A Nature Appreciation Space

Melanie Pekar's ENVS3000DE W23 Interperative Nature Blog

[acmenvs3000w23]

Unit 10: Nature Interpretation's Role in Environmental Sustainability

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to my last blog post I have had a wonderful time completing these and learning about nature interpretation and I hope you all feel the same.

I have grown immensely throughout my university career going through ups and downs, rights and wrongs, great times, and sad times. If I look at it from a larger picture, I ask myself how I stand up against my fellow undergrads. Am I better than them? Are they smarter than me? Who’s going to get the better job? I can guarantee most individuals maybe not all will think of these questions at one point or another. Not in a way that they want others to fail but rather in comparison. I do not want anyone else to fail but I also do not want to be at the bottom. Everyone is striving for superiority including myself. However, this concept is needed to create a competitive atmosphere that drives the thought in your mind to push yourself to your limits. To make something worth remembering. To be the change. Studies have shown that individuals have a high desire for status even if that means the downfall for others (Anderson & Hildreth, 2016). 

Regarding my own ethics, beliefs, and reasonability’s they have all been developing since I could walk and talk. I was raised in a catholic home and went to a catholic school. Learning about the bible, the sacrifice, the joy, the consequences. Thinking about those experiences my ethics are solely based on my beliefs. Beck et al. (2018) on page 91/92 puts its perfectly explaining the idea of “constructivist”. We build new knowledge, values and beliefs based on our early constructs of knowledge and values that we gain in early development (Beck et al., 2018). We all learn in different ways meaning that the construction of every person is different and therefore constitutes a different ethics system. Beck et al. (2018) on page 110 explains that in all presentations a variety of learning styles is key to success. Meaning if an individual is not given the right opportunity to absorb knowledge through their learning style, then they cannot grasp the importance of the content which will directly affect their ethics and beliefs.  

Now I have not really answered the question yet because to me the most important ethic to follow is common respect. No one is above you and no one is below you. Being smarter or having a higher paying job does not make you any better than your neighbour or friend. Yet our lives are consumed and controlled by this notion. Beck et al. (2018) on page 101 says that interpretation is a visitor’s experience. The ultimate goal is to get the visitor to respect what they are seeing, smelling, or hearing. If I can provide you with respect that makes you feel like you are important than learning from me is easy. Not only do others deserve your respect but nature does to. In the article by Rodenburg (2019) they mention a story about a killdeer where the students protected the bird and watched it raise its young. This exact same story happens to me every summer at my job. There are hundreds of killdeers around my workplace and whenever I see them nesting in a driveway where they could get hit, I always set up pylons and check up on them every day. It’s as simple as respecting another human being. Rodenburg (2019) further goes on about ways in which we can get children excited about nature allowing them to make a discovery even though you already know about. Respecting that this is a new experience for them is crucial to their development and their future ethics.         

I believe that it is my responsibility to inform others to the best of my knowledge my interests and thoughts. Through this I am hoping that others will be in intrigued by my teachings to become interested in the subject. I am an environmental science student and so environmental issues are a big part of the concerns that I believe in. Approaching the question of my ethics and how they can be interconnected with my beliefs and responsibilities can be difficult to express. I want to approach the problem like Rodenburg. By building age-appropriate environmental education. Due to this I believe that another very important ethic to follow is integrity. Integrity is such an important aspect to follow. Simply being honest even when no one is looking is truly what brings you closer to a higher being. Beck et al. (2018) on page 458 explains that visitors who are served with thoughtful, meaningful, creative interpretation benefits the individual, the community, organizations, society and most importantly the integrity of the planet. By simply being an honest human, it reflects to much light onto others and shows the world how much you care about a subject. It creates wonders for other people to want to follow in your footsteps.  

Now as I mentioned earlier in this week’s blog post, I am catholic and was raised to believe in the holy bible. I do not necessarily believe in everything that is spoken in the bible or even God for that matter. However, it is still my belief that there is a greater being and to reach that greater being you just need to believe. You could be good or bad, but everyone will one day reach that greater being. For some it may take longer because they do not see the way but for others that are in the right place it happens when the time is right. Individuals with strong ethics are closer to reaching this greater being than individuals lacking strong ethics. In a way it is my responsibility to try and help others try and reach their potential. I cannot make them believe in anything but helping them be a better person by educating them on environmental issues, having common respect for others and having integrity for our planet is crucial to reaching internal and external peace.

What are your thoughts? Are your ethics, beliefs, responsibilities similar to what I have talked about?  

Thank you everyone for listening!

Aaron

Anderson, C., & Hildreth, J. D. (2016). Striving for superiority: The human desire for status. IRLE Working Paper No. 115-16. https://irle.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Striving-for-superiority.pdf

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

Rodenburg, J. (2019, June 17). Why environmental educators shouldn't give up hope. CLEARING. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://clearingmagazine.org/archives/14300

[mpenvs3000w23]

Hi Aaron,

Thank you for including how your religious upbringing has shaped your relationship to nature interpretation and the functioning and integration of the natural world. I was raised Jewish and this is an important aspect of my cultural identity, despite my atheist religious beliefs. Growing up culturally Jewish has also had an important impact on my relationship with nature and the personal responsibility I feel to protect the earth and better myself.  Judaism emphasizes the ideas of ‘tikun olam’ and ‘tikun adam’ which translate to repairing the world and ourselves, respectively. 

My interests and hobbies today reflect the ideas of tikun olam and tikun adam. For example, my degree in Wildlife Biology & Conservation has been an empowering avenue for me to learn more about ecosystem dynamics, human impacts on the environment, and career avenues that focus on environmental conservation and climate change mitigation. A lot of my interests lie in developing my leadership abilities, learning how to foster safer spaces, playing music, going bike and unicycle riding, and being a good friend. 

These interests and passions of course are not unique to Judaism, they are just ideas that connect me to my Jewish identity and that I have felt prompted to explore more through the Jewish communities I am a part of. And I think these ideas have enhanced my perspectives in interpreting nature and have affected the lens I have brought to this course.

Melanie

[maenvs3000w23]

Unit 10

Hi Everyone, 

Welcome to my last blog post!

It has been a great semester getting to know all of you! I don’t know about you all, but I can say this class took me out of my comfort zone many times. I can truly say I did enjoy it and learned a lot about nature and myself throughout this semester. 

Now,

Personal ethics is a very interesting and important topic to discuss. As mentioned in my past blog post I have strong personal beliefs in ensuring individuals' health and well-being. I also strongly believe in ensuring equity in all aspects of life. It is important to understand and acknowledge the hardships that some may face and privileges that some may have. 

The most important ethic that I believe in is accessibility. Beck et al., discuss the importance of accessibility in nature interpretation. The textbook also explains how we can break down these barriers to make nature interpretation more accessible (Beck et al., 2018). I look at accessibility as an equity issue. Equity is the understanding that we do not come from the same place and must acknowledge challenges and barriers in other individuals' lives (Wieland et al., 2022).  This means, not everyone has access to the internet, books, or learning tools. Some people lack comprehensive skills or there is a language barrier (Beck et al., 2018). There are other individuals that have mobility issues that prevent them from receiving access to educational resources or experiences (Beck et al., 2018). Therefore, just providing educational tools and resources to all individuals does not solve the issue of accessibility. Everyone, no matter age, race, gender, socioeconomic status, etc, should be allowed access to effective education (Wieland et al., 2022). Everyone has the right to learn and to know. Knowledge is power and we should be empowering all individuals and not just the people that are most convenient. 

The next personal ethic that I believe in is respect. Now, this can sound very broad and that is because it is. It is important to not only respect ourselves but the environment and culture that surrounds us. At the beginning of the course, I talked about humanizing the environment. We should be respecting nature like it is a fellow human being. Science has proven that the environment is slowly dying because of anthropogenic effects (Ferreira et al., 2016). It is important that we respect the environment and what it offers us. This includes taking care of the environment when it is fragile. The environment also comes with a culture and history that needs to be respected. Some individuals are spiritually connected with the environment around them, and it is important that outsiders do not disrespect the culture. During one of my travel adventures to Barbados, I had the pleasure to experience Eco-Adventure Park at Harrison’s Cave. Not only is there a massive cave system but there is a gully where a lot of plant life grows. The adventure guides informed us that locals from the other side of the gully will walk through the plant life to travel into town. For most outsiders just learning about the area this sounds not so conservation-like. However, the guides explained that this was something that locals were doing before the gully and cave was established and protected by the Barbadian Government. The government allowed the locals to continue to use the pathway as it was in the culture for the locals to travel this way. Therefore, it is important to listen and learn about the culture of the environment to learn how to respect it and the people that live in it.  

