Sams Nature Blog @scvenvs3000semester - Tumblr Blog

Nature Interpretation’s Role in Environmental Sustainability - Blog 10

I truly feel like this past semester has flown by. Last blog already? I cannot believe it. This class has taught me so much, let alone these new weekly topics and posts surrounding nature interpretation. Truthfully, when I first entered this class I really had little to no idea of what nature interpretation truly meant. Although, now I can truthfully say I, in my own way, am a nature interpreter; especially a developing one. We all are. From interpreting our roles/relationships to our privileges, to art, to dissecting quotes, to music, and TO our own interests, ALL surrounding nature. My knowledge has grown enormously which has now allowed me to appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of these topics surrounding what nature has to offer, and reflect my own knowledge to educate others. I am positive there is still an abundance more that is unknown and I have yet to learn.

My personal ethic as a nature interpreter

As a developing nature interpreter, I believe my personal ethic has grown during this process which is gaining and presenting accurate knowledge. Therefore, being professional in my research and being sensitive to cultural misunderstandings is something I have conceded is important in this role. As I present and teach others I want to do it with integrity, and concisely. Beck et al. 2019 stated it is vital to exclusively use well-documented sources, as a well-inform people who will value and appreciate their resources to formulate and exclaim better decisions. Regarding this, the past posts and unit topic materials provided, I have gained a greater understanding of the importance of integrity, reflecting to educate others with pride.

What beliefs do I bring?

It is easy to say that I have an abundance of beliefs towards nature interpretation. I believe the importance of impacting one person at a time. I believe in the importance of inspiring others to understand and reflect my own or others knowledge. I believe in the importance of not just offering one continuous element, but educating many elements in nature; as nature is so diverse. I believe in accuracy and presuming up-to-date knowledge. Ultimately, I believe in impacting others with the importance of nature and biodiversity entirely; how it affects our lives as humans every single day.

What responsibilities do I have?

I hold several responsibilities as a nature interpreter. Here are 3 I ought are the most important ones:

First: I will ensure all learning styles of any individual I may cross is met. Whether visual, audio, reading/writing, or kinesthetics. It is important to convey information in a way suitable and understandable to others to effectively pass on past, present or future information. Regardless of their ethnicity, race or gender. Zero exclusivity tolerance, and inclusivity to all importantly.

Secondly: I will educate with integrity and accuracy. I will not assume information, I will hold truthful facts and knowledge regarding the specifics. As an interpreter, it’s critical to anticipate any misunderstandings that may arise and adapt it so that the original facts are communicated as efficiently as possible. Whether the knowledge is passed from me or from others, accuracy is important to impact.

Thirdly: I will always be enthusiastic and engaging. If individuals are not engaged, the transmitted information will not be cared for, held value, or passed on. For me this is easy to hold considering when I am passionate about any topic, I want to ensure or inform others how fascinating, important or educating it is. If others don’t see the passion in you, others won’t want to hold the same passion.

My suitable approaches

To me, my most suitable approaches for being an interpreter would be incorporating visuals and technology. These are forms in which I am most comfortable and common with using. In many ways I am able to effectively describe or teach certain things, and I feel as if nature could be one of them.

Visuals, nowadays, are very common. Many people like to see pictures and/or videos when someone is teaching them a topic. Therefore, my effectiveness with providing accuracy when seeing a visual for myself is a great way for me to show my interest and want others to be inspired as well. Pictures and videos also tend to grab individuals’ engagement.

Technology, on the other hand, can be similar in many ways but also have its differences. It offers the same aspect of visuals, but also even more. In this generation, technology is overtaking almost everything. Nature can be taught through live streams of species or landscapes, brochures, current living habitats, apps etc. This is also a great way to engage individuals within learning topics considering when individuals can learn from their phone or laptops with present visuals, being intrigued occurs and passion drives.

I have had a blast reading your thoughts and opinions, and also reflecting my own. I truly have learned so much from this course, and I am so very thankful I got the opportunity to take it. I hope you all continue diving deeper into nature as I will be, and I hope that nature can bring you light and positivity into your lives like it does for me.

References

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage. Van Haren Publishing.

scvenvs3000semester

Hey there, great blog post!

I wanted to respond specifically about your section about responsibilities. This section was a part of your post that I really agreed and connected with. I also think it’s important to make sure you meet everyone's needs when communicating and as an interpreter its our responsibility to have the tools to interpret for everyone. I agree that its very important that everyone gets the opportunity to learn and be exposed to nature no matter their circumstances. I really liked your second responsibility as well and think its very important that we as interpreters know all the facts and don't spread incorrect info to people. This is important because wee should be expecting that our audience is going to take the information we give them and spread it like wildfire to everybody they know, so we need to get the facts right or else we will just end up making ourselves and others look like fools and invalidate the real important aspects we are trying to point out. I agree with you about technology being a great way to engage people with interpretation, especially during these times when we aren't able to be face to face.

Great post,

slcenvs3000w22-deactivated20220

Blogpost #10: The End

Hi everyone,

When I initially decided to take this course, I didn’t know what to expect or what I would take away from this course. However, as I’m writing this last blog post and reflecting on the last 3 months, I feel that I gained interpersonal skills that could be advantageous for my career. Although the content surrounds nature interpretation, I believe that the knowledge I gained transcends this field and can be applicable to many different aspects, particularly in a vast range of careers. I intend to work with the public to communicate legal information and/or environmental law, which involves disseminating information. Do you think the content we learned can be utilized in your future career goals or outside nature interpretation? Additionally, I really enjoy talking about being environmentally friendly and teaching my friends and family about climate change. Rather than coming off nagging or boring, I can incorporate what it means to be an interpreter to effectively teach others.

