Interpretative Nature Blog

This blog was created for ENVS 3000, University of Guelph. The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of the University of Guelph. The University of Guelph is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by this blog. Nkeonyeasua Okolie [ENVS 3000 W22]

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Final Blog Post

Hi everyone,

This is the final blog post; it has been a great experience for me to be able to have this space and share my thoughts with everyone and also read the thoughts of all of you. As we reach the final post, it made me reflect on the past weeks of the semester and how much I have grown as an individual and an interpreter. My initial thoughts of nature when joining this class was that it was pretty and that’s about it, I never really thought about nature into that much depth until I joined this class. The weekly blogs made me think more about nature and connect it to so many more things, for example, through this course we have connected nature to music, technology, art and history. Being able to see and understand how nature connects to those various topics made me realize how special nature truly is and how it needs to be appreciated much more.

What beliefs do I bring as an Interpreter?

This class made me think hard about my beliefs as a nature interpreter and how I want to share my beliefs to those who are willing to listen to or see them. The main belief that I have as an interpreter is that everyone needs to be more open to nature and take their time to learn more about it. I think some people treat nature as a trend, something that is hyped for a while then slowly people forget about it. Forgetting about the importance of nature doesn’t have any benefit to anyone, nature is not a trend, it is not an event that comes and goes. Nature is always going to be with us, and I believe that everyone needs to decide if they want nature to continue to be something beautiful to us or slowly lose its beauty. We all shouldn’t wait until nature starts drastically going bad for us to start taking action.

What responsibilities do I have as an environmental interpreter?

As an environmental interpreter my main responsibility, is to be able to convey my thoughts and beliefs in an accurate way. I need to be able to teach people everything they need to know about nature and make them fall in love with nature even more. I believe that as an interpreter I have a responsibility of raising awareness about nature and spreading that awareness to everyone. A goal I have is to be able to take people to see the arboretum, last semester was my first time hearing about it and considering I have been on campus for three years that was shocking to me. The arboretum is such a calm place to go for a walk, take a breath of fresh air, relax, and let nature calm you. Not a lot of people know about the arboretum, or they might know about it but are not just interested in visiting, therefore I want to make it a responsibility of mine to spread more awareness about the arboretum and get more students, faculty and visitors of the campus to go see it.

Approaches most suitable for me as an individual

The most suitable method for me as an individual to interpret to others is using my learning styles, which are visual and tactile. I can do this by taking people out on a walk to enjoy nature and let them see the beauty of nature and also do activities that can help them all appreciate nature more and of course for auditory learners a podcast is a good way to share my thoughts with them.

It was really fun reading everyone’s blog post this semester and I hope you all have a great end of the semester!

Asua

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Unit 10: Final Blog post

I can’t believe that this course is already coming to an end and that this will be my last blog prompt. I’ve taken away so much from this course throughout the last three months and grown tremendously as nature interpreter. At beginning of the course, I never imagined that there were so many different things you can nature interpret through like history, music, and technology. The blog prompts were a key way for me to communicate with others and express my thoughts on each and every unit during the times of solitary of online school. Thank you all for such a great semester and I look forward to reading and responding to all of your final blog prompts! To describe my personal ethic as a nature interpreter I will go through the main questions posed in this week blog prompt which are about my ability to translate my own insights, personality, and ethics.

What beliefs do I bring as a nature interpreter?

This class really got me thinking about my personal beliefs, what I stand for as a nature interpreter and how I want to pass that down to those Ill be educating. Throughout his class I have learned many different strategies on how to translate my knowledge and beliefs to the minds of larger audiences, but I now ask myself, what are those beliefs that I stand for? The main personal belief I have is that everybody should be exposed to nature and be knowledgeable to some degree if we are going to sustain our planet for the future. The number one threat to wildlife Is habitat loss due to a record amount of new development occurring across the globe. So many people in today’s world are immersed in pavement and concrete and their cellphones all day every day and are totally disconnected from the natural environment that our society is in control of. I believe this is the reason our pollution rates, logging rates, and habitat destruction are at record highs. I would love to take these ceo’s of companies, and those who disregard keeping our water, air and forests clean through the exact forests they are destroying and teach them about the all the beauty, significance, and importance of the land. I believe that if they were exposed to the type of nature that I was from a young age, they would share the same feelings as me, in that we need to preserve and protect our forests for as long as we can.

What responsibilities do I have as a nature interpreter?

The first responsibility I have as a nature interpreter is to always do my best to convey accurate and teach others what I know to the best of my ability, free of discrimination. I feel that I have the responsibility to help the planet by educating others on the importance of nature so they too will become passionate in protecting it. I also now feel that have a responsibility to use the tools I have gained in this course to effectively educate others, like blogging, social media, and podcasting. These are just a few of the ways we learned but I find these three to be very valuable today because they don’t require in person interactions to get people passionate! A future responsibility for me will be to actually take groups of people from the city on nature hikes and put together a tour that will help them learn so much about nature. I think another big responsibility as a nature interpreter for me is to inspire our generation and the next generation because I believe that we are the ones who can make a real difference. We are the ones who can put the environment before profits and see a longer-term future for us.

What approaches are most suitable for me as an individual?

I think that ultimately the most suitable method for me to interpret would be through face-to-face boots on the ground interpretation. I would like to work at a provincial or national park or potentially run my own nature interpretation tour guide service and take groups of people out, educating them on the history of the landscape, functioning of the ecosystem, the cultural importance, and the conservation importance. This method might take some time for me to get comfortable doing so I think a very suitable method for me to start nature interpreting would be through social media and posting education bits to get comfortable with people listening to me speak more. Like the textbook says, “we must not worry about technology as a distraction, but rather use it as a tool.” (Beck 2018). This gives me confidence that I will be able to start my journey with social media. This way I can continue to learn myself, and develop my speaking skills because the last thing I would want to do is take people on a guide and not leave them amazed and passionate about nature when its over. 

Once again thank you all for a great semester and for your amazing blogs!