There are a lot of responsibilities that I have as a student, human, and future healthcare professional. As a university student, I really value my education and would advocate for others to receive an education. I acknowledge that receiving a university of education is a privilege. However, basic education, reading, writing, and arithmetic, provide equitable education (McIntosh., 1989).  As a human, it is my responsibility to take care of the environment. This can look different for everyone. I like to educate myself on environmental issues around me and how to mediate the effects. As a future healthcare professional, I aspire to advocate for the health and well-being of individuals. As I have learned in previous courses and mentioned in a previous blog post, nature has an effect on individuals’ mental health. It is proven that nature improves mental health and well-being. I believe that this is my responsibility to advocate for access to nature to improve mental health and well-being. 

The approach that would be most suitable for me would be continuing to use my voice to advocate for others. I want to empower others that lack the same opportunities and experiences that I do. I have the skills and knowledge to advocate effectively and respectfully. Advocating is not just speaking for others but knowing when not to speak. 

I look forward to reading your posts to learn more about your personal beliefs and ethics. Do we share any similar ethics? 

            Thank you all for a great semester. 

Makayla 

Beck, L, Cable, Ted T., Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting Natural & Cultural Heritage. Sagamore-Venture Publishing. 2018

  Wieland, J., Jordan, B. L., & Jatoi, A. (2022). Equity. Cancer, 128(12), 2240–2242. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.34179

  Ferreira, V., Koricheva, J., Duarte, S., Niyogi, D. K., & Guérold, F. (2016). Effects of anthropogenic heavy metal contamination on litter decomposition in streams – A meta-analysis. Environmental Pollution (1987), 210, 261–270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2015.12.060

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

[mpenvs3000w23]

Hi Makayla,

I really appreciate how aware of your privilege you are and your desire to use this privilege to advocate for others who are unable to advocate for themselves in these ways.

This reminds me of an experience I had in my summer camp last year where a camper was experiencing racism from some other campers. This camper approached me and asked for my help in promoting a safer space and creating anti-racism-based educational programming at camp. Since they are a camper and wanted their anonymity protected, they were unable to advocate for themself and since I held this privilege of being an experienced staff member I was able to advocate for them in a way they were unable to. This included speaking to their counselors to make sure they understood the situation, facilitating anti-racism education for campers and staff, and having frequent check-ins with this camper about their well-being and experience. Of course this still isn’t ideal since they were unable to speak up for themself due to fears of safety. Therefore, in returning to summer camp this summer, it is a priority for me to encourage the counselor- in-training (CIT) campers (who I have this summer) to think about the power dynamics and privileges they experience at camp and create a safer and more equitable community shared space where we can break down identity-based oppression. 

Melanie

[mpenvs3000w23]

Me as a nature interpreter

In this week’s Ares reading, Why Environmental Educators Shouldn’t Give up Hope by Jacob Rodenburg, the line “If I had a job description, it would be simply this: to help reveal wonder and cultivate awe.” really stuck out to me, and I immediately got out a pen and paper and wrote this down. Jacob Rodenburg is the executive director of Camp Kawartha and The Camp Kawartha Outdoor Education Centre, located in Ontario, Canada. As I mentioned in several of my previous blog posts, my experiences as both a camper and a counselor at my summer camp (also located in Ontario, Canada) have been very formative in my development as a leader, sense of self, scientist, and global citizen since this space has encouraged me to cultivate my curiosity, embrace my leadership, and live my values. I think the core purpose of any youth educator, especially in an outdoor nature educational setting (such as summer camp), is to do exactly what Rodenburg said: to explore the wonder in the world and just keep exploring and pursuing what brings us joy and fulfillment. After reading this article, I decided to share the wisdom of this statement with my greater summer camp staff community in our WhatsApp groupchat.  

The WhatsApp message I sent my summer camp staff regarding Rodenburg's article.

There is an annual Jewish summer camp in person weekend-long conference for summer camp staff members across North America called Cornerstone by the Foundation for Jewish Camps (FJC). Cornerstone is such a valuable education space since it acts as a melting pot for the ideology of Jewish summer camps across the continent, and so much institutional and anecdotal knowledge is exchanged among the participants. Each participant signs up for a series of workshops to participate in during their weekend at the conference to learn skills and activities transferable to their jobs at their respective summer camp. Last year, I signed up for an activity about science and wonder. My key takeaway from this program was extremely inline to Rodenburgs words: it doesn’t exactly matter what you are teaching or how invested the participants are — your job as an educator is to give children the tools they need to explore the world for themselves, appreciate the wonder in any way they can, and celebrate them for their discoveries instead of shame them for their neurodivergence. This program inspired an activity I ran for my summer camp community this summer that I have linked here. This activity embraced the idea of using nature interpretation and exploration as a form of self care and avenue for discovery. Magnifying glasses were given to all the campers for if they got bored at any point during the activity so they could always keep investigating the world, even to the small details in the blades of grass beneath them. This activity was composed of (i) a nature-themed check-in reflexive activity, (ii) a game where they were encouraged to act out nature and empathize with its components, and (iii) a game to observe their surroundings through trust and touch, without their sense of sight. (iv) This activity concluded with one-on-one discussions reflecting on their experience observing nature, applications for self-care practices, and what it was like to search for and embrace the wonder in the world, from small blades of grass, to forests, to whole ecosystem dynamics. 

Me explaining my takeaways regarding nature interpretation from Cornerstone to my greater summer camp staff community.

My personal ethic as a nature interpreter resides in the belief that there is no one way to engage with the world and ourselves. This is a very individual process that is constantly evolving and changing. I think providing each other with support, co-creating safer spaces, and building personal connections allows us to feel empowered to explore the relationship between ourselves and nature. I believe that with love and care we can foster an environment that enables youth to grow, discover, and care. Afterall, I believe effective learning is unable to happen when we don’t feel safe and cared for. Therefore, as a nature interpreter, it is my responsibility to actively evaluate my privilege, make nature-based education accessible to as many people as possible, and emphasize positive relationships among individuals that push us to grow and challenge ourselves. We have our comfort zone, where we are not challenged. We have our danger zone where boundaries are violated and not respected. And somewhere between these zones, we have our learning zone, where we are pushed to try new things, reflect with ourselves, and question the status quo in a safe and consensual environment. It is my role to find the learning zone of those around me and provide them with the support and guidance to navigate this zone. For example, this can include learning about tick safety and the increasing population and range size of ticks due to global warming caused by climate change, while giving them the proper tools and advice to enjoy nature while being tick-safe. This can also include sitting together by the water with a guitar and writing a song together about the nature around us. Music can feel like a very vulnerable task, so in this case my role would be to help guide the musical framework and celebrate contributions made by the group. 

The approaches most suitable to me as an interpreter stem from foundations of mutual trust and respect. I am a strong believer that we need a space that values trust, respect, and kindness in order to share our thoughts and ideas in a meaningful way and can be further built and inquired upon by the group. I feel most connected to nature when I am in a forest or ravine and I investigate the tree species around me and the sounds of birds chirping nearby. I have lots of questions about the life history of the organisms I see around me and make hypotheses about why some species may predominate in an area versus others. I share these thoughts with those around me, not to provide them with answers, but to awaken a space where curiosity is valued and celebrated and to care enough about nature enough to want to further inquire about it. I am also passionate about using nature interpretation as an avenue for self care. I encourage others, either by themselves or with me, to play guitar by the water and ground themselves in one thing they hear, one thing they smell, a thing they can touch, a thing they can taste, and something they can see. Nature interpretation is of immense value to me and I have been so grateful to see my relationship with nature and as a nature interpreter grow over the past several years. I am filled with warmth and gratitude in knowing that I have the opportunity to be outside at summer camp with the purpose of helping children learn and grow in their relationship with nature and themselves.

Soaking in the nature beauty and wonder of the summer the with the summer camp staff the evening before the kids would arrive for another intense and rewarding summer.

[ihenvs3000w23]

Sense Making in Nature Interpretation

            A number of us are going to take different approaches to this week’s blog prompt as all of us are driven and interested by different aspects of nature. Some of us are passionate about specific wildlife, others are more interested in natural landscapes and some of us are still trying to understand what part of nature intrigues them the most. For myself, I have always been interested in the impact that nature plays in human health. To be more specific, what components of nature play a role in a healthy mind, body and soul.     