As I develop as a nature interpreter, my personal ethic has undoubtedly evolved throughout this course. I think being authentic is the most crucial personal ethic that I have learned from this class. Being authentic is more than facts; it’s presenting an idea or a place in a way that the audience makes their own personal connection (Beck et al., 2018). Interpretation faces the difficult challenge of maintaining audiences’ attention, so I imagine there is a temptation to exaggerate or be hyperbolic to make the story interesting (Beck et al., 2018). However, it is important to stay in reality when conveying important messages as interpretation is built on the foundation of fact, truth, and science (Beck et al., 2018).

I believe that it is essential to allow your audience to develop their own meaning with what is being interpreted; this also answers the question of what responsibilities I have. Interpreters cannot impose their truth on people; therefore, it is my duty to give the background in a personal, honest, and exciting way to provide them with the materials they need to form their own beliefs, feelings, and values (Beck et al., 2018). I believe that interpretation is a powerful tool that can empower, motivate, and educate people. Especially for children, interpreters play a crucial role in introducing nature into their lives. It’s such a sensitive balance – one negative experience can deter them from interacting with nature or apathy. Still, a positive experience can result in a lifelong passion (Beck et al., 2018). With children being the future and many aspects of nature is threatened, I believe that accessibility to nature interpretation should be one of the top priorities.

Going back to our very first prompt (which seems like ages ago), we talked about our relationship with nature. Even though I grew up surrounded by concrete buildings and moved from one big city to another with limited interactions with nature, the small number of experiences with nature that I had was incredibly meaningful (as they always say, quality over quantity!). I attribute my current passion to saving the environment (particularly in our unfortunate situation with climate change) with the valuable memories I have with nature; from visiting the Algonquin Park with my family when we first immigrated to having the privilege to travel to beautiful tropical and rural areas of different countries. As I live far from my family now, I hold these trips very close to my heart, which only deepens my appreciation and regard for nature.

Being a nature interpreter is a heavy job because it holds many important responsibilities, and the quality of how you execute your responsibilities can impact an individual’s life significantly. First, since accessibility should be one of the priorities of interpretation, catering to different learning styles (i.e. audio, visual, and kinesthetic) is an asset. Secondly, interpreters need to be entertaining because good entertainment can hold an audience’s attention and evoke powerful emotions (Beck et al., 2018). This means that I take on a variety of roles – writer, actor, playwriter, blogger, musician, poet, storyteller, etc. Finally, I am responsible for creating a lasting memory or feeling associated with nature. Whether it’s immediate or 25 years down the line, I would strive to leave a mark on my audience and give them the push to be active - whether it is through spreading the message, citizen science, or pursuing a relevant career.

As an individual, I love to tap into my creative side and improve my artistic abilities in my approach to interpretation, such as creative writing. In addition, educating others with enthusiasm and making a personal connection with people would be ideal.

As technology advances, the internet becomes more accessible and becomes an integral part of many people’s lives, interpretation on the internet is a must. Particularly with underserved populations, language, physical, temporal, and economic barriers can be overcome. For example, having the option to switch to a variety of common languages on a site can be an excellent alternative for audiences to access information. Furthermore, economic barriers may include travel costs and fees associated with participating in interpretation programs (as we talked about as we unpacked our invisible backpacks), having access to the internet may be better suited financially for some individuals.

Thank you all for sticking with me and reading my blogs throughout this semester, and connecting with me through responses, likes, and reblogs. I thoroughly enjoyed reading everyone’s answers to these thought-provoking prompts. I hope everyone gained as much as I have, if not more, from this course! Stay healthy, happy, and I’d love to hear how everyone will maintain, grow, or start their relationship with nature onwards!

“We can have a world of peace. We can move toward a world where we live in harmony with nature. Where we live in harmony with each other. No matter what nation we come from. No matter what our religion. No matter what our culture. This is where we’re moving towards.” – Jane Goodall

Best regards,

Lisa Chung

References

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

Kerlin, K. E. (2022, January 20). Top 10 environmental law decisions of 2021. UC Davis. Retrieved March 24, 2022, from https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/top-10-environmental-law-decisions-2021

‘nature makes people happy, that’s what it sort of means:’ children’s definitions and perceptions of nature in rural Northwestern Ontario. HEAL. (2019, August 27). Retrieved March 24, 2022, from https://theheal.ca/2018/11/new-publication-nature-makes-people-happy-thats-what-it-sorts-of-means-childrens-definitions-and-perceptions-of-nature-in-rural-northwestern-ontario/

Trip to Canada : Online road trip planner. Authentik Canada. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2022, from https://www.authentikcanada.com/gb-en/travel-guide/holidays/tourist-office-algonquin-park

scvenvs3000semester

Hey there, very good final blog post! I enjoyed reading a lot and you provided good insight for me about this class.

To answer your first question, yes I definitely think I will be able to use nature interpretation in my career of environmental sciences frequently. I will need to constantly interact and communicate information to people who are not as knowledgeable as me, and this class heled a lot with that. I also agree with you that children are the future, and that making sure they have knowledge and exposure to nature should be a top priority. Algonquin park is a very special place to me as well, I live only 45 minutes from it so I've spent lots of time hiking and learning about the park. It is the place that I am most excited about to start my journey of nature interpretation. I agree that whether we like it or not, technology needs to be a part of nature interpretation in the future, we just make to make it so that it inspires the next generation about nature instead of disconnecting them from it.

Once again great post!

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.

