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Unit 10: My Experience in Nature Interpretation

As the semester and our blog posts come to an end, I’m left feeling very reminiscent after reading the introduction to everyone’s blog posts this week! When I first decided to take this course, it was at the recommendation of one of my roommates who had taken it last year. I needed an elective to add onto my course load and she described her experience in the course and how much she enjoyed it as an Ecology major. I will admit, I was skeptic at first as she explained the weekly blog posts on Tumblr but to my delight, they ended up being a nice way to reflect on my relationship with nature. As I learned over the course of the last 10 weeks what is considered a nature interpreter, I realized that I’ve indirectly been one for a while now. From simpler ways when I was younger such as relaying a fun fact about an animal I had learned at school to my parents, to being the person communicating interesting animal facts to kids of the same age! It took me a few weeks in this course to realize that I had spent an entire summer working as a nature interpreter at the Toronto Zoo through the role of a camp counsellor. My job was to interpret facts about the animals living at the zoo to expand the knowledge of my campers, and also include some environmental concepts as well. This taught me so much about nature interpretation firsthand, and I didn’t even know until 2 years later that this is considered a form of interpretation!

After reading the questions within the prompt this week, I decided to first reflect on my time as an unknown interpreter to see what beliefs, responsibilities and approaches I had used before this course. I found that honesty was an extremely important factor that I tried to incorporate with my audience, especially with a young audience as kids can be very curious. I find this is an extremely important quality for an interpreter of any kind to possess, as honesty leads to further education and interest. Although with kids this can be tricky as sometimes they aren’t ready for the full truth of some topics, it is still important to understand what truth they can handle. An example of this from my time working at the zoo revolves around ecophobia. Ecophobia is essentially the worry over environmental degradation or destruction and can be extremely taxing on one’s mental health. While it is important to educate an audience on the effect of humans or climate change on an area, species, or the planet in general, ecophobia is something to consider when deciding what information to relay to kids. If the conversation becomes too gloomy or depressing for a group of 5-year-olds, this in my opinion is an unsuccessful interpretation. The experience should be informative and honest, but not lead to feelings of helplessness or depression. This leads to my next biggest responsibility of a nature interpreter which is having an overall message or purpose to your interpretation.

As this is nature interpretation, I’ll be talking about interpretating biological concepts specifically, although this responsibility still applies in general. When I think of interpreters of nature, I envision anyone who discusses a natural phenomenon, landscape, species of animal or plant or even an interaction that occurs in the wild. While these can all be explained to an audience for the simple purpose of being entertaining, I think there has to be a reason as to why the interpreter is educating others on these themes. Education is typically one of the most common reasons, although there are many other reasons as well. My personal time at the zoo also had a reasoning, and it was to educate the kids on amazing animal species and the things they do. It was an important responsibility to me that I often tied together any fun facts with some kind of educational factor, such as conservation for example. Having an underlying message like this can help the interpreter tie their conversation together towards the end, and can help them be better in general as they understand the importance of their job.

The approach that I found the most suitable was through having a solid understanding of your information and also being passionate or enthusiastic about it. These two factors go hand in hand and while an individual can be one without being the other, a good interpreter ensures they are both. Being knowledgeable about the topic you are discussing may seem like an obvious responsibility, but it was something that always stuck out to me on days where I felt like I wasn’t being the best interpreter I could be. There were days at the zoo when a member of the public would see me with my campers, wearing a staff uniform and approached me with a question about one of the species. While I was taught a great deal of information on the animals residing at the zoo, it was all at the level of my audience and therefore not always suitable for an adult. There was one day when a parent had approached me while I was working and asked how much an adult orangutan weighs. This was not something I knew off the top of my head, as 5-year-olds wouldn’t typically remember or care about this type of information, I told them I honestly wasn’t sure. They were understanding, thanked me anyways, and moved on with their day but I remember feeling annoyed at myself as an interpreter for not knowing the answer. While this is something that often is inevitable as no one knows the answer to every question that could be asked of them, as an interpreter it can be frustrating. Ensuring that I know as much information about the topic as possible was my best approach to avoid this as well as understanding that there will always be questions that you might not know the answer to! Lastly, being passionate is one of my best approaches to nature interpretation and something that benefitted me greatly. Audiences can tell when someone is actually interested and enthusiastic about something, and it makes it much easier to enjoy and pay attention to. Personally this came very easy to me as I have always loved talking about things I’m interested in and animals happen to be one of my biggest passions! I found this made it more enjoyable for my audience as well as myself and is definitely something I would suggest to future nature interpreters.

