Into the Wild

This blog was created for ENVS 3000, University of Guelph. The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of the Univeristy of Guelph. The Univeristy of Guelph is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by this blog. 

[kdmenvs300019-blog]

#11. Nature interpretation in my past, present and future.

I’ll admit, I put off writing this post for a while. It just seemed so daunting! Trying to debrief what I’ve learned and how I’ve grown (all while connecting to lecture, labs, and readings) is no easy task! But here we go.

I signed up for Nature Interpretation thinking I’d be tasked with leading a nature hike in the Arboretum. I was happy to do this. In fact, I’d led several nature hikes in the past as a high school co-op student at a local land trust. And up until now, that’s really what I thought nature interpretation was – nature hikes, pond studies, and other outdoor programs. Through this course, however, I’ve learned there is much more to nature interpretation! In the sections below I’ll discuss my core beliefs and responsibilities as a nature interpreter, and what approaches I plan to use into the future.

“What I learned in nature interpretation is…blankity blankity blank!” I learned a lot and I’ll attempt to summarize key points in my post! Image from SpongeBob SquarePants, Nickelodeon… modified by me. 

My Core Beliefs

I’ve spent a lot of time exploring nature and getting to know my natural neighbours. I believe my connections with nature drive me to protect nature and be sustainable. I realize that not everyone will share this mindset. This I know from our discussion of the “invisible backpack”. I grew up with plenty of positive experiences in nature, helping me to believe in its intrinsic value. People who have few emotions, memories, and experiences with nature may simply see it as a commodity to be exploited. But I think we can try to change that for the better by helping other people build a personal connection to nature. Here’s why:

I believe that people care about things that are meaningful to them. For example, my photo albums mean a lot to me because they help me reconnect with emotions and stories. If my house caught fire my photo albums would be one of the first thing I’d take. When it comes to nature, I know I am more likely to protect wildlife and land that means something to me. Think about this: if two sites were about to be bulldozed and covered with a housing development, would you rather save the woodlot that you walk your dog in each day or the woodlot a few hundred kilometers away in a city you’ve never visited?

Most people, I think, will fight for nature when they have a personal connection to it. When we help people discover find meaning in nature, we inspire them to care about nature and want to protect it.

I know I’m more likely to protect things and places that I have a connection to. Photo credits to my mother.

My Responsibility

I’ve stated my belief about creating meaningful connections with nature. So how can I accomplish this as a nature interpreter? To answer this, I looked back at what I’ve learned in the course. I can’t remember if it was Chris or Aaron, but at some point in class we were reminded that we can’t force people to connect with nature. We can only create the optimal conditions for people to make their own connections. One responsibility of mine is to create these optimal conditions. How might I do this? Relate the subject matter to the lives of the audience – the gift of a spark! Help the audience have positive experiences in nature – the gift of joy! And finally, let my passion for nature illuminate the lives of my audience – the gift of passion!

Another responsibility I have is to encourage people to connect with nature while minimizing harm to it. For example, people can have a lot of fun camping. They might make positive memories and feel connected to nature. But in doing so they might litter, damage habitat (e.g. by removing logs for firewood) or introduce invasive species. This is not a good way to connect with nature. So I also feel responsible for promoting “leave no trace” (or at least low-impact) activities in nature.

For example, I usually encourage people to leave wildlife alone and not try to lure it in, chase it, or handle it. However, I recognize that allowing someone to interact with wildlife can help build a strong connection to it. Some examples would be holding a frog or helping to move a turtle across a dangerous road. In these cases, it’s my responsibility to give guidance on how to make the interaction safe for both you and the animal. For example, don’t pick up animals if you have sunscreen/products on your hands; hold an animal low over the ground so they don’t fall from high up if they escape; and don’t hold the animal for too long. It’s a fine balance, but I believe there are ways to enjoy nature and connect to it without wreaking havoc on it!

One part of the “Leave no Trace” infographic from Fix.com. Click here for link.

My Approach

One of the 15 principles of nature interpretation is the gift of provocation, to inspire people to broaden their horizons (Beck and Cable 2011). I have broadened my horizons in this course. Throughout the course, we’ve participated in many different approaches: music, art, history, improv, podcasts, blogs, and a traditional nature hike. Different people have different learning styles, and we can create targeted programs that work with all different styles (Beck and Cable 2011). I’m excited to use what I’ve learned to personalize my approach to nature interpretation. I love using humour to connect to people and create a moment of joy. I also enjoy art and photography. In the past year or so I’ve created a few nature cartoons, which I’ve shared on social media. With each cartoon I also post some text to explain a bit about the species featured in the cartoon and what can be done to help protect them. I hope that my cartoons serve as the “hook” to capture my audience’s attention and inspire them to seek out their own connections in nature. I don’t know whether I will end up with a career as a nature interpreter, but I know that these nature cartoons are a fun way to promote nature interpretation even as a hobby!

A screenshot of one tweet from a thread I did about four-toed salamanders. Link to thread. 

In Closing

The biggest lessons I’ve learned relate to creating targeted programs that are well-suited to the audience. Combining an effective program with a passionate interpreter seems to be the best way to inspire people to care about nature! Thanks everyone for a good semester.

References:

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

[kmenvs3000-19]

Hi Kayla, 

I also struggled on how to approach the blog post this week! 

I relate a lot to your core beliefs of nature. I find it hard to excite and motivate people to protect nature and want to learn more about it. Especially, when we are so passionate about it! I really liked when you gave us a choice of whether we would save a woodlot near our house or a neighbourhood we know nothing about. I would definitely save the area that means the most to me. What a good way to explain the point that people need a personal connection to nature! I think interpreters do need to personalize their approach more and bring it to social media as well.

I like your responsibility of making sure people have fun in nature, but don't bring too much harm to it. I’ve never thought about this in terms of through nature interpretation. I thought your picture of “leave no trace” was awesome to add in to your blog post!  I think in order to create positive memories for people we can offer that “gift of joy,” but maybe remind them to leave the area just like they found it.  You’re right, we have to find the right balance! Hopefully more people are aware of this in the future.

I also love using humour in my programs! I LOVE your cartoon, what a great idea! I definitely think this is a great way to capture the audience’s attention. I do enjoy some good puns! Keep working on these, they’re great! 

Kate 

[gw-envs3000-2019]

One Last Breath, and Then Your First

I can honestly say, this has been one of the most challenging courses I’ve taken in the four years of my post-secondary degree. At times, the blog post prompts were the easiest thing I could do, and other times they were the last thing I wanted to think about because I had no idea how to approach it. Over the course of the past three months, the challenge to my creativity has skyrocketed. It’s hard on its own to push yourself to be creative when you’re busy or stressed with other classes, but at the peak of the semester when it feels like there’s so much going on and my mental health feels as fragile as tissue paper, doing something as simple as making a blog post which is supposed to be about my joy and excitement for nature and science communication seems like Mount Everest, especially since at times like this, I’m not really happy, or excited, or optimistic about anything, in fact I sometimes feel like I’m hardly hanging on by a thread and yet I have to either muster up some joy or, more often than not, completely fake it just to get a graded blog post out because neither my wallet nor my mental health can afford to fail a class.

Onto the prompt; moving forward in my endeavors to become a Nature Interpreter or something of the sort (or simply to use the quite helpful skills I’ve learned in this class) I’ll be eager to keep in mind, and question myself as to what type of backgrounds my audience may have (the experiences they’ve likely had, and what makes them tick) in order to effectively spark their interest and show them how our connections and relationships with nature are equally important as the relationships we hold with the people around us. 

Of course, no matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to reach every person in the way you intended, if at all, and that’s part of the process. Even though your audience is there because they already have an interest in what your talk/walk will be about, the ways you decide to approach the topic (influenced by your personal beliefs and experiences) may cause some in your audience to turn off their ears and try to interpret the environment for themselves. And that’s okay too, because I’ll admit there are interpretive walks where I’ve tuned out because I couldn’t really care less about what the guide was saying anymore (because I had misinterpreted what the talk/walk would be about/the stance it would take on the topic) or simply because I could tell they had a very different opinion related to the topic than I did and it was influencing everything they chose to say about the topic. Which, no shade to them, they can do as they please, I simply didn’t show up to the right tour, and I may not be lead to the revelations and discoveries that they intended for me to be lead to; but I’ll end up guiding myself to my own revelations, if any. It’s the same for audience members that I may have one day; they may not reach the revelations that I intended, but as long as the experience that they had helped them to feel some sense of clarity and peace then my job is done. 