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

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Hey Sam,

Great blog post! I agree that the blogs made me more connected to nature, thinking about what to post for each topic made me think even more about nature and realize how nature is connected to so many things. My favourite unit was connecting Nature to Music, this unit was fun for me to write a blog post about especially when it came to looking for a song that connects to nature. I ended up picking what a wonderful world by Louis Armstrong, this song was one of my favourite songs and I actually heard it for the first time when I watched the journey movie with Dwayne Johnson. That specific unit made me realize that nature connects to everything we do, we can always connect nature to something even technology. nature is so important and I loved how you highlighted that in your beliefs as a nature interpreter. As a nature interpreter it is our role to connect more people to nature and make each and everyone of our audience to love nature as much as we do. This course has taught us better ways we can teach and get our message across in order to motivate our audience to actually do something.

Once again, amazing blog post! have a great rest of the semester !

[ngsenvs3000w22]

Blog 10 - Final blog

Throughout the semester we have learned how to become a nature interpreter and what special qualities and skill we should develop. With the weekly blog prompts we wrote we were able to not only write on our experience with nature but make a connection into becoming a better interpreter while also discussing with classmates and their unique experience.

I believe that everyone can have an understanding and appreciation of nature. However, in today’s world it is harder to get people to leave their comfort zones and ever evolving modern world of technology to spend time in nature. I believe the best way to have a deeper connection and fondness of nature one must be in nature with no distractions to really take in the beauty. But as I mentioned, technology has affected this as more kids are staying indoors rather than going out or them choosing to go to wonderland than going camping. In one of the units we read, it expressed how we can use technology as an outlet that can even help reach more people than we tend too.

I believe that we can use technology as a way to lur others into taking a break and going into nature to explore and develop a deeper connection with nature, on a physical, mental, and spiritual level. My best memories as a child were going to our cottage in the summer with my whole family and my cousins and I would go on a walk in the woods behind the house we would sometimes get lost as we were still young however we always found our way back.

Something I love to do when I am stressed or uncertain of what to do, I find just watch in the distance how water moves weather in a river, lake, or any body of water. It gives me a sense of peace and helps we forget about any distraction and focus on a solution or just giving me a break from the world.

I believe as an interpreter we need to show others that nature isn’t so scary and can be an outlet for us to let out steam or clear our heads as everyone can get overwhelmed time to time. I want to be able help others get this sense of relief when going into nature and for them to seek the comfort that nature can provide.

The responsibilities I have as a nature interpreter is being able to connect each and every person in their own unique way to nature, it takes just one memory to either make or break someone’s relationship with nature. Nature can be scary, as sometimes nature can be ruthless showing no mercy to anyone or anything. However, I believe that the beauty while executing safety precautions outweigh the negative side of nature, because everything in life there is always a good and bad side. Not everyone is going to jump headfirst into the idea of spending days or weeks in nature and or have a past fear of being in nature one bad experience can really impact a person’s life and can reflect onto other people around them. For example, my family and I went to Cuba one summer for my birthday and on the trip, we decided to do a 2-day horse riding expedition. We spent a few hours riding while being informed about the rich history of the forest we were riding through by the guide, we pasted rivers, open spaces, we saw some wild turkeys and native plants of Cuba ending up at an amazing natural waterfall. While we spent time at the waterfall, we had an unexpected visitor a Cuban Boa also known as Chilabothrus angulifer. It was my first time seeing a snake in its natural habitat and so close… I loved it. The whole experience truly brought me closer to nature and wanting to spend more time in it and experiencing new things. However, this trip was the complete opposite for my sister, she hated the whole experience since the horse ride was bumpy that caused her lower body to hurt and since she was wearing dark colors she was being constantly bit by mosquitos and to further ruin her experience something I found so interesting and amazing terrified her wanting to leave immediately. What sparks interest in one person might not for the other and my responsibility as an interpreter is to make sure everyone is creating positive memories and connections with nature for them to then want to continue exploring and creating deeper connections.

An approach most suitable for me as an individual is connecting it with wildlife and entertainment. I really liked earth rangers as a kid I have a fascination with animals so anything involving animals my ears perk up and has my immediate undivided attention which is also the reason why I’m studying zoology. Every time I go to a place, I like to know what wildlife there is in the area, which is why on my bucket list I want to go to both British Colombia and Africa. British Colombia has such amazing and unbelieve views and it has such a diversity in its wildlife. People who live there have the possibility to run into bears, wolf and even cougars, this is dangerous however I find it fascinating that they have such strong predators in Canada. When interpreters use wildlife as a way of creating connections, I really enjoy it and find it interesting, and I have a better way of understanding nature around me.

Another approach is being entertaining, getting information back-to-back with little connection or buffers makes me loose interest as this is a way of parting from my regular day to day learning. Hearing someone talk for more than 30 minutes without a buffer or a way to connect with the audience is exhausting especially when it can be approach in a creative and interactive approach. Having a balance of information and buffers can really help the information sink in while creating a fun atmosphere.

Overall, I REALLY enjoyed this class and what a unique take it had with assignments… I was more of making connections with the curriculum our own way and this is one of my classes this semester where I truly learned because I had to take the information and relate it back to experiences. If I could take this class again I would do it in a heartbeat. I also enjoyed reading everyone’s blogs on their own take of each unit and everyone’s experience. I hope everyone enjoys their summer!

Natasha Garces

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Hi Natasha,

I really enjoyed reading your blog post, although it is sad knowing that this is the last week for blog posts, it is refreshing to know that I am not the only one who had an amazing experience discussing with one another. I definitely agree that technology has caused a major effect on kids these days, in my blog for unit 6 I had actually talked about how over the years we continue to distance ourselves from nature as technology advances more. I agree that as an interpreter our role is to show everyone how calming nature can be and teach our audience how to treat nature with so much more love and kindness. I enjoyed reading about your experience in Cuba and how although you might have enjoyed the experience, your sister did not. this makes me realize even more that nature is described differently depending on the person, so as an interpreter we all need to find a way that brings everyone closer together to bonding with nature.

