Final Thoughts on Nature Interpretation
Hey guys, GrassLover here, coming at ya for the final blog post. Let me just say that it has been a wild ride, in the best of ways. Coming into this class, I didn’t really know what to expect. With the recent transitions to a distance education format due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I was unsure how the content of this course would translate from physical interactions in the University of Guelph Arboretum to an online learning environment. I never took ENVS 3000 prior to the pandemic, so I have no point of reference to compare how the course materials were handled then compared to how they were handled now, but speaking from the experience of taking this course in the current year, I can confidently say that they did the best job they could with the materials provided to them. Blogging is something that is completely new to me, I have never really encountered anything like it throughout my academic career, except maybe in brief discussion posts that have occasionally popped up in previous classes, and even then they were never a focus of the course. Blogging in this class being brought to the forefront of the curriculum, forced me to engage with not only the course material, but also myself in a way that I have not experienced before in an academic setting. Each week was a new and exciting experience for me, as I had the opportunity to do some serious introspective thinking on different aspects of nature interpretation, and then had the ability to share my thoughts with the class in a concise and effective manner. I also very much enjoyed the opportunity to comment and receive feedback between my peers, seeing other people’s insights on certain topics only served to further my overall understanding. On the more technical side, the whole process of using Tumblr and actually writing a blog was a learning experience for me. I never really considered blogging as a method of expressing yourself, but I am seriously considering continuing my blogging after this class. In addition to the blogs, I found the podcast to also be a new and challenging experience. Similarly to blogging, I had zero experience discussing and presenting ideas in the podcast medium, but I’m glad I got the chance to in this course. I feel that in this time where face to face interactions are limited, podcasting is a great and personal way to share information and discuss with a larger audience than would be possible in a more traditional environment. In addition, the technical aspects of podcast creation forced me way out of my usual comfort zone, and I definitely feel like I gained a lot of valuable technical skills in regards to podcast creation and general audio management/mastering. Would I recommend this course to someone else, absolutely not!
Ok, enough reminiscing, let’s get down to the final blog prompt “Describe your personal ethic as you develop as a nature interpreter. What beliefs do you bring? What responsibilities do you have? What approaches are most suitable for you as an individual?”
What a great prompt to wrap up a semester’s worth of self reflection. As nature interpreters, I believe that it is a very good idea to be confident and have a complete understanding of yourself as an interpreter before you go out into the world and begin to share your knowledge of the natural world with others through nature interpretation. So after going through the entirety of this class, and doing some serious self-reflection, here’s what I’ve come up with for myself in the role of nature interpretation.
To start off, “what beliefs do you bring”. I believe that everyone should have equal opportunity to experience the natural world. Regardless of background, ability, education level, socioeconomic status ect. As a nature interpreter, it is my job to treat everyone equally and give them an equal experience through my interpretation. This goes outside of catering my interpretation based on my audience, factors such as their previous experience in nature, and level of education. In order to make nature interpretation truly accessible to everyone, there are external factors that need to be accounted for. Things such as arranging transportation to and from natural sites for those who are unable to travel easily, covering entrance fees for parks and conservation areas for those who struggle financially, including communication options for those with hearing/visual impairments or simply those who speak other languages, ensuring that interpretation sites are accessible to all ability levels, the list goes on. I also believe that in our current time, education on the preservation of nature is essential to our continued survival on this planet. I believe through nature interpretation, people should not only be educated on topics of natural history, but also informed on the broader geo-political ramifications that constantly impact the natural world, and vice versa.
To expand upon this, “what responsibilities do you have”. As previously mentioned, I believe that ensuring that steps are taken, both by the individual interpreter and the community that they are a part of, to ensure that the natural world is accessible to all, should be the cornerstone of the nature interpretation mindset. In addition, it is the responsibility of nature interpreters to educate on not only topics of the natural world, but also how we as a species interact with it, the impacts that we have on it, and the importance as well as how to conserve/protect it.
For me personally, I believe that interpretation through art would be an effective strategy for nature interpretation. As someone who partakes in both visual and musical arts, I am confident that I can use these art forms to further my nature interpretation, and get people invested in the natural world.
So those are my final thoughts on me as a nature interpreter. I am very excited to see what everyone else has to say about nature interpretation.
Now, for the final time, this is GrassLover, signing off.
Hey Grasslover,
I enjoyed reading your last blog post and your self-reflection on this course. I agree that we have learned some amazing new ways to share nature with the world. I have always enjoyed listening to podcasts and believe they are a great way to communicate ideas. Podcasts allow listeners to listen while they are already preoccupied. For example, I love listening to podcasts while cleaning or doing chores around the house. Both blog posts and podcasts are great ways for people to learn about nature when they can't travel to a park or pay for admission. I do think people need some prior interest in nature before they decide to start listening to a podcast about it. I think blogs can be a great way to spark that interest. Everyone is on social media and their phones these days it can be easy to introduce people to the environment and nature. I know whenever I see people posting beautiful pictures of nature it reminds me how beautiful our earth is.
Another point you brought up that I found resonated with is the importance of communicating the interactions between humans and the world. When learning about nature we need to also learn how our actions are impacting that area. I think it is important that children are taught this as well since they will be the ones to protect the earth in the future (Beck et al., 2018). One activity I've enjoyed playing with children that teaches them about our impact on the world is scavengers and predators. When playing we add in a human component to show how they impact the ecosystem too.
-Katelyn

















