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Blog for ENVS3000W23 Logan Kraus

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Disclaimer

This blog was created for __________, University of Guelph. 

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of the University of Guelph. 

The University of Guelph is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by this blog.

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This blog was created for ENVS*3000 (DE01), University of Guelph. 

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of the University of Guelph. 

The University of Guelph is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by this blog.

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Unit 10

This week brings us to our final blog post of the semester. I have to admit I was not really sure what to expect when I enrolled in this course, but I definitely enjoyed it much more than I originally thought.  Blogging is something that I have never really done much of before, so when I first saw how many marks our blogs were worth I was intimidated. However, it did not take very long to learn how to blog and they kept getting easier every week. I am excited to share my final thoughts about what I have learned about being a nature interpreter. 

I would like to start this blog off by sharing a quote from the textbook that really relates to this week's blog prompt. 

"Interpreters help people to develop an ethical sense of their place and role in the world. Interpreters offer understanding and appreciation of our place and role in the world.  They give people facts and experiences so they care enough to help make the story turn out right” (Beck et al., 2018, p. 54).

This quote is saying that in order for an interpreter to help others develop a sense of place in nature, they first need to develop their own. Throughout this course, I really feel like I have developed as a nature interpreter and I would like to use the remainder of the blog to discuss how this course has helped my development. 

I would like to talk about my beliefs when it comes to being a nature interpreter. I think that my main goals and responsibilities as a nature interpreter would be to engage, educate, and connect with my audience.

Personally, I think that the most important responsibility an interpreter has is to engage their audience with nature. A quote from our course textbook says it best,  “People are out for recreation and need restful,  intellectual visions, and not dull, dry facts, rules, and manuals” (Mills, 1920)". This quote is saying that the reason people come out into nature is for a break from their everyday life activities, so they do not just want boring dry facts, they want to be excited about what they are learning. I am fortunate enough that throughout my life I have gone on many different family vacations. On these vacations, we would often partake in day excursions and this gave me the chance to experience many different interpreters. The best interpreters were always knowledgeable, funny, passionate, and very interactive.  They did not just act like it was a job, they would show true love for what they are doing and this would always make my family and I love it that much too. 

I also believe that educating my audience is one of my biggest responsibilities as a nature interpreter. I personally feel like I have a very strong connection with nature and I have always felt the need to do whatever I can to help protect it. Expressing my feelings about how I feel about nature with my audience would hopefully help to educate them about environmental issues and also inspire them with things they can do to help. I feel like this is especially important if the audience is kids because they may be the generation that has the chance to reestablish a healthy relationship with nature and stop the loss of biodiversity.  I would like to use a personal experience as an example. When my family went to Costa Rica we did a day excursion to go snorkeling. The interpreters were very knowledgeable, but they did not just feed us dull facts. They educated us about the importance of our ocean ecosystems by sharing feelings instead of facts.

Connecting my audience is also an essential responsibility as a nature interpreter. It’s one thing to engage and educate your audience, but if they do not feel connected to the topic are they even going to care? With so many people losing touch with the natural world an interpreter needs to connect people with nature. This is not done through sharing dull facts with the audience, but by allowing them to develop a deep personal connection with nature and making them understand why nature is so important to everyone in the world. 

The final thing I would like to talk about is how a nature interpreter needs to know their audience.  In unit 2 of this course, we learned about the different learning styles an individual may have and how that affects nature interpretation. The three different styles we learned about were, auditory, visual, and tactile learners. Therefore, as an interpreter, I would make sure to include all of these styles so everyone in the audience is able to learn in their own way. We also learned in unit 3 how privilege plays a role in nature interpretation. In this unit, we learned about “invisible backpacks” and how not everyone is equally privileged. Someone who is very privileged is more likely to be connected with nature than someone who is not as privileged because of the opportunities they have. This is why as a nature interpreter I will do my best to be accessible to everyone and to make sure everyone has a similar experience regardless of how privileged they are. 

In conclusion, this class had many different benefits for me. One benefit I did not expect was how educating people about nature has reminded me how much I care about the natural world.

References:

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

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Unit 9

With this year being my fourth and final year in the environmental science program I feel like I have learned so many amazing things about nature. That is why for this week's blog I have found it difficult to narrow it down to just one amazing thing about nature. I noticed from reading other blogs that a lot of people have picked a specific ecosystem or species of animal to discuss. So for this week's blog,  I have decided I wanted to talk about ostriches! 