Obviously, I’ll always hope that the intended effect is the effect experienced by all members of my audience. To give my audience an new personal understanding of their place in our world, the importance of their actions in a big world where they feel like a drop in the ocean. To illuminate to my audience the terrifying beauty of the interconnectedness of the world, and the wrongs that our world has endured at our hands, that one group of humans have experienced at the merciless hands of another group, in order to educate a new “generation” (that is becoming better educated on a topic brings them into a new realm of life and feels nearly rejuvinating; the beginning of a new life) and change the future of all of mankind. To conserve the natural beauty of the world, in order for future generations to be inspired by it, to be able to use it to understand the importance of the relationships and connections among all living organisms; sentient and not.

In every dull moment of mundane life on Earth, or every sad moment that drags on your feet like lead, we gratefully accept anything to give us that feeling of hope again. Whether through song or story, we learn new things to broaden our minds and to give us the ability to look upon this world with fresh eyes. When we were children, we’d beg our parents to tell us stories of when they were growing up, to hear that we’re not alone in the way we’re feeling and that life gets better; to learn of the bad things people have done in anger and fear, and provoke ourselves to feel inspired to never repeat those people’s mistakes; to learn of  our place in the world, through the life, full of discoveries and learning, of a fellow human being; to feel connected to another living being, and feel even if for only a moment that we’re not alone and people care to feel a connection with us, because they give us their time; the most valuable thing in any living organism’s life.

“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there–on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.

The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.

It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.”

– Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994

image credit: https://www.planetary.org/explore/space-topics/earth/pale-blue-dot.html

If I’m to become a nature interpreter, I’ll likely only work with small groups (10 or less) because I feel more disconnected with bigger groups, like no one’s really listening to what I’m saying. Whether that’s because there are too many eyes and I can’t meet all of them for a meaningful enough time to feel like I have that person’s attention, or there are too many eyes and I can’t meet all of them and so I feel that they don’t feel that they have my attention. I like a more personal connection with people even if it’s only for a short time, giving up that connection leaves me feeling adrift and purposeless; like everything I had done previously for the tour meant nothing and wasn’t heard by anyone.

I hope to feel that I have the ability to touch the spirit of all whom I come into contact with, brighten their world, and clear their eyes in order to see their world anew for the true breathtaking beauty it offers us with every passing moment.

[kmenvs3000-19]

Hi!

I enjoyed reading your blogpost this week. I totally agree that it is hard to accomplish tasks when you are so busy and your mental health might not be the greatest. I struggle with my mental health too and sometimes doing a blog every week, is a lot!

I liked your first point on knowing the background of your audience, I think this is so important to accomplish in an interpretive program. Getting to know your audience ahead of time will even help ease your nerves! I totally agree that this is something we need to do in order to make a personal connection with the audience. 

I agree with your second point as well that leaving the audience with something to take away from your presentation is a HUGE part of interpretation as well. I liked where you said that it doesn’t matter if they don’t get what you wanted them to get out of your program, but that they take away their own revelations on what you taught them.

What you said about making a connection with people and reassuring them that they are not alone is an excellent point as well. I never really thought about this from an interpreting view, but people like to know that they are not alone with their ideas and having that support is critical. 

I also liked your connection to astronomy, neat idea! What I took from this is that everyone is a little dot or star in space and we have to figure out a way to connect people, making a constellation. 

I too, hope to share my knowledge and passion with others and hope they make their own conclusions after listening to me. 

[kmenvs3000-19]

My 15 Principles of  Nature Interpretation

I’ve learned lots throughout this course that will not only help me develop my own skills, but now I have the opportunity to pass on my knowledge to other aspiring nature interpreters. I’ve decided to base my responsibilities, beliefs and approaches to interpretation through my own principles that I think are important values to have as a nature interpreter. I think it’s appropriate that I end the course similar to how we started, with my personalized version of the 15 principles of nature interpretation. My book is called, “Kate’s 15 Guiding Principles to Nature Interpretation” and here it is:

Principle #1: Incorporate all learning styles to the best of your ability

As you develop as an interpreter, I think it is important to recognize everyone’s learning styles. As we’ve learned from the course, there’s lots of learners including active, reflective, sensing, intuitive, visual, verbal, sequential and global learners. Sometimes it is difficult to incorporate all different types of learning with each interpretive activity, but we can still try and make sure each person gets something out of our programs.

Principle #2: Connect with your audience

I’ve learned we don’t want to overload the audience with information! It’s important to remember the gift of wholeness and present the whole picture. We want to focus on the most important information and include personal experiences to connect with the audience. We first need to take smaller steps in order to grab the audience’s attention and find a common ground.

Principle #3: Nature is a privilege

Everyone has their own invisible backpack and engages in the world in different ways. I’ve learned that nature is more of a privilege then we think. Sometimes we don’t know our own wealth. Know what privileges you are offering to the audience and help them uncover their own invisible backpack.

(My own photo from Rockwood Conservation Area. Being able to have this opportunity to visit this area is a privilege)

Principle #4: Risk and reward

I think the lemon theory is very important to abide by when planning to be a nature interpreter. You can only deal with so many issues, until it gets dangerous. Make sure you know the risks before you do a program. I think a little risk is ok because you might receive an even bigger reward.

Principle #5: Declines of modern youth

I think it’s important when you’re planning an interpretive event that you consider Hahn’s six social declines of modern youth. We can use these to our advantage to plan our events and make sure these are not further decreased. I think the most important one is to motivate youth; we don’t want this to continue to decline.

Principle #6: Have a little humour

I think using a little humour in interpretation is a good add in. It really captures the audience’s attention right away. As we read in the textbook, you can’t overdo humour but once you know how to do it, it works well.

Principle #7: Closer to story telling

I realize it’s not so much giving facts but telling a story when you’re interpreting. More personable is better. The power of story connects us to the past, present and future, which I believe is a huge aspect to capture as an interpreter.

Principle #8: Get creative and find your “inner artist”

Be different, come up with new ideas! Find your artsy side! Anyone can incorporate some sort of art component. We’ve learned from all different approaches in this course, from the art museum, history museum, music workshop and even improv! I find being creative is an effective way to capture the audience’s attention.

(My own photo from a different angle)

Principle #9: Find your passion and spark

I’ve learned that interpreters must relate the subject to the lives of people in the audience. You will only be most confident and excited to speak about a subject you’re interested in. Find your spark in a subject and expand your knowledge to others as an interpreter!

Principle #10: Engage all senses!

Let the audience explore their different senses in nature. Be mindful of the sounds, smells, and textures you can find in the outdoors.

Principle #11: Don’t be afraid to make a fool of yourself!

I think a lot of us worry about what others think. I believe the best way to be an interpreter is to try something new you’ve never done before. Overcome your fears and be confident! The audience likes it when your open and honest about yourself. Improvise and go with it!

Principle #12: Know your Audience

Perform for your audience’s age level. Change your ways if you are performing for adults or kids. I’ve learned from lectures and doing our podcasts that the way kids and adults learn is totally different from one another.

Principle #13: Leave the audience wanting more

I think in order to have a successful interpretive program we must leave the audience wanting to know more about it. Having the audience wanting to help in the community or make a difference is something we should strive for.

(http://www.circlesgn.org/donate)

Principle #14: Practice makes perfect

Trying new thinks is overwhelming sometimes and it’s ok if you feel nervous getting in front of an audience. We have learned plenty of strategies in lecture to make yourself more comfortable in presenting. Through experience and more practice, interpretation should become easier!

Principle # 15: Be yourself!

As we have learned, “there is no right voice” when you are presenting. Make it your own, show your passion, honestly, creativity and confidence. Be the best version of yourself!

To me, these 15 principles are the most important skills that I have learned in this course. I will now carry them with me to become a more successful interpreter. In terms of my personal ethics, I think the most important part to me is setting that “spark” in someone else. I want kids, adults, teenagers to feel excited and passionate about the environment! I want them to walk away feeling more motivated to go share their knowledge with someone. I always like to add a little humour somewhere, when I’m talking to my friends and interpreting. I would bring this to life in interpretation, now that I know how to properly use it. I also think being super friendly and outgoing is a great trait to have as an interpreter. Getting to know your audience ahead of time is very useful in interpretation.