Thank you all for reading my posts, I hope you enjoyed it just as much as I did reading yours! Good luck to everyone with the rest of their courses this semester!

etenvs3000w23

Unit 10: Nature Interpretation's Role in Environmental Sustainability

If I were to be totally honest with myself, the only reason I took this course to begin with was to fulfil a credit required to earn a certificate of environmental conservation when I graduated. There were very few options as to what credits I could take, and this one was available so I jumped at the chance. But I could not have been more lucky in taking that chance. That is because from the start of my university career I have consistently asked myself ‘what if I went the other way?’ I ask myself this because when I graduated highschool I was at a pretty big crossroads. I had spent my years in highschool volunteering as a student journalist in addition to taking the required science credits to go on one of two career paths: that of the scientist or that of the journalist. I of course took the route of the scientist, but again, what if I had gone the other way? This thought persisted, and as a result I have always valued the chance at learning how to integrate what I learned in science with that of communication, unfortunately I haven’t had as many chances to build these skills as I would have liked. Enter: this course.

In taking this course I unknowingly received the perfect opportunity to do what I’d always wanted, interpret what I’d learned in my zoology major and gain the skills to present it to a larger audience. Over the course of this semester I have learned way more about nature interpretation than I could have predicted, and I am definitely leaving this class a better communicator than when I began. So then, what have I learned?

I think one of the most important things I learned within this course was the importance of ethics while communicating. I’ve always tried my best to consider my audience when creating a project, but at the end of the day I am just one person with one point of view. Something that stood out to me while taking this course was the emphasis placed on privilege and the part it plays in experiencing nature and the lack of opportunities faced by those who lack it. In my own personal ethic I have always strived to be empathetic, honest, and responsible for my actions. But, what this course has allowed me to do is see the ‘invisible backpack’ described by Gallavan (2005) that many people carry with them. In considering my own code of ethics I need to be responsible in not making assumptions about certain groups, and know that not everyone has had the same opportunities as I have. Like many people I have felt the guilt of having these opportunities when others don’t, but rather than continue to think that simply feeling bad about my place in our society is enough, I know I have to strive to do better and make personal goals for myself. In other words, in order to be a good communicator I can’t just provide for one audience, but all audiences. It is so easy to tell people that if they want to experience nature then they should just go outside and touch the grass as they say, but this is not as easy as people think. There are hundreds of invisible barriers people with privilege who perceive their norm as the cultural norm simply cannot see. Economic barriers, cultural barriers, communication barriers, and so much more. It is learning about these barriers, and working with the people who face them that we can find ways to overcome them and provide less privileged people with interpretation catered to their needs rather than the same run of the mill experience that may be equivalent to others experiences, but not nearly as impactful.

I mentioned before how I once wanted to become a journalist rather than a scientist, and how I am still striving to be a better communicator. Communication is a broad term that has many different definitions. If I wanted to communicate with someone, I could do so using visuals, or music, or writing, or even through dance. Over history, different cultures have found different ways to interpret nature and communicate lessons learned from it to the next generation. For me, my skill set lends itself to utilising writing as the best approach to nature interpretation. Not only am I more confident in the written word, I am creative as well, or at least I try to be. Both the textbook and Strauss (1996) describe the importance of anecdotes and imagery to engage the audience. I know that throughout my life the lessons I have remembered the most were the memorable ones that had a great story behind them. It's part of the reason I can recount twenty hours of lore for major sci fi franchises and yet can barely remember my first year chemistry class. What sticks with people are experiences, and if you can engage people with nature through an immersive and creative experience, they will take that lesson and repurpose it for themselves.

Next year I plan to take a year off science and pursue a graduate certificate course in creative writing. I am in no way giving up science, but what I am doing is trying something new, and something I have always wanted to do. I have learned that influencing people to learn science through media such as fiction and other forms of creative writing can be just as impactful if not more so than discovering the facts in the first place. I hope to one day use what I have learned in this class and the rest of my undergrad to not only continue to be a responsible scientist, but a scientist who can communicate creatively with the next generation and inspire them to consider not just their own needs, but everyone's needs when it comes to nature.

