Nature Time

A blog about the nature of the dead and living

[lsenvs3000-20]

Nature Interpretation and Me

As this semester comes to an end, it’s hard not to look back and reflect on everything I’ve learned both academically, and personally.  I doubt I’m alone when I say that has easily been one of my most interesting semesters to date.  Interestingly enough, it has been one of my favourites.

Throughout this course, I feel as though I’ve come to understand what my definition of nature interpretation is, and where I see myself fitting into the field once I graduate.  By using the knowledge I’ve attained from completing my degree in zoology, and the communication skills I’ve gained in respect to nature interpretation, I hope to be able to aid in the conservation of our earths species in any way I can.  

Even as a child, my parents instilled in me that one of the best things for conservation, is education.  They taught me that if people are unaware that there is a problem at hand, there is very little they can do to rectify the situation.  Unfortunately, there are countless species which are on the brink of extinction and the sad truth is, if a majority of them disappeared, many wouldn’t even notice this disappearance.  In my opinion, a major issue is that the media tends to focus on the species which are the most charismatic.  Pretty much everyone knows that polar bears and rhinos are facing extinction, yet I’m sure only a very limited few know that the blue-throated macaw is on the brink of extinction.  With a population estimated at less than 200, they are the most endangered parrot in the wild.  This is a great shame as blue-throats are such personable birds and in my opinion, they should be getting as much attention as for example, polar bears.   

Pictured above is Olivia, one of the blue-throated macaws I’ve had the pleasure of working with.  Although she wasn’t the biggest fan of me, her mate Neuton grew fairly attached to me as I was one of the few people who didn’t scare him haha.                        

Due to this lack of knowledge, my goal as a nature interpreter is to educate the public and raise awareness that many known and unknown species are facing extinction and that we should be taking the initiative to save them. I say this because most of the species are going extinct due to our actions.  All species are important in some and we should be attempting to save as many as we can and not just the ones that we think are cute.       

One belief that I feel I bring to the table is that much of science is extremely unaccessible to those who do not have a background in science.  What I mean by this, is that almost every scientific paper I’ve had to read has required at the very least, 3 read throughs in order to fully digest it.  I believe that this is largely due to the at times, excessive use of scientific jargon.  In my opinion, scientific articles are seen as the be all end all when it comes to communicating research.  I feel that this is very outdated as there are plenty of methods of communicating information that could appeal to a much broader audience.  The methods I speak of include but are not limited to; infographics, videos, podcasts or even comics!  By using more accessible types of media, is able to be understood by more people which in my eyes, makes them much more valid methods for scientific communication.         

Another course I was in this semester which I felt did an excellent job of instilling this message was ZOO*4910 or, integrative vertebrate biology.  For our final project, we were tasked with presenting one of the scientific papers we studied in class in an untraditional format, which I thought was an incredibly cool assignment.  For my project I decided to present Stoddard et al.’s study, “Wild hummingbirds discriminate nonspectral colors” as a video sketch, which I had a lot of fun making!  I chose to do a video as I felt that using things like, music, pop culture references and comedy would make the material much more interesting and engaging.  To ensure that the information presented was easy to understand, I sent the video to a few of my friends who don’t study one of the sciences.  Thankfully the consensus was that the concepts presented we extremely clear and easily understandable which told me that I had done job well.  If I’m being honest, this was probably the most fun I’ve doing a project in university and it is hand down the one I am most proud of.    

A screenshot from the video capturing the eye sore that was my hummingbird costume.  For anyone interested, the video itself is available at this link!    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adcbJtaqw_M   

Having played live music for a decent amount of time, performing is something that I not only enjoy doing, but I also think I am somewhat good at (could be delusion though).  Because of this, I feel that this sort of performance based education is something I would like to get better at as I feel as though it is the method of interpreting nature that works for me.    

As a zoology major, I feel as though it is my responsibility to use the knowledge I have gained to aid in the conservation of the species that we share our planet with.  This extends to ensuring that the next generation will be able to see and experience the same biological diversity that I had the pleasure of experiencing.  It may be one thing to view nature through the glass of an exhibit at a zoo or on a screen, but it is a completely different thing seeing it first hand in the wild.  For me, I will never forget seeing killer whales in the wild, it honestly felt like I was seeing some sort of mythical creature that was thought not to exist.    

A picture I took of the pod of killer whales I was lucky enough to see out in B.C.

Nature truly is a remarkable thing and it would be such a shame if we lost one of the most incredible things this planet has to offer.

[btenvs3000-20]

I can definitely agree with you in your statement that this has been one of the most interesting semesters, and I’m glad it has been one of your favourites. I’m curious, though, is this due to academics or personal life?

That your parents instilled those ideas when you were a child is so important. People do not realize how vital children are to the future of the environment. I remember seeing a news article (a very long time ago) about a community who taught their children to recycle and this was taught in school, at home, etc. The children then perfectly knew how to recycle, and thus taught their children, who taught their children and so on. That community now recycles 100% of their waste. I thought this was so incredible and it made me wonder why more communities are not doing this.

The problem of inaccessibility is so valid and such a large issue today. I know that even my mother, who is an educated woman, knows very little about the environment and my sibling and I are the ones to tell her about it since we are both in scientific fields. This lack of knowledge is what creates so many misconceptions and false spread of knowledge. While news outlets can be a good source of information, there is often bias and it can be hard to distinguish the real from the fake.

I wish I had the confidence that you do to perform! I think it can be such a unique and interesting way to convey information. It also makes it more accessible to a wider audience.

I really enjoyed your post and your pictures, and good luck with your future interpretation!

[lsenvs3000-20]

Hey!

To answer your question, I’d say that this is due to academics!  Out of all the semesters I’ve studied here at Guelph, this one definitely contained the most interesting courses I’ve ever taken.  A few of these courses were actually what made me want to major in zoology when I first started thinking about university in high school.  I would have much rather taken these courses in person, but at least I still got to take them which I’d say is the most important part.  

I too wonder why more communities aren’t putting more focus on teaching the next generation about environmentally friendly practises.  I remember learning about the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle) when I was in elementary school, but other than that, I don’t think the curriculum covered anything else.        

Thank you four your response!  You as well!  Good luck with your future studies!

Luke

[lsenvs3000-20]

Nature Interpretation and Me

As this semester comes to an end, it’s hard not to look back and reflect on everything I’ve learned both academically, and personally.  I doubt I’m alone when I say that has easily been one of my most interesting semesters to date.  Interestingly enough, it has been one of my favourites.

Throughout this course, I feel as though I’ve come to understand what my definition of nature interpretation is, and where I see myself fitting into the field once I graduate.  By using the knowledge I’ve attained from completing my degree in zoology, and the communication skills I’ve gained in respect to nature interpretation, I hope to be able to aid in the conservation of our earths species in any way I can.  

Even as a child, my parents instilled in me that one of the best things for conservation, is education.  They taught me that if people are unaware that there is a problem at hand, there is very little they can do to rectify the situation.  Unfortunately, there are countless species which are on the brink of extinction and the sad truth is, if a majority of them disappeared, many wouldn’t even notice this disappearance.  In my opinion, a major issue is that the media tends to focus on the species which are the most charismatic.  Pretty much everyone knows that polar bears and rhinos are facing extinction, yet I’m sure only a very limited few know that the blue-throated macaw is on the brink of extinction.  With a population estimated at less than 200, they are the most endangered parrot in the wild.  This is a great shame as blue-throats are such personable birds and in my opinion, they should be getting as much attention as for example, polar bears.   

Pictured above is Olivia, one of the blue-throated macaws I’ve had the pleasure of working with.  Although she wasn’t the biggest fan of me, her mate Neuton grew fairly attached to me as I was one of the few people who didn’t scare him haha.                        

Due to this lack of knowledge, my goal as a nature interpreter is to educate the public and raise awareness that many known and unknown species are facing extinction and that we should be taking the initiative to save them. I say this because most of the species are going extinct due to our actions.  All species are important in some and we should be attempting to save as many as we can and not just the ones that we think are cute.       

One belief that I feel I bring to the table is that much of science is extremely unaccessible to those who do not have a background in science.  What I mean by this, is that almost every scientific paper I’ve had to read has required at the very least, 3 read throughs in order to fully digest it.  I believe that this is largely due to the at times, excessive use of scientific jargon.  In my opinion, scientific articles are seen as the be all end all when it comes to communicating research.  I feel that this is very outdated as there are plenty of methods of communicating information that could appeal to a much broader audience.  The methods I speak of include but are not limited to; infographics, videos, podcasts or even comics!  By using more accessible types of media, is able to be understood by more people which in my eyes, makes them much more valid methods for scientific communication.         

