My Role in Nature Interpretation
This course has taught me many things about myself, nature and the endless possibility that is nature interpretation. Nature interpretation has given me a little bit more hope and acknowledged that the field we are in is a difficult path to take. It pushed me to think more creatively and from different perspectives in order to include all audiences. I think that is one thing we do not always think about: inclusion. Nature is ideally the most universal thing in the world as it does not matter who one is, they are still able to enjoy, learn and grow from it. I found this week’s blogpost quite difficult because it forced me to think deeply not about one thing, but about the commonality of everything I do as a whole and its relation to the way I interpret nature and how I want to share it with others. My personal ethic as I develop as a nature interpreter is drawn from the belief that nature can be construed in an infinite number of ways by an infinite number of people. For this post, I will focus mostly on the comparison between children’s views on nature versus an adult’s. “That environmentalists need the goodwill of children would seem self-evident- but more often than not, children are viewed as props or extraneous to the serious adult work of saving the world.” – Richard Louv When I read this quote in Week 11, it made me almost sad. It is true, children are often dismissed or devalued when it comes to environmentalism. For example, Greta Thunberg, who has dedicated her young life to making a change in the planet, has been repeatedly belittled by certain adults. In her case, I believe it is because she is seen as more of a threat by them, but for other children, it is because they are thought to have invalid thoughts.
Greta Thunberg taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_Thunberg. I was once given a speech by a man whose career focused on nature interpretation, and “play.” He said, “Kids aren’t stupid, they just know less,” and that has stuck with me. While a child’s brain is not yet fully developed, they are not stupid; this would insinuate that they lack intelligence or common sense, when instead, they have simply not been taught it yet. The “play” aspect of his work was also so interesting to me. He told us that the older we get, the less we play. He then had us do an activity where he brought out a box full of nature: sticks, leaves, straw baskets, animal toys, and he told us he would be giving us no instruction. We, all being in our twenties, just sat there for a second; we honestly didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t even remember the last time that I did something like that, something without purpose simply for the enjoyment of it. Within ten minutes everyone was doing something. He said that this is how children are, they need no instruction because they have not grown up yet in a world that requires instruction for everything. This outlook on life should be something that is valued, not diminished.
Children playing in nature taken from https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/jul2017/outdoor-play-child-development
“We can create nature-rich communities where kids feel a deep and abiding love for the living systems that we all are immersed in. Eventually, children will learn even to go beyond sustaining and to engage in acts of regeneration. That is where true hope resides.Eventually, children will learn even to go beyond sustaining and to engage in acts of regeneration” (Hooykaas, 2020). Such a large focus in our world right now is sustainability, and while sustaining is good, regeneration might be better. This ensures new life and growth within our planet. I believe it is my responsibility to allow people think with a more child-like mindset during nature interpretation but also to make nature accessible to everyone. Accessibility means to acknowledge that people learn and experience life differently, so by incorporating different art styles, digital media, social media, etc. (Beck et al., 2019).
My responsibilities in nature interpretation are largely to be able to sustain it for future generations, and hopefully to better it. By spreading knowledge and getting people to care about nature we are creating an emotional tie and awareness. When one cares about something one is more inclined to take care of it.
There is not a single approach that I would say is “most suitable” to me as a nature interpreter. I would argue that most people do not learn in only one way. I think connecting on multiple levels is what makes nature interpretation so special. Sometimes playing music while being outdoors is when I feel connected, and sometimes it is when someone is telling me a story.
Some of my most memorable connections with nature were made on interpretive walks. These were when someone who was incredibly knowledgeable about the area took us around and pointed out things that we would probably have never noticed on our own. When I was in Ecuador, we were taken on a night walk. This is one of my most amazing memories. As soon as we were silent, we could hear all of the creatures that normally do not come out in the daytime. We even saw multiple blue poison dart frogs and a baby corn snake hanging down from a tree. When someone has a connection to nature in a different way than you, such as living in that environment versus visiting it, it can be so eye-opening to listen to what they have to say.
Baby corn snake taken from https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/384143043208130686/.
Blue poison dart frog taken from https://moonlightelder.wordpress.com/2013/06/24/food-tree-frogs-eat-bugs-like-crickets-or/.
Overall, I would say that the work of a nature interpreter is never over. There will always be more to discover, teach and learn. The ways that these messages are conveyed, however, may change with the times; even nature will continue changing with the times.
References
Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2019). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For a better world. Urbana: Sagamore Publishing.
Hooykaas, A. (2020). ENVS*3000 Nature Interpretation Week 11 course notes. University of Guelph.
Hey! I really enjoyed reading your post, I also agree that it is essentially impossible to select just 1 singular approach that would be most suitable for a nature interpreters efforts to spread their message about a particular environmental topic. As you stated, people learn in so many different ways and there are so many different outlets that be used when trying to get an interpretive message across. This creates the need for interpreters to understand their targeted audience in order to effectively get a message across. In our textbook it is stated that interpreters often don’t know their audiences well and have misguided beliefs about the audience’s values, beliefs, and motivations (Beck, L., et al., 2019, pp. 128). It is crucial to have an understanding about your target audience in order to have them engaged and motivated to listen to what you are saying and take away important information. This idea was highlighted throughout our podcast assignment as we were required to create 2 episodes revolving around the same topic, but presented in 2 different ways that were appropriate for the targeted audiences of each podcast. In this case, the same information is being presented but in 2 very different ways. Using this style of interpreting information towards a targeted audience has a lot of potential for promoting a healthier and more environmentally friendly earth. I think much of the debate around the validity of climate change sparks from separations in understanding of complex environmental issues. By using interpretive skills to present information in altered ways that are designed for specific groups, the gap in knowledge can be separated, hopefully creating more awareness for environmental conservation.
Sources:
Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2019). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For a better world. Urbana: Sagamore Publishing.
