and blog readers.

History in general is more often than not written from the point of view of the winners or ones who continue to live. That is not to say that communities and civilizations that have not won or continued live, have not had any history or written any texts. It is just that their works, traditions and cultures are more likely to be lost.

In regards to nature interpretation, the lineage of history is a foundational concept. The past actions of ancestors and civilizations who have tended to the land, have shaped the way for the land to grow into what it is today. In many communities, there is a misrepresentation and mistreatment of indigenous and native communities. In Canada the most prominent issue is the mistreatment of indigenous communities, with the lack of governmental care for their land rights. And the basic rights that all humans should have being, the access to clean drinking water.

To me, the quote from chapter 7, the part that sticks out the most and resonates to me is the emphasis on the importance of integrity. Integrity to me means the ability to stick to your personal principles and beliefs. This is a good quality to have that at times I have not always upheld. In some cases, I have not believed myself to be capable enough to do certain things like public speaking presentations or answering questions in class. Nonetheless, integrity is still a quality that I believe everyone has and everyone should have.

My friend brought up a good point about religion once that I think has helped me interpret this quote better. It was that everyone has their own beliefs and ideals, and that for him, religion is something that is consistent and lets him feel that he is on the right path. This being the case that his ideals are his and that as much as we may unconsciously force our own ideals on others, that it doesn’t necessarily make it right. The standards we hold ourselves to are ours and shouldn’t necessarily be applied to everyone. And yes, there is a base standard of society, with laws and rules. But in terms of more abstract concept like emotions and thoughts, there is less of a guideline for everyone to follow.

Anyways, I digress. How does all this relate to environmental interpretation and the quote specifically? Well, I have a general idea but from all my rambling on it is a lot harder to explain this concept then I thought. Back to integrity and the environment. It is a lot like the train station sentence at the end of the quote. Like, to say we as a class were to venture into the arboretum. All the times we’re not at the arboretum, it is still there. There is maintenance and other visitors and animals and weather and a whole bunch of different factors that influence the arboretum. To make it the way it is when we had hypothetically visited it as a class.  And to me that’s kind of how I see the history of nature, nature interpretation, and what the quote means to me.

There is an intrinsic value to the past actions and events, which have made the environment and ecosystems how they are today. From the mass extinctions and flood and forest fires. To the regrowth and all the work that communities that are here and no longer here have put into these systems. And through nature interpretation and the work of various other fields. Their hard work and culture is passed on and continue to live. Just like the train station that has been passed by.

I know I rambled on a whole lot but, I hope that made at least some bit of sense. Thanks for reading.

Here's the textbook for the quote

Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage for a Better World - eBook

Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage provides a broad overview of the field of interpretation by introducing interpretation, discussin

[hqsenvs3000w24]

Week 5: Off-roading

This week, we are going prompt-less, off-roading, some would say. We've been given the opportunity so create our own prompt and write about whatever we're thinking about. I personally struggle occasionally with deciding on where to start when given complete creative freedom with an assignment. However, this time it was relatively easy.

Over the past few days, we've done readings on nature interpretation through science, which was a topic I'm comfortable with, being a science student and working in a outdoor education setting as well. It was interesting to learn more about tailoring the way you talk and the words you use to specific audiences. When I entered my first job helping educate children about the environment, I was so worried that I wasn’t going to be a good instructor, because I have a bad memory and a hard time remembering species names and behaviours and the plethora of scientific processes. However, after like a week, I learned that it's really not about that at all, in fact, it's quite the opposite. Just like we learned about in "Naming" Nature (Hooykaas, 2023), sometimes it’s better to lose the jargon and fancy words and stick straight to the simplest ideas, especially when working with children, or adults who don't know anything about the topic.

It struck true when our professor mentioned "…as environmental students, you already know much of what you need to know (scientifically) the rest is about approach" (Hooykaas, 2023). We have been learning the past few years about the environment and now we need to take that information and sculpt it in a way that is usable. I wouldn’t sit down with a bunch of grade threes and explain to them the science of climate change and the processes that are causing it. They would have no clue what’s going on. I know now that it would be better to create an activity where they can how warming works for themselves. With adults, I could go more into detail and talk to a more scientific degree, however it is always important to keep in mind that most of the people we will be guiding or instructing or teaching, do not come from the same background and it's always best to start with the basics and work your way up from there.