Unit 9: The most amazing thing in nature

The most amazing thing in nature to me has always been how animals as big as black bears are able to enter hibernation throughout the long, cold, harsh winters of the north. I step outside of my door for a second to let my dog out in the night when its minus -30 and wonder how the heck all the wildlife could not possibly be freezing to death. The preparation state (hyperphagia) has always been fascinating to me, as its the period before hibernation when bears undergo rapid weight gain that if humans tried to do we would die. It has always amazed me how the are able to not eat, drink, urinate of defacate for 5.5 to 8 months, and reduce their oxygen intake to 25%. It seems so wild that animals that big are able to go through such a long period like that. A very interesting fact about bears is that Ideally, for every 18°F drop in temperature, an organism records 50 percent reduction in chemical and biological processes. The rule doesn’t seem to apply to bears though, who can lower their metabolism rate, despite dropping their body temperature by about 10 to 12°F. During hibernation, their heart rate drops from 55 beats per minute to 9 beats per minute. I have never seen a bear in its den or come out of its den, in fact I don't think I have ever seen a bears den in the summer. These animals like to be so secluded and unbothered that they choose to hibernate far away from where anything will bother them. Besides, would you want to be woken up in the middle of dreaming about all the berries and fish you're going to eat in the spring to the disappointment of -30 degree weather and snow everywhere! Bears are one of the most fascinating species out there and its so important that we protect them from all threats like habitat loss and climate change. Male bears are known for eating females cubs in the spring, which is why the spring bear hunt is a very important management tool to ensure young cubs don't get eaten by older males, because in the spring, hunters can only harvest a male bear, and usually the ones that are eager to come out to a hunter, are also the ones who eat females young.

igbenvs3000w22-deactivated20220

Music and Nature

This was a difficult blog prompt for me because I have never really associated nature with music. The only way I used to think about this was bird songs but as I thought more about this prompt I realized that music and nature are more intertwined than I had previously thought. Birds use calls and songs to both communicate with each other and to attract a mate. Birds are not the only animals to do this, whales, frogs and crickets all do the same. Many birds have their own distinctive calls by which other birds can distinguish them. Whales do the same thing but their frequency also changes between the species of whales, and then within species, many individuals also have their own calls. Another thing I realized was that the rattles of rattlesnakes sound very similar to some percussion instruments like maracas. These rattlesnakes shake their tails to ward off predators or attract and distract prey. A cool fact that I learned the other day is that movie producers use loon calls in their scenes to create an eerie feeling through the sound, loons are not native in any of these environments but are used for their chilling call.

When I think of nature in music, my mind goes straight to whistle notes. Whistle notes are extremely high-pitched notes that artists like Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande use in their music. These high notes always remind me of bird calls because the pitches are very similar. I also think of spa music in which nature sounds like rain or waterfalls are incorporated with piano playing. This type of music invokes a sense of relaxation and happiness. Most instruments are made with natural materials and music has been around for an extremely long time. There were flutes made from bones or wood pipes, percussion instruments were a favourite of prehistoric music instruments because any two things hit together that makes a sound can be called a percussion instrument. Natural materials are still used for instruments today, like wood for violins or animal skins to create a hand drum.

When I think of songs that remind me of nature, I think of two different songs; “rainbow connection” and “what a wonderful world”. Rainbow connection is a song from the muppets, it is sung by Kermit the frog. My grandpa introduced me to this song as well as introducing me to nature, we would always listen to this song while we sat on the porch watching the sunset at the cottage. The song also reminds me of a beautiful swamp/marshland as this is the background behind Kermit when he sings this song. “What a Wonderful World” is a song by Louis Armstrong and is from the late 1960s. This song is extremely popular and is featured in a bunch of movies, one of them having Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson singing the song. This beautiful song describes scenes in nature such as “trees of green, and red roses too”.

gmenvs3000w22

Hi Isabelle,

I really enjoyed reading your post this week. I agree with you, I never used to associate music with nature. It wasn’t until the pandemic began that I started to realize their connection. I began to spend a lot more time doing two things: listening to music and going outside. The release of the album “folklore” by Taylor Swift was a catalyst for me. I listened to this album a lot while I was out in nature, and I realized how connected they were. The lyrics in many of the songs use nature to create feeling in the listener. Like starting the song “august” off with the words “salt air” or “please picture me in the trees” on the song “seven.” This made me associate music with nature a lot more, and I began creating playlists for what scenery I would be around while I drove to BC this summer.

I also find it really interesting how many animals use music, but most people wouldn’t consider it that. There is even a group of birds that are called songbirds and bird calls are often called their songs. I like how you pointed out rattlesnakes, whales, frogs, and crickets too. I honestly didn’t think of those while writing my blog post this week. I think the sound of nature is something that’s always been calming to people. Whenever I go on a hike, I don’t like to have headphones in because I want to hear the sounds of nature. Even when I type the word “nature” into my Spotify search bar, all the top playlists that come up involve calming sounds.

Great post this week!

scvenvs3000semester

Great blog post I really enjoyed reading it and related to it a lot. I also had a hard time relating nature and music together and had never really thought about it prior to this unit. The first thing that came to my mind when asked the blog prompt question was songbirds singing songs to each other in the mornings. I had never really thought of all the other species that you mentioned like whales, frogs, and crickets. It got me thinking about other species that communicate as well and owls came to mind. The rattle on a rattle snake would also be very interesting to hear, and I hope I get the chance to hear it in nature one day. Loons are also a perfect example of great music in nature, and I have many memories of hearing them early in the mornings when its very calm out. I also liked your two song choices and it brought back some childhood outdoor memories for me as well. Its pretty crazy that songs are so powerful they can take you back to beautiful moments you experienced when they come on. Once again great post and keep up the good work!