Another course I was in this semester which I felt did an excellent job of instilling this message was ZOO*4910 or, integrative vertebrate biology.  For our final project, we were tasked with presenting one of the scientific papers we studied in class in an untraditional format, which I thought was an incredibly cool assignment.  For my project I decided to present Stoddard et al.’s study, “Wild hummingbirds discriminate nonspectral colors” as a video sketch, which I had a lot of fun making!  I chose to do a video as I felt that using things like, music, pop culture references and comedy would make the material much more interesting and engaging.  To ensure that the information presented was easy to understand, I sent the video to a few of my friends who don’t study one of the sciences.  Thankfully the consensus was that the concepts presented we extremely clear and easily understandable which told me that I had done job well.  If I’m being honest, this was probably the most fun I’ve doing a project in university and it is hand down the one I am most proud of.    

A screenshot from the video capturing the eye sore that was my hummingbird costume.  For anyone interested, the video itself is available at this link!    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adcbJtaqw_M   

Having played live music for a decent amount of time, performing is something that I not only enjoy doing, but I also think I am somewhat good at (could be delusion though).  Because of this, I feel that this sort of performance based education is something I would like to get better at as I feel as though it is the method of interpreting nature that works for me.    

As a zoology major, I feel as though it is my responsibility to use the knowledge I have gained to aid in the conservation of the species that we share our planet with.  This extends to ensuring that the next generation will be able to see and experience the same biological diversity that I had the pleasure of experiencing.  It may be one thing to view nature through the glass of an exhibit at a zoo or on a screen, but it is a completely different thing seeing it first hand in the wild.  For me, I will never forget seeing killer whales in the wild, it honestly felt like I was seeing some sort of mythical creature that was thought not to exist.    

A picture I took of the pod of killer whales I was lucky enough to see out in B.C.

Nature truly is a remarkable thing and it would be such a shame if we lost one of the most incredible things this planet has to offer.

[ttenvs3000]

Hello!

I have spoken with many students from different classes about how strange this semester has been. Many students have either simply not enjoyed this semester or struggled with the complete change in education. However, similar to you, I have used this time to my advantage and have made it a semester to like! When applying to Guelph, I considered the zoology degree as well. It truly sounds like an amazing degree and I am always so keen to learn about it when I hear students are taking that program. Has your development of nature interpretation truly showed since you first started this program? When thinking about this question for myself, I do believe that the overall education I have gained so far has absolutely impacted my development as a nature interpreter.

I strongly agree with you that charismatic species are provided the most attention when endangered. It is unfortunate as all of the species have no control over their existence. Growing up, the polar bear was all I ever heard about when discussing endangered species. They are large, majestic creatures that the general public affiliate more emotional responses than other creatures. Furthermore, who is to say that the Olive Clubtail Dragonfly, another endangered species, does not deserve public attention? This is where our roles come in. We have gained specific education surrounding environmental topics that many others have not. We should use this knowledge to our advantage and let people know that it is more than just a few species, and why there are so many species in danger. Although I personally did not know that the blue-throated macaws were in danger, I appreciate that I am able to learn information like this now to gain a greater perspective and interpretation.

I absolutely agree that our background in science is advantageous. I can also say that from all of the scientific articles I have read throughout my years in school were from assignments that required them. I do not think that if it wasn’t necessary to read various articles, I would not have gone out of my way to read all of this research. With this being said, it makes it much more important that we use the information we have gained to those that would not expose themselves to it. Also, because we know how difficult it is for others to take the time and effort to complete all this research, it is also very important that we transform our information in ways that appeal to the masses. For example, our blog posts display our knowledge in much more appealing ways than hundred-page articles that use scientific jargon that many people have not learned.

I think it’s great you chose to do a video for a class project. I enjoy watching youtube videos or documentaries that display scientific information in visually appealing manners. I have had to create a few scientific posters for different courses and I appreciate how posters are able to display information much more concisely, as well as visually appealing, to attract individuals who want to learn what we have learned. Since we are mentioning youtube, it could be really cool for you to express yourself musically on this platform! Music affects me emotionally, so creating music that expresses interpretations of nature is very interesting and something that I would enjoy. Overall, I agree that it is our responsibility to share our knowledge, especially in formats that would be more effective to the masses. We have learned in this course how important it is to interpret our knowledge in different ways and it is heartwarming to know that we are taking this information away from this course. Great post!

Tatiana

[lsenvs3000-20]

Hi Tatiana!

Thanks for your response, and to answer your question, I would definitely say that my major has impacted my outlook on nature interpretation.  During my years here at Guelph I’ve had the pleasure of being taught by many excellent professors.  In many instances I was shown that with the right level of enthusiasm and passion, any subject can be interesting.  This is exactly the kind of attitude I’d like to bring to the table when it comes to zoology.  Thank you for sharing about the olive clubtail dragonfly by the way, it’s such a beautiful insect!  I feel as though you using this insect as an example only further proves my point as I had no idea that this insect even existed, let alone that it is endangered.  

Thanks again from your response and good luck with your future studies!

Luke   

[anenvs3000-20]

Industrial World vs Natural World

 FAfter taking time to reflect and to look at things from perspective, I wonder what I can apply from what I had learned from these classes to my day to day life and also relate it to past experiences I’ve had. Also what I can educate others on what I had learned from taking this course as a nature interpreter. 

This would all start back from loving animals as a young kid. There were certain animals I had found pretty fascinating growing up which includes elephants, whales, dolphins, and reptiles. So after seeing them at zoos so many times I had started to think of things from a deeper perspective such as their surroundings, behavior, ecology, interactions with other species their social life etc. So from that point on its important to know nature from a much wider perspective. So my passion for wildlife made me want to take this class as an elective for my major which is Wildlife Biology and Conservation. 

To be a nature interpreter I would apply what i learned in class which would be using different methods for different audiences as when it comes to children and adults. Talk to them about that how I realized to make a true animal lover its important to know about the natural world that way ones can help and conserve the animals that they love. Yet I feel not everyone yet has that sort of mindset yet because of how the world had become a civil society where basically known as industrialized. Industrialized in a sense where technology is becoming the main source, also lot of buildings, bridges, roads, transportation etc. This had taken people away from the natural world in a sense that this new world is what they rely on the most. Also yet its a shame that the younger generation isn’t getting enough education on the natural world because, now a days whenever seeing a group of young people, they’re always on their tablets like on their phones, playing portable video games etc. That is something that takes their mind off the natural world. They only seem to care about the material stuff. Awareness of environmental affects on the natural affects is now lacking because of how industrialized the world has become. 

As a nature interpreter i would take inspiration from learning about the cultures of the indigenous people and also some of these tribal people in Africa. Just a couple days ago I was watching this movie called “The Gods must be Crazy”. Its a movie that shows the lifestyle of one of these tribal people in Africa where they live within nature, they don’t pick up materialist culture, they rely strongly on their natural surroundings for survival and respect nature. Yet 600 miles south is a civilized society which is something they’re ignorant about. They don’t know anything about civilizations. So their lifestyle is something that i would take inspiration from as a nature interpreter to my audience. 

Also another important source of inspiration for the natural world is the indigenous community of Canada. A deep and genuine relationship with the earth has been a central tenet of First Nations worldview (First Nations Pedagogy, 2013). So to compare and contrast the indigenous community to the non-indigenous community, is that the indigenous community views that man co exists harmoniously with earth, as many non-indigenous people believe man rules over earth. The indigenous people always had worked together to understand the natural world and become more aware of it in all sorts of disciplines which includes, ecology, conservation, plant growth, and soil protection etc. So they don’t act as the dominant species as most western/colonials do. They hunt only for survival and not for human greed. They don’t let food go to waste. They don’t believe in polluting the lakes or rivers. So basically I feel non-indigenous people don’t see it form this perspective as yet to them corporate businesses are more important and also any form of technology without consideration of polluting the air and releasing carbon emissions. And also without the awareness it destroys natural habitats through deforestations. 

An example of how INDIGENOUS people see the world differently. 

So from reading about these topics and also putting an amount of effort in this class, I’ve seen this as an eye opening for myself where I realized I myself have been a bit too distracted with technology where even though I care so much about the natural world, I keep forgetting to take advantage to appreciate instead of spending too much time on my phone. So I believe as a nature interpreter I can share my personal experience on how I’ve been too distracted on my phone and not paying attention too the real world and then share about my change and what it is I’ve discovered. Like I would speak in metaphors to get the audience to kind of interpret on what it is I mean on what I’m saying about the natural world. 

As for the industrial world, I didn’t say completely end it, I just mean it needs to be reduced and also come up with some form of alternatives such as renewable energy, to reduce carbon emissions and also to not make corporations so important for human needs as they are right now. Visit Indigenous Communities and practice what they do. Learn how they try and help the environment. 