As we approach the halfway point of this semester (which is crazy, I can’t believe it!!) I took this open prompt as a chance to reflect about what I’ve learned the past few weeks. When I started this course, I was fully thinking that I already knew everything about nature interpretation, turns out I was so wrong. I’ve learned a whole pile of new techniques and viewpoints to consider as an interpreter. My eyes were reopened to my privilege and I was reminded of how lucky I am to have had positive interactions with nature throughout my life. I’m starting to have a deeper understanding of the various ways to interpret nature (so far, art is my favourite) and how to integrate them into interpretation in order to make a more positive, interesting experience for those partaking.

I’m excited to see what the next few week will bring!

- All for now :)

Hooykaas, A. (2024). Unit 05: Nature Interpretation through Science [lecture notes]. ENVS3000 Nature Interpretation. University of Guelph.

[jtenvs3000w24]

Hi Heather,

Your title for this week’s discussion post is good. Off-roading really fits the theme of going prompt less as you had said. I myself also struggle with picking topics for projects when we are given such create freedom, often becoming overwhelmed with all the different avenues that I could explore and not sure which precise one I should pick, which is kind of evident in my post this week as I talked about a bunch of different things.

I think the direction you took this blog post, being a self-reflection and somewhat a looking to the future kind of post, was good. Being halfway through the semester and halfway through the blog posts that we have to write, a reflection on our developed skills, how we’ve applied them and how they have been used. In your case as an instructor, is a good exercise to see where we can grow as nature interpreters through the rest of the course, schooling and careers. Like you I also struggle with memorizing names and fact, which is always a pain when studying content for exams that I have to cram into my brain. It’s good that you have learned that it’s not all about the scientific terms as professor Hooykaas has said. And that you’ve had a change to actually apply this is even better. As you already have some experience doing this in practice as an educator, hopefully incorporating these thoughts and skills into the two podcasts that we have to do will be easy and be an extra resource you can draw from.

Thanks for the post.

[jtenvs3000w24]

Blog Post #5: Citizen science in nature and demographics

While growing up, attending school and at time volunteering I had noticed a growing trend for environmental stewardship. Coincidentally my own interests also shifted in this direction towards the environment. I feel that the article Convergence between science and environmental education covers this perfectly. In today’s society there is a greater emphasis in environmental science and environmental education which unfortunately, was not as much of a concern in older curriculum. As stated in the article the three main focuses of environmental education today are; 1) developing thinking capacity to 2) make inform conditions and 3) act individually and together to benefit the environment (Wals, A., et al, 2014). These three principles tie together nicely as a natural thinking process with inevitable action. Despite the only recent growth and still growing concern, simply teaching children and youth alone in schools and through interpretation, would not be enough to create change and spread knowledge as far as possible. Aiming towards adults and elderly audiences as well will help.

Incorporating new ideas into education and interpretation are good examples of innovative solutions that will work to help foster more environmental stewards and at the very least more people who are informed of the current environmental issues. Incorporating edible gardens and more green spaces into schools to me sounds like a fun idea and something I feel I would have enjoyed (Stevenson, R., et al, 2013). It also works to teach basic skills like gardening and growing crops which are transferable skills that would work to increase the public interest of community gardens and individual gardens by passing on these skill and knowledge to parents. There may also be the added benefit of having more green spaces in schools as a comfortable aesthetic which works to distress students.

I had never really considered the importance of citizen science and the role it plays in research and informing the public. I knew of the term citizen science but had never really seen it in practice or read about it much. It’s interesting to think that there are whole niche communities that use citizen science as their primary research like in Trinidad and Tobago (Overdevest, C., et al, 2004). Its kind of like an indie science that delivers research results in a different manner that is more accessible and comprehensible for the public, made by citizens for the science word and other citizens.