Unit#7: Music In Nature

The questions posed for this weeks blog post are a very interesting topic and not one that I personally have previously related one thing to the other. I have never thought of the role music has in nature, or that nature has in music at all up until this unit. After reading through this unit it made me really start to make connections between music and nature, and by the end of it, I realized that I had always been connecting to nature through music and that I have always appreciated and listened to the different ways that music is in nature as well. I was just doing it subconsciously, and never took the time to recognize what was happening.

Where is music in nature?

When asked the question, “where is music in nature?” the one thing that comes to mind is the beautiful songs that the songbirds sing to one another in the early Muskoka calm mornings on the lake. This is the place that I have personally found music in nature. I have spent countless hours going outdoors to sit down, relax, and listen to the songbirds sing. They sing beautiful, calming, songs to one another that “lul” one to sleep if you get too comfortable! Music in nature has been a big help to me and even further expresses the true beauty of nature. It is the best stress reliever there is, and one of the most secure and calming feelings.

Where is nature in music?

Nature in music for me is the inspiration that it can bring to you when your around it. Nature inspires us to explore, share, and protect all the beautiful features it has to offer. There have been countless songs inspired by nature, singing about the beauty of the landscapes, the shining sun, the warm water, and the beaches. Nature inspires humans to make music, and music connects people and makes them feel good. I believe that nature is in music through all the inspiration it has provided songwriters to use in their songs to make the listener feel good.

A song that takes me immediately back to nature is “Californication”, By the Red-Hot Chili Peppers. Every time I hear this song come on it remind of walking through my grandparents’ fields in Muskoka watching a beautiful sunset on a warm summer evening. The amount of happiness this brings me is a feeling like nothing else.

dhenvs3000w22

Nature Interpretation Through History - Blog 6

“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)

Let’s unpack the quote…

I’m sure at first any individual reading this quote tried to grasp their own interpretation behind what Edward Hyams was conveying. Realistically in today’s society we have to interpret many sentences, quotes or even blogs when being conveyed from an individual's perspective. We do this naturally when it comes to reading social media or the news. I personally think that anything being read may resonate with a sparse amount of individuals in many different ways.

Nature interpretation through history allows the examination of the role of history, as well as how such stories, conversations or statements might be effectively presented through writing. Not always so clear, in which we must interpret for our own.

For me,

This quote, in my opinion, tries to impact readers to understand the value of history infinitely. It encourages readers to consider the possibility that historical events occurred independently of our recall or comprehension of them, although understanding they have still taken place regardless of presence. However, the relevance, value and passage of historical knowledge allows the importance of these events to remain valued as life progresses on. The world we live in and as our lives continue each day, can be known in some form to have been shaped by the abundance of all past historic events. This, I believe, gives history an immense amount of relevance and emphasizes the importance of learning and remembering our history. In reality, just because we may not know every entailed detail or further understand the interconnectedness of the event, does not imply nothing occurred or is any less significant than any other event.

Integrity in this case, I believe represents the historical event. If the parts of the historical event are scattered and some remain unknown or forgotten, that does not mean it did not occur. As time progresses we must know that in reality the importance of it remains historical because it impacted our society in small or large ways.

The train tracks arise a beaming thought in my head.

Remembrance day

As soldiers once fought for peace and independence for our country in the past, does not mean it is not relevant to today. We may not understand everything that occurred or the full puzzle, but we live today and reflect with poppies, a historical flower because of that past event. Nature interpreters can surely impact us with the importance of the knowledge and reflection behind the poppy flower, as for any historic landscape, species or landmass as the relevance should never fade. We celebrate and honour the soldiers that fought for us on Remembrance day with little knowledge of “ancient memory” or singular puzzle pieces for the sake of how we live on today. Just because we did not see it happen, does not mean it did not occur.

(“Puzzle-Pieces-Fitting-Together”, 2018)

“Puzzle-Pieces-Fitting-Together”. (2018). Crypto Hustle.

https://cryptohustle.com/blockchain-interoperability/puzzle-pieces-fitting-together/

scvenvs3000semester

Hey there, I really enjoyed reading your post. It was really well written and thought out. It confirmed my perspective on the quote. I also believe that this quote has a powerful impact in understanding the value in history. I agree that the quote opens us up to the idea that even though all the events occurred at different times they have all provided value to the present and provided knowledge, tools, and skills. The world we live in is completely shaped from these past events, which is why its so important to learn about. I also think that integrity in this quote represents the value and meaning in the string of events that create history. I really liked your example of Remembrance Day in your post to show how we still have value in the things that happened, even though it was only a piece of the puzzle that is history.

Blog #6: Unpacking An Important Quote

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 this quote is saying that there’s no good in old things, maybe because by themselves they don’t provide any value/significance in history, but when there is a build of events occurring throughout time, it starts to develop integrity, meaning and strength, in the form of history. History is history because it’s made up of different parts that are scattered throughout time, it’s what is “keeping together the parts of any whole.”. History is around today because of knowledge and memory of ancient things, and that’s what has kept it going. This quote then says that if you think or act in a way where you don’t appreciate the past, then it’s like passing a railway station when riding a train and only thinking the station existed while the train was there. I think that this part of the quote means that the integrity of history doesn’t go away with time, and that we use it every single day in our lives. Together as a whole, the past is very valuable to use, and we use in nature interpretation. All our knowledge has come from the past and the history of our ancestors, which is why we are able to teach others about it in nature interpretation and explain why things are the way they are. Also, the things that have happened in history can shape the way we interpret things, as we observe different things from history, whether its artifacts, buildings, ruins, or natural structures shaped in time.

askenvs3000w22

Blog Post 5- What have I been thinking about lately? Animal Tracks!