My first job ever growing up was on an ostrich farm that was right down the road from my parent's house. I was only in grade 8 when I started working there, so I only worked on weekends. My brother worked there so his boss would ask him to bring me in whenever they were busy or just needed some extra hands. At the time ostriches were an animal that I basically knew nothing about, but after working there over that one summer I really learned a lot about them! I would like to use this blog to share some of the stuff I learned.

Ostriches are flightless birds and they are actually the largest bird in the world. When ostriches are babies they grow an average of 11 inches per month for a few months, and when they are fully grown males can grow up to 9 feet tall and females can grow up to 6 feet tall. I am sure most people assume with this great height comes great speed. Ostriches are the fastest two-legged animal in the world and can run up to 70 km/hr covering up to 5 meters in a single stride! Another reason ostriches are able to run so fast is that they have only 2 toes on each foot, with a large nail on the inner toe that resembles a hoof. Seeing these animals sprint in real life was absolutely amazing, but terrifying at the same time. One of the things I found really interesting about ostriches was their eggs. Ostrich eggs are the largest out of any living bird at about 15-20 cm long and the contents inside are equivalent to about 24 chicken eggs! I have actually tried one before and it was really good! Compared to a chicken egg I would say it was much richer, the flavor tasted similar, but just much stronger. 

I would like to talk more about the farm and what we did there. The main thing that people came for was obviously to see the ostriches, so it was me and my brother's job to take people on a farm tour to see adult and baby ostriches. We would use a tractor and a wagon to do this, my brother would drive the tractor through the farm stopping at certain points well I was on the trailer with the customer spreading knowledge about the ostriches. One of the questions we would most frequently get asked is "Can I ride the ostrich?" However, we would never let any customer do that because it can cause significant damage to the bird's back and bones. We also had a gift shop where customers could purchase various ostrich-related things, such as eggs, feathers, fat, skin, and meat in different forms such as hamburgers and steak. 

Overall, I really enjoyed working here because I got to learn so much about ostriches! They have even become one of my favorite animals because of this summer, and an ostrich egg still even sits on a shelf in my room at my parent's house!

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Music and Nature

The two main questions for this week's prompt were, Where is music in nature? And where is nature in music? 

Where is music in nature? Well, music is actually everywhere in nature! In my opinion, it would be very hard to go for a walk in the woods without hearing some of the music nature creates.  I think that the most common way people hear music in nature is through bird calls. I am sure we have all woken up on a spring morning to the sound of multiple birds singing their songs right outside your window. However, you can hear music in nature in many different other forms too, such as hearing a frog's mating call, listening to a river flow, hearing the wind move the branches of trees, or the best is hearing all these different sounds come together. Personally, I find all the different forms of music nature makes to be very calming and a great way to destress. One of my favourite ways of hearing music in nature is when there is a thunderstorm. At my cottage, one of my favourite things to do is sit in my boathouse as a thunderstorm comes in from across the lake and just listen to all the amazing sounds it makes like the rain hitting the lake, and hearing the sharp crack of thunder as lightning fills the sky.  

Where is nature in music? This question is a little bit harder to answer than the first question, but I would like to start answering it by discussing how musical instruments were first created.  First Nations are a perfect example of how humans used nature to make musical instruments. They would make rattles out of gourds and horns, they would make horns out of birch bark, make drumsticks out of carved antlers and wood, and make drums out of carved wood and animal hides. Even today with such advanced technology many musical instruments or parts of the instrument still come from nature. For example, pipes, violins, guitars, and drumsticks are all made out of wood. Nature is also in music through inspiring artists to write certain songs about it, such as, “Rocky Mountain High” by John Denver, or “Earth Song” by Micheal Jackson. Some artists have even used their talents to promote conservation efforts, for example, Miley Cyrus released a song called “Wake Up America” which lyrically discusses climate change. 

A song that immediately takes me back to a natural landscape is “Toes” by the Zac Brown Band. Every summer my friends and I do an Algonquin Park Canoe trip, and every year we listen to this song multiple times on the ride up. Every time I hear this song it always makes me think of summertime and just enjoying my time canoeing and camping with my friends.

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Unit 7: Interpretation Through Music

Music is something that I absolutely enjoy regularly. I'm very much an audiophile where I'm listening to music pretty much most of the day. It is an addiction. It is true that every known human culture has music. When reflecting on the course material, I find it so fascinating that we have created patterns of sound varying in pitch, tone, and rhythm that is different or can be similar across various cultures (Gray et al., 2001). Music itself is like its own language and there is evidence of the earliest use of nature in music.