Nature is fascinating in itself as there are many aspects of it that play dynamic roles in relationships. The most interesting thing I know about nature is the impact that it has on human health and happiness. As mentioned in the textbook, we learn how to interpret nature through our life cycle in academic settings (Beck et al., 2018). Schools want to integrate our learning with nature through various programs and facilities as it provides individuals important life skills (Beck et al., 2018). Prior to taking ENVS*3000, I have taken a couple of ecology courses and learned about the relationship nature has on human happiness in an ASCI course I took. Human beings depend a lot on their environment for their actions and their emotions. The term used that refers to this relationship is nature connectedness. According to a study conducted in China, there is positive correlation between nature connectedness and mental health (Liu et al., 2022). We have discussed throughout the course how nature is present in music, history and our everyday lives and when we choose to understand all of these categories, we are then able to confidentially submerge ourselves in nature (Beck et al., 2018). Some find peaceful meditation to nature sounds their way of destressing while others find walks or hikes their go-to. I want to pose the question, where do you feel the calmest? What do you do to connect yourself with nature?

Personally, I have always found myself feeling my best in terms of confidence and energy when I am in the outdoors. Whether this be sitting in my backyard enjoying my morning coffee on a sunny day or taking a hike in the escarpments. I have personally noticed amazing benefits to my skin in nature as well, for example, when I am at a beach or in saltwater, my keratosis pilaris magically disappears and my acne settles as well. According to some studies, saltwater places a role in soothing and reducing atopic skin conditions (Martin et al., 2016). I have always found that nature has had nothing but positive impacts on me both mentally and physically. I also believe that it is extremely important to look at how other countries advocate for the environment. Countries like China and Scandinavian countries are very keen on ensuring they are doing their part in integrating nature and the environment into people’s everyday lives.

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

Liu, H., Nong, H., Ren, H., & Liu, K. (2022). The effect of nature exposure, nature connectedness on mental well-being and ill-being in a general Chinese population. Landscape and Urban Planning, 222, 104397–. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2022.104397

Martin, H., Laborel-Préneron, E., Fraysse, F., Nguyen, T., Schmitt, A. M., Redoulès, D., & Davrinche, C. (2016). Aquaphilus dolomiae extract counteracts the effects of cutaneous S. aureus secretome isolated from atopic children on CD4+ T cell activation. Pharmaceutical biology, 54(11), 2782–2785. https://doi.org/10.3109/13880209.2016.1173069

[mpenvs3000w23]

Hi,

I found your post really interesting since it focused on ecosystem services that benefit human health and well-being instead of focusing on economic gain. Over the past several years, I have spent a lot of time thinking about my relationship with nature and the benefits I experience. I think it is very interesting that as humans, we often look at nature as a place to visit instead of something we are intrinsically part of. We build houses and schools and have abandoned our arboreal roots, but that does not mean we have abandoned nature. Because perhaps it is in our nature to build these houses and schools instead of dwelling in trees like many of our other primate relatives.

Therefore, it makes sense that we experience all of these physical and psychological benefits from spending time in undisturbed, plant-rich, outdoor environments. We evolved alongside these conditions and thus experience a lot of benefit from them. We can engineer weighted blankets and restaurants and gyms, but there’s nothing that can replace the fresh breeze, fresh foods, and exploring the outdoors.

The more I think about my evolutionary roots of being outdoors, the more I grow resentment to our current lifestyle of sitting in front of a computer working for hours on end, then having downtime before bed staring at another screen. However, I am making conscious efforts to integrate more active and screen-free aspects into my lifestyle. For example, I choose to walk to school each day and frequently visit the Arboretum, spend a lot of time biking through ravines in the summer, and work as an outdoor camp counselor and educator. This is helping me improve my relationship with nature and the priorities I feel I’m supposed to have.

[mpenvs3000w23]

Mutualism (or parasitism) between humans and trees

The most amazing thing I know about nature is that we are able to breathe. Organisms from tiny aerobic bacteria to beetles, bats, tigers, and sharks take vastly different sizes, morphologies, and genetic compositions, but they all breathe. This combination of cells, tissues, and bones is somehow able to sustain an unbelievable diversity of organisms on earth. The secret ingredient allowing us to do this, uniting us across these taxa, is the dependency on oxygen and expulsion of carbon dioxide. Hence, space exploration for alien life is largely focused on finding planets with the presence of oxygen.

Phylogenetic tree of incredible diversity of life on Earth

Amazingly, we don’t run out of oxygen because we have plants. Plants use their chloroplasts to perform photosynthesis, which is the autotrophic process whereby plants convert inorganic carbon from carbon dioxide to organic carbon in carbohydrates, using light as the source of energy (Bassham et al, 2022). This life-sustaining chemical reaction can be described by the chemical formula 6CO2 + 6H2O → CH2O + 6O2, where oxygen is formed as a byproduct (Bassham et al, 2022).

Process of photosynthesis

I think there is something beautiful about the dynamics of nature that allow many taxa to inhale oxygen and expel carbon dioxide and that others absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. This complex coevolution allowing for any life on earth to exist, to me, can only be described as the magic of reality. This is such a powerful example of mutualism (taxa benefiting other taxa) on earth.

Today we are losing more than 80 000 acres of tropical rainforest each day and are causing significant degradation to another 80 000 acres each day (Scientific American, 2009). From an economic standpoint this makes total sense: exploit resources to generate profit. From a human perspective, this is incredibly silly: we are literally destroying the very resources that sustain us (and everything else on the planet). The Lorax by Dr. Suess explains this very elegantly. If we keep exploiting the earth (i.e., making thneeds) to generate profit, eventually, all the trees will be gone and there will be nothing left to sell, and more importantly, nowhere suitable left to live. In The Lorax, the fish and birds all need to relocate habitats to survive, and humans buy bottled fresh air. This dystopia is becoming closer and closer to our current reality. Species are already experiencing migration due to changing habitat conditions, and we have already begun to see our first climate refugees. This makes we wonder if this mutualistic relationship is becoming parasitic since humans are over-exploiting forests and other natural resources.

Deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest

Fish leaving in the book 'The Lorax' due to unsuitable habitat conditions from pollution and over-exploitation

Anthropogenic greenhouse gas levels, including carbon dioxide, are at an all-time high and have detrimental warming impacts on global climates. There is a natural solution that has been with us along our whole evolution: and that is trees. They absorb this carbon dioxide, and release oxygen. Additionally, they sequester carbon and decrease surface albedo, all reversing warming. Meanwhile, rates of deforestation are astonishing.

Forests decrease surface albedo, causing cooling on the land

In conclusion, I think that our symbiosis with trees is a magical process occurring in nature, and we need to be cautious it doesn't teeter into parasitism territory. I also think that efforts to evaluate our anthropogenic motivations and improve conservation initiatives are vital so that life on earth can continue.

Works cited

Bassham, J. Alan and Lambers, . Hans (2022, December 4). photosynthesis. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/photosynthesis 

Scientific American. (2009, November 19). Measuring the daily destruction of the world's rainforests. Scientific American. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/earth-talks-daily-destruction/

[cwenvs3000w23]

Music in Nature

Music in particular is an extremely powerful force that can draw people in, and express a powerful feeling in a way that people from all walks of life can enjoy and relate to. Music is a universal language that people from all cultures around the world use to express themselves, and the environment around them. Music can be any form of sound that is manipulated by a change of tone and pitch, and for this reason music is most definitely present in nature. The sounds of the birds calling to each other, the mating calls of various animals, and the sounds that are produced by climate such as the sound of wind echoing, or that of raindrops on the night of a thunderstorm these are all melodies that are produced everyday in nature. Sounds are used by many animals throughout the world's ecosystems to communicate various different messages such as for  mating, pointing out a food source, or warning fellow animals of a predator nearby, in a similar way to how humans use many different mediums to communicate their thoughts and feelings. It is for this reason that music is so present in nature, the sounds of nature tend to serve an important function, such as Ravens who will mimic the calls of other birds to trick them or lure them to a certain location (Bird Avid, 2022). In the same way, music serves an important function for humans in regards to helping us express emotions like beauty or despair in a way that simply speaking can't. 

One of the greatest and most consistent sources of inspiration that many artists draw from is often forces of nature, and you see many songs use references to nature, especially when you look at things such as folk music or cultural music, where references to the natural landscapes of a particular nation serves as a source of national pride. It is for this reason that music can be such a magical force when it comes to making people feel a deeper connection to nature which can further help develop someone's understanding of nature and of it’s beauty and importance (Beck et al., 2018). Nature in music can be seen in its purest form when we look at things such as the drum in indigenous culture which symbolises the heartbeat of mother earth, such connections show how intertwined nature truly is with music (Hampton, 2021).  