Hi everyone,

As a Zoology major, I’m always thinking about animals and hoping to share my love with others. Therefore, for this week’s open topic blog post, I would like to share my love for animal tracks!

Animal tracks are an amazing insight into the natural world around us. You might be thinking “but it’s winter and I haven’t seen an animal in months, aren’t they all sleeping?” The answer is, no! There are animals all around us, they are just very sneaky to avoid human interaction! But, we know something that they don’t - walking through the snow (or mud) leaves a trail that we can use to identify who was there and what they were doing!

By matching the track to a field guide of tracks (or Internet photos) using the number of toes, where the feet are placed, and size of the tracks we can determine what animal it is. We can understand the direction of travel by determining which way the toes are pointed or where the feet are placed.

Although I would love to provide a complete guide to the animal tracks of the world, I’ll just focus on the two most common species and one fun species whose tracks can be found now in Guelph, ON!

Squirrel: By far the most common winter animal (especially at the University of Guelph campus), squirrels leave a “bounding” track with their larger back feet “in front” of their front feet.

A set of squirrel tracks with student card for size. This squirrel is traveling towards the top of the screen (”up”).

Cottontail Rabbit: Another common winter mammal, rabbits leave a “bounding” track with their back feet in front and their front feet behind. This is similar to the squirrel, but tracks are larger and the front feet are offset (one in front of the other).

Cottontail rabbit track. Usually for a rabbit in-motion the front feet will be further behind the back feet but I think this cottontail might’ve been standing still. This rabbit is travelling towards the top of the screen (”up”).

Porcupine: Although not as common as squirrels and rabbits, porcupines can be found in Guelph in the winter (especially up high in trees in the Arboretum). Their track in the snow creates a cool “tire track” pattern from their feet and their tail dragging.

Porcupine track. Not sure which direction of travel. Image taken from https://northernbushcraft.com/animalTracks/porcupine/notes.htm

I encourage anyone interested to keep an eye on the snow for these 3 neat tracks or any others you find!

Thanks for reading :)

scvenvs3000semester

Hey there, great post! It’s interesting and important to know the different types of tracks in nature interpretation. Some common types of tracks we see here in Muskoka are Moose, Deer, and Turkeys. Over the years I have learned to decipher almost any type of track in my area. This is important because anyone who I take into the forest to teach, I won’t have to leave them with any unanswered questions. What other types of tracks do you see in your area? I think a complete guide to all the tracks in Canada would be a cool project and I think its something you should pursue in the future. Have you ever tried following tracks until you see the animal that’s leaving them? This is one of the most exhilarating feelings in the world and gets your heart pumping when you see the beautiful animal that left them.

Blog #5: How Nature has helped me in my life

Since this week’s blog post topic is one that we can decide what we want to talk about, I wanted to make this post about something that is important to me and has benefitted me so much in my life. The reason I’d like to share my experiences with nature and how it helped me is because I feel that my peers could also benefit in the same way if they experience nature in the perspective and method I have. In this blog post ill share some key ways that nature has helped me in my life, as well as posting some photos I’ve taken along the way, and also how you could also use nature to help you if you’re struggling.

I have been lucky enough to grow up in rural Muskoka with 500 acres of private property for me to spend as much time as I would like to explore (given there’s not 4 ft of snow or you can’t see in front of you for mosquitos). Ever since I was young, I have had a fascination with the feeling of being so far in the woods that nobody could hear my loudest scream. I always liked to play survival in the forest and build fires and forts out of tree branches. All throughout public school and even high school, I would use getting out in the woods away from the outside world as an escape. I didn’t realize it was an escape at the time, until I didn’t have to ability to do it when I moved away for university. Being out in Nature helped my stress levels immensely because when you’re out there, it’s a stress-free environment and no reasons to think about what else is going on in your life.

I’ve spent hours in the bush alone, kilometers away from the next human. Something I’ve learned from these experiences is that the only thing that truly matters in life is the things that you truly connect with and make you happy. If you keep that connection alive, nothing else can bring you down or hurt you. For me that is nature, its so beneficial for me to have it to always be there for me because I know that when things get tough, Ill always be able to turn to it.

I would encourage everybody to get out in nature alone, start slow, and find somewhere you are comfortable being. As you get comfortable being in nature alone, push yourself to spend enough time out there for you to make some sort of positive thought, a sort of way to make the best of what you’re doing.

acenvs3000w22

Blog #4: Nature and Art

When thinking about how I would answer this week’s blog prompt of “Who are you to interpret nature through art?” I found myself struggling to answer this question. I thought about this question as “do I have the qualifications to interpret nature through art?” Nature is beyond beautiful and to have someone like myself with hardly any professional training in the arts attempt to capture and share it with others - would I be doing a disservice to nature and professionals? I am by no means a Picasso, or Mozart, or Lee Stetson, but I would like to think that I would be able to inspire others through art.