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018b). Chapter 5: Guiding Principles of Interpretation. Interpreting cultural and natural heritage : for a better world. (pp.81-101) Sagamore Venture.

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018c). Chapter 7: Serving Diverse Audience. Interpreting cultural and natural heritage : for a better world. (pp.105-123) Sagamore Venture.

Gallavan, N. P. (2005). Helping teachers unpack their “invisible knapsacks.” Multicultural Education (San Francisco, Calif.), 13(1), 36–36.

Strauss, S. (1996). The passionate fact : storytelling in natural history and cultural interpretation. North American Press.

skgenvs3000w23

Hey Emily!

I appreciate you starting off this week’s final blog post with some brutal honesty! I think many students in the course, including myself, can relate to deciding to take this course simply because we needed an elective and the idea of nature interpretation sounded interesting. To be honest though, this is the only part of your personal experiences described within this post that I could make direct connections to with my own life. This made it for even more of an interesting read as I got to understand someone else’s initial approach and use of course content that doesn’t directly relate to my own experience! The whole section on using nature interpretation in creative writing and journalism was not something I had considered, as not a very good writer myself. I have always been more on the scientific side of things unlike you who seems to have a foot in both the scientific and creative writing doors. I really enjoyed reading about your experience as someone who uses writing as their best approach to nature interpretation. I wish you the best of luck in your graduate certificate course in creative writing! I’m confident your newfound knowledge on nature interpretation will benefit you greatly!

Shelby

tgenvs3000w23

My Role in Interpretation: Nature and the Environment

For me, as a developing nature interpreter and a growing human, there are a lot of values and ideals that are important to stay true to when I’m out there in the world, observing and interpreting. I’ve discussed and reflected throughout this course about who I am as an interpreter, so it’s only fitting to share that as I sign off for my final blog.

I remember mentioning in my first blog post how I felt this field of conservation and interpretation is where I was meant to end up. I wanted to talk more to that and why I chose to pursue this type of work.

First off, I was an anxious kid when I was younger, not that that changed very much. I remember learning about climate change in science class, and it blew my mind when I found out this isn’t how it’s always been. There was a time when people didn’t worry about their emissions, or fret over a hole in the ozone layer, or talk about tipping points and irreversible damage and the ocean levels swallowing us whole.

Not every generation was told they were the last hope.

I had originally wanted to become a vet. I always say I changed majors from Animal Biology to Wildlife Biology and Conservation because I didn’t want to be doing the same spays and neuters for the rest of my life. The truth is, when I first heard about WBC, I was drawn in and it felt like I had this “aha moment” where I realized my purpose and where I would excel. Since then, I’ve learned just how to fulfill this purpose. I’ve heard over and over that it’s hard to make a career out of animal/environmental care and conservation. But that’s not why people rally to make these big movements for conservation, raise awareness, and advocate through their interpretation. So what drives us, what drives me?

I’m not in it for the money. I know I’m selfless and honest and respectful and empathetic. But these aren’t the values I want to describe just me, I want these ideals to be associated and intertwined with my interpretation, to guide and direct it.

Selfless

Selflessness means putting others before yourself. When I say I think it’s important to be selfless as an interpreter, what I mean is that you constantly have to be thinking about the audience you are providing your interpretation to. Interpreters aren’t doing this service just to hear themselves talk or just to cash a cheque. I became an interpreter because I cared about getting important messages out to people that want to listen. You can’t disregard your audience because they are the reason we interpret, and they are how our interpretation will spread.

Honest

As an interpreter, I never lie to an audience, and I will always stick by this. I won’t make an issue bigger than it is, but I also won’t sugarcoat it to lessen the sting of reality. People are seeking interpretation and its services because they want to learn. I want my interpretation to be meaningful and relevant. We discussed in Unit 6 the importance of integrity, mostly in regard to historical interpretation, but this ideal is applicable to interpretation as a whole. It’s my job to make my message entertaining by itself, not add useless, half-true, or distracting filler for the sake of entertainment. An interpreter’s role is to lay out the facts, and move people to make them care about the message.