Where is music in nature? When I think about this I know that nature makes its own sound like waves and the sound of birds at the beach creating a sense relaxation. Birds are definitely the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of where we find music in nature. Going back to how I mentioned that music is like its own language, we can appreciate how birds have a language of their own by singing. What's interesting is that birds have the ability to pitch songs to Western music which is why humans are attracted to these sounds (Grey et al., 2001).

Where is nature in music? This is an interesting question. Our Neanderthal ancestors were very fond of music. They used animal bones to create a flute-like instrument which resembles the sound of today's recorders (Grey et al., 2001). This just goes to show that ancient civilizations prioritized and discovered music as a primary form of entertainment. I would say that this is an early example of nature in music because animal bones were recycled to create instruments which is a clever idea.

Discovery of prehistoric flutes (Gray et al., 2001). Credit: Jelle Atema.

One song that I used to listen to a lot when I was a younger was Starships (clean) by Nicki Minaj because it reminds me of summer and it's a catchy throwback song. The song itself is fast-paced with the strumming of a guitar in the background. It makes me visualize a nice sunny day. And it reminds me especially of the times where I would go to the beach with my friends and we would always jam out to this song on our way there to get hyped. It's the perfect road trip song to the beach. It's very upbeat and always puts me in summer mode when ever I hear it even during the gloomy winter months.

For further discussion, what are some other animals that use musical sounds to communicate? How are these musical sounds beneficial within species?

Thanks for reading,

Hinal.

References

Gray, P. Krause, B. Atema, J., Payne, R., Krumhansl, C. & Baptista, L. (2001). The Music of Nature and the Nature of Music. Science. 291. 52-54.

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Hey there!

I really enjoyed reading your blog post this week! 

I basically said the same thing in my blog about how when people think about music in nature they will immediately think about birds singing. I think this is the most common way people experience music in nature, rather it be hearing birds sing during a walk in the woods, or being woken up at 6 am on a spring morning because they are singing right outside the window. I found it very interesting that birds can pitch songs to western music and that really had me wondering if other animals also enjoy music. 

I really like how you mentioned that our Neanderthal ancestors were fond of music and how they would use animal bones to create instruments. It's really crazy to think that the recorders we played in elementary school were practically based on a design made so long ago. I thought that your example of how the song Starships by Nicki Minaj makes you think of summer was very cool! It's really cool how a song so unrelated to summer can make you think about all the good times you had with friends that summer. The song Toes by the Zac Brown Band has the same effect on me. My one friend always plays this song when we head up to Algonquin Park for our annual canoe trip, so whenever I hear that song it always makes me think of summertime in Algonquin. 

To answer your question, frogs are another animal that uses musical sounds to communicate. Male frogs sing to attract females of their own species and female frogs' ears are actually tuned to identify which calls are from the same species.

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Decoding the Importance of History

This week's blog prompt quote made my brain hurt upon first read. My post is going to break down the quote section by section, in hopes of making what looks like a word soup into a meaningful, inspiring passage. 

“There is no peculiar merit in ancient things”: Well, peculiar means different from normal, and merit is to be particularly good. Together, Mr. Hyrams describes that there is nothing special about ancient things. And I must say, when I first read the first eight words of this quote, I had to disagree with Hyams. Archaeologists devote their entire lives to discovering and learning about ancient artifacts and places. With more reflection I realized that these ancient things don't hold value on their own, it is their story that makes them important. 

“... but there is merit in integrity,”: Integrity is honesty and having good morals which can be a rarity to find these days. It is most definitely a valuable quality. “... 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.” Integrity can also mean the state of being whole. Hyams intelligently uses both meanings of the word concurrently. He states if integrity is broken, and is therefore no longer whole, we must reflect on the time in which it was whole to understand how to put the pieces of integrity back together. To do so, history is crucial and cannot be forgotten, for if they are, we blindly fall back into problems that have already been solved for us. 

I'm going to deconstruct the next two sections of the quote out of order, as they will be easier to understand this way. “…believing that a railway station through which our train has just passed, only existed for as long as our train was in it.”: It would be foolish to believe things are only important when they are relevant to us. Everything that we value has worth before and after it crosses paths with us. Hyams is basically saying that the world doesn’t revolve around you, and just because you do not need something in a given moment, does not mean it isn’t important. 

He compared this simile to “think[ing], feel[ing], or act[ing] as though the past is done with”. Ancient things and the past as a whole tell us about our history, how we got where we are today, and are a reminder of how far we’ve come. If we were to forget about our past, we would never learn from our mistakes, or already have solutions to our problems. There's a reason our brains develop object permanence; understanding that things still exist when we can no longer see them, and that’s because they still serve a purpose when they are not directly in front of us. Overall, I think Hyams made this quote to remind us that the past makes our present, and inspires our future. The past is as important now as it was when it was the present.