In the article Evaluating Environmental Education, Citizen Science, and Stewardship through Naturalist Programs, it was interesting to see the different reaches of science within a specific field. Focusing on the areas where demographics of groups participating in citizen science and research as a whole were specific to a few demographics (Merenlender, A., et al, 2016). Whether it be naturally or by choice I thought it was an interesting observation to note. The fact that this article addresses it and therefore aims to work on closing this gap of data for science fields. In doing so, there will be a wider spread of knowledge and less misinformed or uniformed communities and individuals. This will work to increase the individual and community stewardship gaps by addressing interpretation bias on some level, even if its just through word of mouth from minority and misrepresented communities.

References

Wals, A. E., Brody, M., Dillon, J., & Stevenson, R. B. (2014). Convergence between science and environmental education. Science, 344(6184), 583-584.

Stevenson R. B., Brody M., Dillon J., Wals A. E. J., Eds., International Handbook of Research on Environmental Education (Routledge, New York, 2013).

Hargreaves L. G., Educ. Rev. 6, 69 (2008); www.developmenteducationreview.com/issue6-perspectives2.

Overdevest C, Orr CH, Stepenuck K. 2004. Volunteer stream monitoring and local participation in natural resource issues. Human Ecology Review 11: 177–185.

Merenlender, A. M., Crall, A. W., Drill, S., Prysby, M., & Ballard, H. (2016). Evaluating environmental education, citizen science, and stewardship through naturalist programs. Conservation Biology, 30(6), 1255-1265.

[tsenvs3000w24]

4: Art and Nature

I think that art has been inspired by nature for such a long time, and it's no wonder why. Nature is beautiful, in so many different ways, that it's easy to draw inspiration from the world around you. Now me personally, I'm not really an artist, but I love looking at art, and I love nature, so art inspired by nature always make me feel good. So many artists are so talented at not just drawing landscapes, but showing their appreciation for nature through their art. I find that my favourite artists are able to connect with the intricacy of nature, such as ecosystem balances, and the connections within nature. My favourite paintings make me feel something, which I think is the key to successful interpretation through art.

Some of my favourite nature paintings: Top: Ivan Aivazovksi's The Ninth Wave (personal favourite, I have a print of it!). Bottom left: Claude Monets' Cliff at Varengreville. Bottom right: Albert Bierstadts' Mount Corcoran.

The most important part of art and nature is the translation of sentiment from artist to audience (Beck et al., 2018). As I said above, I find that my favourite pieces make me feel anything. The ones I added to this post make me feel small, in a good way. Nature is everywhere, and it's boundless, so I appreciate each of these paintings for the way that they can capture that feeling, at least to me.

My kind of nature interpretation through art would probably be the art of flower pressing. My dad and I used to do it when I was young, and I remember pressing the first flowers that would bloom in our backyard in the springtime. I find pressing flowers creates a memory, and as someone who loves preserving things and being able to remember them later, pressing flowers was the way to do that. I also like that I was able to do it with my dad, and that he taught me the way to do it, so I can do it with someone else in the future.

In conclusion, the relationship between art and nature is quite the dramatic interplay, shaped the most by the interpretations of both the artists and the viewers.

References:

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For A Better World. SAGAMORE Publishing.

[jtenvs3000w24]

Hi Tamara, I really like the pictures you placed in your blog post. I’m not much of an artist myself either but at times I have enjoyed going to art galleries and look at various art pieces, and attempting to draw or paint. I can’t say that I have any favorite art pieces but I do enjoy the way that you can gleam into an artist’s thoughts, ideas and experiences through their art work. As you have said the three-art works that you have included do a good job of capturing and conveying the scale of nature. That being that nature is often much larger than us on an ecosystem and global scale.

I can’t say that I have ever tried pressing flowers before. And despite the word flower pressing itself hinting at what exactly it is I had to search it just to make sure. I like that you have an idea as to the type of art you would use in your own interpretation of nature. I also think that having the connection of fond memories with your father from flower pressing together. This would help to better communicate your feelings and what you would hope others to take from your art interpretation of nature due to the sentimental value attached with your experience of this particular art method. After the look into flower pressing I have taken, I feel that this would be a good method for art interpretation of nature, as it doesn’t require a strong talent for art. I may be wrong, but the steps I had read seem straightforward, and it probably isn’t too difficult for people to get good results even if they are new to flower pressing.