Sources:

https://firstnationspedagogy.com/earth.html

[lsenvs3000-20]

Hey!  Excellent post Amaar, I really enjoyed reading it.  I could really relate to what you said about feeling too distracted by your phone and technology.  Personally, I feel as though we could all benefit from a little time spent away from our various screens.  Especially as most of our time as students, is spent behind a monitor due to online learning.  

I experienced this first hand this summer when I went camping for the first time in almost ten years.  During the five days I spent in Algonquin provincial park, I had no access to my computer or phone, which turned out to be much more therapeutic than I imagined.  Without the distraction of notifications, I felt like I could truly appreciate nature without distraction.  Having nothing to do besides read and take in the northern Ontarian wilderness I felt a different kind of relaxation.        

I also couldn’t agree more with what you said about how we should learn to live amongst nature, rather than trying to rule over it.  There are many ways that we can do this, but I feel one of the most important things we can do is to learn to repurpose land we’ve already claimed as ours instead of continuing our urban expansion.  In particular, the Netherlands is doing a great job of this in the agricultural sector by developing some incredibly innovative farming practises.  For example, there’s a floating farm in Rotterdam.  The cows on this farm are feed from restaurant scraps and the waste they produce is solid as fertilizer so the farm is self-funding (Rintoul, 2020).

A photo of the floating farm.  Retrieved from https://www.dezeen.com/2019/05/24/floating-farm-rotterdam-climate-change-cows-dairy/ on November 30th, 2020. 

Great post once again and good luck with your future studies!  

Luke

Rintoul, J. 2020. Farming for the future: why the Netherlands is the 2nd largest food exporter in the world. Dutch Review. https://dutchreview.com/news/innovation/second-largest-agriculture-exporter/   

[vsenvs3000]

My Personal Ethics, Beliefs, and Approaches Concerning Nature Interpretation.

Each and every person has their own ethics, beliefs, and approach to life, and these are just a few of mine when I think about nature interpretation.

My current personal ethic as a nature interpreter is that I believe the individual is just as important as the whole. By this I mean that even the smallest organisms in nature are as important and have equal intrinsic value as the largest organism. In my mind, if I stick with this outlook while leading interpretive tours people will find a new sense of importance in nature.

Based on my personal ethics explained in the previous paragraph I’m sure it comes to no surprise that my biggest belief when it comes to nature interpretation is that it should be more than just providing information to a group of people about their current environment (Beck et al., 2018). I believe that the point of nature interpretation is to provide your guests with an experience and leave them with the desire to learn more and provoke deeper thinking causing them to question nature around them for the rest of their life (Beck et al., 2018). By doing so, this may cause people to change certain habits, challenge social norms, and even support the fight for the environment (Beck et al., 2018). I think If you are able to evoke change in just one person through just one nature interpretation program, you have successfully fulfilled your purpose as a nature interpreter.

As nature interpreters we have many responsibilities. The first that comes to mind is education. We are responsible for teaching individuals both young and old about the environment around them while trying to instil (in a limited amount of time) that nature is much more than just forests, mountains, and animals. When it comes to education, I think the most important type of people we are responsible for is the educating of children. I am a strong believer that teaching young people the value and importance of nature early in life will truly benefit them in the long run. For one, nature provides countless opportunities for discovery, creativity, problem-solving, stimulating deeper thinking, improving cognitive development, as well as contributing to improved physical and mental health (Beck et al., 2018; Poppell & Monroe, 2018). Most importantly, the young children we teach today are the future and hopefully, these teachings will translate down to future generations and create change in the world.

A photo of a young children learning about nature…in nature. 

Outward Bound.  (2020). [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.outwardbound.org/blog/pursuing-career-outdoor-education-instructor/

I have found with my own personal experiences in the role of nature interpreter, that the approach that is most suitable for me is storytelling (Beck et al., 2018). While working in Costa Rica I taught people primarily about the local insects (mainly butterflies) and I found that on these tours I loved telling my own personal stories for a couple of reasons. I felt it made me appear like more of a friend rather than a teacher. This made my guests feel more comfortable with asking me questions which created a personal relationship between me and them. While writing this, the story that comes to mind that I used to tell was about the tarantula hawk wasp.

During our tours most interpreters would quickly speak about the tarantula hawk wasp being the second most painful insect sting in the world, and then move on to our golden orb weavers that had their webs above the heads of the guests. However, I usually spent a little extra time after explaining the lifecycle of the wasp to tell my guests about my first encounter with a tarantula hawk wasp. My story went a little like this;

“Earlier this year I was in the rainforest of Ecuador, 6 hours from the nearest city. It was my first morning at Yanayaku Biological Station, 2100 masl. I woke up early with the excitement of venturing deep into the rainforest that day to find some cool bugs. Trying not to disturb my sleeping roommate on the bunk beside me, I took my headlamp and began to dig through my backpack for a change of clothes when I saw something literally running toward me along the floorboard. I shined my headlamp at it and saw it was an iridescent insect with orange wings. Thinking it was just a simple wasp I left it alone, changed my clothes and went down the dining area. This is where I found my professor sitting on a chair in front of a dirt mound. Curious, I asked him what he was doing and he told me he was observing a tarantula hawk wasp burying its recently paralyzed tarantula. I then told him I had just seen one in my room. He then tells me that its sting is second to the bullet ant and that I needed to go find it quick! I ran up to my room to find my roommate awake and I told her what I saw and that we have to find this bug immediately! After searching for an hour, we gave up. We could not find the wasp and we just hoped it found its way out through a crack in the wall. I soon forgot about the hawk wasp but on the day we were packing up to leave, I picked up my backpack from off the floor and the hawk wasp fell out of my backpack strap!”

Me with the female tarantula hawk wasp I caught in Costa Rica.

The reason why I think this approach suits me is that I am very loud, excitable, and expressive (in person) and because my stories are not ones you hear every day. 

If you would like to learn more about the tarantula hawk wasp… here is a good link…https://www.aboutanimals.com/insect/tarantula-hawk/

References:

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

Poppell, K. & Monroe, M. C. (2018).  Why is exposure to nature interpretation important in early childhood? University of florida. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr394

[lsenvs3000-20]

Hey!  I really liked reading your blog post as it was incredibly insightful and articulate.  Based on the way you write it’s clear to see just how passionate you are about nature and nature interpretation!  

I couldn’t agree more with your ethic, the individual is absolutely just as important as the whole.  It still boggles my mind that tiny organisms such as springtails and isopods can have such a great impact on the ecosystems that they inhabit.  By breaking down mould, fungi and other forms of decay, they’re a lot like nature’s cleanup crew, keeping the environment clean and “healthy” so to speak.  Just like if we didn’t have people cleaning up all the waste we produce, the amount of disease and illness in our communities would likely increase.          

Based on how you told the story of finding a tarantula hawk wasp in your room, I’d say the method of using storytelling in nature interpretation suits you quite well!  Reading that excerpt really made me feel like I was right there,  watching that scene unfold.  After reading that your roommate was still in the room with the wasp I immediately thought, “Oh no!  Someone get the wasp or your roommate out of there!”  I was on the edge of me seat!  So cool that you were actually able to catch the wasp to safely remove it.  By recounting an interesting story like this, you definitely made me want to learn more about the tarantula hawk wasp and I’m sure your tour groups felt the same.  

Overall I thought this was a great post and I’ve genuinely enjoyed following your blog throughout this semester.  Good luck on your future endeavours and I hope you find even more cool bugs! 

Luke    

[lsenvs3000-20]

Nature Interpretation and Me

As this semester comes to an end, it’s hard not to look back and reflect on everything I’ve learned both academically, and personally.  I doubt I’m alone when I say that has easily been one of my most interesting semesters to date.  Interestingly enough, it has been one of my favourites.

Throughout this course, I feel as though I’ve come to understand what my definition of nature interpretation is, and where I see myself fitting into the field once I graduate.  By using the knowledge I’ve attained from completing my degree in zoology, and the communication skills I’ve gained in respect to nature interpretation, I hope to be able to aid in the conservation of our earths species in any way I can.  

Even as a child, my parents instilled in me that one of the best things for conservation, is education.  They taught me that if people are unaware that there is a problem at hand, there is very little they can do to rectify the situation.  Unfortunately, there are countless species which are on the brink of extinction and the sad truth is, if a majority of them disappeared, many wouldn’t even notice this disappearance.  In my opinion, a major issue is that the media tends to focus on the species which are the most charismatic.  Pretty much everyone knows that polar bears and rhinos are facing extinction, yet I’m sure only a very limited few know that the blue-throated macaw is on the brink of extinction.  With a population estimated at less than 200, they are the most endangered parrot in the wild.  This is a great shame as blue-throats are such personable birds and in my opinion, they should be getting as much attention as for example, polar bears.   