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Hey there!

I think that you did an amazing job breaking this quote down and made the quote very easy to understand. I like how you broke down the first sentence in this quote saying that ancient artefacts alone are not that important, but the story behind the artefact is important. This is similar to what I said in my blog and I think this shows how crucial the roles of interpreters are in helping visitors understand the significance of artefacts.  

I like how you defined integrity in two different ways and explained how the author's quote includes both definitions at the same time. I think you made a really good point when you said “To do so, history is crucial and cannot be forgotten, for if they are, we blindly fall back into problems that have already been solved for us.” Just like you, I also talked about how learning from history is very important because it can teach us about mistakes that were made in the past and what we need to do to prevent them from happening today. I believe this is one of the major reasons history is part of the curriculum in elementary school and high school. 

When you analized the end of the quote “believing that a railway station through which our train has just passed, only existed for as long as our train was in it.” I like how you said that this means just because something is relevant to you, it does not mean that it is important. This is something that I did not take in when I first read the quote, but it makes sense. 

Overall, I really enjoyed reading your blog! Good job!

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Nature Interpretation Through History

“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.”

For this week's blog, we were assigned the task to unpack this quote by Edward Hyams. I quickly realized this is no easy task because this quote can be unpacked in many different ways. For example, Hyams uses a lot of different metaphors that can be interpreted differently by various readers. This reminds me of a point I made in my blog about art, how multiple people can look at the same piece of art, but interpret it differently. That same thing can be said for quotes. However, I am going to try and unpack this quote from my perspective.

The first line in this quote is “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” To me, this means that historical objects do not have any benefits, but the stories behind the objects do. This is important to interpreters because it means the history behind a historical object needs to be mentioned in interpretations in order for the audience to grasp its significance. 

I think that the overall meaning of this quote is that we need to learn from history and not ignore it. When Hyams says “ 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”. I think he is saying that whatever situation you are in, someone else has experienced the same situation and therefore we can actually learn from history to avoid and minimize mistakes we have made in the past.  

A message from our course textbook says this best, Considering history encourages a better understanding of the challenges that are present today (Beck et al., 2018). The reason that we are required to take history classes in elementary school and high school is to educate our youth on mistakes that were made in the past so history does not repeat itself. Even interpreters can play a role in educating people about history. Often interpreters tell engaging stories to open the audience's eyes to how history relates to their lives (Beck et al., 2018).

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Blog 5: A Stressful Hike

For this week's blog, there was no blog prompt. I think this made writing a blog much harder than in past weeks when there was a prompt. However, I have decided I would like to use this week's blog to talk about how I have been dealing with the stress of school lately.

It is at that point in the semester when assignments and midterms are really starting to stack up and it can be difficult to find time to relax and focus on your mental health. One of my favorite ways to deal with these school-related stresses is to get out in nature! Last week in particular I found myself very stressed with two midterms on the same day and a couple of assignments due. To deal with this stress I decided to go for a walk at my favorite trail in my hometown which is called Hilton Falls.

Throughout all high school, this was my go-to place when life would get stressful and I needed some time to myself. However, this particular hike was not quite as calming as the past times I have hiked here. Since I have hiked these trails so many times I thought that it would be a great idea to try and hike to the falls from a back entrance that I have never hiked before. Unfortunately for me, I did not pick very appropriate footwear and this trail had clearly not been used much so the snow was quite deep and my feet got completely soaked, but I chose to keep going since my feet could not get any wetter. Eventually, the narrow back trail opened up into a wider and packed down main trail. I walked down this trail for a while until I saw a side trail that I thought looked familiar and would lead me to the falls. After walking this trail for a while I finally had to admit to myself that I am indeed lost, but luckily for me, I could see through the trees that I was getting close to a road. I made it out to the road only to realize I was nowhere near the falls, my car, or my house. I was on 6th line. Since my 2-hour hike had already been extended to the 4-hour mark it meant that I had to swallow my pride and call my older brother to pick me up. As I am sure it would for most older brothers, seeing me wet, cold, and lost seemed to be very amusing for him as he gave me a ride back to my car. I finally made it home wet and tired realizing that my attempt to relax had actually just stressed me out more. I also realized that perhaps I am a little bit rusty at navigating my way around Hilton Falls and from now on I will stick to the trails that I know.

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Interpreters are Artists!