I hope you have a great rest of the semester and summer!

Asua

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Unit 09: Blog 8: The Sea of Stars

As a kid, I read a lot of books and watched a lot of movies. I was invested in Harry Potter, Narnia, Peterpan and many other stories about magic and wondrous lands that I thought only existed in storybooks. For the longest time, I believed magic to be real, dreamt of getting my Hogwarts letter and staying up way past my bedtime to spot the tooth fairy. Leaving my window open in case peter pan flew in or opened my closet hoping to go on my own adventure. As I grew up I started to grow out of believing in magic and lost my imagination.

I remember seeing the sea of stars in a post on social media and I thought to myself how could this even be real. I mean it seemed like it was magic, something right out of a fairytale. I looked it up and it was in fact very real. As we grow up we lose our imagination but as I grew closer to nature I realized that nature in itself is magical. The wonders this world has to offer aren’t anything less than magic and we are just oblivious to so many natural phenomena.

So now I want to describe to you what the sea of stars is and how this phenomenon works. As mentioned in our textbook interpretation should instill in people the ability to desire, to sense the beauty of their surroundings and to provide a spiritual uplift and encourage resource preservation (Beck et al., 2018). This is exactly how I felt when first learning about the sea of stars and I hope for anyone reading this to share my sentiment.

So how does the sea of stars look like a sea of stars? Phytoplankton, a type of sea microbe, is responsible for this lovely and amazing phenomenon. Dinoflagellates, a type of phytoplankton, are the ones responsible for the glow. After oxygen is supplied to the water, the dinoflagellates light a dazzling blue, and these microorganisms float in the water all day, charging up with electrical impulses. This glow, however, is utilized as a defence mechanism against predators, but it does produce a beautiful sea of glowing blue stars. Vaadhoo Island is the most popular destination, although other locations throughout the Maldives have also captured the sights of this occasion. According to locals, the greatest and most likely time to witness this occurrence is in the months of July and August.

And you will be pleased to know that the Maldives is not the only place where we can see the sea of stars. Although the “Sea Of Stars” phenomenon is more common in the Maldives, it has also been reported at Leucadia, California, Mosquito Bay, Puerto Rico, and the Lakshadweep Islands in India.

It seems surreal to me that such beautiful and magical sights exist in our world. This is why I have always dreamed of travelling so that I can also experience these magical sights for myself. I believe it is extremely important to use interpretation as a tool to educate yourself and others about the historical and natural significance of a location (Beck et al., 2018). This helps us appreciate our natural surroundings more (Beck et al., 2018). This is why I am always trying to educate myself more about any places that I want to visit in the future so that I can fully appreciate the beauty and significance of that location. The sea of stars is just one natural phenomenon, some others that truly amaze me are the northern lights and the waves in Arizona. There are so many more that I could talk about but for now, I will leave you dreaming about the twinkling blue ocean stars.

References:

https://justhooit.com/blog/sea-of-stars-maldives

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

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Hi,

I really enjoyed reading your blog, and automatically became interested in the sea of stars, I searched it up myself and it is really breathtaking. Nature continues to amaze me the more I find out about it. When I researched more on it, I found that it’s the movement in water that creates an action potential which results in protons interacting with luciferase and causing this bioluminescence that is seen in water. It’s wonderful the things that nature can do and the number of different species that contribute to making nature more beautiful. This was a really good blog post, now I need to add the Maldives to my travel list so I can see this for myself.

[noenvs3000w22]

The Northern Lights

The Northern lights or the aurora borealis, is the most beautiful sights of nature that I have ever seen. The northern lights are regarded as the Holy Grail of sky watching, they are beautiful dancing waves of light that have captivated people for years.

Although the northern lights captivate our hearts with its beauty, it is much more violent than we think. Energized particles from the sun slam into the Earth’s atmosphere at a ridiculous speed of up to 45 million mph, if not for Earth’s magnetic field we would be in grave danger. When the magnetic field redirects the particles toward the poles, this process is what gives us the beautiful northern lights.

The bright colours of the northern lights that we see are dictated by the chemical composition of the Earth’s atmosphere. Like how every human has their own unique fingerprint, every atom or molecule radiates its own unique colour. The most common colours we see in the northern lights are red which is produced by nitrogen and green which is produced by oxygen molecules.

The best place to see the Northern Lights is any destination in the ‘auroral zone’, which is within a 1550-mile radius of the North Pole in Norway. This is where the Northern Lights are most frequent. The best time to see the Northern lights is between September and April, when the sky gets dark enough, between 9 pm – 3 am. If you don’t feel like going that far there are several places you can go to see the Northern lights in Canada:

1. Whitehorse, Yukon

2. La Ronge, Saskatchewan

3. Muncho Lake Provincial Park British Columbia

4. Fort McMurray, Alberta

5. Iqaluit, Nunavut

6. Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

7. Dempster Highway, Yukon

I recommend everyone to go see the Northern lights, it is truly breathtaking.

[vtenvs3000w22]

Music and nature

Music in nature

When I think of music in nature, my first though is birds. There are so many different types of birds, all with their own sounds. I think it is fascinating how birds sing to communicate (warning calls, mating calls, etc.) with each other, yet we hear it as a form of music in nature. Imagine how funny it would be if humans also had to sing instead of speaking to communicate! I noticed that birds were also mentioned in the reading by Gray et al. (2001), which states, “any rhythmic repeated utterance, whether a bird, a frog, an insect, a whale or a human” can be defined as a song. I’m not sure many people will agree with me on this but, the insect songs are the only ones I am not a huge fan of, simply because there always seems to be an insect chirping outside my window when I am the most need of sleep. I think Gray et al. (2001) defines a song very well in terms of nature. When we are in nature, we hear music all around us from the simple buzz of a bee to the complex whale rhythms.