Pictured above is Olivia, one of the blue-throated macaws I’ve had the pleasure of working with.  Although she wasn’t the biggest fan of me, her mate Neuton grew fairly attached to me as I was one of the few people who didn’t scare him haha.                        

Due to this lack of knowledge, my goal as a nature interpreter is to educate the public and raise awareness that many known and unknown species are facing extinction and that we should be taking the initiative to save them. I say this because most of the species are going extinct due to our actions.  All species are important in some and we should be attempting to save as many as we can and not just the ones that we think are cute.       

One belief that I feel I bring to the table is that much of science is extremely unaccessible to those who do not have a background in science.  What I mean by this, is that almost every scientific paper I’ve had to read has required at the very least, 3 read throughs in order to fully digest it.  I believe that this is largely due to the at times, excessive use of scientific jargon.  In my opinion, scientific articles are seen as the be all end all when it comes to communicating research.  I feel that this is very outdated as there are plenty of methods of communicating information that could appeal to a much broader audience.  The methods I speak of include but are not limited to; infographics, videos, podcasts or even comics!  By using more accessible types of media, is able to be understood by more people which in my eyes, makes them much more valid methods for scientific communication.         

Another course I was in this semester which I felt did an excellent job of instilling this message was ZOO*4910 or, integrative vertebrate biology.  For our final project, we were tasked with presenting one of the scientific papers we studied in class in an untraditional format, which I thought was an incredibly cool assignment.  For my project I decided to present Stoddard et al.’s study, “Wild hummingbirds discriminate nonspectral colors” as a video sketch, which I had a lot of fun making!  I chose to do a video as I felt that using things like, music, pop culture references and comedy would make the material much more interesting and engaging.  To ensure that the information presented was easy to understand, I sent the video to a few of my friends who don’t study one of the sciences.  Thankfully the consensus was that the concepts presented we extremely clear and easily understandable which told me that I had done job well.  If I’m being honest, this was probably the most fun I’ve doing a project in university and it is hand down the one I am most proud of.    

A screenshot from the video capturing the eye sore that was my hummingbird costume.  For anyone interested, the video itself is available at this link!    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adcbJtaqw_M   

Having played live music for a decent amount of time, performing is something that I not only enjoy doing, but I also think I am somewhat good at (could be delusion though).  Because of this, I feel that this sort of performance based education is something I would like to get better at as I feel as though it is the method of interpreting nature that works for me.    

As a zoology major, I feel as though it is my responsibility to use the knowledge I have gained to aid in the conservation of the species that we share our planet with.  This extends to ensuring that the next generation will be able to see and experience the same biological diversity that I had the pleasure of experiencing.  It may be one thing to view nature through the glass of an exhibit at a zoo or on a screen, but it is a completely different thing seeing it first hand in the wild.  For me, I will never forget seeing killer whales in the wild, it honestly felt like I was seeing some sort of mythical creature that was thought not to exist.    

A picture I took of the pod of killer whales I was lucky enough to see out in B.C.

Nature truly is a remarkable thing and it would be such a shame if we lost one of the most incredible things this planet has to offer.

[lsenvs3000-20]

A Plea to Save the Apis Apicultural Centre

Dear board of directors,

I am writing on behalf of the Apis Apicultural Centre in regards to the closure of our establishment due to insufficient funding.  I feel as though our centre is not only essential in maintaining the pristine and surreal natural beauty of Cambridge Ontario, but it also plays a vital role in the conservation of local honey bee populations.  

Since its establishment in 1973, the Apis Apicultural Centre has been providing the community with a place to learn about the practice of apiculture, as well as one of Earth’s most important pollinators.  Guests have loved the experience of dawning a bee suit and joining one of our apiarists/nature interpreters. This offers a more immersive way of learning about how bee colonies function, how they convert pollen and nectar into honey and the role bees play in maintaining good environmental health.     

As stated by Wals et al. in 2014, environmental education is extremely important as it aids in the restoration of many ecosystems.  This is one of the reasons why the Apicultural centre is so important.  The main goal of our centre is to educate the public on the important environmental role which bees play, this being pollination.  Pollination is essential for the survival of many native wildflowers as well as numerous crops which we humans depend on.  If bee populations continue to decline, our production of food would be greatly limited and we may risk losing some incredible species of flowers!  By teaching people about the extrinsic value which bees have, the public gains a much deeper appreciation and understanding of how important these little guys are, as well as a better grasp of the issues at hand (Beck et al. 2019).  Many of our guests (myself included) have even started their own bee gardens!  These are gardens that are filled with flowers which bees love, which aides immensely in the conservation.

A bumblebee visiting one of our many bee gardens!

Furthermore, our facility ensures that everyone who visits is included and welcome.  By this I mean that any child or adult who wants to learn a thing or two about bees has the option of doing so.  This is of great importance to us we’ve found in the past that younger individuals are not considered when it comes to educating the public on the environment and other environmental issues (Gallavan, 2005).  

All in all, we feel as though our centre is an important part of the community which also doubles as a beacon for conservation.  

We sincerely hope that this letter changes your mind,

The Apis Apicultural Centre 

[vsenvs3000]

Hey there Luke! I really enjoyed reading your letter! It is simple, concise, and gets your position across very well. I also agree with all the points you brought up in regard to how education through nature interpretation is incredibly important. 

I thought it was clever to begin the letter by diving into the background of the centre, it gave me a sense of how long it has been a part of the community which gave me a feeling of nostalgia. It made me have a soft spot for the centre without even learning its important contributions yet. I thought this made your letter very strong from the beginning. In addition, I liked that you added a personal picture and not a stock photo. By doing this you added a personal aspect to your letter. Which in combination with your emphasis on the education provided by the centre and its impact on guests, made the letter even more impactful.

A part that stuck out to me in your letter was you mentioned you have a bee garden yourself! I have experience working with and teaching people about bees, but I do not have my own bee garden!  I was wondering if you have any advice on where to start. Also, do you have your own bees? If not, would you want some of your own someday?

If I was on the board of directors, your letter would definitely change my mind about closing the facility.

[lsenvs3000-20]

Hi Victoria!  Thanks for your response and the kind words!  In response to your question about bee gardens, mine is fairly basic and during the summer I see bees and other insects using it all the time!  The flowers and plants I have planted are; purple coneflowers, lavender, black-eyed susans, bee balm, hostas and sedum.  There are a few others but those make up the majority.  I’d attach a photo but sadly it’s not much to look at right now thanks to the weather haha.  I would also suggest including a bee house, which are little wooden structures that provide the bees a place to rest.  

At the moment I don’t have any bees myself but I’d love to get some someday!  After taking the course on apiculture offered here at Guelph, I’ve loved the idea of being able to produce my own honey.  Hopefully someday I’ll be able to have a couple hives and live out my domestic dream of selling various fruits, vegetables and honey at my local farmers market.  

Luke           

[bmenvs3000]

Saving the Scenic Wonders of Hamilton, Ontario’s Interpretation Program

Dear Board of Directors,

My name is Balsam and I am writing to you on behalf of the Scenic Wonders of Hamilton, Ontario, a local nature and environmental interpretation program. It has been recently brought to my attention that this wonderful interpretation program is looking to close due to insufficient funding; I would like to address this issue in hopes of delaying the discontinuation of the program. As a nature interpreter, I believe that this interpretation program is of great importance to its overall community and surrounding environment for various reasons that will be outlined below but first, let me tell you a little bit about the program in its entirety.

The mission of the Scenic Wonders of Hamilton, Ontario’s Interpretation Program is to foster unique connections with nature that advance our overall understanding of environmental interactions. In other words, connecting humans with nature in a positive setting. This is something that is often overlooked but extremely essential; as generations advance, it has been shown that their environmental understanding and readiness decreases. In other words, we are becoming out of touch with nature (Mitchell and Ryland, 2017). This is a great issue, and interpretation programs such as the Scenic Wonders are attempting to fill in this gap through various hands on, interactive methods.

Nature interpretation plays an important role of connecting us to the world around us and teaching us about all the nature environments. Additionally, it can raise significant awareness of issues impacting the environment upon which we all depend on as well as actions we can take to improve and sustain it through special connections. It has many benefits to youth, educators, schools and communities as a whole. Wals et al. 2014 stated that environmental education is extremely important as it aids in the restoration of many ecosystems. To elaborate on this, exposing people (especially youth) to nature and allowing them to learn and play outside, fosters appreciation and respect for the environment and its species which in turn fosters and promotes action toward healthy and sustainable lifestyles for the future. This interpretation centre connects with schools and youth in order to further acquire environmental education.