Some paintings my friend and I have done for fun throughout the years! Painting is something that has offered me a sense of relaxation and allowed me to express my creativity. My friend and I always talk about how although we are looking at the same reference picture with the same set of supplies, our paintings never look the exact same as we interpret what we are painting differently. I painted the last picture with my friend as well, however, due to covid it was over zoom and we were unable to have our canvases side by side :)

As nature interpreters, we are storytellers – speaking on behalf of nature, culture, and history. This chapter in the textbook opened my eyes as when I initially thought of nature and art, I zoned in on the aspect of the visual arts while neglecting the other forms such as theater, dance, poetry, and music. As the textbook states, you are really only limited by your own imagination as to how creative you can be when seeking new and engaging methods of interpretation. These other forms of the arts can have a huge impact on eliciting emotion, which in my opinion is one of the most important goals as it allows for the audience to feel inspired. For example, the video in our previous unit included Dr. James Raffan singing a song called “The Last Place” about the 1978 Temiskaming Tragedy. Beck et al. (2018) states that songs work to 1) get the facts to stick in the minds of listeners, 2) paint a picture in the imagination, and 3) reach the emotions of the listener” – all of which was conveyed through his song. When Dr. Raffan was speaking of the story, the knowledge about the situation was received, however like he stated, words on a paper would not be able to convey the grief and anguish of the situation.

A gift: “a thing given willingly to someone without payment; a present” (Oxford Languages, 2022). When thinking of “the gift of beauty”, I am so appreciative that we can live in such a beautiful world and (by definition) aren’t expected to repay nature. However, by interpreting nature and wanting to inspire others to work towards resource preservation, using nature’s beauty can be one tool to achieve this. Additionally, beauty can look different to many people as we all come with different backgrounds and lived experiences. For example, a swamp may not appear to be “beautiful”, however, someone who studies ecosystems for a living may appreciate it that much more knowing the value it provides in terms of its ecosystem functions and services.

Paintings by The Group of Seven in the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) that I took in 2018.

I personally love and am fascinated by how as diverse as people are, we can still find common ground in acknowledging the beauty of nature and how ubiquitous it is. Even things as little as the first snowfall or daily sunsets, we find meaning and beauty in everyday life.

Quick question: do you think art imitates life, or does life imitate art?

Until next time,

Ashley

References:

Oxford Languages. (n.d.). Retrieved February 3, 2022, from https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/

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

scvenvs3000semester

Great post! I was really fascinated by you and your friends’ paintings, how you built off the nature culture and history chapter of the textbook, and the interesting question you posed at the end. I also really found a good connection with the song “The Last Place” by Dr. James Raffan and the three points you referenced about art and nature. Overall I enjoyed reading your post and Ill tell you a little bit about why.

I really think that the picture of the paintings you and your friend did relate to my unit 4 blog post where I was talking about how art is beautiful from nature because you can see how others interpret what they are seeing through the art they did. I can see that there are quite noticeable differences between you and your friends paintings even though you were probably both looking at the same view when drawing it. I think art is important for this aspect because art now lets us see the different ways you and your friend interpreted that view and that doesn’t really come out in anything but art. I also like the point that you made about not being a Picasso but still being able to inspire others with your art, this is important because more people need to know that everyone can make some form of art no matter how much experience they have. I related with the points that (Beck et al. 2018) said as well. I think that songs can be a good tool to convey facts or tough information that might be hard to speak about, bring out emotions in people, and paint a picture in their minds. Songs stick with people; I know this personally because there are some songs that if I listen to at anytime, they will bring out emotions in my head and paint a specific picture in my mind. Lastly, to answer the question you posed, I think that art imitates life, because humans are the ones who decide what art is, so without humans, there would be no art.

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

Blog 4: Interpreting Nature Through Art

I think that humans have always drawn towards different types of art to admire the gift of beauty as well as interpret nature more deeply while making it last beyond the real time view. There are many types of art that can be used to interpret nature, like drawings, paintings, photography, and sculpting’s to name a few. When we are out in nature, we very much appreciate and interpret it as the most beautiful thing in the world that we wish we could make last longer than just with your eyes. I think this is the reason humans love nature art so much, because it allows the beauty of the landscape to last beyond being at the location. The artist can spin the art in whatever way they interpreted it, which makes every piece of nature art from every artist different.

This is a picture that my grandmother painted, her way of interpreting the beauty of a bull moose that she once observed for up to an hour. She often paints scenery around beautiful Muskoka and sends it to her friends who live in the city. This allows her to share a connection with her friends in the city and gives her friend the chance to interpret the beauty of Muskoka from my grandmother’s point of view.

I think it is very valuable to make art out of nature, because it allows people to see into how others interpret the gift of beauty, something that is impossible to express to someone unless it is through art. This is a landscape painting of a local lake on a cloudy day, with real rocks from the location on the painting, popping out as if they were there.

My personal favorite way of representing nature through art is photography. Some would argue that photography isn’t truly art because its just a picture of what was seen in the moment. I would disagree with those people, because some photography catches the perfect moment at the right time, that can never be replicated again. That is true art in my opinion, that gives everyone an opportunity to interpret a beautiful moment their way, and they can then share that connection with others who see the same photos.

hsenvs3000w22

Blog Post 3: The Realms of Life Brought Together by Nature

My working definition of privilege is someone who has access to opportunities that others may not due to certain life circumstances. In the video ‘Social Inequalities Explained in a $100 Race’, the person asking questions put a focus on the fact that one’s life circumstances are separate from their own personal choices. I believe that privilege has a lot to do with uncontrollable life circumstances that people are born into.

In relation to nature interpretation, privilege can play a huge role in the amount of exposure a person has to nature experiences. For example, throughout my life I believe the most exposure and direct learning opportunities that I had with nature are when my family and I stay at our cottage 3-4 times a year. This is where I learnt how to swim, start a fire, navigate through the forest, play with frogs, and go fishing. If it wasn’t for my parents, I would not have the opportunity to learn as much as I have about nature through visiting the cottage. However, not everyone has similar life circumstances or opportunities which is why it is important to consider each person’s individual story and experiences that shape their perception of nature.