While I was researching some more in depths ways that we can find music in nature, I came across a company called Plant Wave. They offer a device that detects electrical variations in plants using electrodes. The electrical variations are translated into instrumental music which is super interesting! I linked the company site here if anyone wants to learn more or purchase their own device.

https://www.plantwave.com/

Below is a sample of the Plant Wave device on a mushroom found in the Kaelia Forest Reserve. I think the music is so peaceful and calming. Let me know what you think of turning bio-electricity changes into music.

Nature in music

I enjoyed reading about the birdsongs in beatboxing by Ben Mirin aka wildlife DJ. I found his website and learned that in addition to being an artist and an educator, he is also a biologist. I think that this relates to many of us as we are in sciences programs and learning how to be nature interpreters. It is great to see someone similar to us who has gained a following from sharing his passions.

There is so much nature in music these days. I find that many artists use the sound of crashing waves, bonfire crackling, rain, etc. However, I have noticed artists use these nature sounds more commonly in the introduction of their music, rather than throughout. Another thing that comes to mind when I think of nature in music is artists using nature to portray a theme. Many songs use rain or storms to signify a sad heartbreak storyline. Whereas songs using bird chirping or waves crashing are typically more upbeat and happy. For example, Harry Styles’ music video for his song ‘Watermelon Sugar’ incorporates beach sounds in the introduction scene. This sets a carefree and fun tone for the rest of the video.

My nature song

While it was hard for me to pick one song that reminds me of nature, I ended up going with the ‘Bare Necessities” from The Jungle Book movie. The lyrics in this song remind me of nature through my childhood eyes. As a child I was happy by myself at just the local park finding rocks and plants and building houses for insects. This song reminds me of the simple and calm aspect of nature whereas life now is so hectic and busy, we rarely get time to take a step back and appreciate everything around us. Im curious to read what everyone else chose as their song this week!

Reference:

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

[noenvs3000w22]

Hey,

I love your song choice, I loved jungle book as a kid and bare necessities was one of my favourite songs growing up. I definitely think Disney movie songs that talked about nature had a big impact on my view of nature as a kid. One thing Disney was good for was having a positive impact on kids and teaching them about different things. One song that I remember now is from Pocahontas, "colours of the wind"

Listening to this song as a kid made me always think about leaves dancing in the wind, and made me love nature even more

[noenvs3000w22]

Music and Nature

I found this quote on google when looking about what to write and found a quote by George Santayana that says, “the earth has music for those who listen”. Seeing this quote made me think about when I go for hikes, I always take my time to listen to sounds of the leaves rustling in the wind, birds chirping those sounds always gave me a sense of peace and comfort. Another sound of nature that reminds me of music is the sounds we hear at the beach, the sounds of the waves crashing, the noises the seagulls. All these sounds together created a melody that calms you when that’s the only thing you focus on.

Nature has had a big impact on music today, there are some songs that have been influenced by the sound of nature. Songs that have whistling which imitates birds are extremely popular.

My nature song

It was hard for me to pick a song that reminds me of nature, I ended up going with the song by Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World. I first heard this song when Dwayne Johnson sang it in the movie ‘Journey 2’ The most popular part of this song is when he says

“I see skies of blue and clouds of white the bright blessed day, the dark sacred night And I think to myself, what a wonderful world!”

As a child I was happy when I heard this song, and it became stuck in my head for a very long time. The song reminds me of the beauty of nature and made me appreciate nature even more. Without this song I don’t think I would have appreciated nature as much as I did growing up. As an interpreter I want to be able to share the music I love and find a meaningful way to dive my audience a more profound meaning behind the song.

[cljenvs3000w22]

History and Nature

“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)

This quote was very interesting. I read through it multiple times, and each time I found something new to unpack. The beauty of a quote such as this is that every person will have their own variation of what it means to them, and it may resonate with them in different ways. This is very present in nature interpretation. We are all finding our own meaning in the things around us in nature (how we perceive the world), just as though we are finding our own meaning within the things we read.

The picture below is a photo I took of my favourite walking trail near my house. It has special meaning to me and reminds me of past adventures I have had with friends and family, but to you it may just be a picture of a trail on a nice day (or it may remind you of one of your own memories from your past).

In order to unpack this quote, I must first indicate that this is my interpretation of the quote. My understanding of Hyams quote is that there is only merit or significance to historical objects and things because of the story told behind these things. The integrity upheld by telling the story of (or remembering) historical artifacts is what gives them merit; hence, “there is merit in integrity”. When he continues to say that integrity means keeping the part of the whole together, he may be talking about the fact that us remembering is what maintains this integrity. Our very knowledge on the subject is what gives these ancient things, or memories merit and significance. This is depicted through “maintenance of integrity entails a knowledge, a memory, of ancient things”.

The second part of the quote is a bit trickier, in my opinion, to unpack, but I think the idea is that if we forget about the past and discard it as though it is over and done with (that it no longer has significance), then that is the same as believing that “a railway station through which our train has just passed, only existed for as long as our train was in it”.

An equivalent to explain this quote would be perhaps that to ignore events that occurred in the past, to ignore our own history, would be to repeat our mistakes. In a more simplified sense, if I did not remember every stupid thing I did throughout my life, I would not grow and learn from these experiences. In a large-scale example, the world right now is at a crossroads with which direction it can choose to go considering the world’s current climate change situation. We can learn from the mistakes we know we have made and try to redeem ourselves from the mess we have created, or we can choose not to have integrity and no longer learn from our past.

Understanding and remembering the past is important in moving forward and creating a better situation than those before us. This doesn’t just pertain to nature, but everything, including world wars, attempted genocides, or mass-casualty events. We must remember what has happened in order to make sure that mistakes do not get repeated. I am sure we have all heard our high school history teacher say those very words, but they are quite true, as is shown in Edward Hyams quote.

Thank you all for reading. Hope everyone is having a good week so far.

Cora

[noenvs3000w22]

Hi Cora,

I loved reading your blog this week. I agree that many people interpret things differently, for example when I first saw your picture before reading your post, I thought you were probably talking about trails and the beauty of nature. The picture to you reminds you of something, while for me it is just a pretty nature picture. I find it interesting how each individual has their own interpretation or understand of various things we see in the world today.