Respectful

I feel this one is pretty self-explanatory, but the idea behind this is that people copy what they see. Of course, we want to practice respect all the time, but sometimes people forget that applies beyond human-human interactions. I think it’s not only important to be respectful of the people I talk with, but also of the animals I may handle to demonstrate messages, or the plants I pass on a nature hike, or just the way I talk about my appreciation for the environment around me. I think it’s especially important to verbalize to an audience the respect I am showing when demonstrating appreciation for something because it encourages mutual respect between them and me, and also them and their environment.

Empathetic

I want to be mindful of other people and how my interpretation may be further perceived based on different privileges. I think this was an important topic we reflected on in the course earlier, and moving forward something I will be (and already have been) conscious of when designing my approaches for interpretation. I think being empathetic can make me a better and more effective interpreter this way since I am constantly thinking about how to be more inclusive by changing my message, delivery, target audience, etc.

I aim to inspire people with my passion and enthusiasm for wildlife and environmental conservation. Sometimes I want to inspire action and change, other times I just want to make someone care. Not all of us interpreters will be reaching the same audience, so it’s important to work together so that we can rally everyone together for a common goal, a positive experience that can one day lead to positive change.

Art, science, technology, and teaching are the approaches I tend to gravitate toward as an interpreter, and I think are best suited to me as an individual. I like to use these four in combination because they can have different effects on how your message is presented and interpreted. Teaching is personable and unique, but so is art. Art doesn’t require much talking sometimes and can lead to deep reflection. Science is cool and fascinating, and also empowering for audiences. Technology is becoming more accessible and can elevate interpretation.

I didn’t leave myself very many words to summarize my post, but I hope some people out there relate to some things I’ve said and have more to add themselves. I definitely could go on, so if we meet on the other side of this screen, let’s chat about nature interpretation! You can tell me what you learned and I will share what I have too. Cheers to a good semester, best of luck.

Teagan :)

skgenvs3000w23

Hey Teagen!

I really resonated with your post today and I genuinely felt inspired while reading it! I was able to find some similarities and make connections between your personal experiences and my own which made it that much more enjoyable. I too started off in a different program than what I’m currently in, switching from Environmental Science (majoring in Ecology) to Wildlife Biology and Conservation in my third year! I originally thought I wanted to become a vet but after working at one during high school, I quickly realized that it wouldn’t be as fulfilling of a life as I had hoped for. I had always wanted to make a difference within our world and environment and not to say vets don’t make a difference, but I just found myself wanting to go in a different direction. This is where I started looking into environmental science and conservation as a future. Like how you described, not many people were overly supportive as most people would rather go into a field where they can make the most money possible and live a comfortable life. This is why I really appreciated how you went into depth on the importance of selflessness as a nature interpreter! It isn’t often a role taken on for the monetary benefit and so selflessness is a big responsibility within this field.

Great post and awesome use of pictures as well!

Shelby

Sense-making of Nature Interpretation

As a wildlife biology and conservation major, I found this topic to be the most difficult to pick a topic for so far! I knew from the get-go that I would initially choose an animal and interpret all the fun facts I knew about it, but choosing the actual species proved to be a difficult task. As someone who has experience working hands on with a variety of native and exotic species, I have a good amount of baseline knowledge as well as fun facts ready for use. For these reasons, I decided to choose to write about my knowledge and experience caring for raccoons! I worked last summer as a general wildlife care intern at a wildlife rehabilitation and will be returning this summer as a staff member in the raccoon nursery. Between the months of last May-August, we had admitted and taken care of around 250 raccoons ranging from orphaned litters of babies to badly injured adults. While most people who live in cities or even in rural areas consider raccoons as a pest species, they are funny creatures that deserve respect as well. Educating the public on their role within the environment and how to help their species as a whole is a great way to bring awareness. We do private tours of the facilities as well as open houses on every Saturday so the public can come in, see how we operate and learn some information about protecting native wildlife. One of the best ways they can do this is by slowing down on sections of roads that are known to be highly trafficked areas for wildlife crossings. This helps reduce the number of animals hit by vehicles and in turn can reduce the number of orphaned raccoons.