[jtenvs3000w24]

#4: Painting nature

As a learning environmental interpreter, I feel that I have the ability to interpret through art as much as any other person may use art for expression. As we are all taking nature interpretation to develop our skills, we are in the prime environment to take in more information as a natural learning experience. We are not on a set path so to speak with as much of a history or experience as a professional interpreter may be, in the sense that it is easier to learn more when we are still in the early stages of our environmental interpreter careers.

In terms of artistic ability, I would say that I am not that great of an artist personally. But that is not to say it is impossible to draw. With the mindset from my friend that “anyone who draws is an artist”, then I don’t think it would be impossible for me to use art as a form of expressions for interpreting the environment. Even in the scenario that I was leading other people in a nature activity to draw something in the environment that they see. As long as you take your time and try your best to convey and translate what it is that you are trying to interpret, then I think it would be a successful and eye-opening experience.

Regarding my personal interpretation on the gift of beauty. I try to appreciate nature for what it is in its natural state, without any judgements. Unlike with people and many other things, I find that it is easier to simply look at nature and appreciate it for what it is without any criticisms towards the way it should be or look. Of course, there is the case of garden shows and various competitions for shrubs and the like. But in general, when referring to the “wild” nature outdoors, it is more commonly taken as a beauty that simply is nice to look at, nice to enjoy and nice to experience.

Using Tilden’s principles of interpretation, there are a set of rules and guidelines to go about being an environmental interpreter. This is not to say that his views are wrong, but to me I feel like that in a sense is too restricting. Yes, there does have to be structure for interpretation to get your message across to an audience. And yes, there are certainly things that you probably shouldn’t so and avoid as an interpreter. However, personally I feel like often times, when I go to nature to enjoy it for myself and with friends and family. It serves as a recharge to get away from problems and at time the structure of society, work and the things around me. I feel that the gifts associated with the Tilden’s Principles of Interpretation a line more with me personally. Treating nature and the sharing of knowledge and heritage as a gift. To me it provides a structure for interpretation but doesn’t seem too overbearing while also allowing freedom. 84

[mgenvs3000w24]

Unit 03 Post

The prompt this week asks us to reflect on how "privilege" plays a role in nature interpretation and what our definition of privilege is; to begin, I would define privilege as being any quality about a person which gives them an advantage in life, whether it be race, class, family connections etc. as all of these things greatly influence how a person is perceived, and how they interact with the world.

The question of how privilege can effect nature interpretation is a complex one, though chapter 7 of the text describes several ways in which people may face barriers in the context of nature interpretation such as language barriers, economic limitations or lack of knowledge (Beck et al., 2018). Forms of privilege which could interact with nature interpretation could therefore be the opposite, speaking English in a primarily English-speaking country, being wealthy, and having knowledge about opportunities to connect with nature.

Furthermore, things like race and culture may also greatly impact how comfortable certain ethnic groups feel getting involved in nature interpretation activities. For example, the text states that "many urban minorities see camping as something only rich white people do for fun. For them, sleeping in a tent is associated with being homeless" (p. 133). In addition to this, as another example, if all the guides at a national park were wealthy white people, many minority groups could feel that they are unable to connect with or relate to the ways in which the guides interpret things, or may feel generally unwelcome.

I believe that when you have it, it is quite easy to forget about how big of an effect privilege can have in making every part of your life easier, how comfortable you are in certain situations, or the opportunities you have. I believe that it is an important goal to attempt to reduce barriers for minority groups wherever possible, and this also applies to nature interpretation. Everyone deserves to have an equal opportunity to connect to the great outdoors, and I hope we can make it more and more accessible in the future.

Reference

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For A Better World. Sagamore-Venture Publishing.

[jtenvs3000w24]

Hello max, I agree with your thought on privilege in general and more specifically privilege in the environment and environmental interpretation.