Anyone can interpret nature through art! It is an interdisciplinary way to reach many audiences with different means by peaking different interests in art (music, dance, theatre, visual art)! They often encourage viewers to interpret in their own way and not to think about what the composer meant for them to learn (page 228).

There are many arts in interpretation: theatre, storytelling and poetry, music, dance, and visual arts. In the past I never thought to interpret art during my science journey, but I have since learned that art can integrate biological and social sciences, and emotion and intuition, for effective communication (page 218). I always expressed love for nature through visual art but never thought that my photography could be shared to help people learn and interpret to have meaning, they always were something personal and meaningful just to me.

Yes this owl is beautiful, but it mainly means something to ME as a symbol of my passed Grandpa. What could it mean to someone else? I hadn't thought of that...

“The gift of beauty” to me means that we should not allow others to destroy nature for their own profits at the expense of others (page 41). Nature is a gift that sustains life, provides humans with sustenance, and helps with individual growth as a person (page 46-47). Being able to see the beauty in everyday life ensures good mental and spiritual well-being and allows feelings of love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization (page 47). Interpreters help people develop an ethical sense of place and role in their world (page 54) which allows their audiences to appreciate the landscape and nature. This gift allows us to be well-rounded people and allows for health in many sectors of your life. The gift of beauty allows people to exercise in these spaces (physical), relax or get inspired (mental), and gather with friends (social). The gift that nature is allows us to flourish in all aspects of our lives because of the beauty it provides. If the space was not beautiful, it may not attract a wide variety of people and thus the beauty that draws people in allows us to directly benefit in various aspects of life.

“The gift of beauty” could also be interpreted as that you see beyond selfishness and are able to see that nature is beautiful. There is no doubt that some people will exploit nature for their own profits at the expense of everyone else (page 41) but some people can see past their greed and have the gift to see the beauty that nature is and all it has to offer as it stands! It allows the ignition of the participants’ fascination and curiosity surrounding the natural world (van Boeckel, 2015). See beauty can move people in many ways and can strike on emotions and empathy which can help with change of how we currently live to more sustainable because we do not want to see this beauty disappear!

This is beautiful and perhaps you just see a waterfall, but to some you feel peace when you see this! How could someone tear this out and build housing here? If there was a motion to develop this area, and this photo was shown, how would society react? It may be controversial to tear this out if this is the photo that they are sharing of the space to develop. Might get public uproar and may to too controversial to continue because of the power of its beauty!

References:

Beck, L., Cable, T.T., & Knudson, D.M (2018). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage for a Better World (1st ed). Sagamore Venture.

Van Boeckel, J. (2015). At the heart of art and earth: an exploration of practices in arts-based environmental education. Environmental Education Research, 21(5), 801-802.

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Hey!

I really enjoyed reading your blog this week and I thought you brought up some really good ideas and points! I liked how you mentioned that artists often encourage viewers to interpret art in their own way. This is something I also briefly mentioned in my blog as well because multiple different people can look at the same piece of art, but all of them might interpret the meaning of the art in a slightly different way. Like how that photo of the owl you posted has a specific meaning to you, but someone else looking at it will feel different kinds of emotions. I mentioned something similar to this in my blog. One of my favorite painters, Tom Thompson, has a painting of Canoe lake which is in Algonquin Park and this is a lake that I have canoed many times with friends and family. Whenever I see that painting it makes me happy and makes me feel calm and relaxed, whereas, someone else looking at the same painting may not experience these same emotions. 

I also agree with your point about photography. Just like you, I have also always taken pictures of nature whenever I can, but I have never really thought of it as art or thought that sharing these photos could help other people learn about and interpret nature.  

Thanks for sharing!

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Interpreting Nature Through Art

There are many different ways to interpret nature, but one way is through art.  Using art to interpret nature is a powerful tool to increase engagement and enjoyment for guests (Beck et al. 2019). There are many different ways a nature interpreter can use art to engage their audience, it can be through dance, music, theatre, paintings, and poetry. Using these different forms of art as a nature interpreter is a unique way to connect your audience with nature on a personal level.  

The thing about art is that multiple people can look at the same painting or listen to the same song, but all of them will interpret the meaning in different ways.  This is why for centuries artists have resisted having anyone  “explain the meaning”  of a  painting or sculpture; they insist that each person should have an individual response and interpretation of the significance of the work (Beck et al. 2019). For many artists, art is a way for them to express their emotions when it comes to nature, and can use their artwork to help educate people on certain environmental issues. This can make people experience a lot of different feelings and emotions and this is a good way for artists to use their art to help promote conservation. 