I paused for a second when I read what you said about the second part of the quote “to ignore events that occurred in the past, to ignore our own history, would be to repeat our mistakes.”. When I read the Hyam’s quote I had also thought that it meant the world would not be the way it is today without the historical events that occurred. I didn’t think much about applying it to myself but reading what you wrote made me understand the quote even more. If no one ever learnt from past mistakes, the world would not be this advanced today, even when we think of research work, we always go back to look at past work that was done relating to that topic, why? Because we need to see what they missed, what they did wrong so the researchers can have a better result this time. So I do agree that understanding and remembering the past is important for everyone to move forward. Nice work!

[noenvs3000w22]

Remembering 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).

I believe that this quote points us towards our ability to value history. It makes us as readers get the idea that historical events happened regardless of our memory or understanding of them. Historical events have remained important because of how we as interpreters value or pass on this historical knowledge. The world we see today wouldn’t be like this without past historical events happening. This gives history a great significance and makes it important for us to learn and remember our history.

“Historical Interpretation relies on relating to the audience, revealing deeper meaning and truth and inspiring individuals. To be effective, Interpreters of history must personalize the past and relate it to the present with an eye toward the future” (Hyams, 67).

This quote above and the gift of interpretation are important when relating history to nature interpretation. It is my job as an interpreter to connect my audience to the historical events in order to make them matter in the audiences understanding of the topic.

There have been many historical events that have led to a greater understanding of why nature is structured the way it today. For example, the 1950s was when the trend of urbanization began, there was a rapid rise of television and in the 1970s video games first appeared, while the internet began claiming more leisure time since the late 1990s. With the rise of technology, this started distancing people further away from nature as a source of recreation and entertainment.

- children went from playing outside all the time, to spending more time inside

Today technology is more advanced and there are now more entertainment and recreational activities that individuals can enjoy from their home. Urbanization continues to rise at a rapid rate and is doing more harm to nature than good. As an interpreter, I would like to connect my audience to the importance of bonding with nature and how urbanization can cause harm to nature.

[sbenvs3000w22]

Blog #5 - Just a one way ticket

“Travel. Because money returns, time doesn’t” is one of my favourite quotes. Travelling the world has been my ultimate bucket list dream. I want to travel the world to enrich and gain a broader and better view of our world while simultaneously gaining insight into our planet’s different cultures, roots, and beautiful landscapes. In addition to travelling the world, I have smaller bucket list goals that I hope to complete and experience during my Europe trip.

I have found various resources, guides, YouTube videos, blog posts and traveller advice regarding the best locations to visit. I have gathered a list of places around Europe that I will visit once I can travel. Throughout this trip itinerary, you will see that I hope to visit significant cities filled with beautiful chaos while also staying in places filled with greenery, mountains, and beautiful landscapes with almost no mundane infrastructures.

My trip around Europe consists of over 20 locations, but I will only highlight 3 as I can write for hours about this trip :) 

1.     Amalfi Coast and Rome

Starting the trip off strong Rome and Amalfi Coast provides some of the most beautiful experiences. In Rome, I want to be the most tourist-like individual possible! Consuming delicious foods such as pasta and pizza topping it off with a creamy Italian gelato sounds like an absolute dream! After spending time in Rome, I want to head south to the Amalfi Coast, relaxing by the beach, driving on the coast, and getting some colour!

Things to do in Rome:

-       Ride on a vespa (especially during the night!)

-       Visit all historical sites

o   The Colosseum

o   Arch of Constantine

o   Vatican City

o   Roman Forum

o   Palatine Hill

o   Trevi Fountain

-       Visit multiple museums in Rome

o   Capitoline Museum

o   Galleria Borghese

o   Palazzo Colonna- Galleria Colonna

Things to do in the Amalfi Coast: 

-       Take a day tour of Pompeii

-       Drink loads and loads of delicious Italian Coffee

-       Visit the Arsenale della Repubblica museum

-       Wander the Via dei Mercantini (the market)

-       Spend the day by the beach

-       Eat, eat, and eat some more!

2.     Interlaken and Lucerne, Switzerland

Where do I even begin! Switzerland has got to be the #1 natural beauty of our planet. From previous blogs, I had mentioned that I feel most at home in the city, but I feel most at peace in the natural world filled with greenery, mountains, and countryside views, thanks to my grandpa, who provides me with “my sense of place.” Interlaken is one of my dream locations, particularly my dream location to go skydiving! Skydive Interlaken offers guests the opportunity to jump from 14’000ft “between the glacier lakes with the best view of Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau.” Before your jump, you experience a beautiful helicopter ride filled with scenic panoramic views of Interlaken, glacier lakes, and the beautiful swiss alps.

I mean, just look at this view! How could anyone not want to jump out of a plane!!!

*I included a short 2-minute video posted by Skydive Interlaken of a skydiving experience!  https://youtu.be/yKQenILe11I  

Unfortunately, not many people are willing to sign their life away to experience a short rush of adrenaline which is entirely understandable! The list below highlights some amazing things anyone can do when visiting Interlaken and Lucerne, Switzerland.

Things to do in Interlaken:

-       You can make your way up as high as 730 meter using a ten-minute funicular to a mountain called Harder Kulm

-       Hop on the Interlaken Ost Railway train ride

-       St Beatus Caves

-       Escape the tourist areas and take a beautiful hike in the Weissenau Nature Reserve

Things to do in Lucerne:

-       Explore Old Town (very low on traffic)

-       Attend the Swiss Museum of Transport

-       Cross the Chapel Bridge

-       Visit the Glacier Garden

-       Hike up a mountain to see the breathtaking views, capturing the Musegg Wall (Lucerne’s city defence wall)

3.     Croatia + Montenegro

This destination is how I would want to end my 20+ European cities/countries tour. I will get into more detail in a few minutes about why this would be my final stop. To start off the destination, a Balkan country known as Montenegro is filled with beautiful mountains, small medieval villages, and coastline beaches. This location is the perfect mix of beautiful landscapes and incredible history that captivates many individuals such as me.