The textbook highlights that in order to serve and relate to your audience, a nature interpreter should first put some effort towards getting to know their audience. A few ways to do this is to ask questions and speak with people as they arrive to gather their motivations, interests, and goals of their visit. The most important question being why visitors have chosen to come to a specific location. That way, the interpreter can shape the experience to fit visitors needs whether that be for entertainment, relaxation, a fun group activity, or to see unique attractions.

Relating back to privilege, each visitor brings their personal beliefs, values, experiences, knowledge, interests, and abilities to their visit. These are all based on the opportunities that the visitor has had access to throughout their life. Therefore, each visitor is different and it is important that as nature interpreters, we don’t assume the knowledge or feelings of others. Rather we shape the experience in a way that can be relatable and meaningful for each visitor and their unique background. This definitely isn’t an easy task however, we can use communication and offer opportunities that allow visitors to connect with nature in a way that is meaningful to them.

What are some ways that one aspect of nature, such as a waterfall for example, can be interpreted differently amongst a group of visitors from different realms of life?

scvenvs3000semester

Hey there great post! I totally agree with you about your definition of privilege. I also found value in the video “Social Inequalities Explained in a 100$ Race” because it really makes you realize that there's nothing you can do about the situation you're born into. I also like how you used the example of privilege of your family having a cottage to stay at compared to someone who doesn't own anything other than their condo in the city. I live with a lake behind my house and a river in front in rural Muskoka so does that make me even more privileged than you when it comes to nature interpretation? These are questions that are useful to put thought into and can make you see others perspectives. The textbook has a big emphasis on knowing your audience and the level of privilege that they may have compared to you in their life. Good job relating this back to privilege, because I think its one of the most important aspects in connecting with your audience and communicating with them effectively, after all, that is the main goal in nature interpretation!

Thanks!

Great post

Blog 3: Privilege In Nature Interpretation

The definition that I perceive privilege to be is when a special advantage or right is only available to a certain person or group of persons. Privilege shows up in almost every aspect of life, anyway you look at it. There will always be those more privileged than others, and they will have people more privileged than them. Much of it has to do with what you were born into, and what your parents were born into, and so on… It also has to do with geographic location, for example, an argument could be made that you are privileged if you grow up in the city compared to rural areas for certain aspects like better access to services, social systems, and costs, but on the contrary, it could be argued that you’re more privileged to grow up in rural areas for things like cleaner air, better mental health, access to nature, no neighbors, and peace and quiet.

I believe that privilege does play a part in nature interpretation since not everyone has had access to nature their entire life depending on where they live, so even if they wanted to, they may not be able to find the type of nature they want to interpret. I personally have been privileged by growing up in rural Muskoka with lots of property to enjoy and gain knowledge and experience from. I might be more privileged in this way than someone who grows up in downtown Toronto, because they might only be able to go on a family trip once a year to Algonquin park and that’s all the nature they see. But on the other hand, someone who lives in the city could be considered more privileged than me if they are wealthy and go on multiple trips a year to rainforests and traveling the world, seeing more types of nature than I could ever imagine.

This could ultimately end up being unfair for some people considering going into nature interpretation because if they were to apply for a job, the person who has been privileged enough to have the knowledge, experience, and skills for the job will end up getting it. Not because the other person isn’t capable of the job, but because they didn’t get the same opportunities as me throughout life. I think its important to realize these privileges when you have them and understand the invisible backpack that we all carry relative to one another because it’s very easy to let it go unthought about, when its such an important issue we need to focus on changing.

odenvs3000w22

Blog 2: My Ideal Role

My goal as a natural interpreter is to work from the small scale to the large scale. My current job could be interpreted as interpretation, as I work as a general labourer and gardener for Ecoman, a landscaping company that works exclusively with native plants. The company’s owner, Jonas Spring, is a biodiversity enthusiast whose central philosophy is that of ecological reference, ie creating landscapes within the city that take reference from corresponding natural spaces. For example, a condo balcony could be planted with species that thrive on cliffs. A shady suburban yard can be filled with woodland understory plants. A garden planted in a former parking lot is filled with plants that can thrive in hot, direct sun.

This garden was one of my first big jobs with Ecoman. I like to think that we tore up a parking lot to build paradise (which I hope would make Joni Mitchell happy!), or more specifically, a garden in front of the Native Child and Family Services centre in Scarborough.

Stewardship of the natural heritage of our ecoregion is necessary a part of this work. Through the plants we chose to work with, as well as the design choices we make, we are constantly communicating to the clients—and to any one else who might admire our work—about the importance of supporting native species, about biodiversity, and about respecting natural heritage. To me this fits in with the definition of interpretation as a tool which “takes people from passive appreciation to exciting understanding of the cultural and natural environments they experience.” (Beck, Cable & Knudson, 2018, p. 13).

In the future I could very well see myself continuing this work on a larger scale. Native gardening has become an exciting frontier thanks to the efforts of scholars like Douglas Tallamy, who points out that most land in North America is privately owned. If this land were to all be landscaped with native plants, it would vastly outnumber the size of any national park, and be a powerful force in supporting the genetic pools of native plants, as well as the insects, birds, and mammals that feed on them (Tallamy, 2007). To pursue this work I would want to continue my education as a budding ecologist, in order to better understand the interrelations between native organisms and native gardening, and how best the latter can be utilized in order to support biodiversity. I would also want to be skilled at then communicating that knowledge and experience to the general public—and of course clients. Native gardening can be a useful tool in extending habitat and creating continuous area of greenspace; however, it is only effective if the organisms who inhabit these spaces can get from one to the next. Therefore learning how to effectively engage the largest group of people I possibly can in getting excited about native gardening is my primary goal in my development as a natural interpreter.