One song in particular for me personally that makes me feel a connection to a landscape in nature is the song Subwoofer Lullaby by c418, which is the artist that makes the band for the world famous video game, minecraft. I often had this and the rest of their soundtrack in my ear while working endless hours as a tree planter, the calm piano music made me feel such a strong connection to the earth I was planting, as I also had in mind my fond childhood memories of exploring the endless landscapes in minecraft. Minecraft is a game that had different soundtracks that often pertained to different biomes and landscapes of the map, and it did such a fantastic job of setting the mood of being in a spruce forest, a desert, a mine, or a snow biome. This is a great example of how music can be used to bring people closer to music, as you can also do through other forms of art such as video games, and there are no limits to the natural beauty you can capture in the form of song, and the magical feelings of awe that music can strike into the hearts of many.  

Citations

Why do ravens mimic sounds? explained. Bird Avid. (2022, December 1). Retrieved March 5, 2023, from https://birdavid.com/ravens-mimic-sounds/#:~:text=Ravens%20make%20different%20sounds%20to,t%20so%20common%2C%20after%20all. 

Beck, L., Cable, T.T., & Knudson, D.M (2018). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritagefor a Better World (1st ed). Sagamore Venture.Hampton, M. (2021, July 15). Indigenous drumming a sacred art. Merritt Herald. Retrieved March 5, 2023, from https://www.merrittherald.com/indigenous-drumming-a-sacred-art/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CFor%20First%20Nations%20Peoples%2C%20the,special%20rhythm%20on%20the%20drum.

[mpenvs3000w23]

Hey,

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post and understanding better how you relate music to nature and nature to music. I think your post highlights that nature is full of rich sounds, all serving different purposes (e.g., birds singing, mating calls, etc.). Because music does not have a strict or universally agreed on definition, all of these sounds can be considered as music. Who’s to say they’re not? Music is a powerful tool to convey ideas, thoughts, and emotions across many taxa in nature. This makes me wonder if this is an ancestral trait shared across many species or if the selection for music is so strong that it evolved independently many times.

I think it is very interesting that you included the role of Minecraft in your relationship with music and nature. I hadn’t thought about how human-generated sounds can emulate nature, even when they do not exactly mimic natural noises. This reminds me of the process my group for this course is having with our children’s podcast. When we describe breathing underwater, the stature of a tree, or the formation of glaciers, we do not plan to use sound effects that sound like these events would in real life. Instead we plan to use whimsical sound effects that bring these descriptions to life in our minds. 

[mpenvs3000w23]

Where is music in nature? Where is nature in music?

The very definition of music is subjective. It is simply a series of sounds put together that we deem has beauty. Even within what is commonly socially accepted as music, there are conflicting opinions on what music is considered beautiful and masterful versus obnoxious and distasteful. 

Music in nature is all around us. From the way raindrops hit our glass window panes and create ripples in the river, to wasps and cicadas buzzing around flowers and tall grasses, to wolves powerfully howling in the distance. There is beauty in these sounds because the very essence of nature and biological processes drives all life, joy, and perception of beauty that is possible on earth. 

Nature, by its very essence, is inherent in all aspects of music. For example, the metals used to make brass instruments are mined from the earth, and we use wood to build pianos, guitars, and violins. This wacky species of primate that pretends to dissociate itself from nature, called Homo sapiens, spend years mastering these instruments and playing them with their friends. And the anatomy of our ears interpret these little vibrations that we perceive as sound, and we decide whether or not we like what we hear. Although many of these sounds are not observed in the wilderness, they are still a result of ecosystem services and natural processes. Countless songs incorporate recordings of ecological processes commonly found in nature such as birds chirping in Blackbird by the Beatles and powerful winds blowing in Funeral for a Friend by Elton John.

Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour cover photo featuring a piano surrounded by diverse flora.

I have a very strong relationship with both music and nature and frequently observe the synergistic interactions of these two very special and intimate parts of my life. I grew up taking piano lessons, played the alto and tenor saxophones in my school bands, and now am very passionate about playing the guitar. One of my favourite aspects of the summer is playing my guitar outside at parks, on camping trips, and at my summer camp, both with others and on my own. Listening to the sounds around me and taking in my surroundings while playing music is a very healing selfcare practice for me. It helps me prevent burnout when I am stressed, gives a safe avenue to explore my feelings when I am distressed, and is an important opportunity for me to reflect on myself after an intense experience. 

Wildflowers in the field adjacent to the Dairy Bush

During my BOT*3050 Plant Functional Ecology field work periods last semester, we spent ample time in the old field adjacent to the Dairy Bush. On one of the lab days, we were learning about how to determine the optimal plot size for vegetation sampling and we needed to identify all wildflower species present in the 16m2 plot. This activity forced my attention to the intimate details and anatomy of the gorgeous variety of white, purple, yellow, and green of wildflowers present in the old field. Even walking up the steep hill to reach the pathway through the old field, I remember taking in the zoomed out landscape of their field with shockingly vivid and diverse colours. This experience always made me think about the song Wildflowers by Tom Petty and caused me to bring this song into my regular repertoire of music I commonly listen to. To this day, I still listen to Wildflowers roughly once a day and think of the beautiful colours and fantastic biodiversity in the old field adjacent to the Dairy Bush.

Wildflowers by Tom Petty lyrics

[mecenvs3000w23]

Unit 06: Nature Interpretation through History

“There is no peculiar merit in ancient things, but there is merit in integrity, and integrity entails the keeping together of the parts of any whole, and if these parts are scattered throughout time, then the maintenance of integrity entails a knowledge, a memory, of ancient things. . .. To think, feel or act as though the past is done with, is equivalent to believing that a railway station through which our train has just passed, only existed for as long as our train was in it”.            – Edward Hyams, Chapter 7, The Gifts of Interpretation

History plays a significant role in nature interpretation for several reasons. To begin, we need to be knowledgeable about the past to understand how we got where we are today. In addition, the role of an interpreter is to help individuals form better connections and relationships with the natural world. Oftentimes, this task can be made easier by incorporating history; for example, an interpretive hike would begin with a history of what that land was once used for or who occupied that land prior to it being a hiking trail. By recognizing the significance of history, we must also consider questions like:

What story is being shared?

Who is ignored?

What is implied?

What is specified?

Asking ourselves these questions and others allows individuals to form ideas about how the future may be impacted, which could be useful information.

The first part of the quote states that “there is no peculiar merit in ancient things, but there is merit in integrity, and integrity entails the keeping together of the parts of any whole, and if these parts are scattered throughout time, then the maintenance of integrity entails a knowledge, a memory, of ancient things . . .”. From this section of the quote, I would like to add some commentary. First, Hyams states that there is no particular quality or excellence in ancient things simply because they are ancient. However, there is merit in integrity, meaning that there is excellence in being honest, upright, or having strong moral principles. Specifically, an ancient thing or part of history is not automatically ‘good’ or ‘of quality’ which can be seen using examples of war or the holocaust. Few people would argue that those parts of history were necessarily good, but the knowledge of these events and sharing it through stories to other individuals is ‘good’ as it makes people knowledgeable about the past and can provide life lessons to the current generations. This is related to nature interpretation because as stated previously, it is important to understand what the land you’re travelling through once was, who lived there, and how it came to be what it is today. Although it may not be positive, there is merit in integrity and sharing hard truths about the past to tell a story and be an effective interpreter. As stated by David McCullough in our textbook, “We need the past for our sense of who we are. We need the past for a sense of our civic responsibility, how all these benefits and freedoms came to us, and what it is our duty to protect”

Beck et al. (2018) explains several ways in which interpreters can effectively tell a story that includes history. For example, museum exhibits, campfire talks, printed materials, and tours are effective strategies to interpret history. Additionally, a specialized strategy to do so is what is called living history. Living history refers to replicating the past by changing the sights, sounds, and smells of the physical environment. This strategy can be highly effective at displaying educational entertainment and can be enjoyed by all age groups. Overall, as stated by Hyams, there is integrity in historical knowledge and in passing it along to future generations.