Moving on to the physical and mental benefits associated with nature interpretation; spending time outdoors and in nature has been found to help with mental health problems including but not limited to anxiety and depression. This interpretation program, through its various strategies, provides a positive space and distraction that aids in improving human wellbeing, allowing for an overall healthier community. As addressed in Beck et al. 2018, nature interpretation has endless benefits that are beyond just the inheritance of facts, it allows for a deeper, more precise connection to nature via the mind, body and soul.

Now, what can be done you may ask? I believe that additional funding towards the Scenic Wonders of Hamilton, Ontario’s Interpretation Program can prevent it from completely closing down and I am asking for your help. This additional funding is necessary as it aids in conserving our beautiful planet for future generations while empowering individuals to share their voices and make a difference!

I hope that you consider providing additional funding in order to save this amazing nature interpretation program (as not many of these programs exist in our current world).

Thank you for taking the time to read this,

With gratitude,

Balsam

Reference:

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2019). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For a better world. Urbana: Sagamore Publishing.

Mitchell, J., & Ryland, P., Dr. (2017). Natural interpretation: A brief guide to the interpretation of nature and wildlife. Retrieved from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/96655055.pdf

Wals, A.E., Brody, M., Dillon, J. and Stevenson, R.B. 2014. Convergence Between Science and Environmental Education. Science. 344:583-584.

[lsenvs3000-20]

Hi Balsam! I wanted to start off by saying that I really enjoyed reading your letter!  I felt as though you were able to convey the importance of the program with respect to nature interpretation very well.  By including the programs goal, you really helped me understand its significance and the impact it had on the city of Hamilton. Your incorporation of references to the assigned readings in your points was seamless and they did a great job of strengthening your arguments.  A perfect example of this is when you referenced the textbook when addressing the benefit which being in nature can have on ones mental health. I for one can attest to this.

During the summer I was working a full time job and in school full time which by August, had me feeling pretty burnt out.  At the end of the summer though, I went camping for the first time in almost 10 years with my girlfriend and her family.  Not to sound hyperbolic, but the experience was truly transformative.  Being so deeply immersed in nature and without the distractions of technology or notifications, I felt a whole new level of relaxation.  Based on this experience, I can 100% vouch for how important being in nature can be to someones mental health.  Furthermore, programs like the one you’ve described, are incredibly ways of getting people out in nature, while also learning a thing or two.     

A picture of one of the many beautiful mornings I got to experience whilst camping!     

Again, excellent job crafting this letter!  in my opinion, I don’t see why anyone would want to close this program after reading a letter like this!

Luke    

[lsenvs3000-20]

A Plea to Save the Apis Apicultural Centre

Dear board of directors,

I am writing on behalf of the Apis Apicultural Centre in regards to the closure of our establishment due to insufficient funding.  I feel as though our centre is not only essential in maintaining the pristine and surreal natural beauty of Cambridge Ontario, but it also plays a vital role in the conservation of local honey bee populations.  

Since its establishment in 1973, the Apis Apicultural Centre has been providing the community with a place to learn about the practice of apiculture, as well as one of Earth’s most important pollinators.  Guests have loved the experience of dawning a bee suit and joining one of our apiarists/nature interpreters. This offers a more immersive way of learning about how bee colonies function, how they convert pollen and nectar into honey and the role bees play in maintaining good environmental health.     

As stated by Wals et al. in 2014, environmental education is extremely important as it aids in the restoration of many ecosystems.  This is one of the reasons why the Apicultural centre is so important.  The main goal of our centre is to educate the public on the important environmental role which bees play, this being pollination.  Pollination is essential for the survival of many native wildflowers as well as numerous crops which we humans depend on.  If bee populations continue to decline, our production of food would be greatly limited and we may risk losing some incredible species of flowers!  By teaching people about the extrinsic value which bees have, the public gains a much deeper appreciation and understanding of how important these little guys are, as well as a better grasp of the issues at hand (Beck et al. 2019).  Many of our guests (myself included) have even started their own bee gardens!  These are gardens that are filled with flowers which bees love, which aides immensely in the conservation.

A bumblebee visiting one of our many bee gardens!

Furthermore, our facility ensures that everyone who visits is included and welcome.  By this I mean that any child or adult who wants to learn a thing or two about bees has the option of doing so.  This is of great importance to us we’ve found in the past that younger individuals are not considered when it comes to educating the public on the environment and other environmental issues (Gallavan, 2005).  

All in all, we feel as though our centre is an important part of the community which also doubles as a beacon for conservation.  

We sincerely hope that this letter changes your mind,

The Apis Apicultural Centre 

[tplenvs3000]

Nature Interpretation From the Mind of a Student

Throughout this journey of the fall semester, I have been practicing nature interpretation in different ways. Viewing interpretation through privilege, environmental resources, art, music, writing, and many other aspects has taught me to intervene knowledge and trigger emotions for nature and our cultural landscape we are immersed into. I can honesty say, prior to this course I did not consider all these aspects and my perspectives have expanded to new and better views.

What I know for certain is how nature interpretation through art can be one of the most expressive ways humans for generations use. For example, the Group of Seven began in the 1920s painting the Canadian landscape and were known to be the first to make artists and citizens listen and observe (CDN, 2014). Their art used bold colors and abstract styles to reflect Canada’s natural environment (Beck, Cable & Knudson, 2018). Extreme weather events, the beauty of the North, and fresh water ecosystems was the main focus they aimed to display (Beck, Cable & Knudson, 2018) -Photo below. In these paintings, Canadian geography, and people’s emotional reactions to the place they live are a couple of ways the beautiful landscapes were captured. This is one art form of many that interpreted the beauties and emotions of four natural world. Other such effective art forms include sculptures, theater productions, music, architecture, and literature.  Many of these art forms begun with our ancestors when cave drawings were used to teach young about the food to hunt or memories shared across their family’s existence. Furthermore, what I know for certain is that art will forever be my favorite way of interpreting nature.

What I still wonder is how technology might affect societies ability to appreciate nature. Will technology replace authentic experience (Beck, Cable & Knudson, 2018)? Many young adults including myself use Instagram, Facebook and snapchat to display the beautiful side to nature but does that take away from appreciating nature without the need of posting about it? Are we actually learning new things, creating memories or emotions from nature if we just want to earn social status from it? If nature is projected all over technology would people still find the urge to go outside and experience it for themselves? Thus, I hope that society will still take the time to separate technology from nature and just be natural in our beautiful world. I do notice that websites, constant advertisement through social media and personal communication allows the public to voice interpretation in a viral form (Beck, Cable & Knudson, 2018). This can also be a very effective way of presenting, learning and expressing the beauties of nature we are surrounding ourselves with (Beck, Cable & Knudson, 2018). I just wonder if over time technology will take away from our interpretation of nature.

To find inspiration, I look upon music and how it makes me feel can impact my motivation and perspectives. Hearing a song for the first time or replaying the same tune can re-present past memories you have. A song that has reminded me of an experience I’ve had in a natural place is Waves by Miguel and Tame Impala. Many campfires, hikes, and boating activities in natural, beautiful places were experienced to this song and whenever I listen to this song again, I remember the memories made. Music is the art in which we can all find pleasure, and inspiration, especially while making memories in nature.  

What ignites me in my day to day life is bringing people along on hikes they’ve never been on, or, bringing people on adventures in the wilderness that takes them out of their comfort zone. For example, I have brought friends on camping, portaging, rock climbing and even cave crawling trips. During this time, I was able to observe their feelings and reactions to this new nature experience and observe how it changed their life for a short while. Most of the experiences effected their lives in a positive away, getting them to feel happy, and satisfied with what nature had to offer them. Giving people the opportunity to learn and make memories in our natural world fires me up to say the least! Sharing your appreciation for nature with loved ones is an amazing experience!

A photo of my best friend and I in a cave at Rockwood Conservation Area. 

References:

Beck, L., Cable, T.T., & Knudson, D.M. (2018). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage for a Better World. Urbana, IL: Sagamore Publishing. ISBN/ISSN: 978-1-57167-865-2

CDN History Bits. (2014). All About Canadian History. Retrieved from https://cdnhistorybits.wordpress.com/2014/09/07/the-group-of-seven-and-canadian-nationalism/

[lsenvs3000-20]

Hey I really enjoyed reading your post, your closing statement was perfect!  I couldn’t agree more that teaching about something you’re passionate about is what really makes and effective nature interpreter.  In my experience, this is most evident in University professors.  Throughout my undergrad, I’ve been in many courses that I thought were going to be boring, yet my mind would often be changed by a prof who spoke passionately about the subject matter.  I feel as though the same is applied to nature interpretation.  If the interpreter who’s speaking doesn’t care abut what they’re talking about, the overall experience will be much less impactful.     