My job as a wildlife care member is to feed, clean, vaccinate and medically treat any raccoon that is admitted to us. Depending how old they are when they first come in, they are either fed 3 or 4 times a day with a specific powder-based formula that acts as their mother’s milk that they would be usually eating in the wild. Once they grow older, we supplement their diet with a kibble-based dog food, provide them with cooked egg for protein and some form of meat, typically a ground beef. This mimics their diet in the wild so that once they're released, they can find similar sources of food that give them the same nutritional content. Once they are old enough to move outdoors, they begin living in one of our outdoor enclosures to start being introduced to the natural habitat and climate. One of my favourite parts of raccoon rehabilitation is watching the sweet babies turn into the typical angry raccoon or when they ‘wild up’ as we call it. Although this can seem sad as your favourite creatures no longer enjoy your presence and consider you their mother, it is an indication of a job well done. If an animal doesn’t wild up and consider humans a threat is typically not able to be successfully released and therefore your job was not completed properly! Although it may seem sad to see them go, they are always better off living their lives in the wild where they belong which to me makes it a redeeming process.

tgenvs3000w23

The Most Amazing Thing About Nature: The Hawk Lifestyle

I'm going to use this blog as a little plug for some nature interpretation happening at College Royal on campus this weekend! I've mentioned volunteering with Wild Ontario before, a program that uses non-releasable raptors for nature and science education about native raptor species! (9-4 Saturday and Sunday in ALEX200!!)

Anyways, time for the blog! I personally am a big fan of a commonly seen raptor in southern Ontario, and that is the Red-Tailed Hawk! There are many cool reasons I think these guys are the most amazing thing in nature and I like to think I know a lot about them, so let's get into it!

First, my favourite thing to tell people about red-tails, is that this beautiful buteo above (Freyja, non-releasable RTH ambassador with Wild Ontario), is the voice actor you hear in all of those western American movies and it is not in fact a bald eagle you hear. Bald eagles are rather wimpy sounding, but red-tails are majestic.

Hollywood muddies the waters.The call of the red-tailed hawk is frequently used as a generic spooky sound effect in television shows and oth

Now, everybody often raves about how fast falcons are, or how stealthy owls are when it comes to hunting. But I think what makes the red-tailed hawk so awesome is how relatable they are, because they are SO lazy. Now, of course, I mean this with the utmost respect, after all, I said these hawks were my favourite thing about nature (and heck I even have one permanently illustrated on my body) so of course they're freaking awesome.

Now, hawks have adapted this lazy lifestyle to save on energy. Red-tails are often referred to as "highway hawks" because that's where we can often see them perching. While they are perched on hydro wires and telephone poles, these guys are actively hunting. Their method of choice: waiting. They won't go chase down a speedy squirrel, or travel all the way across a field to a rabbit they saw, even though they are definitely capable. They will wait, and wait, and wait, for an hour and even longer. These hawks will wait until some sort of animal like a frog or a snake stops right under where they are perched, and that is when they jump on their opportunity, literally. Hawks will just plop down onto the ground to catch their prey. And if they don't catch anything, it's all good because they didn't use that much energy.

(Sibley, non-releasable RTH ambassador with Wild Ontario)

Another super unique thing about red-tailed hawks is their incredible eyesight. They can actually see 8 times better than we can! This means if you were to back up until you could no longer see the text below, a red-tailed hawk could be 8 times that distance and see it just as well.

I feel like I could talk about how epic red-tailed hawks are all day, but to keep this concise I will end this blog here. Here's a recap of what we've gone over, and why these guys are the best thing in nature:

talented voice actors in movies

lazy BUT relatable and respectable

insane eyesight

I hope that you maybe learned something new, and also developed a love and appreciation for red-tailed hawks like myself! I look forward to reading everyone else's blogs, have a great St. Patty's weekend everyone and stay safe!

Resources

Liebermann, A. (2022). The Calls of the Bald Eagle and Red-tailed Hawk. Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NrD4OvLiT7k

skgenvs3000w23

Hey Teagen!

I really loved reading your post today, and I love how it related to Wild Ontario being at College Royal this weekend! This was a great way to plug the event and have people come on out if they want to meet the red tails in person. I think this was a really well written post and your use of pictures really helped to break up the text and make it more interactive. The addition of the Youtube video was also a great tool that allows your audience to further educate themselves if they feel particularly interested in the topic. My personal favourite interactive method you included in your post was the red-tailed hawk banner that allows the audience to see how good their eyesight is compared to a bird of prey. This is a cool example that works for both kids and adults which makes it the perfect tool for any kind of audience you could be speaking with. I personally work at a wildlife rehabilitation and had never before interacted with birds of prey before last summer. I’m not the biggest bird person on the planet and so working with injured birds of prey was extremely exciting but also nerve-wracking at the same time. They are amazing creatures that are both fragile and dangerous at the same time and I think your blog post did a great job in displaying that.