References

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

[mpenvs3000w23]

Hi Megan,

Thank you for writing this very thoughtful piece on the role of history in contemporary understandings of nature interpretation and appreciation. I appreciated your use of written imagery of imagining going on a hiking tour while learning about the history of the land. My mind connected this idea to a bike ride. Bike riding has always been a part of my life, whether it be my mode of transportation to get to middle school each morning, go on family bike rides on camping trips, or working out for fun. I think the way I approached bike riding was very passive and it didn’t even occur to me that this would be a meaningful avenue to be immersed in my surroundings and learn about the ecology and history of where I am passing through. Today, weather permitting, I frequently go on bike rides as an act of self care to be present to the sounds around me and investigate the flora and fauna in my local communities. Since it has been very cold, my main form of exercise over winter months happens indoors at the campus gym. Even though it is a small act, when I go to the gym, I choose to go on the stationary bike that allows you to go on a virtual bike tour around scenic places around the world, including bike trails. I very frequently select a Norwegian bike tour through a forest, and every few seconds, the machine tells me a new fact about the cultural and natural history of the region. 

In your final paragraph, you listed several avenues where nature can be interpreted through history, some requiring group or individual settings or happening indoors or outdoors. When I reflect on my experiences of interpreting nature through history, largely through summer camp or family camping trips, most of my experiences happened in group settings and outdoors. Do you think that learning about nature and history can be as effective in indoor or individual settings? How does being on the land itself contribute to learning about nature interpretation through history?

[mpenvs3000w23]

Nature interpretation through history

This quote by Edward Hyams illustrates the importance of the past with the dynamic nature of the present. He begins by explaining that age alone does not equate virtue or correctness, it simply means you have lasted the test of time, for better or for worse. This reminds me of the idea of tradition. Many traditions are very culturally/religiously/personally meaningful to individuals and groups. However, if we don’t critically examine our traditions, we are literally just doing the same thing over and over just because we always have. In some cases this can be very dangerous, promote ignorance, and disqualify critical analysis and proactivity. For example, black people used to be enslaved, women couldn’t vote or go to school, and only heterosexual couples could get married. These outdated notions need to be constantly questioned so we can create a more inclusive and sustainable world.

Next, Hyams investigates the integrity and longevity that is inherent in ancient things. By definition, to be around for x amount of time, you need to have lasted all the selective pressures that were present from that time until now. For example, in biology, if a plant is dependent on moist conditions, it cannot persist in the face of desertification. However, if the environmental conditions remain relatively stable or the plant is phenotypically plastic it may be able to persist. In society, educational curricula must be updated overtime to match the contemporary needs of students and educators, and if not they may be teaching outdated and harmful information (such as the Doug Ford sex education curriculum reversion). It is not virtuous to present outdated information to young minds; however, it does show the strong will many people have to stay loyal to what is old and familiar instead of challenging ourselves and each other to grow.

Over time, these stories, artifacts, and biotic and abiotic environmental components build a rich foundation of knowledge and history with them. For example, in many Indigenous cultures, elders hold the important job of functioning as knowledge keepers and must spread knowledge to their community before they die (Hele, 2021). Over generations, this knowledge base becomes increasingly rich and these communities have a wealth of knowledge of the medicinal, spiritual, cultural, and topographical features of the land (Cable et al, 2018). Species of the earth have all been evolving for the same amount of time, and there is a wealth of knowledge in their evolutionary lineages through molecular data, morphological changes, selective pressures, and the fossil record. 

As humans, we love to document events (especially when it is convenient to the story we want to be remembered). We have vast archives of scientific data, ancient cave paintings,  libraries full of fictional and nonfictional books, and large online databases of scientific journal articles. This information is a powerful tool to understand the world we live in, one small piece at a time. This can also be dangerous since we don’t know what perspectives are missing, afterall, there are still Holocaust deniers since vast amounts of written and physical evidence was destroyed. And in evolutionary history there are also gaps in knowledge. For example, are similar features a result of homoplasy or homology? And the name of the discipline where we recount events is literally called “His” story, and is only written by the privileged victor. 

The quote then explores the lasting implications of history on the present, then the future, through a metaphor about a train leaving a station. Just because events have ended does not mean they are not still affecting current realities. Families are still experiencing intergenerational trauma from genocide and war their families and ancestors were in. And statistical tests cannot always be run on species since they share evolutionary history and are therefore not fully independent of each other. 

In summary, history and ancient objects offer a wealth of knowledge and contribute to the way we live today. It is important to evaluate these things to see how they are promoting or suppressing safety, peace, and sustainability today.

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

Hele, K. S. (2021, January 14). Indigenous elders in Canada. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 10, 2023, from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/indigenous-elders-in-canada#:~:text=Elders%20are%20respected%20individuals%20who,%2C%20healers%2C%20advisors%20and%20cou

[skgenvs3000w23]

Interpreting to the Future Generations

For this week’s assignment, I was initially unsure on what to write about. Instead of expanding upon ideas from the content and answering questions left in the prompt, I decided to write about a topic within nature interpretation that I’m passionate about. Growing up with a teacher as a parent, I have always been taught that kids are the future and despite not liking kids all that much, this is something that has stuck with me. It is also something that I’ve thought much about throughout this course.

While reading through the textbook for this course, I stumbled upon a section specifically discussing how to cater interpretations specifically for different aged audiences. Tilden said in 1977, “Interpretation addressed to children (say, up to the age of 12) should not be a dilution of the presentation to adults but should follow a fundamentally different approach. To be at its best will require a separate program.” This quote from Tilden highlights the importance of not reiterating an interpretation for adults in simpler language, but rather altering the content of the talk in its totality. Children retain information in a completely different way than adults and so simplifying the terms of an adult level conversation is not ideal. Instead, a good interpreter with a young audience should focus on including more principles such as adventure, fantasy and imagination, animals, small worlds and even maps or paths (Beck et al., 2018).

I thought it would also be a good idea to incorporate some of my own interpretation for kids as it has something I’ve unknowingly done for a few years now. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I worked at the Toronto Zoo one summer as a camp counsellor. My job was to essentially interpret animal facts for groups of fifteen 5–7-year-olds! After reading the quote by Tilden, I realized this was something I had already incorporated into my time working in this position. If I were to be teaching an adult group about animal facts, the content would have been completely different. Instead of creating a watered-down version of this conservation with adults, my coworkers and I found different facts and more interactive activities to include with the kids so that they were more engaged. While adults appreciate a fact such as how heavy an adult orangutan weighs, kids most likely wouldn’t be able to grasp this concept. If the interpreter decided that this fact is still important for kids to learn, they could then translate it into language that would be interesting for them. For example, instead of saying that a giraffe’s tongue is a foot long, you could compare it to the size of their arm! This allows for the kids to make personal connections with the information you are relaying, while keeping it fun and often making it more likely that they’ll remember the information.

Have any of you interpreted nature to a young audience before? I’d love to hear some other experiences!

Shelby

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

Tilden, F. (1977). Interpreting our heritage (3rd ed.). Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press.

[mpenvs3000w23]

Hi Shelby,

Thank you for shedding light on the intergenerational importance of nature interpretation. As human beings, we are only alive for so long, but the ideas and knowledge we have can outlive us when we share it with younger generations in a meaningful and engaging way. This reminds me of the important role elders hold in many First Nations communities where they function as knowledge keepers to make sure important cultural and ecological information is remembered generation to generation (Hele, 2021). 

I have also interpreted nature to young audiences before through my summer camp programming, mainly through the form of outdoor games. Some of the most effective games involve learning about how an animal thinks and its relationship to other species in the region. For example, there is a game where there is a leader (person A) in a group who creates a pattern of movement everyone else in the group needs to follow. One person, who does not know who the leader is (person B), has three guesses to identify person A based on their observation skills. To the group, I frame that we are all sneaky foxes who are hungry for lunch, and our main food source in the region is the Eastern Cottontail rabbit (person B). The Eastern Cottontail knows it is the main food source of foxes so it always must be alert and paying attention to its surroundings, in this case, seeing who is controlling the pattern among the foxes. After three attempts, if the Eastern Cottontail is unable to identify who the leader fox is, they have been eaten, but if they do identify the leader fox, they live another day!

Hele, K. S. (2021, January 14). Indigenous elders in Canada. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 10, 2023, from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/indigenous-elders-in-canada#:~:text=Elders%20are%20respected%20individuals%20who,%2C%20healers%2C%20advisors%20and%20counsellors.

[mpenvs3000w23]

Unit 05: Attitudes toward nature interpretation under capitalism

ENVS*3000 Nature Interpretation is a third year course at the University of Guelph that is predominantly taken by students pursuing an undergraduate level education in the biological sciences. The skills required in nature interpretation span a vast horizon of realms including a strong ecological knowledge base, strong communication skills across different ages and accessibility needs, cultural awareness, and the ability to be adaptable and cater interpretive experiences to a specific audience. These skills are integral and transferable to many professions, both related to and unrelated to nature interpretation. For example, teachers must be adaptable to the learning needs of their students, conservation biologists must have strong ecological knowledge bases to determine which ecoregions and organisms to protect and best strategies to do so, and politicians must understand cultural histories and needs in order to create equitable policy decisions. Outside of a professional context, these skills also help individuals form deeper relationships with each other and their surroundings, improving quality of life and promoting eco-friendly initiatives. 