Reflecting on one’s personal experiences and determining where privilege lies is often a difficult thing to do. As it requires self-reflection and time. However, in doing so you will be able to understand where you are more privileged than others and potential or likely areas where your personal, environmental and taught biases come from. Living our day to day lives, it can often be hard to even begin to do this as everyone struggles with something. Furthermore, when discussing the privilege present in teaching positions as you and both the textbook have suggested, much like parents there is a strong chance to pass on ideas knowingly or unknowingly associated with privilege. This comes from past experiences or past teachings that have been taught and learned. Even through the identification of one’s own position of privilege and biases, as well as ways to deal with and mitigate them. It is difficult to completely eliminate all traces of bias, especially when teaching or sharing views. As the experiences we pull from and thoughts we share are shaped by our lives.

Everyone does deserve a chance to be outside connected to nature and enjoy their environment. It is unfortunate when privilege outside of being unable to access nature locations ruins people’s enjoyment of the environment.  Especially if people have taken the time, energy and often money, to reach their destinations. Only to have experiences ruined and at times, made hostile due to bias from interpreters and or guides.

[jtenvs3000w24]

3 - Privilege and Interpretation

Privilege to me is being exposed to opportunities or having advantages in life, specific fields or other endeavors that come from external sources which are unrelated to the efforts you yourself have put in. Privilege can come in many different forms and from many different influences. When I first think of privilege, I think of the chances that individuals and groups may have over other people. Of course, a talk about privilege can’t be had without talking about minorities or marginalized individuals and communities. Being a black person myself, in my own life I feel like I have been privileged to go to live in good areas and attend good schools and have various other opportunities that I know other people don’t have, due to my parents.

When considering privilege in nature as a whole and nature interpretations specifically, I feel that one of the key ways in which privilege plays a role is through the access of nature itself. In some cases, depending where individuals are living, it can be extremely difficult to access nature, outside of residential parks in neighborhoods. To experience nature people often just have to go outside and look around. You could walk outside your door in summer and observe birds flying or trees along the sidewalk.

To experience nature interpretation, it is extremely unlikely that you would find interpretation sessions happening on the streets of Toronto or even residential neighborhood like in Guelph. To experience nature interpretation, you often times have to go to where nature is and is the difficulty, as traveling costs money. Especially within today’s economy as the price of gas and many other immensities increases, there is a different difficulty associated with moving and going to places. Of course, living in the current time also provides different advantages then ever before, such as technology. Many natural parks and amenities have websites, and a few of these websites offer opportunities for people to experience nature and interpretation virtually. But then again, the access to technology itself, can be seen as another privilege that not everyone has.

Aside from the access to nature itself, I feel that privilege also affects the interpreter themselves. Interpreters can be affected through privilege by biases. Biases as everyone has them, are important to understand and work on the controlled way in which they can alter our messages and ideas. For instance, if an interpreter has a bias towards the winter seasons because they have lived in tropical climates, and they choose to not interpret nature in the winter, then they would have a smaller audience that they have met. Assuming they are a parks sole interpreter, and they were to interpret in the winter, they may not be as kind about it, and come of uncaring or un-thrilled.

Privilege can also influence interpreters through the access to actual interpreters. As environmental amenities need money to operate, the actual funding that parks and heritage areas have can influence who is available to interpret and teach people about the environment. Based on funding, pay, influence and other factors, there may be an abundance or deficit of interpreters available at any one location.

[unenvs3000w24]

My Ideal Role as an Environmental Interpreter

My ideal role as an environmental interpreter would likely look like me taking a group of people on a hike/walk in the forest and teaching them about plants and their medicinal value. I don’t know a great deal about this topic currently but I know enough that I can go on a walk and name some of the plants I’d see (thanks to my plant-loving mom). I hope to learn more about plant identification in the future as well as medicinal uses of these plants which can be very useful in a pinch. I think these things are best learned from someone in your community giving a hands-on learning environment. In this way, people of all learning types can get something out of the experience because you are speaking to them, showing them, and actively using and showing the plants. I would hand out booklets with the information spoken as well for those who prefer to read and process information on their own. Forest walks are not accessible by everyone so I’d like to have this information online as well for those who can’t be there in person.

Guelph is a great location for this kind of learning because there are so many access points to nature. I currently don’t drive but if I did I would do some walks out in a further forest that would be more remote and I would host some on the Royal Recreation Trail for those like me so they can access it by foot or bus. The fact that we experience all four seasons, and beautifully so, in Guelph adds another layer to this job. I would be going out in very hot and very cold temperatures which may not always be ideal but this is my dream job so I would still enjoy it! Nature transforms throughout each of those seasons, making what I present to each group slightly different based on the time of year and which plants are in season.