I also really liked what you said about how music can make some experiences more meaningful or how it can call back certain memories.  In my case, Nat King Cole’s Christmas album is what makes Christmas feel complete to me.  I have so many fond memories of listening to that album while my family and I decorated our Christmas tree or when we sat down to our eat our Christmas Eve dinner.  For that reason, that album will always have a special place in my heart.  

Another instance of this for me is American Football’s self-titled album.  The summer after high school, my family and I took a trip to Victoria British Columbia, during this trip, I listened to that album so many times that whenever I listen to it, I can’t help but think back to that amazing trip.  It just takes me right back to those beautiful mountains and forests and it almost calms me down in a way.  Nature truly is an incredible thing that should be shared!   

One of the forests we visited!

[lsenvs3000-20]

The Intricacies of Nature Interpretation

At the start of this course, I will admit that I was a little uncertain of what nature interpretation actually was.  My initial thought was that it was something in the realm of understanding the signs of a successful ecosystem, or one that is in decline.  After experiencing most of this course, I would say that my new understanding places nature interpretation in a much more educational context.  With that being said, I can say for the certain that my role as a nature interpreter is to aid in conservation, through education. 

This is so important to me as my goal as a nature interpreter is to somehow aid in conservation.  If the public, for example, is not aware of any environmental issues at hand, or what it is that they can do to help these problems, the effectiveness of these methods will be greatly reduced.  This was made evidently clear to me when I was doing research for a term paper I was tasked with writing for another course.  The purpose of my assignment was to analyze the effectiveness of the conservation of the Chinese giant salamander.  One of the major challenges facing the species survival is the fact that many farmers of these animals don’t even know they’re critically endangered (Cunningham et al. 2016).  Due to this lack of public awareness, many farms are unregulated in more ways than one, which has resulted in viruses such as the ranavirus being introduced to many ecosystems due to untreated waste-water (Cunningham et al. 2016).  This is one of many examples why education is essential in conservation.   

What I still wonder, is how can I use the knowledge I’ve gained in this course to formulate new methods of interpreting nature. With these, I hope I would be able to persuade people who are still on the fence about whether or not action needs to be taken to save our planet.  It still boggles my mind that some people still don’t believe that we are facing a climate crisis, despite there being an abundant source of literature and media on the subject matter.  

With that being said, there are thankfully many incredibly inspirational people who are still fighting for the conservation of nature through the power of education.  One of these people was not only my inspiration as a child, but as an adult as well is Jeff Corwin.  As a child, I watched his show “The Jeff Corwin Experience” religiously whenever it aired on Animal Planet.  Each week, he’d travel to a new location where he would search for animals to educate the viewer about.  What I think made this show so enjoyable for me, was how the show implemented things like music, or references to everyday to explain complex concepts, just as the textbook emphasizes (Beck et al. 2019).  Easily my favourite part of the show was the pure joy Jeff took in interpreting nature.  He would often give animals funny voices or reference pop culture by impersonating Yoda as he walked around the Brazilian rainforest. To this day I have yet to find someone who interprets nature the way he does.    

Jeff Corwin holding what appears to be a gorgeous king snake! Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/243475923577736017/?d=t&mt=login on November 12th, 2020.      

What really ignited my passion for nature interpretation was when I started working at the African Lion Safari, three years ago in the parrot department.  During this time I conducted many of the daily presentations as well the encounters with the other various non-bird animals that we kept in our department.  I soon learned that this would be my favourite part of the job as it allowed me a chance to pass on my passion for animals to anyone who came to our shows.  Hearing that I showed someone their new favourite animal because one of the parrots said hi to them, truly was a fulfilling experience.  These sorts of interactions truly do inspire me and I hope that I have many more of them in my future career path.  

A photo of me and my favourite animal I worked with at safari, Franklin, the sulcata tortoise!    

Sources

Beck, L., Cable, T.T. and Knudson, D.M. 2019. Interpreting natural and cultural heritage: For a better world. Urbana: Sagamore Publishing. 

[btenvs3000-20]

Tree Talk Review

The podcast I reviewed is titled “Tree Talk,” and covers biodiversity and the environment. My first impression began with the intro music, which was light and made me feel as though I was in a treehouse in the jungle – very fitting. In the first minute there were easily understandable themes described about biodiversity such as the analogy of fingerprints, which demonstrated that we are all different, much like fingerprints. They used many aspects of the course textbook (i.e., music, connections to every-day life, etc.) making it a very versatile podcast.

I learned many lessons from listening to this podcast. The lessons were mostly offered in the same way, through use of analogies, but each was a different example. This differentiation made it interesting to listen to and easier to remember. The group also used personal stories and examples to make their podcast more relatable.

The first lesson was that genes make us all different, something that is essential to biodiversity. This was taught by comparing families, hair colours/texture and height, teaching us that it is genes that create these often-minute differences.

The second lesson was about gene banks and their importance. The group stated that gene banks are places to store these “building blocks” as a backup method to help endangered species. The group made a great connection to a Lego set, stating that many different pieces are required to make the final product interesting. Species diversity was then talked about in reference to a jigsaw puzzle, as needing all parts of a whole to be complete. The importance of adaptation to current issues such as climate change was also brought up, making the podcast even more relevant.

The third lesson was the importance of genes in an ecosystem, which rely heavily on a diverse and healthy species population. The connection was made to a Jenga block set, in which if too many blocks were removed, the tower would fall, similar to how if too many species are removed, an ecosystem will perish.

All of these lessons were very comprehendible as they used many connections that children would be able to easily connect to. I commend this group for tackling such a difficult topic and making it so easily understandable. All narrators were able to speak with expression as if they were really speaking to you. They also used pop culture references such as Jurassic Park and sized the Arboretum in comparison to football fields; both of these topics are easily understood to most people as they are things we have seen or experienced. I would definitely like to incorporate the use of analogies and pop culture into our next podcast as I found it made it more memorable.  

           Overall, I really enjoyed this podcast. I think it took a quite difficult theme and made it quite kid-friendly. My suggestions would be to edit out overlaps or flaws in speech and to extend it further to the required time (20 minutes).

[lsenvs3000-20]

Hey!

Like yourself, I also listened to the Tree Talk podcast and I too thought it was really well done.  What I enjoyed most, was how easily the group presented the complex topic of genetics so that it would be understandable to kids.  Like you said, many analogies were used to present information.  Although they used this technique frequently, each instance was very creative and held my interest throughout the program.  Describing species in an ecosystem as jenga blocks I thought was an incredibly smart way of presenting topics like trophic cascades to children.  

I would also agree that the music they used set the mood of the podcast quite well.  Implicating little details like music or references like you said, really shows that they were able to apply what we’ve learned in the class to their podcast.  By doing this I feel as though they were able to create a more immersive experience for their listeners, transporting them somewhere outside of their listening space.  

One thing that I feel could have really added to their podcast was some sort of take home activity that the kids could use to apply their new found knowledge to.  By doing this I feel as though it would aid the intended audience in forming long lasting memories.

In short, I really liked your debriefing of this podcast! You synthesized the main points of the podcast extremely well and offered some great constructive criticism!  Both increasing the length of the podcast and editing out the few fumbles should definitely be incorporated in the following podcast.    

[lsenvs3000-20]

The Building Blocks of Life

The podcast I chose to debrief was the “Tree Talk Podcast.”  What made me choose to listen to this podcast was the title as it peaked my curiosity right away.  At first I thought it was going to cover material on trees, however I soon learned that “Tree Talk,” was simply the name of the podcast.  Turns out, the podcast was actually about genetics, which I was even more stoked about!  I don’t know what I about Tree Talk so much but I think the same of the podcast is great!  Maybe it’s just my love of alliterations, who knows!   

One of the main lessons that was taught was what genes are and how they function.  Despite this being an incredibly complex and difficult topic, I thought the team presented the information in a very fun format that would be easy for kids to understand.  I thought explaining genes by comparing them to LEGO blocks, was a genius connection and one that kids could definitely understand. 

The second thing I learned about was the existence of the seed bank in Svalbard.  I had no idea that we kept a reserve of plant seeds in case certain species became extinct.  This was extremely cool in my eyes as it seems like something straight out of science fiction!  I loved the fact that they referenced Jurassic Park, as this is one of my all time favourite movies.  I feel as though making a reference to pop culture like this would be extremely beneficial to children learning about gene banks. This way, they would be able to put it on a context that they would be able to understand more easily.  

Another lesson I learned was that the arboretum serves as a gene bank which until this point, was unknown to me!  I also learned just how large the arboretum is, which I must say took me aback.  Comparing its size to something I could easily visualize, like football fields, really helped understand the scale of its size.  I also learned that I definitely need to get out more and continue to explore the arboretum as clearly I’ve only scratched the surface!    