Things to do in Montenegro:

-       Visit the Kotor Town and Bay of Kotor

-       Enjoy the day in Budva Riviera (this place is an actual paradise)

-       Blue Grotto (snorkelling is a must in this cave)

-       Visit the town of Cetinje (was the Capital of Montenegro during the late 19th and 20th century)

-       Explore the beautiful Durmitor National Park

After enjoying some time in beautiful Montenegro, the trip’s final stop concludes in Croatia. Now, in my opinion, this is one of the best ways to end a fantastic trip. Yacht week Croatia has been a lifelong bucket list goal since I was as young as 14 years old. This is an 8-day trip, where you live on a yacht/boat filled with 2-3 other cabins occupied by individuals from different locations around the world. Every day, you port to a different town and have the day to explore the beautiful country of Croatia. I honestly believe that no words can express my love for this trip, nor could they do a good enough job describing it. I have linked a YouTube video that shows the beautiful 8-day Original Route, and I 1000000% recommend you give it a glance.

https://youtu.be/5JBwGUqp1Jg 

[noenvs3000w22]

Hi,

I loved your blog post, the pictures and the itinerary were so well put together and it was nice reading your blog. I actually had the privilege of visiting Rome and it was breathtaking, my family loved sightseeing and seeing historical sights like the The Colosseum, Arch of Constantine and the Palatine Hill. Now that I see your itinerary I wish I visited those other places too. I will definitely be adding Croatia and Montenegro to my list of places to visit. Your post was amazing cause it is my dream to travel and see the world and this post just gave me more courage to stick to that plan. Good job!

[noenvs3000w22]

Nature as the Season's Change

This week I was stuck on what to write, but then I realized something while I went snowboarding for the first time, my mood changes as the season changes. During the winter, I never really got the chance or allowed myself to enjoy what nature has to offer, because I hated the cold (still do a little bit). This year I decided to get out of my comfort zone and snowboard, although it was hard the scenery was absolutely beautiful, we went snowboarding at blue mountain and it was breathtaking. This experience made me realize that although nature changes every season, it’s beauty stays the same. Nature continues to provide a scenery that only it can provide. Now that I have allowed myself to experience that I also plan on doing more winter activities like, ice skating.

Fall is also very beautiful to me, when the leaves change their colours, it is always an amazing sight to see. One thing I love to do in fall is watch the leaves fall or go hiking. Last year I had the chance to go hiking and at the last top, I got to see this amazing view with trees and their leaves all different colours. Immediately I saw that I sat down at the edge of the cliff and just looked at nature. That sight is a sight I will never forget, it was one of the many times where I was completely at peace with nature.

The only thing that comes to my head when I think of summer are the beaches. I love to swim, so anywhere I can swim, I’m there. Swimming at the beach, especially the one with the blue clear waters is the best experience for me and that makes me feel at peace and provides me with a sense of comfort.

Depending on the season, my view of nature changes and I’m glad that I get to experience these changes in nature and learn how to love nature as the season changes.

[noenvs3000w22]

Nature through Art

Nature is the best art we can find. It can be interpreted in many ways depending on the person interpreting it. Whenever I go out, I like to take pictures of nature any time I am in awe, because of this I have hundreds of photos of nature in my phone.

Watching the sunset has become a hobby of mine, because that is when I really get to appreciate nature as a whole and fall in love with it again.

- video and picture of sunset taken last summer

I have mentioned before that I get a sense of peace and comfort when I listen to sounds of nature, looking at nature’s beauty has that same effect but also makes me feel amazed at how beautiful it can be. I have learned to love the beauty of nature.

During this winter season, I don’t really like going out but one thing I always say is that winter makes nature extremely beautiful. The trees being covered in snow looks so beautiful to me and gives me a sense of peace when I look at it while reading, especially if I am inside my house staring at nature through my window.

- pictures taken this month at the University of Guelph

During the summer the most beautiful part of nature I love to see is the water, the lakes, and going hiking to get a better view of nature. This just shows that nature can be interpreted differently as the season changes.

- Photo taken in Tobermory

As an interpreter, I like to interpret nature through what I feel and see, and every individual are different when interpreting nature, for example when I see the snow, I think it’s pretty while my friends who hate the cold, do not see the beauty of nature in winter. As an interpreter my goal is to get everyone to understand and love the beauty of nature as it changes with the season, but I also understand that art is interpreted in different ways, this allows everyone to broaden their view on nature and understand it better.

[lfenvs3000w22-deactivated202410]

Nature and Art

I am so glad that we are discussing nature through art. I have loved art my whole life, and abstract landscapes are some of my favourite paintings to make. I’m not sure if it’s because drawing people is hard haha. But there is something about staring at a sunset photo or painting of a lake that just feels like home.

A photo my sister took last summer (2021)

I have always been drawn to paintings, photos, etc., of nature that are full of colour. It amazes me how vibrant and expressive nature can be. When you look at a painting of a sunrise, and it is filled with colours ranging in warm tones, you can almost feel the warmth on your face. Paintings of nature have a special way of transporting you to the place they capture.

A painting I did for my grandparents (2020)

I have stated before how I find peace in nature, and when I stand alone and close my eyes in a forest, I feel a sense of calm as I listen to the birds and the wind. Paintings and photographs have the same effect when I take in the art I am transported and can feel the sense of peace the artist felt when they took the photo. It is incredible that without including people or any clear expressions, you can still feel the emotions and tone of the work pouring out.

A quick painting I did for my leopard geckos tank background :P (2021)

We are so fortunate to live in a time of cameras and the internet, it seems silly to say, but we have such incredible access to places and nature all over the world that we would have never been able to witness if it weren’t for the artist who captured the moment. I am forever grateful to have seen places of the world through paintings and pictures that I may never get the chance to visit but still be able to interpret the nature they witnessed through the screen.