One way that nature can be interpreted through art is by photography, and now that we live in a world where basically everyone has an iPhone or a phone with a camera this is becoming one of the most common ways. Taking pictures of nature is something that I have done my whole life, every time I see a sunset, a unique landscape, or some kind of wildlife I have always felt the need to capture the moment by taking a picture. 

Another way that I have been able to frequently interpret nature through art is by frequently visiting Algonquin Park. As I mentioned in previous blogs, my family's cottage is right at the gate of Algonquin park, so growing up I would always go multiple times a year. One of my favorite things to do at the park is go to the park's art center. The art center has some of the most breathtaking art I have ever seen in my life. However, there was one artist whose art I really enjoy and that is the artwork of Tom Thompson. My favorite painting of his is of Canoe Lake.  Canoe Lake is a lake that I have canoed on for my whole life and whenever I see that painting it makes me feel calm and relaxed.  In fact, this is actually the lake he died on, and one summer my friends and I even canoed to the site of his grave. Although I have spent a lot of time in Algonquin Park the art of Tom Thompson has really helped me connect with nature and help me find my sense of place.

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage for a Better World. Sagamore Venture.

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Risk Versus Reward in Interpretation

Privilege can be a hard word to define, but I would define it as the benefits and advantages that an individual or group has that others do not. However, these advantages are not earned, but are a result of societal systems and biases based on factors like gender, race, class, and sexuality. A lot of the time people who are privileged do not like to recognize or discuss the fact that they are privileged because they do not want to admit they have these advantages. 

Privilege plays a big role in nature interpretation by impacting an individuals opportunity to explore nature and the experience they will have. A person who is privileged will usually  have more access to nature and will have better experiences with nature. This means that people who are privileged will be more connected with nature and understand it better. A person who is not as privileged will not have same opportunities to connect and experience nature. Some reasons for this may be a lack of finical resources which can mean no personal vehicle to get to certain parks and not being able to afford proper equptiment, or a lack of knowledge of where to go, what to do, and how to prepare. 

I would now like to discuss some of the advantages that have been given to me and unpack my invisible backpack. I am a white male, I speak english, I have a Canadian passport, and I was born into a middle-class family with parents who are highly educated and are still married. These are all advantages that I have no control over but they do give me an advantage in life. 

Another way that I am privileged is through the opportunities I had to connect with nature growing up. I had these opportunities mainly because I have parents who are so connected to nature. One of the earliest opportunities I had to connect with nature was through my dad. My dad is an environmental scientist and from a young age, I remember going with him to work to help with his fieldwork. This is where he helped me pick up many different skills such as learning how to identify plants and animals. Another way my parents gave me the privilege of connecting with nature was through traveling. My family vacations would often be based around different nature experiences such as exploring the icefields at Jasper National Park, river rafting in Costa Rica, or snorkeling a coral reef in the Dominican Republic. Having the opportunity to travel is something that when I was younger I did not realize how privileged I was to have, but now that I am older I realize how lucky I am to have seen so many different countries and different parts of Canada. Having all of these opportunities helped turn me into the person I am today, and I often wonder how different my life would be without them.

Gallavan, N.P. (2005). Helping teachers unpack their ‘invisible knapsacks.’ Multicultural Education, 13(1), 36.

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

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Unit 03: Risk and Reward

My working definition of privilege involves the unearned reception of certain advantages to a group of people, or individual. These privileges are often passed down through generations and typically revolves around identities such as race, ability, socioeconomic status, sexuality, and level of education (Mcintosh in Noel, 2000 p. 115). While many people who live a privileged life are afraid to recognize it, it is an important topic to discuss in order to fully understand the power imbalances that result from it.

Privilege is just as important of a concept within nature interpretation as it is in everyday life. One of the ways I recognize that I am privileged in terms of my relationship with nature, is through having parents that placed values on our natural environment. Not everyone has the same opportunity to grow up in a family that has an appreciation for nature as I did. I am able to recognize this as a privilege as it is not something that everybody grows up with, and not something I ever worked to earn. I was simply born into a family that happened to share the same love of nature as I did, and this ultimately shaped the course of my life. One way this privilege unfolded as I grew up was through travelling. I have been fortunate enough to have parents that understand the value that comes with travelling and can set aside enough money for our family to go on trips. This has benefitted by relationship with nature greatly as it has allowed me to learn firsthand about different environmental topics such as ecology and conservation in other countries. This has bettered my ability as a nature interpreter as I’m able to spread the knowledge I’ve learned on trips with the people around me.