One thing that I thought the group did extremely well, was how they structured their podcast and interview.  It didn’t sound like an interview where an interviewee was bombarded with question, but rather a conversation.  The little questions they added after their main questions made sure of this.  To me this is exactly how a podcast should be conducted so I’d definitely like to incorporate that into my groups next podcast. 

Overall, I thought the podcast was very well done and if Tree Talk was a weekly podcast, I’d be an active listener!        

[jsenvs3000-20]

The Modern Day Dinosaur

I’m sure at some point in your life you have had the opportunity to see or even touch a turtle. These creators closely represent dinosaurs for their long life spans and prehistoric appearance. Although there are many breeds of turtles, I will be focusing on the snapping turtle. These amazing creators may appear as slow moving independent creators that when in danger will have a nasty snap with the ability to take off fingers. As much as they appear as a threat, these creators are one of natures fine creations. 

Snapping turtles are actually very beneficial for the lakes they roam. They eat both plants and animals, but along with that they eat any decaying or dead animals that lay on the bottom (CBC, 2015). This means that while scavenging they are helping remove any possible diseases that may have leaked from the dead animals (CBC, 2015). This past summer my cousin video taped a snapping turtle devouring a fish in Lake Temagami. The footage that goes along with this photo shows the turtle peeling back the scales of the fish and eating it, almost comparable to a human eating a banana. A true memorable memory that was so fascinating to watch. 

Turtles are temperature dependent sex determination which means that the sex of the offspring is determined by the temperature their fertilized eggs are incubated in (Ministry of Ontario, 2019). If the temperatures are between 23-28°C then the turtles will be male and if otherwise then they will come as females (Ministry of Ontario, 2019).

Since its very common for turtles to be hit by cars in developed areas, in locations such as Temagami these turtles are able to thrive and live longer unharmed. When I was twelve years old I did what’s called the Obabaka loop which took me up from Lake Temagami to Sharp rock Inlet through Diamond Lake which lead to Wakimika where I saw the largest turtle I have ever seen. Temagami only has two breeds of turtles the snapping turtle and the painted, but because of its massive shell I knew it was a snapper (Back, 2012).  I was getting out of my canoe and went to step onto what I thought was a rock, but then as soon as I put pressure down on my foot I found out it was indeed not a rock. This Turtle was huge and had a bunch of various species living on its shell along with algae. We figured this turtle had been living over 100 years. It made sense to think how the largest turtle I have ever seen was found in a lake that has next to zero boat traffic with mainly canoes paddeling through. Its been able to thrive in this lake without having to compromise due to human interactions with the land. 

Turtles in my opinion are an amazing part of nature because they are such a timeless species that does more good than harm. Unlike sea turtles, snappers aren’t the type of species you want to get close to, but if you ever have the opportunity to witness them while they’re in action, soak up every moment. 

References 

Ontario. (2019, May). Ministry of Ontario. Snapping Turtles. Retrieved October 29, 2020, from https://www.ontario.ca/page/snapping-turtle

7 things you need to know about snapping turtles | CBC News. (2015, June 16). Retrieved October 29, 2020, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/7-things-you-need-to-know-about-snapping-turtles-1.3115546

Back, B. (2012). Snapping turtles: Threatened and hunted. Retrieved October 29, 2020, from http://www.ottertooth.com/Temagami/News/newsbriefs-124.htm

[lsenvs3000-20]

Hey!

Turtles are some of my favourite animals so I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post!  I didn’t know that snapping turtles played a role in managing diseases in lakes by eating dead animals, that’s so interesting!  

That aspect of their behaviour sounds very much akin to vultures and crows.  Both act as natural garbagemen which feed off of carrion, which also limits the spread of disease and bacteria.  Just like turtles, these birds also fall victim to being hit by cars as they’ll feed off of the other animals who have became roadkill.  Unfortunately, this is the reason that many species of vultures are endangered, which is incredibly unfortunate as their loss could be incredibly detrimental to the health of many ecosystems.      

That’s so cool that you found such an old turtle!  In my opinion, the fact that some turtles and tortoises can live for up to 150 years is one of the coolest things about them.  I remember a while ago I read a story that an alligator snapping turtle had been with the musket bullet dated back to the civil war imbedded in its shell which I thought was incredibly cool.  The fact that it was large enough to survive getting shot during the civil war must mean that it was almost two hundred years old which absolutely blows my mind.    

Also that’s such a cool picture!  It looks like something straight out of National Geographic!

[lsenvs3000-20]

The Cold-blooded Monkey

The word nature is a very broad term.  It covers a wide variety of both the organic and inorganic.  From the smallest rock to the largest tree, anywhere you go, nature has something amazing to offer.  For me, the most amazing aspect of nature, is the staggering amount of other species we share this planet with. What boggles my mind, is that in the past it has been estimated that we share our planet with upwards of 8.7 million different species (Latty & Lee, 2020).  An enormous number to say the least.  In my opinion, one of these species stands alone from the rest; the monkey-tailed skink.  A species so cool that it puts all other skinks and animals to shame!  So sit back, relax, and get ready to learn about a seriously cool species of lizard.     

Monkey-tailed skinks are an endemic species of skink which can be found throughout the Solomon islands, patrolling the canopy of its rainforest.  As an arboreal species, they spend all of their time climbing about, using their incredible well adapted tails.  Just like many species of monkey, monkey-tailed skinks have prehensile tails which act similar to a fifth limb, providing extra support and stability. 

As seen in this picture, the skink will wrap its tail around branches as a sort of safety tether. Retrieved from https://www.reptilefact.com/prehensile-tailed-skink.html on October 28th, 2020.

Monkey-tailed skinks are herbivores with diets mostly consisting of the poisonous pathos plant.  By specializing in this toxic species of vegetation, the only competition these lizards have for food is their very own species.  This adaptation is unfortunately a double edged sword as their rainforest homes are currently under threat due to logging.  This is sadly decreasing the amount of food available to them in the wild, which has caused the species to become endangered. 

Pictured above is one of my pathos plants!  

What I find to be most interesting about these skinks is how incredibly social they are.  When most people think of reptiles, they think of cold and venomous creatures that are incapable of love.  Now to be fair, some reptiles are not the nicest.  My chameleon for example, has only ever expressed blind hatred towards me, despite me offering nothing but love.  

Sticks, my male veiled chameleon :)   

Unlike many other species of reptiles, monkey-tailed skinks occupy small social groups consisting of one male and two to three females.  Together the family's defend their territory from any neighbouring group of skinks which are looking to find a new patch of resources.  But what I find the most interesting is that offspring will often stick around to take care of the next generation of young before seeking out their own habitat.  To me this extremely fascinating as they exhibit behaviour similar to mammalian monkeys which is unlike any other reptile species.  The same behaviour has been seen in many other intelligent species of birds, like kookaburras.   

To boot, all these wonderful characteristics and traits come wrapped in a cute prehistoric package!  True modern day dinosaurs if you ask me.

Retreieved from https://www.aquariumofpacific.org/onlinelearningcenter/species/prehensile_tailed_skink on October 28th, 2020.     

Sources

Latty, T., & Lee, T. (2020, January 20). How many species on Earth? Why that's a simple question but hard to answer. Retrieved October 28, 2020, from https://theconversation.com/how-many-species-on-earth-why-thats-a-simple-question-but-hard-to-answer-114909

[iaenvs3000-20]

Art: The Bridge between Science and the Public

This blog was weirdly hard for me to write this week because I don’t quite know who I am to interpret nature through art. I have never considered myself to be artistically inclined in any regard but in reading about the many forms of art used in interpretation I was surprised and happy to see that storytelling and poetry were included. Words have always resonated more with me than anything else and my favourite part of travelling has always been listening to local stories and legends about different places. Nature is something that has long been used in poetry and the urge to describe the natural world has made nature poetry a popular genre. The haiku poetry form was originally developed as a short meditation on the natural world and uses a word to indicate the season such as this spring haiku by Takahama Kyoshi;

In the bamboo grove The yellow spring sunlight, I look up at it.

Poetry uses nature as its subject and inspiration, but it too can be used by nature. The textbook states that using the arts helps to convey messages and create richer experiences. This can be seen through the poetry walk offered by the Olympic National Park where poems by contemporary poets such as Mary Oliver were featured on signs along the trails to invoke deeper emotional engagement from the guests. 

                                  Image by ADD from Pixabay

This is a photograph of seagrass I found and I’m not sure what it is about it but it feels incredibly enchanting. 