I have also learned a lot about interpretation through social media. I really took a lot away from the class on capturing the audience with a hook and then going into detail about your subject. Lots of people won’t want to read a huge paragraph about your subject, but if you use a picture and a captive sentence at the beginning, you can hook them in! I really enjoyed this aspect of the course, especially with modern technology advancing in the future.  So, in order to match this we have to take nature interpretation to a whole new level!

(Social Media https://makeawebsitehub.com/social-media-sites/)

I will take my 15 principles of nature interpretation everywhere with me and further develop my skills along the way. I felt this class has opened up many new doors into interpretation and I look forward to exploring more!

My favourite quote from the textbook is, “put there just a spark. If there is some good inflammable stuff, it will catch fire.” (Beck and Cable 2011). This is a great way to describe my views coming to the end of this course. I have learned and explored so many things that my OWN spark has been lit and has now caught fire. Moving forward, it’s my job to make sure that fire never dies.

(My own photo of cool things in nature I have seen over the years!)

References:

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

Beck, L., & Cable, T. T. (2011). The gifts of interpretation: fifteen guiding principles for interpreting nature and culture. Urbana: Sagamore Publishing.

[hayleypreeceandtheenvironment]

Blog 9:The Best Gifts of Interpretation

The two lab activities I took the most meaning away from were the history and nature walk labs. The history tour of Guelph had a lot of different stories and facts which caught my interest and kept me engaged; however, the nature walk/interpretation with the arboretum’s coordinator Chris Earley kept me engaged in a way that I was excited for every next activity. It was clear his way of interpreting nature definitely included more than three “gifts” from the “gifts of interpretation.” The three I found the most relative to the walk we joined him or were the gift of the story, the gift of targeted programs and the gift of precision.

The gift of story was very apparent in Mr. Earley’s walk with us, especially towards the end. In my opinion, adding stories to anything, whether it be a presentation or blog post pr podcast, makes it more personal and allows your audience to connect and relate more to your material. At first Mr. Earley talked about his experiences with interpreting and how a lot of the time when he first started and he would tell people his job title they wouldn’t take him very seriously, but as time went on it became more and more popular. Now some of us find what he does to be a dream job. I found this a great way to break the ice and introduce himself because it gave me more perspective about what he does and it’s nice to hear a backstory from someone that has gotten so far. Another story he told towards the end of the walk when our professor was doing his interpretation of centipedes and millipedes was how his daughter used to be very interested in bugs, but as time went on she became less and less so because of her friends and their social influence. I have talked about this in a previous blog, but I was able to connect to this story on a personal level because I can also remember the days where I used to collect potato bugs and caterpillars. Eventually, the same thing happened to me, where it was a mix of losing interest and the social influence, such as my friends, who didn’t want to look for bugs with me.

Photo retrieved from https://writingcooperative.com/telling-a-story-vs-storytelling-2c7a52377e95

The gift of targeted programs was definitely apparent within his nature walk with us and this was easy to tell right from the start. The first activity Mr. Earley had us do was the bird call one, which was originally designed for elementary school kids, but he was able to target it to our age group. It was also fun having a game that wasn’t necessarily serious and got us out of our comfort zones a little, but at the same time we had just as much opportunity to learn from it. 

Thirdly, Mr. Earley did a great job following the gift of precision during the walk. The main quote from the gift of precision chapter is “our charge as interpreters is to keep our talks focused and interesting.” Chris Earley did a thorough job in making sure his walk was focused and interesting even though what he had prepared didn’t work out because the wind was too strong for us to walk through the woods.

If I have to choose which one “gift” could have been further developed I would say the gift of story. This course has taught me that a lot of the time it’s better to ask your audience questions or help them figure out the answers to questions to get them thinking instead of telling them the answers. I understand that too many stories wouldn’t be appealing to the whole audience and would cause the first of precision to be less attainable. However, I really enjoyed hearing what he had to say especially because he is a figure of inspiration to a lot of us. 

My question to you guys is what your favourite part of Chris Earley’s walk?

References: “The Gifts of Interpretation” by Larry Beck and Ted T. Cable. 3rd Edition, Copyright 2011.

[kmenvs3000-19]

Hi Hayley, 

I really enjoyed Chris’ nature interpretation walk too! I thought he did an excellent job keeping everyone entertained, even in the cold weather! I agree with your three choices gifts, the gift of story, targeted programs and precision were all evident in this walk. 

I liked the part in your blog where you mentioned the gift of story adds a personal touch, I totally agree! I think it makes it WAY easier for the audience to relate to if there is realistic stories told by the interpreter. I also enjoyed the part where he told us how he got to where he is today. I think it’s tough in university to see where life is going to take you and what career(s) you’ll end of partaking in, so it’s nice to see other’s talk about the path they took to get where they are today.

I also liked how you chose the gift of targeted programs and precision for the walk. Chris really had to target our older age group and change the walk in consideration of the weather. He did a great job adapting to the audience and environment he had to present in. I also liked how he didn't tell us a bunch of information and kept it precise in what he told us. He went for quality vs. quantity for the gift of precision.

To answer your question, my favourite part of Chris Earley’s walk was when he had us guess what ate the osage oranges. I liked how he started that off by saying “What animal do you think eats this?” When people kept guessing all different kinds of animals and he said “no, bigger.” He left everyone confused and it was quite entertaining. It was quite the mystery to solve and I liked how he dragged it out to keep us engaged in the material. It was super interesting to learn those were eaten by mammoths and some other ancient creatures. I knew about those oranges, but never realized the back story behind them. I will never look at them the same now!

Kate 

[kmenvs3000-19]

Without Music, Life Would B Flat

(If anyone is interested in song writing, here’s a little crash course! https://takelessons.com/blog/how-to-write-a-song-z02)  

“Take what you need not as you please

hard to see children grow up in need

Let’s keep in mind the things we share

like water and food--handle with care-”

Singing and song writing was entirely new for me and out of my comfort zone. I wasn’t sure what to expect when we were heading into the music lab, but boy was that fun! They always tell you that in university you will not always remember what you learned in class, but the moments that are fun and unique. I will definitely remember making a song and singing it, quite the memory!

When we first started just spitting out random ideas and sentences, I felt kind of awkward and I wasn’t sure where it was going. After a while I was very impressed with the way James would sort through our jumbled “mess” of words and sentences and form lyrics. From here, I felt excited to see where our song was going to take us and what it would eventually sound like. I think a lot of other students had the same first impression as I did and after a while we were all enjoying ourselves. I learned from this lab that sometimes it’s ok to try completely new experiences and you shouldn’t be afraid to take on new challenges. Crossing my boundaries created a very worthwhile experience! I will definitely use a similar activity if I ever teach a younger audience to get them out of their comfort zones. I was surprised with how “catchy” and unique our song turned out. I love that years from now down the road, I can share a song I made about nature, what a worthwhile experience to be part of!

The first gift that is relevant to this lab is the gift of joy. People do not truly experience joy without having their “bodies and minds stretched to [their] limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile” (Beck and Cable 2011) In this lab, I believe that even though a lot of us felt uncomfortable at the beginning we overcame the difficult task and had so much fun creating a song together!

(We found joy through a worthwhile experience, https://freedomhillcommunitychurch.org/joy/)

 The second gift is the gift of story. I think this gift is important to give the audience something to hold onto. As it states in the textbook, the power of story allows the “listener to find personal value and carry it with them” (beck and Cable 2011). Through our song we were able to construct a meaningful story about climate change and reducing the amount of plastic we use. People will find it easier to remember a song with a message rather than just facts.

(We told a story through song, https://writingcooperative.com/telling-a-story-vs-storytelling-2c7a52377e95)

 The last gift I think this lab connected with is the gift of hope. We gave our listeners a chance of hope that the world is not doomed yet, and if we all work together to reduce plastic and not become “sasquatches”, we can fix this! This is the gift that could have been developed and expanded more. The length of the lab didn’t allow us to come up with a full song, but I think with more lyrics we could provide our audience with more connections and to give them more hope that the world can turn around. Also if we started doing more things we talked about in our song with the community, people could maybe see this more realistically and feel more hopeful and even help out at plastic clean up events, etc.

(All you need is a little hope, https://careerwise.ceric.ca/2019/05/17/the-flexibility-of-hope-in-career-development/#.Xc9hPS3Myu4)

I’ll leave you with a few lines from our song that I will be humming to for a while longer and I hope you will be too!

Don’t be a sasquatch

Not on my watch!

be mindful of your footprint

Live with good intent

Live with good intent

Question: Did anyone else enjoy the music lab? Why or why not? What did you take with you from it?