A photo I took on my trip to Alaska (2017)

The question states, who are you to interpret nature through art? Well, that’s the wonderful thing about art. I am no one, yet I can bear witness to the beauty all the same. Art is for everyone, and it gives access to everyday people. Art allows people to broaden their horizons and opens the world to many.

[noenvs3000w22]

Hi!

I really loved reading your blog, and I must say you are an excellent artist. I also love painting but I can never paint nature as good as you did. Paintings of nature does have a way of making me feel like I am in the painting, it makes your imagination run wild. when I imagine what the painting would like in real life and imagine myself in that environment, it puts me at peace and makes me feel warmth. I agree that art is for everyone, when we look at abstract art, some people can see a bird while I see a table. Art is interpreted in different ways and that is what I love about it especially. Great blog!

[ejenvs3000w22]

What Role Does “Privilege” Play in Nature Interpretation?

Privilege to me is defined as an advantage or right given to a particular individual or group that other people do not have based on their socio-economic, identity, and cultural characteristics. After this units reading, I realized that other peoples experiences and ways of life will change the way they engage with the world and their relationship with our environment. This definitely comes into play when an interpreter is trying to convey a message and tries to use direct experiences to generate enjoyment with the audience. You must take into account what privilege you audience has been given to be able to appreciate nature the same way as you.

As I unpack my "invisible backpack" I can point out that I am a white male, high-middle class, English speaking, have a Canadian passport, and is able to attend university from funding by my parents. I can say that I am extremely privileged in our society and my given privilege has allowed me to participate in activities with nature that others may not be able to participate in because they do not have the privilege to do so. Obviously, anyone can walk outside, go to a park, and have accessibility to nature like anyone else.

But, when it mainly comes down to their socio-economic status, they might not been given opportunities to embrace nature more than others. For example, (as I mentioned in my first blog post) I have been given the opportunity to go on a school trip to Italy and that was one of the best experiences of my life. After that trip, my relationship with nature changed; sparking my interest in sustainability and appreciating all types of nature no matter where I am in the world.

Not everyone can be given opportunities like this in their lives and having that privilege can be misunderstood by others. This changes peoples perspective on nature and it is important to acknowledge that when you are a nature interpreter. You want your actions to impact your audience in a positive way. Assessing those economic, cultural, and communication barriers that arise around the topic of privilege as mentioned in the textbook, are challenges interpreters must overcome to reach their audience and help them form meaningful relationships with nature.

[noenvs3000w22]

Hi!

I loved reading your blog, especially watching the video, Italy is truly breathtaking. I also had the privilege of going to Italy 6 years ago and it was one of my most memorable trips. I agree with you that not everyone are given the same opportunities as others and that means that each persons view of nature is different. I think the main thing as a Nature Interpreter is to be able to know how to communicate with an audience that may not have the same perspective on nature as us, and when we overcome those challenges I agree that it can help form meaningful relationships with nature. I once took my friends who aren't really outdoor people to go cliff jumping, and after that trip, their view of nature changed completely. They found themselves wanting to go on more trips with me outdoors! 

I knew that the only way to get my friends to appreciate nature more is by doing an activity they like which is swimming, and this helped make them appreciate nature more. Do you think there are other ways to get our audience to appreciate nature more ?

[noenvs3000w22]

Privilege

To me privilege is when someone is given a special advantage or right that is available only to them. The video “Social Inequalities Explained in a $100 Race” really shows the meaning of privilege, it showed how privilege has a lot to do with circumstances in our lives that we cannot control. The questions asked were things that the participants could not control in their life, for example, one of the questions was “take two steps forward if you never wondered where your next meal was going to come from” this statement made me grateful for my parents because they have granted my siblings and I privileges, because of their own hard work to give my siblings and I a better life than they had.

As I unpacked my invisible backpack, I realized that I am middle class, Nigerian, female. I am given access to many things without having to work hard for it, which I will continue to be grateful for every day. I believe that I am privileged for having things like:

·      a roof over my head

·      A Canadian and Nigerian Passport

·      Free health care

·      Supportive parents, siblings and friends

·      Traveling

·      Food at the table

Privilege is an important factor of nature interpretation. No one views nature the same as others, this is because of the different lives people have. As a child the only nature I experienced was going to the beach and one camping trip, I was not much of an outdoor person mainly because I lived in the city, so I did not have much access to nature. My friends had access to nature so they grew up going camping, on hikes and kayaking, they got to experience nature in a way I couldn’t growing up. Still there are some people who do not have the privilege of experiencing nature even as little as I did because they did not have the same opportunities I had.

When thinking about privilege and nature interpretation. Last summer I tried to go on a camping trip with my friends from Nigeria and they had absolutely no interest in going camping, the thought of sleeping outside in the middle of the woods did not sit right with them, at first, I was a bit annoyed that they did not come but then I realized that they grew up differently than I did. When I was in high school, I got to go on camping trips and experience nature a bit more, but my friends didn’t have that growing up, I never really thought about calling this privilege but thinking more about it, it definitely is.  

[noenvs3000w22]

My Ideal Role as an Environmental Interpreter

“We listen too much to the telephone and too little to nature. The wind is one of my sounds. A lonely sound, perhaps, but soothing.” – Andre Kostelanetz.

            I found this quote on my Pinterest board and pinned it immediately because I genuinely believe that the sound of nature is the most soothing sound if you sit back for a minute and listen to nature. This quote also reminds me of a class I had last semester that had us go on walks in the Arboretum and the one thing I remembered from that class was the stops we would take on the walk, and for 5 minutes we would all close our eyes and stand in silence as we listened to the sound of nature. For those 5 minutes just listening to the sound of the wind, the leaves on the trees, the birds chirping all together they are creating a soothing sound that made me feel at peace.