Despite the immense benefits of practicing nature interpretation and developing these skills, I think that nature interpretation is largely overlooked and looked undervalued by society. When I share what my courses are with friends or family members, I can tell they assume that Nature Interpretation is a bird course that they expect me not to learn very much and get a high mark with the accomplishment of very little work. Interestingly, this is not the assumption when I share my other science courses or discuss courses relating to microbiology or that are deemed to have some medical implications. 

I think this difference in reactions comes from society’s ideas about what information is the most “prestigious” or commodifiable. I suppose this makes sense since the whole premise of capitalism is that our economy is controlled by our share of the capital (i.e., how much money we have), and medical sciences are associated with doctors, and doctors are associated with money. Nature interpretation in many cases is viewed as a hobby or an art, which can be very difficult to commodify. There are many jobs that encompass nature interpretation, such as being a park ranger, but these jobs still do not have the same amount of socially constructed prestige. Again, because capitalism seeks to commodify all that it can, nature is just another resource to exploit, not protect. 

Park and Pellow (pg. 64, 2013) explain that in a capitalist system, everything of potential economic value is sought to be privatized which in practice also limits the people who are able to access it. This includes the establishment of national parks, which have also been used as a vehicle to forcibly remove Indigenous Peoples from their native territories, and use these parks as tourism opportunities to drive profit instead of solely prioritizing conservation efforts (Sandlos, 2008). 

To bring it all together, when money is the driving motivation dictating our decision making, important skills (including those involved in nature interpretation), the inclusion of diverse perspectives (not just rich settlers/colonizers), and our fundamental human needs (e.g., mental, social, physical, spiritual, and emotional health benefits from spending time in nature) are discarded and not given the credit and investigation they deserve. Nature interpretation is a powerful tool to elevate all dimensions of our health and quality of life, and the economic systems we live in are a barrier (to some more to others, based on amount of privilege) to access them.

Park, L. S.-H., & Pellow, D. N. (2013). The Slums of Aspen: Immigrants vs. the Environment in America's Eden. New York University Press. 

Sandlos, J. (2008). Not Wanted in the Boundary: The Expulsion of the Keeseekoowenin Ojibway Band from Riding Mountain National Park. Canadian Historical Review, 89(2), 189–221.  https://doi.org/10.3138/chr.89.2.189.

[obenvs3000w23]

Unit 04: The Gift of Beauty

“The gift of beauty”, as it relates to nature interpretation, is the capability for one to acknowledge and appreciate the beauty around them, be affected by natural beauty and develop a desire to protect the resources in their environment (Beck et al., 2018). When art is incorporated into nature interpretation programs, it can have very meaningful results. Art can entertain and ignite a passion for nature in individuals (Beck et al., 2018). It can lead those who previously hadn't made meaningful connections with nature to explore a passion they never knew they had. 

Capturing the beauty of nature through art has been instrumental in my own relationship with nature. I interpret “the gift of beauty” through visual art and photographs. I love to draw, and I remember some of the first things I began enjoying drawing were landscapes. My grandmother was a talented painter, and she would love to paint nature. I remember when I was young, she took my sister and I to a beautiful park in Montreal and took photos of us so she could paint them later. I remember that day like it was yesterday, and I remember the joy I felt in the park and after I saw the portrait she painted. She passed away two years ago, and that portrait hangs in my room. It is a constant reminder of her, the happiness we felt in nature, and the magic of being able to capture that feeling through art. This is an example of the emotional response that the gift of beauty can evoke in an  individual. Below is a photo of part of her studio, you can see her many paintings in the back. In the front is the painting she did of my sister and I about 14 years ago. 

 Even now, my favourite artist is Claude Monet, who painted gorgeous nature scenes, his most famous being the Water Lilies. I remember looking at photos of his Water Lily Pond painting and thinking about how much I would love to sit on the edge of that little bridge and watch the lilies. During covid, I went for a walk in the evergreen brickworks and passed by the pond in front of the trails. I stopped and watched the pond and the lily pads and felt as though I had finally found the place in the painting. Whenever I need a moment for myself, I visit that pond. Below is a photo of the painting by Claude Monet.

Another way I interpret the beauty of nature through art is via photography. I took a trip to Costa Rica in 2019 with my dad, who is passionate about photography. We walked through a rainforest and looked out for as many animals as possible. While walking through, I heard many animals and saw them from a distance, which was very special. I felt as though I was visiting them in their home and they were welcoming us in. My dad took many photos that day and it was only when I got home and looked at his photos did I fully appreciate where I just was. The colours and patterns that he was able to capture were ones that I wasn't aware of when I was walking by. Both experiences were special, being in their habitat and hearing them, and then going home and fully understanding what it was that I just saw. Below are some of the photos that my dad took that day.

Art is an incredibly helpful tool in interpreting nature in many ways, and I hope to continue developing my relationship with nature through personal art pieces.

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

[mpenvs3000w23]

Hi!

Thank you for writing such a personal and meaningful blog post. It is really beautiful that your family has such a strong affinity and talent for interpreting nature through visual art, both through photography and through painting. How do you think growing up alongside this medium of nature interpretation impacted your relationship to nature? Do you think you would have a different relationship to nature had this not been the case?

I really appreciate the description of the reflections you had of looking at the photographs your dad had taken after you went on the hike. I never thought about the richness of colours and vivid imagery you can capture from a still frame photo, and I will remember this in the future when I look back at pictures I have taken of nature and of the sky.

  I have had less experience with interpreting nature through visual art and have more experience through music and through dialogue with others. For example, in the summertime I frequently play my guitar in my backyard, in parks, or by the lake at my summer camp. I take in the beauty of the water, trees, and grass, and listen to the harmony created between the wind blowing, birds chirping, zechadas humming, and guitar strumming. I find this experience very meaningful for personal reflection, and a very grounding activity to do with others that strengthens relationships and our appreciation for the space we are in. 

I hope to explore visual art and photography as tools to interpret nature in the future! Hopefully you will find music a meaningful way to interpret nature too!

[mpenvs3000w23]

Nature Interpretation through Art and Planning for “All” Scenarios

There are many different artistic mediums that can be used as tools to interpret nature including visual arts, dramatic arts, dance, music, and poetry/storytelling, all offering the potential to convey powerful and unique messages about nature (Beck & Cable, 2018).  

“The gift of beauty” is subjective and can be embraced and valued differently to each individual and change throughout their lifetime. Because our connection to nature and beauty is so personal and variable, there is no one best way for it to be interpreted. Through a diversity of mediums we can explore more avenues of our realities and expand our appreciation and knowledge of the interconnectedness of ourselves, nature, culture, and beauty. Jay Griffiths (2013) said, “Art elicits sympathy, conjures, empathy, and these emotions are requisites for a kind, kinned sense of society… For the greatest artists do not make their best works of art in clay or paint or sound or words; they make them right inside us, within the heart of the reader or audience.” This quote illustrates that how we interpret “the gift of beauty” is the wrong question to ask, but instead we should be asking ourselves how it made us feel. There are several different journeys that can be taken to reach a destination.

Music  is one of my favourite artistic mediums to interpret nature. Songs I have grown up with my whole life including Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles, Wildflowers by Tom Petty, and Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell have elicited powerful feelings for me about the gift of beauty in the world and where I belong in nature. Other songs incorporate nature sounds in their songs such as birds chirping in Blackbird by the Beatles and Funeral for a Friend by Elton John. At my summer camp and on camping trips I always bring my guitar and play and sing music under a tree or by the lake, either by myself, or with others. This way I feel my eyes and ears are fully immersed in my surroundings. I feel a sense of purpose when offering this experience to younger campers and a sense of calm and peace when I am able to individually reflect. 

Art made about the lyrics of Blackbird by The Beatles.

In my first year of university, I interviewed an Indigenous musician and activist from Attawapiskat named Adrian Sutherland who makes music largely about his experiences as an Indigenous person, government shortcomings, and value of the land and the earth. This way of interpreting nature was very powerful to me and I learned a lot from his music and my interview with him where he interpreted his cultural and natural history and present realities with me. He told me about  the changes he is seeing in terms of the climate and the water crisis, how music became an important outlet for him, and his cultural connection to Attawapiskat.