References:

Beck, L., & Cable, T. T. (2011). The gifts of interpretation: fifteen guiding principles for interpreting nature and culture. Urbana: Sagamore Publishing.

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Adaptability: Thrive or Dive

      In my house growing up, Saturday mornings weren’t filled with the wacky jokes of Bug’s Bunny or the crazy antics of SpongeBob. Sounds you may hear? The whooping call of a Howler monkey maybe, or the chaos of the wildebeest migration across the open Serengeti…. strong contenders. Not a weekend went by where we weren’t glued to the couch watching Animal Planet or the discovery channel, waiting for the next show to play that will transport us to another place in the world. 

     Throughout my childhood there a few figures that stand out to me as my ‘scientific heroes.’ David Attenborough, Steve Irvin, the Kratt brothers, Bill Nye the Science Guy…. the list goes on and on. The power of growing internet and mainstream flow of information played a major role in shaping my view on science and the world. Even now I aspire to become like them in my career. Some of the common abilities that I found these figures all shared were their ability to inspire and emulate enthusiasm and interest in their audience. I think their ability to make information lively and fun, but still providing an overall message makes them great interpreters. As Beck and Cable (2011) mention, “Humour and novelty may also contribute to capturing and maintaining interest, but the most powerful force is enthusiasm.”  Seeing interpreters so enthusiastic in the content they are sharing inspires interest in their audience. If someone else is so excited about this topic, why shouldn’t I be?

( Adapt Or Die Concept - Retreived from Colourbox)

      I think one of the most important traits involved in the success of an interpreter, and what I hope to develop, is the ability to adapt to an audience. Understanding your target audience and changing your program to reflect that helps to create a stronger connection and impact. This trait is something I highly respect in the Kratt brothers and Bill Nye. I grew up watching Chris and Marten Kratt on Zoboomafoo using a uniquely engaging combination of song, animation, and live demonstrations to teach kids about animals. Geared towards young kids, their program helped spark my love of nature. Beck and Cable (2011) suggest that “Interpreters can capture attention by using movement, noise, bright colors, unusual objects, or with startling statements, either written or spoken.” Chris and Martin definitely used this method to capture and most importantly keep my attention. They also hosted documentary Safaris that were more geared towards adults. Their diversity in programs allowed multiple age groups to enjoy their informational content, but in different ways that stimulate thought. In recent years, they developed a new animated kids show, known as Wild Kratts, that follows animated versions of the brothers as they go on wild adventures, meeting different animal species along the way. I think this is a good example of how interpreters can adapt not only to a target age group but societal trends. As technology advances, we are able to display information in new media forms. Using cartoons to convey information better targets audiences that use TV and Youtube to entertain themselves and learn. 

       Bill Nye has also shown he has the ability to adapt to his audiences. His science programs were amazing teaching aids to introduce complicated systems to young students. You know when that TV cart was rolled into Science class, you were about to have a good time. No matter how old the videos are, the humour never dies. As we talked about in class, he has used his fanbase, that grew up watching and trusting his content, to support and teach bigger issues, such as climate change. In his piece on climate change on the Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Bill created an entirely new level of sarcasm and language to target his old audiences but in a way that better resonates with their age group. It’s also accessible online to reach a wider audience. That is the power of viral videos. 

(Bill Nye The Science Guy’s Rage About Global Warming - created and posted by Flammable Camaro)

Check out the full Last Week Tonight with John Oliver segment 

References:

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

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Hi Breanna, 

Some of your scientific heroes were my own as well growing up! I totally agree that humour is a great way to connect with an audience. You have to find a way to make the audience want to know more and what’s a better way then to start with a joke! Through our podcasts, I think we are all realizing how hard it is to change from a children’s podcast to an adult podcast. It’s more work than I realized to try and capture the interest of two different audiences. I never realized how different these two groups are and how much the material changes. However, the one thing that doesn't change is humour. Always a good add-in! 

Bill Nye was one of my heroes as well when I was little. I find it really inspiring in that video how he says he used to teach us when we were little and now we need to wake up as adults. That really got to me that if Bill Nye is saying this, we better fix our world! 

The one thing I worry about, especially with more technology developing is that all these nature TV shows are very educational, but it might stop kids from adventuring on their own outside. If they are getting an “experience” of nature from the inside, why the need to go out? I hope that the “spark” of going out into nature is there in future generations.

Kate 

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Not All Heroes Wear Capes

I’ve had many scientific heroes along the way to develop my dreams and inspirations. Whether that’s been through the internet, TV, teachers, or even my parents. I have been so lucky to have such supportive guidance along the way. One person in particular sparked my interest in working with small animals and wildlife. My Grandmother has been a huge supporter of my dreams throughout my entire life. She sparked my interest in animals by letting my “fires of curiosity burn, which has led me to the thresholds of my own mind, where learning and inspiration occur.” (Beck and Cable 2011). She has been my role model in establishing my interest in science, specifically animals.

 It all started from when she would look after me when I was little. She is a breeder of soft-coated wheaten terriers and I have been helping in the whelping box ever since I was 10 months old! I cherish the moments when I get to socialize the new puppies and help look after them. This sparked my interest to become a vet from a very young age, which lead to my love for science. 

(My own photo of one of my grandmother’s wheatens)           

Throughout my high school years, my grandmother fuelled my desire to work with animals, especially dogs. She would talk to vets and get the newest information for me. She would introduce me to a number of vets and explain that I was interested in veterinary medicine. It was so nice to see how proud she was of me, always wanting to hear all the new things I’ve learned at school. She also taught me a lot about all the different dog breeds out there, by going to multiple dog shows with her. My grandmother got me into watching “Hope for Wildlife,” a neat show about wildlife rehabilitation. I am actually quite interested in doing an internship with Hope from watching that show together. When I said I was planning on going to Guelph she was so excited for me to finally be in a place that studied so much about animals.

    A few years ago, when I explained to her that I didn’t want to be a vet anymore and that pet nutrition and wildlife nutrition actually peaked more of my interest. She could not have been more supportive. She is proud of anything I choose, and really values my input as to why I’m interested in that field. So now she sends me all new information in pet and wildlife nutrition! She’s always told me, “Kate, you can’t work in something you don’t enjoy, what’s the point?”

           I love how supportive and interested that my grandmother is in all of my endeavours. She has always told me to never give up and to keep following my dreams no matter how tough it gets. I really strive to have the same drive that my grandmother has. She has taken injured wildlife to rehab centres, always following up to see how they are doing. Her love and care for all her dogs and wildlife is inspiring and I hope I have the same characteristics working with animals when I am older.

(Me in my element, helping out with my grandmother’s puppies)         

Every week, my grandmother texts me to see how I’m doing and what I’ve learned, especially in the animal field. I am overjoyed to have this kind of support from my family. I want to work with animals and went into science because of all the things my grandmother taught me and introduced me to. Someday I would love to influence someone as much as my grandmother has and help pave their path for the future.

Question: Do you also have a family member as your own “scientific hero?”

References:

Beck, L., & Cable, T. T. (2011). The gifts of interpretation: fifteen guiding principles for interpreting nature and culture. Urbana: Sagamore Publishing.

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Dog Strangling Vine

          Dog strangling WHAT?! Don’t worry I’m not talking about a vine that will actually strangle your dog. I am talking about the alien invasive species Cynanchum nigrum commonly known as dog strangling vine (DSV) or swallow-wort. DSV competes with native vegetation for habitat, sunlight, water and nutrients reducing the ability for native vegetation to grow and will quickly dominate an area reducing the biodiversity. The dense growth of this invasive species can negatively impact forestry and agriculture industries.

Photo by Greg Bales of dog strangling vine covering the forest floor from Ontario’s Invading Species Awareness Program.

          Not only does DSV have detrimental effect on the surrounding native vegetation but it also negatively impacts monarch butterflies. Monarch butterflies confuse milkweed plants with DSV and lay their eggs on DSV instead of milkweed. Emerging larvae that feed on DSV are unable to survive because DSV as a food source is not substantial enough for the emerging larvae causing nutrient deficiencies (DiTommaso and Losey, 2003). This means that monarch larvae are unable to fully develop leading to a decrease in monarch butterfly population.

Photo from colourbox of a monarch butterfly.