This privilege has benefitted me throughout the course of my time as a student, which even furthered my privilege. A specific example I can remember of travelling benefitting my performance in school was in grade 10. In my biology class we were learning about different interactions within nature, specifically symbiotic relationships. During the Christmas break of that year, my family travelled to the Amazon for an adventure. We were on a hike with a guide who was informing us of the natural history and interactions that occur within the rainforest. One topic he mentioned was the relationship between capybaras and cleaner bird species. He explained how certain birds will land on capybaras and eat ticks and parasites off of them and how this benefits both animals. It was a perfect example of a type of symbiotic relationship, specifically a mutualistic one, and I was able to reinforce what I had previously learned in class with a real-life example. When I returned to school, the information I had learned over the break stuck with me and ended up benefitting me in class. I was able to recognize that this was a unique experience that I was able to participate in and that it was a privilege resulting from my parents.

Privilege is an important topic to discuss, within the field of nature interpretation but also in everyday life. Continuing the conversation is one way to recognize your privileges and understand the power imbalances it creates.

Gallavan, N.P. (2005). Helping teachers unpack their ‘invisible knapsacks.’ Multicultural Education, 13(1), 36.

Noel, J. (2000). Notable selections in multicultural education. Guilford, CT: Dushkin/McGraw-Hill.

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Hello,

This is a really great post and I really enjoyed reading it!

I completely agree with your definition of privilege and I like how you mentioned that it is "unearned".  In my opinion, that is an important part of the definition that not a lot of people consider when they think about their own privileges.  I also like how you said that oftentimes people who live a privileged life are afraid to recognize it, but it is still important to discuss.

Just like you, my parents get a lot of credit for being the reason I fell in love with nature. Having parents who love nature is definitely a privilege that not everyone has the opportunity to grow up with.  My dad is an environmental scientist and from a young age I remember going with him to work to help with his fieldwork. This is where he helped me pick up many skills such as learning how to identify plants and animals. 

Like you, my parents also gave me the privilege of traveling. Having the opportunity to travel is something that when I was younger I did not realize how privileged I was to have these opportunities, but now that I am older I realize how lucky I am to have seen so many different countries and parts of Canada. However, growing up with a cottage is the biggest privilege I had when it comes to connecting with nature. Having all of these opportunities helped me turn into the person I am today, and I often wonder how different my life would be without them.

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Becoming An Interpreter

Nature interpreters play a very important role when it comes to educating the public about the environment.  They do this by helping people more accurately perceive the world around them and help people find their sense of place in nature. Interpreters also help people understand the cultures that came before them, teach about the history of the land, and teach about how humans and nature can coexist in this world. As stated in our course textbook by Mills (1920) “ People are out for recreation and need restful, intellectual visions, and not dull, dry facts, rules and manuals”. This is why the ideal interpreter needs to be knowledgeable and passionate about the place they are educating their visitors on. An interpreter with these qualities will keep their visitors much more engaged and eager to learn.  

I am lucky enough that throughout my life I have gone on many different family trips to various countries, and many trips to different parts of Canada. Throughout these trips, I have experienced many different interpreters, some were amazing and some were not as good. The best interpreter I have had was a guy who was called “Buffalo Joe” who took my family and me out pike fishing during our trip to Yellowknife. This outing involved going out fishing on Great Slave Lake all morning, and then being brought to an island on the lake where Buffalo Joe and his crew cooked some of the pike we caught.  Buffalo Joe was such a unique and memorable interpreter because he was knowledgeable, funny, passionate, and very interactive. Every time one of us had a question about the local landscape, culture, or even what restaurants to try, Buffalo Joe always had an answer. He also cooked up some of the best fish I have ever had! 

(A picture of my brother and uncle on the trip in 2012)

If I were to become an interpreter I would want to work at Algonquin Park. As I mentioned in a previous blog, my family's cottage is located right outside the gate of Algonquin Park and it is where I found my sense of place as I spent large amounts of time there growing up. I think this would be a great place for me to be an interpreter because I think I already have a lot of the skills I might need. I am very knowledgeable when it comes to the park because I have hiked and learned about most of the trails, have canoed many of the lakes, and have extensive knowledge of the ecological interactions in the park. I am also very passionate about the history of Algonquin as I have taken countless trips to the park's visitor center, and logging museum, and have read many books and papers about the history of the park. To become an interpreter at Algonquin I would also need to gain some more basic interpretation skills such as working on my storytelling abilities about the history of the land and finding ways to create connections between the information I am providing and the visitors so they are able to find their sense of place.