Indigenous musician and activist from Attawapiskat, Adrian Sutherland Adrian Sutherland.

Who am I to interpret nature through art? I am someone who cares deeply for nature, my relationships with others and my environment, and someone who is passionate about many different forms of art, especially music. I find a lot of value in playing guitar and singing outdoors with others, drawing leaves and trying to replicate every last miniscule detail and vein, and learning about the cultural significance of dance and poetry about nature. I can cultivate these skills to interpret nature in a way that those around me can elicit feelings of care and connection within them. Anyone who cares about their relationship with the planet and each other can develop the tools to interpret art through nature and challenge themselves to find the connection between their emotions and the physical world through a variety of mediums.

My friend and I doing nature-based music summer camp activities for campers.

Literature cited

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

[mpenvs3000w23]

Risk versus reward in interpretation

Privilege is the absence of socially constructed barriers to access different social, economic, and  environmental services. Examples of privilege include being able-bodied, white, heterosexual, cisgender, wealthy, and being neurotypical. In essence, privilege is not the result of anything individuals have accomplished to improve their lives, but instead is the absence of barriers that impede the experience of marginalized and minority groups (Black & Stone, 2005). Privilege is present in all facets of life around us including in nature interpretation programming. For example, there can be inaccessible hiking trails for people with mobility disabilities or requiring a wheelchair, nature educational programmes are not necessarily designed for people with ASD, ADHD, or other neuro-divergences, costs associated with accessing nature-based programming include car access to remote locations (and as such may exclude people with financial constraints), programmes may exclude the voices and representation of minority and Indigenous groups, and there may be fear of discrimination based on gender or sexuality that can be faced in these settings (Beck et al., 2018).

Privilege is often a difficult topic to discuss since people who have a lot of privilege are often unable to relate to and cannot fully understand the experiences of minority groups. Since privilege is ‘inherited’ (based on predetermined components of our lives slated  from birth), those experiencing a lot of privilege do not always realize the barriers others face that they are not subject to. 

The biosphere itself is not responsible for notions of privilege and contrary to Aristotle does not have a ‘divine’ hierarchy of beings. Privilege is a socially constructed inequity across humans that is rooted in racism, ableism, ageism, homophobia, transphobia, colonialism, xenophobia, and ignorance to the experiences of ‘the other’ (Black & Stone, 2005). Therefore, it is our job as nature interpreters to deconstruct these socially constructed barriers and unlearn the ignorance and intolerance we have been conditioned with. Only by doing so can we create accessible and empowering nature-based programming for all people to benefit from (Beck et al., 2018). 

At our very essence, human beings of all demographics fundamentally must breathe in oxygen from the air, expel carbon dioxide, and repeat until death. Plants will absorb this carbon dioxide and perform photosynthesis, releasing oxygen as a byproduct, then us humans once again inhale the oxygen. No factor of demography can ever change this relationship. Trees do not have an interest in sorting through air molecules for who expelled the carbon dioxide, and they release oxygen into the air for all aerobic organisms to breathe in. There is no basis of colour, size, shape, or belief system for your validity in nature. Our ability to struggle and survive is a direct consequence of our environment, and for some sad reason, humans have created a lot of barriers that favour the white man.

Literature cited

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

Black, L. L., & Stone, D. (2005, October). Expanding the definition of privilege: the concept of social privilege. Gale Academic Onefile. Retrieved January 24, 2023, from https://go-gale-com.subzero.lib.uoguelph.ca/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=guel77241&id=GALE%7CA138057509&v=2.1&it=r.

[aaaenvs3000w23]

Hi there! I really liked your post!

I liked how you mentioned that in many cases individuals who have lots of privilege often lack the self-awareness to recognize they do. It is extremely important for anyone, especially an interpreter to acknowledge their very own privilege (Beck et al., 2018). Gallavan (2005), suggests that understanding your own privilege can come from self-reflection of your experiences. This I find to be a very good point, there are certain things in my life that I have experienced that the outcome may have been different if it was not for the privilege I have. I have been able to experience many wonderful things when I was younger because my parents had the financial means to do so. I think with self-reflection of these experiences I am capable of recognizing my privilege. Have you reflected on experiences that made you realize your privilege?

Within your blog posts you mentioned the importance of unlearning ignorance and intolerance. I completely agree with you on this, it is very important to change our biases that we hold amongst different groups of people. Gallvan (2005), mentions that we can learn respect for other people and their cultures through the appreciation of our differences. Appreciation of those who surround you can dramatically shift an environment. In the context of nature interpretations, this can create a more inclusive learning environment for all parties involved (Gallavan, 2005). 

Hope you have a nice day!

Ale

Literature Cited

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

Gallavan, N. P. (2005). Helping teachers unpack their "invisible knapsacks". Multicultural Education, 13(1), 36. https://link-gale-com.subzero.lib.uoguelph.ca/apps/doc/A137921591/AONE?u=guel77241&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=9fe2f151

[mpenvs3000w23]

Hi Ale,

Thank you for responding to my post and recognizing the importance of recognizing our own privilege so we can better understand how we show up in shared spaces.

I hold a lot of privilege since I am a cisgender, straight-passing, white, abled-bodied woman who is able to rely on my parents for financial support. Even in my Jewish identity, I hold some privileges many other Jews do not since I have blonde hair and green eyes and have found myself unable to relate to a lot of the experiences of other Jews. It is lucky I have not been a victim of any bullying or maltreatment due to my Jewish identity; however, it has led to feelings of disconnect from religious settings sometimes. Still, as an Ashkenazi Jew (descending from Eastern Europe) I do not experience the discrimination faced by Sephardic (descending from the Middle East), Ethiopian, converted, or adopted Jews of colour.

Last summer at my summer camp there was a situation where a Jewish-Chinese camper experienced overt acts of racism due to their Chinese identity and they reported these incidents to their counselor. This counselor approached me to support them in handling this situation in an appropriate and constructive way. I began by speaking directly to this camper about their experiences, validating their experience and the racism they were facing, and asking them what action steps going forward would help them feel safer in the space going forward. I recognized and told them that I know that this is not fair they even needed to think of how they can best feel safe since this is not something white campers need to think about. It was important to them that we keep their anonymity in this process which limited direct intervention with individuals who were behaving in racist and inappropriate ways. I spoke to their counselors, who made an action plan for the rest of camp to keep them separated from these perpetrators, run programming about anti-racism for that age group as well as the entire staff community, including training in how to intervene when racist comments are made and how to foster safer spaces. As a result of the staff community’s response to this, we have a new year round role dedicated to anti-racism to keep this education prevalent in our year-round staff community. 

I have been part of this summer camp since I was 9 years old and I have had the privilege of never needing to fathom the experiences of this camper. This experience seriously prompted me to reflect on and evaluate my privilege both in general and within the Jewish community. Being a supportive figure for this camper was extremely important and extremely challenging since these are not experiences I can relate to. I remember feeling I did the best I could with my education to help them and implemented long-term action steps to try to transform our summer camp. I think what they also needed was someone to relate to, and that fundamentally could not be me since if I was, I would be unjustly claiming experiences that are not mine.

Melanie

[mpenvs3000w23]

Risk versus reward in interpretation

Privilege is the absence of socially constructed barriers to access different social, economic, and  environmental services. Examples of privilege include being able-bodied, white, heterosexual, cisgender, wealthy, and being neurotypical. In essence, privilege is not the result of anything individuals have accomplished to improve their lives, but instead is the absence of barriers that impede the experience of marginalized and minority groups (Black & Stone, 2005). Privilege is present in all facets of life around us including in nature interpretation programming. For example, there can be inaccessible hiking trails for people with mobility disabilities or requiring a wheelchair, nature educational programmes are not necessarily designed for people with ASD, ADHD, or other neuro-divergences, costs associated with accessing nature-based programming include car access to remote locations (and as such may exclude people with financial constraints), programmes may exclude the voices and representation of minority and Indigenous groups, and there may be fear of discrimination based on gender or sexuality that can be faced in these settings (Beck et al., 2018).

Privilege is often a difficult topic to discuss since people who have a lot of privilege are often unable to relate to and cannot fully understand the experiences of minority groups. Since privilege is ‘inherited’ (based on predetermined components of our lives slated  from birth), those experiencing a lot of privilege do not always realize the barriers others face that they are not subject to. 