This job requires a lot of skills including teaching, understanding, problem solving, organization, creativity and communication. Firstly, I’d need to learn more about how different people learn and possible nuances in this that I may come across while in this position. I’ll need to educate myself further about this topic and on how to communicate what I’ve learned to others. I will want to make my nature walks as engaging as possible which requires a lot of creativity and organization to put something together that people will find valuable. Thus, this is a journey I’m excited to delve further into and take you all along with me. I hope to expand my skills in all of these areas through learning and teaching and hopefully one day be able to make this dream a reality.

[jtenvs3000w24]

Hello Uma

I liked your post, I thought it was personal and you painted a good idea about what it is you want to do as an interpreter. In both learning and teaching I feel that with a small group of people creates an environment that is more inclusive and productive. People feel more comfortable to both give and receive information as well as ask questions. It is also easier to cater to each individuals learning preference and adjust the speed of nature walks and tours. Likewise, I do believe that knowledge about plants would be a good thing to have especially in a pinch and when giving guided tours and hikes, that skill would definitely come in handy. Unfortunately, I don’t really have any knowledge about what specific plant look like and can’t identify many aside from poison ivy and a few common tree species. I do like to use apps that can tell you the species of plats though.

I also think that Guelph is a good place for experiencing nature. Through our time in University, we will get to develop a variety of skills that can be applied to various facets and are specific to interpretation. Even within the campus there are many places where people can enjoy the beauty of nature. Whether it be through trails, sports or observatory activities for plants and animals. I myself love to go on nature walks and hikes. Not so much in the winter, but I can agree that winter walks have a certain appeal to them.

[jtenvs3000w24]

Ideal Interpretation

Through the textbook readings my view of interpreters not just through an environmental lens but as a whole has changed. Where previously when I heard of an interpreter, I would’ve thought of a person who relays information in a different language, and specifically an environmental interpreter as Someone similar to a teacher. Now when I see or hear the word interpreter I now think of a person, similar to a guide that helps people experience through as many facets and senses what something has to offer.

My ideal role as an interpreter would be to help people experience the environment now. While also making people aware of the importance of the environment, its ecosystem and all its components, as well as the ways they can help sustain it for future use both individually and as a community. I guess I would say the role I envision would be somewhat similar to a sustainable environmental interpreter. Combining some aspects of a sustainable systems and remediation initiatives to help heal and nurture a healthier long-lasting environment while also allowing the enjoyment of the environment currently, in the present without further harming it.

Location wise for my role as my perfect interpreter job I imagine it would be in an environmental location where there is a need to bring awareness. Maybe somewhere like Alberta where Caribou populations are on the decline and at times extirpated. Or maybe in British Columbia giving guided interpretation in the Boreal Forest while also making visitors aware of the decline in forests and ecosystem diversity due to deforestation. For these types of areas or scenarios I would imagine that working in or for a national park would be an ideal setting. Doing do would allow me to interpret to a wide audience of visitors for the park while also managing somehow to incorporate protection of these environmental amenities in Canada. Depending on the position it may be easier to protect not only specific national parks and surrounding areas, but diversity and species abundances as well.

Tools I imagine I would need to reach my idealistic interpreter position would of course be this class. Through ENVS 3000 Nature Interpretation, I would gain hands on experience for interpreting nature a wide audience and a variety of audience demographics. First through blog posts which let me practice writing for academic audiences outside of a formal writing setting. A rather welcomed change of pace considering all the academic and scientific papers I’m sure many fellow students had also had to write. And second through the two podcasts which are targeted to children, an audience of a lower comprehension level. And adults, an audience of a possibly similar comprehension level to academics but who are less informed. As I continue on my education and Co-op through schooling, I imagine I will also be able to pick up a variety of other environmental specific skills that will allow me to become a better nature interpreter and environmental scientist. I will also be able to build upon my interpretation skills and add new viewpoints and knowledge, reshaping my opinions.