References

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

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What Nature Means to Me

I feel throughout my life I have had a very positive relationship with nature. This relationship I believe started with summers spent at my cottage with my family. I have been going to my family cottage almost every weekend in the summer months since I was just a baby. I have the best memories their and I would call it my happy place. To me being at the cottage means being outside all day and enjoying various activities like swimming in the lake, fishing, hiking and nightly campfires. We do not have Wi-Fi at the cottage or very good cell reception so it truly is an escape from reality. I find I often get caught up in the stress of work and school and I have a really hard time disconnecting and relaxing when I am in my typical environments. However, when I am at the cottage and surrounded by nature and the peaceful sounds within it, I have no choice but to relax and feel at peace.

Our cottage location is set up perfectly to view the sun set on a nightly basis. One of my favorite activities growing up was watching the sunset and painting it on canvases my mom would purchase for me and my siblings.

I achieved a lot of milestones at the cottage. I learned to swim at the cottage. I also learned how to dive as well as do various water sports like water ski and wake board. This is one way in which my relationship with nature has evolved. I used to be very afraid of the water. I also used to feel bored by the quietness of the cottage. However I have now learned that their is no reason to be afraid of the water. I have also learned to value and look forward to the quietness of the cottage instead of dread it. I love nothing more then curling up on the hammock with a good book and enjoying the peaceful environment I am in.

Overall I truly feel that the cottage is where I found my sense of place. This is my happy place. It is where my family and friends and everyone who holds an important place in my life gathers and spends time together. It is a place where endless memories have been made and will continue to be made. It is a place where it feels as though worries melt away and you can feel at peace.

The cottage is not the only place that has helped me develop my relationship with nature, however it is the one that started my journey and it is my happy place.

[lkenvs3000w23]

Hello Kaitlyn!

This is a really good post and I enjoyed reading it!

Like you, I have been going to my family's cottage every weekend during the summer since I was very young. This is also the place for me where I truly fell in love with nature and has been my happy place for my entire life.

We also do not have wifi or good service at our cottage. For some people, this is a problem because people's lives nowadays revolve around being connected, and do not know what to do when they're disconnected. I even had a friend who refused to come visit my cottage for a few days because we had no wifi! However, I agree with you that going to the cottage is the perfect time to disconnect because it can be so hard to do that most of the time with the stress of school and work. When I was younger and would go up to the cottage I would be really excited to disconnect for a couple of days and just enjoy being outside doing activities such as fishing, swimming, hiking, and spending time with family. And when I think back to all of these cottage memories I am happy that we never got wifi or had good service because I think it would have caused me to not spend as much time outside.

Do you think it would be possible to disconnect this much during your average day? Or is it to hard with school which relys so heavily on technology?

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My Relationship With Nature

As I have grown up, I have come to realize how fortunate I am to have had so many different opportunities to connect with nature and these connections have really helped me develop a sense of place. Our textbook defines “a sense of place” as a location that you have a special connection with and know what is familiar and different about it.  These opportunities have come from where I grew up and my family's cottage. 

My relationship with nature has always been relatively strong throughout my life and it started at a very young age.  I was raised in a rural community outside of Milton with 10 acres of forest and a pond for a backyard. When I was younger my friends and I would often spend a lot of time in the forest doing a variety of different activities such as hiking, building forts and fires, and catching frogs in the pond. This would be my favorite part of the week as it would calm me down and make me feel carefree. Whenever I felt stressed, anxious, or upset growing up a simple walk in the woods would always help. In my opinion, watching the leaves blow in the wind and hearing the spring peepers in the distance is the best kind of medication.

A place where I felt like I truly found my sense of place was at my cottage, which is located right outside of Algonquin Park. When I was younger I would spend my whole summer at the cottage with my family.  It was there that I truly fell in love with nature by doing activities such as swimming, fishing, canoeing, and hiking in Algonquin. Unfortunately, now that I am older it is much harder for me to find time to go up. However, every year me and a group of friends still embark on our annual Algonquin Park canoe trip. This is a four-day trip in the outback of Algonquin where we bring no phones and just enjoy being out in nature with no worries.  We usually plan it for right after the winter semester as we all think it is the best way to relax after a hard semester.

Thinking about my relationship with nature has made me feel grateful to have grown up with so many opportunities to connect with nature. To me, a sense of place is more than a definition in a textbook. I have realised growing up that these places have become an extension of myself and a big part of who I am. I hope I am able to continue to have these connections to nature for the rest of my life.