The biosphere itself is not responsible for notions of privilege and contrary to Aristotle does not have a ‘divine’ hierarchy of beings. Privilege is a socially constructed inequity across humans that is rooted in racism, ableism, ageism, homophobia, transphobia, colonialism, xenophobia, and ignorance to the experiences of ‘the other’ (Black & Stone, 2005). Therefore, it is our job as nature interpreters to deconstruct these socially constructed barriers and unlearn the ignorance and intolerance we have been conditioned with. Only by doing so can we create accessible and empowering nature-based programming for all people to benefit from (Beck et al., 2018). 

At our very essence, human beings of all demographics fundamentally must breathe in oxygen from the air, expel carbon dioxide, and repeat until death. Plants will absorb this carbon dioxide and perform photosynthesis, releasing oxygen as a byproduct, then us humans once again inhale the oxygen. No factor of demography can ever change this relationship. Trees do not have an interest in sorting through air molecules for who expelled the carbon dioxide, and they release oxygen into the air for all aerobic organisms to breathe in. There is no basis of colour, size, shape, or belief system for your validity in nature. Our ability to struggle and survive is a direct consequence of our environment, and for some sad reason, humans have created a lot of barriers that favour the white man.

Literature cited

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

Black, L. L., & Stone, D. (2005, October). Expanding the definition of privilege: the concept of social privilege. Gale Academic Onefile. Retrieved January 24, 2023, from https://go-gale-com.subzero.lib.uoguelph.ca/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=guel77241&id=GALE%7CA138057509&v=2.1&it=r.

[mpenvs3000w23]

Teaching learners

To me, the ideal environmental interpreter adopts a leadership role in an intentional educational setting. A powerful environmental interpreter approaches leadership by fostering a space that elevates the voices of other members of the group and ensures there is space and opportunity for all members to contribute meaningfully to the experience. Jobs where environmental interpretation is a keystone component include being summer camp counselor, park ranger, teacher, trip leader, and even friend. This person works to help guide the audience to appreciate nature and natural processes and is able to do this by being open and excited when their audience shares new ideas or asks questions for further inquiry. This person demonstrates care for all natural and cultural aspects of their environment and the humans, plants,  and animals they share it with.

Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage by Beck et al. (2018) suggests that the role of an environmental interpreter is not merely to list scientific and ecological facts, but to act as a bridge connecting culture and environment in a way that the greater public can relate to their surroundings and create their own meanings and significance. An effective environmental interpreter also bridges together different learning styles and epistemologies to best communicate to diverse groups of people, including having tactile, auditory, kinesthetic, and visual components of Western and traditional natural and cultural history (Beck et al., 2018). This gives the audience the tools and information to individually critically and emotionally invest in the content to form deeper connections and respect for the land and its natural and cultural history. This is especially valuable since interactive and adaptive learning environments help develop individuals' knowledge, understanding, and aesthetic needs which build the foundation of deeper care and inquiry of our shared planet. As suggested by Maslow then expanded on by  Beck et al. (2018), only once these knowledge, understanding, and aesthetic needs are met can people begin to self-actualize and implement meaningful environmental change in their lives and the world. Once there is an informed public sphere, more true democracy can be achieved (Beck et al., 2018).

An environmental interpreter can work and function in a wide range of spheres including government settings, provincial parks, summer camps and other experiential learning opportunities, and more. For an interpreter to show mastery of this creative and scientific task, they should be able to cater their interpretation to many different social realms since there is cultural and natural history all around us and these narratives are intrinsically connected and universally relevant. Although there are of course differences in the work you do in a government environmental interpreter role versus a summer camp or provincial park, a lot of underlying skills remain constant. For example, environmental interpreters must demonstrate respect and compassion for the earth and all who dwell on it, have a good understanding of the cultural and natural history of where they are situated, be strong communicators through a plethora of methods, and demonstrate passion and openness to their audiences to build engagement and care among larger groups.

Literature cited

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

[jpenvs3000w23]

Hi Melanie!

You touched on so many important points such as different learning styles, the important role that interpreters play being the bridge between the environment and us, and the different types of jobs interpreters can have. I was really intrigued by the points you brought up in your second paragraph about what an interpreter does and provides. I’ve been on many nature tours and you can really tell the difference between those that are passionate about what their doing and talking about and those that aren’t. Good interpreters provide information in a way that makes you think and connect with the land you’re on. They also provide opportunity for you to interact with the exhibit or nature around you either through visual, auditory, tactile or kinetic means. For example, when I was younger we used to visit Crawford Lake Halton Park. This is the most interactive of all the parks because there are so many things to do that engage you with the land, wildlife, and history of the area. Like exploring the longhouse, going to birds of prey shows and attending different booths that provide more experiences that engage visitors. 

You did a great job highlighting the importance of interpreters and the valuable lessons and experiences they provide. However there were a couple questions that I felt weren’t answered in your post that would provide value to your post. First, what you would do as a nature interpreter? Where would you go? And what skills do you think you would need to work on to become an effective interpreter?

[mpenvs3000w23]

Hi,

I appreciate your further inquiry into my post and your inclusion of personal examples of meaningful experiences you’ve had with nature interpretation on tours through parks.

Your example of power nature interpretation experiences at  Crawford Lake Halton Park reminded me of many experiences I have had at Arrowhead Provincial Park. For almost my whole life, at least once each year my family goes camping at this park since there is such a wide array of activities and sites to enjoy the park’s natural beauty, interact with other visitors, and learn about the ecology of the region. My dad and I sometimes go on guided canoe tours where we learned about vegetation differences on each side of the river due to glaciation events, participate in amphibian learning opportunities, and enjoy the extensive biking and hiking paths throughout the park. These diverse experiences allowed me to interact with the space in kinesthetic, auditory in group settings and silent individual ways.

At my youth movement, which includes summer camp programming, I have an exciting and flexible outlet to create and lead programming on topics I am passionate about. Throughout my undergraduate degree, my interest in nature and ecology has grown and this movement has given me unique opportunities to interpret this knowledge make this knowledge relevant and exciting for kids and youth of an array of ages. I find a lot of value in interpreting nature in this context. Something I intend to work on to develop my skills and knowledge base as a nature interpreter is to develop my cultural knowledge of the area, especially as it pertains to Indigenous history on the land. Indigenous Peoples were and are strongly connected to  the land they live on and understand the flora, fauna, and medicinal uses of their environment.

[mpenvs3000w23]

Teaching learners

To me, the ideal environmental interpreter adopts a leadership role in an intentional educational setting. A powerful environmental interpreter approaches leadership by fostering a space that elevates the voices of other members of the group and ensures there is space and opportunity for all members to contribute meaningfully to the experience. Jobs where environmental interpretation is a keystone component include being summer camp counselor, park ranger, teacher, trip leader, and even friend. This person works to help guide the audience to appreciate nature and natural processes and is able to do this by being open and excited when their audience shares new ideas or asks questions for further inquiry. This person demonstrates care for all natural and cultural aspects of their environment and the humans, plants,  and animals they share it with.

Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage by Beck et al. (2018) suggests that the role of an environmental interpreter is not merely to list scientific and ecological facts, but to act as a bridge connecting culture and environment in a way that the greater public can relate to their surroundings and create their own meanings and significance. An effective environmental interpreter also bridges together different learning styles and epistemologies to best communicate to diverse groups of people, including having tactile, auditory, kinesthetic, and visual components of Western and traditional natural and cultural history (Beck et al., 2018). This gives the audience the tools and information to individually critically and emotionally invest in the content to form deeper connections and respect for the land and its natural and cultural history. This is especially valuable since interactive and adaptive learning environments help develop individuals' knowledge, understanding, and aesthetic needs which build the foundation of deeper care and inquiry of our shared planet. As suggested by Maslow then expanded on by  Beck et al. (2018), only once these knowledge, understanding, and aesthetic needs are met can people begin to self-actualize and implement meaningful environmental change in their lives and the world. Once there is an informed public sphere, more true democracy can be achieved (Beck et al., 2018).

An environmental interpreter can work and function in a wide range of spheres including government settings, provincial parks, summer camps and other experiential learning opportunities, and more. For an interpreter to show mastery of this creative and scientific task, they should be able to cater their interpretation to many different social realms since there is cultural and natural history all around us and these narratives are intrinsically connected and universally relevant. Although there are of course differences in the work you do in a government environmental interpreter role versus a summer camp or provincial park, a lot of underlying skills remain constant. For example, environmental interpreters must demonstrate respect and compassion for the earth and all who dwell on it, have a good understanding of the cultural and natural history of where they are situated, be strong communicators through a plethora of methods, and demonstrate passion and openness to their audiences to build engagement and care among larger groups.

Literature cited

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