          In the mid-1800s settlers from Eastern Europe introduced DSV to North America for growth in gardens because it does have a nice purple flower (OMAFRA, 2003). By the early 1900s DSV spread into Canada. Today, DSV has established in many parts of South Eastern Canada specifically, in Ontario between Ottawa and London and in some parts of Quebec (OMAFRA, 2003). DSV can grow in a variety of habitats including ravines, hillsides, managed forests, fields, roadsides and ditches (MNRF, 2012).

Photo by Ken Towel of dog strangling vine flowers from Ontario’s Invading Species Awareness Program.

          DSV is an herbaceous plant that grows an upright stem measuring up to two metres tall (DiTommaso et al. 2005). Along this stem are pairs of oppositely growing oval-shaped leaves that are wide at the base and come to a point at the tip. The leaves are largest near the middle of the plant measuring 7-12-centimetres and get smaller near the top of the plant measuring 5-7-centimetres (DiTommaso et al. 2005). DSV will continue to grow very tall until the stem can no longer support the weight causing it to twine around other plants and trees as a vine. In late July too early August DSV will produce fruit in the form of a 4-6-centimetre long slender seedpod. The pods begin green and develop a milky sap turning brown revealing feathery seeds resembling those of the milkweed family. These feathery seeds allow for effective dispersal and ability to invade.

Figure by DiTommaso, Lawlor and Darbyshire of dog strangling vine flowers and seed pods from The Biology of Invasive Alien Plants in Canada.

          I have personally witnessed the destructiveness of DSV and I am passionate about protecting monarch butterfly populations. Which is why I actively participate in the management of DSV in my hometown to protect native species. The main management technique which I have been apart of is by means of mechanical control. This involves defoliating the plant by clipping or mowing up to four times in one season to remove the biomass. Other management strategies can include the use of broad-spectrum herbicides. However, when applying these types of herbicides there is a risk of removing native vegetation with the DSV. With various methods of management, you can get involved and help prevent the spread of DSV and protect native vegetation and monarch butterflies for their continued survival!

References

DiTommaso A, Losey JE. 2003. Oviposition preference and larval performance of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) on two invasive swallow-wort species. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 108(1):205-209. 

Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. 2003. Ontario weeds: Dog-strangling vine from: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/ ontweeds/dogstrang lingvine.html

Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. 2012. Invading species awareness program: Dog-strangling vine from: http://www.invadingspecies.com/dog-strangling-vine/.

DiTommaso A, Lawlor FM, Darbyshire SJ. 2005. The biology of invasive alien plants in Canada. 2. Cynanchum rossicum (Kleopow) Borhidi [= Vincetoxicum rossicum (Kleopow) Barbar.] and Cynanchum louiseae (L.) Kartesz & Gandhi [= Vincetoxicum nigrum (L.) Moench]. Canadian Journal of Plant Science.

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Hi Emilia,

I loved your hook at the start of your blog, very clever! I have also dealt with  swallow-wort working at Sandbanks Provincial Park, it is such a pain to keep control of! We weed whipped and clipped it down, but had to return to sites at least four times to make sure it was all gone. It is actually taking over many of the sensitive habitats at the park, so we try and do are best to control it. It is so sad how it's affecting the monarch population. I knew it looked similar to milkweed, but I didn’t realize it produced a milky sap as well. We also remove garlic mustard at the park, which is another annoying invasive species. Have you dealt with this one before too? Glad to see you are getting rid of DSV in your community, keep up the good work!

I actually saw a lot of monarchs this year, which was awesome! It seemed to me that there was way more than last year. I actually had a monarch emerge out of its cocoon in one of my patio chairs this summer! We have a lot of milk weed in our backyard (I make sure of it, haha!) so I guess the caterpillar decided to make its cocoon in the chair! I managed to get the monarch out, but it was quite the process! Its wings were a bit folded when it emerged in that tight space, but still looked ok when we saved it! Here’s my own photo of the monarch after it came out!

So nice to see so many monarchs this summer, seems like there’s hope for their numbers to go up! Hopefully, lots of people continue to get rid of DSV. Great post! 

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The Bee’s Knees

Get a buzz out of something…this time I’m talking about bees! Ever since I took honey bee biology I have been passionate about learning more about honey bees and pollinator conservation. I even convinced my group to do our podcasts on honey bees, to make sure the “buzz” gets around. 

To test your knowledge on our “furry friends” I want to ask you a question:

How do bees pollinate on a single foraging flight?

a) Go and pollinate a variety of different flowers, whatever is closest to the hive

b) Stick to pollinating two species of flowers

c)  Pollinate one species of flower

Check your answer at the bottom of my blog. If you didn’t know the answer I highly encourage you to read on so you can learn more about these amazing little creatures!

(My own photo. Check out the pollen basket on this bee’s legs!)

Learn how to dance like a bee and hive a great time! I’m serious…bees know how to dance. One of the dances they do is called the “Waggle Dance.” These dances are actually the most complex language used in all invertebrates! They let the other bees know the direction, distance and quality of a food source. The angle of the dance is in relation to where the sun is in the sky and where the food source is relative to the hive. It’s pretty amazing that bees can accomplish this!

(Bees “waggle” down the centre in this dance to communicate about the food source. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waggle_dance#/media/File:Bee_dance.svg )

Bees are also very important for our environment; in fact they are one of our best pollinators. Most species of plants require insect pollination. Bees are able to pollinate so well because they only pollinate one species of flower at a time. They are automatically carrying the right pollen from flower to flower! Get this…1/3 of our diet relies on insect pollination and 80% of this is done by honey bees! Un-bee-lievable! Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, even CHOCOLATE is pollinated by bees. Unfortunately, their numbers continue to drop and truth “bee” told, without them we will not have a lot of essential items in our daily diet.

It’s important that we help save the bees and other pollinators. I strongly advise you to start planting native plants in your gardens to attract bees. This doesn’t seem like a lot, but if lots of people do it, it will have a huge impact!

(”Bee Bomb” an example of a native plant. http://fieldnotescumberland.blogspot.com/2014/08/bee-bomb.html)

I wrote my own program this summer on honey bees and I realized how much this relies on the “gift of relationship.” The best way to pass on the buzz about bees is to attract support for programs to let them flourish. If we had more educational programs on bees and pollinators, I am sure this would improve  knowledge and support in our communities on this subject.

A few quick facts before you fly away:

1) Honey bees fly at about 25 km/h and beat their wings at about 200 times per second

2)  Honey bees have about 170 odourant receptors, quite the sense of smell!

3) Queen bees can lay up to 2, 500 eggs a day!

These are just some of my favourite bee facts and there are plenty more! If you want a break from studying, I also suggest checking out the Honey Bee Research Centre or even just their website. They have lots of facts on bees! Well…I gotta buzz, but thanks for hiving a listen to my buzz about bees…pass it on!

Answer: c) 

Question: What’s your favourite insect? And what’s an interesting fact about them?

References:

https://www.natgeokids.com/za/discover/animals/insects/honey-bees/

ENVS 2210 Notes-University of Guelph 

Beck, L., & Cable, T. T. (2011). The gifts of interpretation: fifteen guiding principles for interpreting nature and culture. Urbana: Sagamore Publishing.

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Music Moves Everyone!

          It is well-known in this course that the role of nature interpreters is to connect individuals to nature. To be a successful interpreter (or naturalist), focus is placed less on a formal training and more on your passion for learning and sharing. Before you can truly share information that you are passionate about, you need to understand your participants backgrounds and potential advantages or disadvantages that they currently hold (ie. their invisible backpacks). To be more specific, there is not one box or pathway for becoming an interpreter and the focus is less on facts that you know and more on your ability to instill passion or create connections to nature for other people.  

          That being said, this week’s blog post prompt is very special to me. The reason this is has to do with my background as a musician along with my passion for the environment as a nature interpreter. Just like a successful musician, being successful at nature interpreting takes practice along with adapting. This idea of practice makes perfect was introduced to us in our textbook readings along with our lab at the Arboretum with Chris and can connect to the idea of being a musician. To effectively communicate our interpretations to others we need to understand the basics of communication and nature interpretation. Only then can we create our own personal styles and strategies. When I think of music in nature, I immediately picture a spring where birds are singing and those sounds mesh together to create a harmonic symphony. This is only one example, however, if you think about our brief walk through the arboretum we were exposed to a variety of sounds. Sounds such as wind moving through the trees, shoes crunching leaves, water being splashed around, and even the male birds singing in the bird call game. While not the typical music we first think of, the sounds we hear in nature are often an inspiration to artists when creating their masterpieces. To me, music to be is the combination of sounds to create a piece of expressive art. It can be used in a variety of settings, however, for nature interpretation it can be an effective tool when appealing to auditory learners when incorporated into programs. Thus, music in nature can be found everywhere sound is made and presents itself in a variety of difference forms. All combined to create a musical symphony depicting different lessons, as demonstrated with bird calls and their importance in finding mates and marking territory.  