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

Tallamy, D. W. (2007) Bringing Nature Home: How you can sustain wildlife with native plants. Timber Press.

scvenvs3000semester

Great post, I have also worked in the tree planting business in Muskoka and I totally agree that when you are done you get a good feeling because you know you doing what you can to help out. I'm glad that you're choosing to continue on with this and wish you the best of luck. The concept of planting native trees in very urban areas is very cool and so is the spatial management aspect of it. I do have one question. Even though most of the land in north America is privately owned, a lot of this is used for agricultural purposes and is necessary for food sources, would you propose replacing these fields with native plants? Or would you take a different approach so that its incorporates native trees as well as crops? A cool part of urban gardening that fascinates me is urban farming and roof top gardens, which are other great examples of great use of space. Have you ever explored into the field of urban farming? It is a great use of space, benefits many types of species, filters CO2, and provides food for people without harmful production and shipping emissions. Once again great post!

02: My ideal role as an interpreter

My ideal role as an environmental interpreter would be to use my knowledge of the processes in the environment to educate others as well as improve it. I would ideally like to work in western Canada at a national park working to provide knowledge for visitors and information for the park on how to best fix environmental issues. I would ideally be providing tours for visitors, as well as monitoring and advising the park for anything issues that need attention. This role is vital in protecting our national parks from people and ensuring that these parks last for centuries to come.

A picture of the national park Mount Revelstoke, it is 270 square km big and is in British Columbia Canada. This park would take my top pick out of any others in Canada.

This would not be an easy job and is not something anyone could do. Some skills I would need for this job are to have an abundance of real-life experience and knowledge with the surroundings in that area, as well as a degree in environmental sciences. The degree is important because it will provide me with the knowledge to know every biological and chemical process in the environment. Another important skill to have would be to have lots of patients, because not everything in nature happens quickly. I must be very good at recording observations and conveying the information I am seeing. Another necessary tool to have would be to have lots of cultural knowledge in the area because it is important for people to know the significance of the cultural relationship that some species have with humans.

An interactive sign that is used to educate visitors about the history, characteristics, and cultural aspects of the forest in front. These types of signs can be very useful in protecting the area in front because when people read about the importance of it, they will think twice before destroying it of littering on it.

I think this job would be perfect for me because I take pride in the amount of knowledge I know about the environment and it makes me feel good to educate others for the good of the environment. Education is so important because the more people know, the better they will be able to preserve and protect our planet. I also really enjoy being in nature and can sit quietly for hours watching my surroundings and am passionate about doing whatever I can do to better the environment. I love western Canada and it is one of the most beautiful and pristine areas in the world, which is what makes it so important to protect as well.

ejenvs3000w22

My Relationship with Nature

My relationship with nature has evolved extremely over the last 20 years I've existed on this planet. Living in Vaughan, just outside the city of Toronto, I was always surrounded by tall skyscrapers, concrete roads, commercial property, and suburban housing. Simply, I never had a strong relationship with nature when I was growing up because I was never surrounded by it. When I was in Grade 11 in high school, I had the opportunity to travel to Italy for a month with my classmates and learn about the civilizations that previously dominated Europe. Before that trip, I did travel to Italy once before, but I was to young to remember. I also travelled previously to typical vacation destinations like Florida and the Caribbean. On those numerous trips, I was very much surrounded by nature and different kinds of environments that you do not typically see in Ontario like palm trees, mountains, and white sand beaches. Every time I came back from vacation I would always hate where I lived because the places I visited were way more beautiful than the landscapes here in Ontario.

When I visited Italy for the second time, my mind was blown away from its landscapes and made me realize how beautiful our planet is. That trip really changed my perspective on our environment and how our entire planet is filled with different landscapes that are beautiful in their own way. No matter where you are on Earth, you are surrounded by the planets own unique landscapes. After that trip, I was committed to appreciate the place I called home and to utilize Ontario's environment more than I every did before.

After moving to Guelph for University and once the pandemic hit, I was continuing to grow my appreciation for nature as I began to run more, have walks with my family, and travel up north to our cottage. My family offered me a sense of place after we purchased our cottage; knowing we wouldn't be able to travel outside the country for a while. My family and I began doing daily walks and that made me have a deeper connection not only with nature but with Ontario's nature. The cottage became a mini vacation destination for my family and I, while still being an hour away from home. I realized that Ontario can be a vacation destination having hot climates, beautiful northern landscapes, and sandy beaches. I began to appreciate the environment I lived in and how any environment in any part of the world is beautiful in its own way.

During the first lockdown there was nothing I wanted to do more than to go outside. I hated staying inside because during quarantine that was the only thing we could do. I took time out of my days to go outside and take a moment to appreciate nature. Today, I have a great love for nature and our environment. The pandemic made me realize how much nature and the outside can make you feel better, create more positivity in your life, and having a connection with nature is one of the most useful connections any human can have with our planet. Now, I have grown to love our environment, use it in a way to make me a healthier being, and find methods in which humans can become more sustainable to protect it.

scvenvs3000semester

Hey there! I totally agree with you, about how during the lockdowns being outside was the best thing that one could do, I spent lots of time in nature throughout the lockdowns and bonded with it more than I have ever before. Its really interesting how you have seen different types of nature in Europe and Manitoba. I would love to be able to travel out of Ontario. I like how you used the lockdown to connect with nature instead of being cooped up in a house all day. Great post and good luck in the future!

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

Sams Nature Blog