- The University of Guelph’s Arboretum 

From the ‘What’s your learning Style?’ activity I learnt that I am mostly an Auditory and Visual Learner, as an environmental interpreter, my ideal role would be to somehow integrate the two learning styles and use that to show others my passion and interests in the environment.  As an environmental interpreter I would like to hold workshops in the university’s arboretum were various people can join and enjoy the sounds and beauty of nature

In this workshop people can learn a lot about the arboretum and the different species that live there, the goal for the end of the workshop is for everyone to leave feeling like they can do something to help the arboretum or the environment overall, to have a better appreciation for nature.

- The different birds you can find in the Arboretum 

To integrate the two learning styles, I would want this workshop to include a lot of sightseeing, looking at natures beauty and listening to the sound of nature. For people to learn well, they need to hear things and see them as well. Everyone learns visually and verbally, so this workshop can help bring in a variety of people to learn. The arboretum isn’t really talked about a lot on campus, personally I did not know much about the Arboretum until last semester, and I am in my third year. It made me realize that the arboretum does need more awareness and help from the students on campus, with the workshop, it can lead people to have more appreciation for nature and result in them raising awareness on the arboretum and helping in whatever they can to make the campus more sustainable.

[oan-envs3000-w22-deactivated202]

Great post! The quote you shared is beautiful. I also love the sounds of nature. Listening to rain fall and birds sing is a wonderful way to relax, it’s also a wonderful way to view how valuable nature really is. It’s so cool that you were able to go on walks through the Arboretum for class! Holding workshops there within your interpreter role sounds like an awesome idea. I like your approach of integrating the various learning styles for a better experience, I believe when teaching (especially in a natural setting) using a multifaceted approach is crucial. Everyone learns differently, so it’s important we present information in different ways so all can enjoy, learn and be inspired. I wish I had more exposure to the Arboretum earlier in my university life, as it is an amazing place worth seeing. Many students at the University have this preconceived notion that the Arboretum is simply just a forest, but it really is so much more than that. The diverse plant and animal species are enough to make you want to continue exploring for hours. I hope in the future, more courses decide to implement the Arboretum into their learning, so students may find this somewhat hidden gem at the University and appreciate the beauty of their environment. My favourite spot is the David G. Porter Memorial Japanese Garden, what about you? 

Ozaay 

[noenvs3000w22]

Hi Ozaay, 

Thank you so much for your reply! I do agree that most students do not know what the Arboretum has to offer, its so much more than a forest and it’s sad that most do not know that. The Japanese Garden is beautiful and one of my favourite spots, but if I were to choose one spot it would be the Italian Garden! that was the first spot I had visited in the Arboretum so it does have some nice memories attached to it. I just hope that in the future we can get more students to enjoy the beauty of the Arboretum. 

Asua

[crdaenvs3000w22]

My Role as an Environmental Interpreter

Growing up with so much love for wildlife and nature, I’ve become exceptionally passionate about the topics. Whenever I am asked by my friends or family about any topic revolving around the environment, I find that I can become a bit  overwhelmingly passionate when trying to communicate my feelings toward the topic at hand. Sometimes it’s easy for me to forget that not everyone is as interested or passionate about this field in the same way that I am. Thankfully, being in the environmental management program, I’ve met so many others like myself who I am happy to have become friends with. However, having grown up in Toronto for a lot of my life, many of my friends from the city showed little interest in being outdoors or in nature. I found that this began to slowly change over the years as I began bringing my friends along to the camping resort I’ve always gone to in Muskoka. Everything there was so new and estranged to them as many of them had never been in a lake or forest, let alone even outside of the GTA. Once I took them swimming, kayaking, fishing and hiking through the forests with me, I realized a spark of interest ignited in them. Soon after, every year they would tell me how eager they were to return with me. I have attached a few photos from over the years below! :)

Now thinking about it, I have always known that I was a tactile learner and enjoyed doing things hands-on and developing my own interests and opinions on what I learn. However, I realize now that it’s also my teaching style. In the case of my friends who I brought to Muskoka with me, I was able to share what I am passionate about by simply bringing them along for the ride and letting them try it out and learn for themselves. This allowed them to form their own passions and care about the same things I did, but in their own ways. Now, I believe that as an environmental interpreter, a tactile teaching style in this way, may be the most effective way of sharing my passions. I believe this means that I would have to be somewhere outdoors in nature, experiencing nature hands on, so that I may also share my interpretations to my audience in a hands-on way. For myself this may mean working as a tour guide at a national park, leading groups of people on forest expeditions or even serving as an information guide at an outdoor wildlife rehabilitation center. For these types of career paths I would need a lot of patience, enthusiasm and confidence. I would want my audience to develop their own opinions and interests toward nature in their own ways and at their own pace, meaning that I would need to be very patient. However, I would also want to provide them with opportunities to develop these opinions hands on, in an enthusiastic and confident way so that they are at least excited to try these new things out in nature. Although I am still very unsure of what career path I may take in the future, I believe my strengths lie in trying to help others experience nature hands-on, in their own ways, as I like to do myself. This may aid me in reaching my goal of working to spread awareness about environmental issues and shedding light on the beauty and significance of nature. 

Thanks for reading! :)

Swimming with my friends at the cottage.

Kearney, Ontario (Muskoka). 2020.

Candid photo of my friends at the cottage.

Kearney, Ontario (Muskoka). 2021.

Candid photo of my friends at sunset at the cottage.

Kearney, Ontario (Muskoka). 2021. 

[noenvs3000w22]

Hey! Great post, after doing the activity I learned that I was only 15% Tactile in my learning style, being mostly an auditory and visual learner, I found your blog very interesting. I wouldn’t say I enjoy doing things hands on as a way to learn but it doesn’t sound bad, if it includes going on a trip to a camp. I think that tactile learning isn’t really used now in university, they mostly rely on auditory and visual learning approach. Which is something that should be encouraged more, from your experience, I know your friends were able to learn much more using a tactile approach rather than just teaching them by talking or by watching you. Do you also think that tactile learning should be encouraged more as a learning style as we get older and how do you think this can be done ?