          To answer the second question for this week, asking where nature is in music, it is evident that the environment influences many processes. Thus, it would not be a stretch to infer that nature has an influence on musicians when they are creating art. It is also expressed in the textbook how musicians utilize music as a vessel for sharing the beauty and timelessness of nature. Thus, music in nature and nature in music can be represented in a variety of ways. These ways being crucial tools used for interpreters to pass information onto individuals or for inspiration to be received by musicians.  

          I wonder, is there a specific moment where you were running an interpretive program that you found utilizing music or sounds to be beneficial in solidifying information?  

          Or if you are a musician (or artist), can you think of a moment where you felt inspired by the sounds of nature when creating a piece of art?

References

“The Gifts of Interpretation” by Larry Beck and Ted T. Cable. 3rd Edition, Copyright 2011.

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Hi Holly,

I enjoyed reading your post this week. I had similar thoughts about how music influences nature interpretation. I agree that it is a great way to connect more people to nature. I never thought about auditory learners when I wrote my blog post, but that is a great point! We use visuals a lot for educational purposes, so playing music will directly target to auditory learners. 

One time in a guided night walk, I found using music was a great way to portray the information I wanted to get across. It was all about “creatures” of the night and I played a lot of different animal noises (for example: owl screeches) for people to hear what they actually sounded like. I found it was way better to play the sounds, then describing a call to the audience. They were able to hear the calls for themselves and make an individual connection within music to nature.

In terms of your second question, I played flute for 8 years throughout school and I was always inspired to create and play music to mimic bird songs. There are so many different bird songs, that we all learned about in the Arboretum, and each of them has a unique call. Playing flute is so similar to the sound of a bird singing, so I always made sure I related it back to that. It’s amazing how connected music and nature truly are!

Kate 

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The Sounds of Nature

“Music permeates nature and nature permeates music” (Farrell 2016)

I’ve never really thought about how closely connected music and nature are to each other. Music is such an easy thing to relate to in our everyday lives. If you hear a song, sometimes it draws you back to a memory you associated with that certain song. Music is powerful. It can take you back in time, to relive those memories. Now I’ve realized that’s why it’s so important to have in nature interpretation, to draw people in, to make them connect with something and to make memories so they can relive their past.

Music is also an important way to communicate. It’s been around for a long time. If you meet someone who speaks another language or a child that can’t quite talk yet, they are able to resonate with a song just as much as you are! Sometimes in nature interpretation it is better to give the audience a song of the information you are trying to get across instead of speaking it.

Music and nature also brings happiness to an individual. They both relax you, so it makes sense they are both connected.

Music can be heard in nature by many bird songs. We learned about this on our walk through the Arboretum and that birds do this to attract mates and protect their territory. Music for birds is so much easier to communicate with and sometimes in interpretation this might be true as well. 

(Music in nature through bird songs https://sonicsmorgasbord.wordpress.com/tag/music-in-nature/)

I also hear music with insects or even frogs when I am outdoors. There are lots of trills and peeps coming from these animals as well. Even whales can emit a beautiful song to communicate with each other! There is definitely lots of music variety that can be seen throughout nature.

( “Whale Song” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WabT1L-nN-E)

In terms of nature in music, there are not many songs that talk about nature. I played flute for 8 years in a concert band, and I did not play a song about nature once.  As an interpreter, we usually have to make up our own songs in the nature subject we want to talk about because there aren’t many artists out there talking about nature. However, in the article about art-based education I think its important to remember that, “arts based environmental education can engage use with natural phenomena in unfamiliar ways and makes space for the unforeseen” (Boeckel 2014). Music is a form of art, so I think it’s important in the future for more artists to talk about nature in songs. I think it’s really neat how James Gordon wrote a song about climate change and we did too (haha)! People listen to so much music today and get drawn into the lyrics, so I think it’s important for climate change or other nature “emergencies” to be spoken in song. Maybe it would get the attention of more people.

Question: How do we get more artists to sing about nature in music? 

References: 

Farrell, B. D. (2016). First Take: Music and Nature. Retrieved October 25, 2019, from https://revista.drclas.harvard.edu/book/first-take-music-and-nature.

Boeckel, J. V. (2014). At the heart of art and earth: an exploration of practices in arts-based environmental education. Environmental Education Research, 21(5), 801–802. doi: 10.1080/13504622.2014.959474 

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The Combination of Art and Nature?

Art can mean a plethora of things. I personally imagine a museum filled with paintings I don’t understand and sculptures that I can’t relate to. I recently looked into what art can mean, and to some people art can be graffiti, it can be in the form of buttons, it can be a series of movement or it can be a beautiful photograph. One thing all these forms of art have in common is that art engages people. One of the ideas of art I came across was nature. I never really thought about nature in that way but after rethinking it, I realized how art can easily be nature. I have been fortunate enough to travel all over the world and therefore have been to my fair share of museums. For a lot of them I appreciated what I was seeing but it didn’t give me that wow factor art is supposed to give you. Yet when I travel to B.C. or Alberta or Newfoundland, I am in awe of the amazing nature around me. I realized while writing this blog that nature can be some of the most beautiful art I have ever seen.

Picture of me at a museum in France in 2013. Photo taken by my sister Charlotte Tenszen.

I do believe that everyone is allowed to interpret nature through art. I believe the more people that can get interested in nature, the better. My class went for a guided walk through the arboretum in Guelph with Chris Earley this week. Chris was an excellent source for nature interpretation. He mentioned how even if you don’t know everything about a subject you can still get your audience engaged and learn something. Which is why I believe even if you aren’t an art specialist, you can still use art to interpret nature. Something as simple as getting your audience to take pictures on their phones about a flora or fauna they are curious about can easily trigger an interest in nature.

Photo of a Northern water snake, Ribbon snake, and a Garter snake. Taken by Logan Barnes (coworker and best friend). 

As I have said many times before I worked up on the Bruce Peninsula during the summer at a camp that goes to the Bruce Peninsula National Park every four days. Many of the kids I guide through the park cannot believe the natural beauty that is the park. While reading the book The Gifts of Interpretation by Larry Beck and Ted T. Cable, I really resonated with one statement, “One of the best lessons gained from the wholesome atmosphere of the Parks is the duty of preserving natural beauties”. During the hikes I take the kids on we have one major rule that is leave the park better than you found it. For example we pick up all the garbage we see and put it in decomposable garbage bags.

Photo of my grade 8 campers and I on the Bruce trail. Photo taken by Lucy Cook (coworker). 

I think this rule supports Beck and Cables statement that it is extremely important to preserve natural “beauties” whether that’s a mountain, park, lake or forest. I also really enjoyed the statement from The Gifts of Interpretation “Interpreters help people possess beauty by getting them to slow down, by directing their attention to the details, and then by helping them understand the significance and meaning of the place or object”. The kids I guide are used to having constant simulation from their phones, TVs, and video games. By taking their phones away and having them slowdown in take in their surroundings, they become aware of this beauty they would’ve otherwise missed. I am going to end my post with a question to my readers, what is your favourite beauty of nature you have ever seen and do you have an idea to preserve this natural beauty?

Reference:

“The Gifts of Interpretation” by Larry Beck and Ted T. Cable. 3rd Edition, Copyright 2011

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Hi Grace,

That’s amazing that you have had the opportunity to travel around the world and visit some museums along the way! I have only been to some myself, do you have a favourite you would recommend? I agree with you that art is the one thing that really engages people, it draws people in by its beauty. Even if you aren’t an artist you can still grab people’s attention. I liked how you used the example of taking a picture on your phone as a form of art. With technology advancing, I think it’s really important that we make use of this and help people engage between art and nature. 

It sounds like a great experience at the Bruce Peninsula. I also think it is super important to leave a “natural beauty” how you found it. So many people today just go on a walk and pass garbage along the way, not thinking twice about picking it up or not. People seem to be so focused on their personal life these days that they don’t take a second to appreciate nature’s beauty and make sure it stays that way! Getting more kids off their phones and out into nature is a great idea to have them notice the outdoors more. 