In interpreting nature through art, I think the goal is to establish a connection, to make people care. In Nirupa Rao’s ted talk, she blends wonderful storytelling and her artistic talent to share a message of becoming aware of a kingdom hidden in plain sight by invoking an emotional connection with her audience. She was able to maintain scientific accuracy in her illustrations by working alongside conservationists. In terms of interpreting nature through art, I want to be a bridge between science and art, just like Nirupa and the conservationists she worked with. Scientists are often too logical and technical in communicating their messages and in trying to make people care. As someone who aspires to work in science communication, I understand the importance of integrating art when communicating our messages, no scientific integrity needs to be lost in the process and we are able to reach much wider audiences by appealing to emotion.  To quote Rita Cantu, “we are catalysts sparking relationships between something without and something within”. I think personally as much as I may not be artistically inclined, I am still able to appreciate art because it speaks to a deeper part of ourselves that is hard to describe. I’m also now able to understand why I find nature documentaries so powerful and I think that’s because they are able to blend various forms of art: storytelling, videography, music etc., to communicate a message, and more than appealing to our senses, it appeals to our emotions. 

References:

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

[lsenvs3000-20]

Hi Ilham!  I really enjoyed reading your post!  I had no idea there was such things as poetry walks,  but I’m really glad you introduced me to the concept.  I’ve always found that words have a way or transporting you to the places they speak of, especially with something that can be so descriptive, like poetry.  I’ve been on trails that have little factoids about the area and trail along the way, which I thought was a great idea!  I can only imagine that having poems as you mentioned along a trail would only ameliorate the experience.  To me they would act similar to a sort of guided tour, similar to those at a museum, or a zoo.     

In your post, you raised the point that scientists are often too logical and technical when communicating their messages and I couldn’t agree more.  During my time at university, I’ve read had to read quite a few scientific journal articles, and I’ve found that most of them are quite difficult to read.  Often times they can be quite confusing, and in my opinion, alienating to anyone outside of a scientific field, looking to learn something new.  Now of course, a report needs to follow the scientific method, however I feel as though there can be other ways of presenting information that anyone can understand.  Whether that’s in a completely different format, like a documentary, or simply a report that’s a little less informal.  Like you said about nature documentaries, they convey information and important messages through multiple medias that help bolster their message.  This is exactly what I feel like scientific journals are missing, something to bridge the gap between people in in the respected field, and those who are not.     

[lsenvs3000-20]

Channeling Nature Into Art

Art is an incredibly subjective thing and can mean many things to each individual who experiences it.  This is one of my favourite things about art as one persons interpretation of for example, a painting, could be completely different than that of another's.  In my opinion, they same thing could be applied to being in nature, as it can have incredibly profound and unique impacts on those who chose to enter the wild.  

Nature can also serve as a great source of inspiration for a wide variety of medias, the most prevalent being art and photography.  Since these medias became available, artists across the globe have been attempting to capture the beauty of the natural world with paint and film, only to fall short when compared to seeing these marvels with your own eyes.  One art form which I feel is often forgotten about which captures nature extremely well, is music.

A few years ago I watched a documentary entitled: “One Man Metal”, which focused on three black metal bands, which comprised of one member each.  These were Leviathan, Xasthur and Striborg.  Of these three, the band that fascinated me the most, was Striborg.  The man behind the band is Russel Menzies, a Tasmanian native who has been releasing music as Striborg since 1994.  What fascinated me most, was that Russel spoke about music like I had never heard before.  Instead of drawing inspiration from emotion or experiences, his music was inspired by the land which he called home.  In the documentary, he said:

Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQl6PzXU4cQ on October 15th, 2020.

Now I’ve never been to Tasmania, but after looking at pictures for a while, it’s not hard to imagine why Russel was so inspired by the land.

Retrieved from https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2013/06/tassie-forests-added-to-world-heritage-area/ on October 15th, 2020.  

For me hearing this was a revelation, it was like something clicked.  Writing music which embodied nature just seemed to make sense, yet prior to this documentary, it had never once crossed my mind.  From that point onward, I started writing instrumental music which tried to emulate the sound tracks for certain landscapes so to speak.  I’m not sure if I was successful, but perhaps you can tell me what comes to your mind when you hear this song! (If you want to hear more, I’m on Spotify as Pond Hockey, shameless plug).

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14yXxnH027cRYrY_crsSzsjWSo0mMn2P3/view?usp=sharing

For me, music and nature are two incredibly powerful things and together I feel like they create something truly magical.  For me, if “Planet Earth” for example was missing it’s soundtrack, I think it would have had a different impact on me than it originally did.  

In short, from the smallest bug to the largest mountain, nature truly is living art, and all you have to experience it, is step outside.

[anenvs3000-20]

The Private Ownership of Big Cats

So during the time of this pandemic, one of the greatest hits on Netflix was the Tiger King Series: Murder, Mayhem, Mystery and Madness. It talked about Joe Exotic and his roadside zoo and ownership with big cats on how it all started and the trade of it, where big cats were being sold across USA and kept as household pets by some individuals. So this has created a big debate about the ethics of owning a big cat as a private owner. 

According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, there’s an estimate of about 32,000 to 35,000 remaining in the wild and an estimate of 5,000 in captivity. Yet statistics show only a small percentage of the captive population live in zoos that are accredited by AZA in North America, as the rest are usually found in either non accreddited zoos that could be licensed or non-licensed, but also just private owners like in apartments or houses, trailers etc. 

Joe Exotic known as the Infamous Tiger King. 

Joe Exotic who is now to be the most famous of big cat owners has gained a big controversy. So from watching the series and learning more about it from other sources, it shows that many of these private owners from roadside zoos or other forms of private ownership, have inadequate care and proper facility, where they’re just kept in concrete cages, or inside peoples homes without anything that makes their facility look natural to their wild counterpart which is something that is essential in most zoos that are accredited. Like its not easy work as owning a household cat or a dog. So large exotic animals in the hands of non experts isn’t good for the welfare, yet some of these private owners are licensed so there must be something they’re following which could be in some ways but also hard to apply them in all situations. Like even though Joe Exotic’s zoo might’ve been regulated he still continued supplying them to unlicensed private owners and other private roadside zoos that had faced numerous USDA violations. 

Mike Tyson was once a big cat owner and had to give his tigers away cause he couldn’t afford all the resources to take care of them. 

So these non experts, allow breeding to happen unregulated where they breed too many cats and breed them with other cats they’re related to which is something that can be harmful for the offspring and is a violation against the endangered species act. Yet accredited zoos regulate their breeding of their big cats. Yet even Joe Exotic allowed incest breeding and would separate tiger cubs at birth too use them for his spotlight where it then shows that sometimes these private owners just own these animals just for the ego other than being compassionate about their animals. 

So in conclusion theres a huge debate, if the private ownership of big cats should be illegal or allowed to continue. So from looking at both sides, there is too much to discuss. What it is to discuss is that as mentioning above that when it comes to private ownership, some may not be as regulated as they should like any individual owner without any knowledge or experience will be allowed to have a big cat and not know what to do to make it have a quality of life. Like its a lot more work than having a regular household cat or a dog. Also it becomes dangerous too because of how ferocious these animals are. Also many of these non-accredited roadside zoos hire inexperienced staff to look after these animals where as big zoos that are accredited higher people who tend to be wildlife experts in fields like this. But also then going to the other end of banning private ownership of big cats might also stir up controversy where others would argue that they’re licensed to look after them and keep them and that they’re experts. Like can’t look at it from a biased perspective. But it definitely isn’t easy. So it’ll continue to remain controversial. 

References: 

Hannaford, Alex. “The Tiger next Door: America’s Backyard Big Cats.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 10 Nov. 2019, www.theguardian.com/global/2019/nov/10/the-tiger-next-door-americas-backyard-big-cats.

“America’s Tigers Spend Their Lives in Cages, Bred for Profit with Little Oversight.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 12 July 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/investigations/captive-tigers-america/.

[lsenvs3000-20]

Hey Amaar, I think you raise some really great points in your post.  I for one am on the side that there should be more regulation when it comes to who can and can’t own big cats.  In my opinion, those who wish to own large cats and carnivores a like, should be subjected to a sort of screening process.  By this I mean that a qualified and experienced professional should not only evaluate their facility, but their skills as a keeper as well.  Whether it’s a written exam or a practical test.  Perhaps there should even be a sort of monthly follow up inspection to ensure that standards are being upheld and that sufficient care is being provided to the animals.  

Personally, I don’t believe that just anyone should be allowed to own big cats.  Not only do large animals like these require a lot of space and food which can be quite costly, but they’re incredibly dangerous to even the most experienced keeper.  Furthermore, if they have inadequate housing for their animals and they somehow escape, this could create an incredibly dangerous situation for the surrounding community.