Your question is a tough one. I would probably pick when I visited Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh Scotland. My mum was born in Scotland, so we visited a lot when I was little. I went to climb Arthur’s Seat when I was 9 and have remembered it ever since. I think a true natural beauty is something that sticks in your mind. The view on top of this extinct volcano (erupted about 350 million years ago) is absolutely stunning and I will always remember this as one of my favourite places to visit. I guess I preserve this natural beauty in the pictures my family and I took while on vacation, but because this spot has such an ancient history, I hope other people will always preserve and protect this magnificent area!

Kate 

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Bring Out Your Inner Artist

To be honest, I’ve never really defined myself as an “artsy” person. I have always envied my friends that have artistic talent. That being said, I have realized that interpreting nature through art can be in the eyes of the beholder. I don’t need a lot of artistic talent to see nature’s beauty. I think that’s the special thing about nature, it can inspire anyone. Everyone sees nature in a different light and can appreciate its beauty in different ways. It leaves us, as interpreters, something to connect to the audience with.

I like to interpret nature through art by drawing or painting (I did some paintings in high school). I don’t have that artistic talent that my friend has, but nature comes in all forms so people will understand what I am trying to say. I find it so relaxing to sketch or even “doodle” when I am outdoors.

The other way I interpret nature through art is taking pictures. I am not a great photographer either, but I find taking pictures in nature is easy because it already shows its beauty. I like looking at other pictures taken by people to see certain snapshots in nature. To visualize what was happening in that certain moment and to follow a story.

(Photo I took in my back yard over the summer)

Going to the art gallery was interesting to me as I got to see so many different pieces of art. The videos were amazing to watch, as another form of art that tells a certain story through media. Majority of people these days have social media, so I think it’s valuable to pass on nature education or perspectives through media as well. 

 I think it’s important to understand the importance of using art to teach people about nature. It “appeal to visitors and attracts locals” (Beck and Cable 2011).  Telling a story through art “convinces people to becomes as passionate about your cause as you are” (Beck and Cable 2011). It’s one of the ways we can easily catch people’s attention. I think this is important as an interpreter, to get creative, even if you aren’t “artsy” like me! 

( An interesting visual showing the social connectives of nature through art https://www.socialconnectedness.org/fostering-social-connectedness-through-nature-and-art/)

The Gift of beauty is something nature definitely possesses. How they defined it in the textbook really shows how nature appears, “it possess timelessness, power, dynamic (changes) and encompasses all our senses” (Beck and Cable 2011). I think the important thing about nature is it DOES involve all of our senses, making it easier to understand its beauty. Interpreters must “help people see beauty beyond the ordinary,” which sometimes is a tricky thing to teach people. If more people can see beyond the cover and see more into the beautiful details of nature, they might be able to appreciate it more. As shown in the textbook, “beauty inspires stewardship as it restores harmony and causes us to care” (Beck and Cable 2011). I believe nature possessing the gift of beauty inspires us as interpreters to use this as a key to connect with more people. It’s really important to try and at least be a bit “artsy” in nature interpretation, then doing nothing at all. After all, the gift of beauty is one of the fifteen principles of interpreting nature, so it must be important! 

( It’s important to notice the beauty in little things. https://beauthingsarepriceless.wordpress.com/2016/03/22/beauty-in-little-things/)

Question: When interpreting nature what sense do you think is the most powerful?

References:

Beck, L., & Cable, T. T. (2011). The gifts of interpretation: fifteen guiding principles for interpreting nature and culture. Urbana: Sagamore Publishing.

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we’re less alone than we think we are

Today is Mental Health Awareness day, so I think it’s only fitting that this week I blog this. In today’s world, it’s so easy to feel isolated, alone, surrounded by people who don’t know your name. It’s so easy to fall into negative patterns of thought, which escalate into mental illness and mental health problems. The good news is, we’re never truly alone. You’re made up of billions of atoms and cells and the only thing they care about is you! We’ve got literal microscopic armies looking after us, fighting germs and disease, regulating things like heartbeat and temperature and constantly multiplying to sustain our lives. That in and of itself means we are worthy of life. We are good enough. And I think our connection to nature helps convey that truth,

This week I headed to the Arboretum to my 8:30 class. It was chilly and misty, and I was feeling under the weather so I wasn’t too keen on this early morning adventure. But, once I got there and immersed myself in nature, wading through patches of goldenrod, looking up at the changing leaves, I felt my perspective shift. I felt so honored to be surrounded by this beauty and by this vibrant, alive ecosystem that I felt like my worries and stress had melted away. After that, I was more than happy to get my sneakers wet by walking through dewy fields to collect data for the group project, at the risk of becoming sicker and of having soggy socks the rest of the day. I’ve had several experiences in nature much like this, and I feel it is our connection to the earth that may be the best medicine.

Image 1: A quote by Lao Tzu I’ve been reflecting on while writing this post. From: https://mukeshbalani.wordpress.com/2015/04/14/nature-does-not-hurry-yet-everything-is-accomplished/

The above quote serves as a beautiful reminder. Our lives in the western world are so rushed with deadlines firing at us constantly, the bustling city life, the outside pressure to meet all kinds of milestones by the time we turn 25. Being in nature can help us reconnect with the idea that life goes on even if we don’t meet deadlines or accomplish huge things in a short time. Take a maple tree for example. It doesn’t grow to its’ mature height overnight. It doesn’t produce sap for syrup right away. It needs time and care, sun and rain, winter and summer to help it grow and develop into the big, beautiful tree we see before us today. Humans are similar, in that we need time to grow, we need sunny days and rainy days, cold and sunny seasons to help us mature and be able to produce. When we’re reminded that nature takes her sweet time, we too can learn to slow things down and gain perspective.

Nature may have this effect on people taking part in nature interpretation. We can keep this in mind when presenting to groups by taking reflective pauses for people to digest not only the information you’re providing to them, but also the scenery they see around them. As interpreters, we get a front row seat to watch people reconnect with nature, to watch as people take a step back from their ordinary hustle to take a deep breath and to truly feel alive. 

There have been numerous studies supporting the claim that nature has positive effects on our mental health and well-being. In an article published by Ontario Parks, they state “Stress is relieved within minutes of exposure to nature as measured by muscle tension, blood pressure, and brain activity.” Within minutes! This isn’t to discount other strategies to cope with mental health like counselling and medications, because those are important parts of healing. Nature is an accessible and readily available resource to help us deal with stress and emotions. Next time you’re feeling down and out, take a friend and go for a walk, I’m sure you’ll come back relaxed and ready to take on anything. 

Image 2: A fall tree in the Arboretum, photo taken by me on Tuesday morning!

How do you reconnect with nature? Let me know!

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Hi Kayla, 

I liked your blog post for this week, such an important topic! I totally agree that nature is the best medicine for mental health! I’ve struggled with mental health over my four years in university and it is for sure a tough thing to deal with. I like talking to people when I am feeling down, but one of the things that helps me the most is being out in nature.

 I just feel instant relaxation and all my worries go away. You can focus on all the things happening around you and feel away from reality for a short while. One of my favourite things to do is to go for a walk or a run in the arboretum (or even around my house) to relieve stress. I agree with you that it takes only minutes for your mind to relax in the outdoors. There’s peace to being outside that just won't work like other strategies to cope with mental health. Its’s funny that we go from being so stressed and anxious from school and then are fully rejuvenated by being out in nature. Even if I really don’t feel like going outside, I always push myself to just go even for a few minutes, if I am feeling down.

I liked the quote you included, “nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” I feel like we are so busy in our everyday lives that we forget to just take a moment and breathe. Everything always works out in the end anyways! Step by step is definitely the way to go. 

I’m just curious what class you are taking where you head off to the arboretum? That sounds like cool course!

Kate 

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Embrace Uncertainty

The most common question I receive from friends, family and even strangers right now is “oh, you’re graduating this year? What do you plan on doing?” Well, let me tell you something…I cannot stand this question anymore! It’s stressful being pressured to know exactly what you want to do with your life and I think about it non-stop! My grad photos are coming up in a couple of weeks and everything is beginning to feel more real. April is coming a little too fast for comfort!

I have a few different ideas of what direction I want to go into for the future, maybe that’s why I’m struggling so much to make a decision. Nutrition has started to interest me in the last couple of years, especially pet nutrition. I’ve always had a love for dogs ever since I was little. Currently, I have a 3-year-old Golden Retriever named Ceilidh (pronounced “Kailey”-my family is Scottish), who I am super excited to see this weekend! I came to Guelph, thinking “I want to be a vet.” Well, that changed as soon as I came to the university. I realized there is so much more out there then just vet school if you want to work with animals. Even coming out of grade 12 I wasn’t exactly sure if I wanted to be a vet. When I came home after the first couple weeks in first year, I remember telling my mum, “Mum, I’ve always liked the idea of becoming a vet, but these people REALLY want to be vets.” That’s where I decided to turn to another route.

(Photo of my dog Ceilidh, taken by me)

Making a decision for your future career is not an easy one! I’ve decided to do a Master’s program in the future (don’t ask me in what, I am not too sure!) I was going to go right into a Master’s, but recently I’ve decided to take a year off. I realized “what’s the rush?” I feel like as young people we feel we have to always be on “the go” and have a plan. This year I’ve understood that sometimes not having a plan is actually a good thing. You should enjoy yourself and do things that interest you, before pressuring yourself into a job, schooling, etc. I plan on going traveling next year, volunteering and working abroad. I haven’t really gone travelling around by myself before, so I am a little nervous, but super excited! I would really like to volunteer in a wildlife centre, dog kennel, or somewhere I can work with animals.  

(I would really like to visit Italy!) 

I took this class to explore my interest in environmental science. Working in a provincial park has got me thinking about working outdoors. Recently, honeybees and pollinator conservation has also peaked my interest! I like trying new things and discovering what is best suited for my future.

My blog ties into what we have talked about in class in terms of risk. We talked about how society has gone towards becoming more cautious. I think this is how people act about graduating and looking into the future. We don’t embrace risk very much anymore and are too afraid to take that leap of faith. I do think that sometimes taking that risk is worth it.  

So, as you can see, I have lots of interests to pursue and see what is the best fit for me. Who knows where they’ll take me? I am one of those people who likes to have a plan and know each step along the way, but I am here to tell myself, and you, that we need to embrace uncertainty! 

(A quote by Jodie Foster) 

Question: Do you think students tend to rush into finding jobs after university? Is it worth it? Why or why not? 

References:

https://www.azquotes.com/quote/524072 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/sgp/en/cruise-to/venice-italy?country=SGP

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#3. I just couldn’t “past” up the chance to unpack this quote.

I struggled to make sense of Hyams’ quotation at first. However, after “unpacking” it by analyzing sections at a time, I felt I understood it better. This process related to a quotation in the textbook that caught my attention: “…before you can study the forest, you must become totally familiar with the trees.” (Beck and Cable, 2011, p. 69). So, let’s look at these “trees”. 

“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…”

This tells me that old things are not special simply because they are old. Think an artifact, fossil, or ancient object. Now, in a reply tell me what that object is, how old it is, and why it is important. Here’s mine: below I’ve got a photo of part of a trilobite fossil from Craigleith Provincial Park in Ontario. I have no idea how many years old it is. But I can tell you that these trilobites lived at a time when a lot of what is now North America existed as a shallow sea centred near the equator. Perhaps you are like me and struggled to remember the dates and numbers, but had no trouble explaining what life was like at the time and how it is similar or different to life today. Timelines and numbers don’t appeal to our emotions, but places, characters, and activities associated with a historical time period do.

Partial trilobite fossil. The world was a very different place at the time this fossil formed. Photo my own.

“…and if these parts are scattered throughout time, then the maintenance of integrity entails a knowledge, a memory, of ancient things…”

We can look back on the history of what we are interpreting to help us better understand it in the present. We may even find that the story of a place, landmark, or group of people is continuing today. Sometimes history can shape your own personal identify. There’s a powerful quotation in the textbook that captures the importance of connecting past to present: “For reasons of both celebration and introspection, we must not forget our past.” (Beck and Cable, 2011, p. 76). Can you think of a time when you better understood a landmark, story, artwork, or something else after you learned about its historical context? Just this week, when we had our tour of Guelph, I finally learned the reason behind the faces of two men (Poseidon and Zeus, as we found out) and a bull sculpted into the front of the Old City Hall.

Old City Hall, Guelph. By Bardiak at English Wikipedia, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3760932

“…. 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.”

Like the train station in the quote, things are present before and after we are around to experience them. This is an important reminder that we experience the Earth for only a fraction of its existence. Yet our society has altered the Earth in ways that extend way beyond any human lifespan. We should remember that just as the past shaped how we experience the world today, our actions today shape how people will experience the world in the future. Will your actions outlive you?

I walked up to this plastic balloon on the beach thinking I had found a jellyfish. Who knows where this plastic balloon came from or how long it was floating around in the ocean for. Photo my own.

Citations

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

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Hi Kayla, 

Love the title for your blog post! I broke up the quote too, I found it way easier to interpret in pieces, then trying to do it all together! 

I totally agree with your point how timelines and numbers don’t appeal to our emotions. I talked a bit about tangibles and intangibles in my blog, which can be applied here as well. That connection from the object to some sort of story or historical aspect is such an important job as an interpreter. I like the part where you mention how you find it easier to compare our present life with the past. For people listening to nature programs, I totally agree that they will remember what you said about North America being a shallow sea. They won't remember the exact date, but when you make it relatable to the audience it works so much better! 

Two summers ago when I started working in Ontario Parks, I learned about how to present this Indigenous People’s program and we had to explain some artifacts.  There were these rocks with chips out on either side (that was my first thought). After, I learned that there was so much more to this artifact than just being a “rock.” I learned how the indigenous people use to fish in this area and actually used these “net sinkers” to weigh down their nets. So those little chips on either side were to tie twine around the rocks to attach to their nets and improve their fishing skills. In this moment I realized that there's so much more to objects that we don’t even realize! It’s a neat feeling when you better understand something. I really hope that my actions will outlive me. I do want to make a difference in the world and pass on my passion to save the planet! 

Kate  

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A Glimpse of the Past

“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.”

History is such an important part in our lives, and this is what this particular quote is referring to.

“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....”

Looking at the first bit of the quote, I believe it’s referring to that interpreters have to be honest and have strong morals (integrity) to talk about not only the present, but also the past. We, as interpreters, have to provide the knowledge of the past to our audience in order to remember all of those valuable memories. We wouldn’t be here as a species if it wasn’t for things in the past, so it is important to speak about them. History might be far in the past to us, but interpreters must make sure that they are painting the WHOLE picture for people. It touches upon that unless interpreters explain the whole picture, it won’t “remain whole” and will just be moments scattered throughout time. It also mentions that there has to be some sort of “knowledge, a memory, of ancient things.” Interpreters need to educate the public on history in order to not lose these memories and to pass on the knowledge from generation to generation.

Photo of London England in the past and present. Photo by Hannah Bouckley (http://home.bt.com/tech-gadgets/tech-features/explore-london-past-and-present-11363879521404).  A photo describing how we can’t forget to think about the past.

This quote ties in very nicely with our class visit to the Guelph Civic Museum. I have been living in Guelph for four years now and had no idea that Guelph had such a rich history! I am now telling all my family members and friends all the neat facts I learned on the tour. It is so important to make sure that interpreters pass on their knowledge to the people, so more people are aware of what happened. I look at all the older buildings downtown differently now, knowing that each one of them has a unique past. I think so many people today are so caught up in the present that they forget to think about all the past people that used to live here.

A big part of interpretation is also talking about tangibles and intangibles. Interpreters need to “make connections between the intangibles and intangible meanings” (Gift of Revelation). Going back to the museum tour, one of the things I didn’t know is that the structure near the river was an old skating rink at one time. First looking at it, I describe the physical characteristics,“old building, stone, and brown.” After I am given that new piece of knowledge, it sparks imagination in my brain, and now when I look at the structure I see “old skating rink, people skating, winter, fun, laughing, and cold.” There’s so much more that I get out of this WHOLE picture now all because I know a bit of the history behind it!

Speed Skating Rink in January 1988, photo by Donald Coulman (https://www.guelphtoday.com/rooted/a-monument-to-lost-possibility-1698016)

“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.”

This last part of the quote means that life is short, it goes past in the blink of an eye. We need to celebrate historical events and live life to the fullest in the present. History is important to study our evolution and to make sure the same mistakes don’t happen in the future. We seem to focus on thinking about the future more today, especially in the sense of climate change.

If you could travel in time…do you think it’s more beneficial to visit the past or go to the future? Why?

References: 

Beck, L., & Cable, T. T. (2011). The gifts of interpretation: fifteen guiding principles for interpreting nature and culture. Urbana: Sagamore Publishing.