Great post overall and good luck with the rest of College Royal!

Shelby

Unit 07- Nature Interpretation in Music

Music in nature can be found everywhere! Gray et al., 2001 provide two great examples through the use of bird and whale calls. While these are two very different noises, they are still great examples of how factors in nature can be considered music to our ears! Another example of music in nature that I personally love as a reptile/amphibian fanatic is frog croaking. Frog croaking while enjoyable to listen to by itself, brings me a sense of excitement as it reminds me of the little parts of the ecosystem that work together. This initial song of theirs reminds me that even though you can’t usually see them at first, they’re often close by and just hiding in tall grass or weeds.

Gray et al., 2001 mentioned that humpback whales in the same breeding area sing the same songs which evolve year to year, but that whales in different oceans sing totally different songs. After reading this, I began to reflect on the music in nature that reminds me of the summers I spent outdoors as a child, cicadas buzzing. When hearing a clip of this noise I’m immediately transported back to playing in the hydrofields near my childhood home with my friends. To me, the sound of cicadas buzzing is the sound of my childhood summers, but the comment about the whales from different areas singing different songs made me reflect on the experiences of others. While some individuals may also resonate with the buzzing of cicadas, others might consider the sound of a river flowing or loons calling as their most prominent musical tie to their childhood summers.

While I struggled a bit more to attempt to answer the prompt of where nature is in music, I eventually thought of one of my favourite verses in one of my favourite songs. The chorus in the song “Everywhere, Everything by Noah Kahan” relates to nature in a way and I think that’s one of the reasons that I appreciate it.

He sings:

Everywhere, everything

I wanna love you ‘til we’re food for the worms to eat

‘Til our fingers decompose

Keep my hand in yours

At first when hearing these lines, I was left thinking about how sweet and romantic they were but after thinking about the ‘nature in music’ side of it I can appreciate it even more for a different reason. Noah Kahan often sings about nature within his songs, does anyone else listen to him and what is your favourite line that references nature?

Gray, P. M., Krause, B., Atema, J., Payne, R., Krumhansl, C., & Baptista, L. (2001). The Music of Nature and the Nature of Music. Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), 291(5501), 52–54. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.10.1126/SCIENCE.1056960

acmenvs3000w23

Nature Interpretation through Music

Hello Everyone,

I thought this was an interesting topic to read about. Music plays a role in many of our lives and it’s interesting to see it from a different perspective. Music is all around us in every possible crack and crevice. I use music to get away from the daily hustle and bustle. It clears my mind and just lets me relax. Now to think where music is in nature the answer is its everywhere. Whether you’re in the boreal forest listening to sparrows, warblers, chickadees, and others chirping along to the rustling of wind in the Sahara Desert to the middle of the Pacific Ocean where humpback whales produce sounds to communicate. We cannot escape it. Gray et al. (2001) discusses the many forms of music used by different species and how everyone has their own sort of way of showing it. Some are obvious like humans and birds but others such as whales are difficult to interpret. Gray et al. (2001) mentioned that the song structure used by whales is similar to ABA form which is also used in many differing songs by humans. We also have other forms such as AABA, ABAB, AAB and others. Furthermore gray et al. (2001) talks about a universal music that is waiting to be discovered. Imagine if we could discover this universal music. It would open so many possibilities. What would be the first thing you would do if there was a universal music?

Now let’s talk about where nature is in music. Mallarach (2012) mentions on page 130 that folk singing performances may offer the community with new strengthened meanings with links to the surrounding nature. The music is being performed to specifically connect individuals with nature. The nature is the reason the songs were made in the first place. Mallarach (2012) further goes to explains on page 130 that specific messages can be placed within songs to better communicate to the audience. These folk songs and many other songs from around the globe are created to show meaning and to remember the beauty and sacrifice that the land and nature has gone through. Songs hold scaredness. The ways these songs communicate towards the audience changes people views. Different instruments, vocals, pitches, and other music terms presented can alter a song and change where meaning is placed. In what ways can different instruments, forms, rhythm, and others alter that way a song is perceived?

I live in a small town in the country so really any songs related to country music bring me back to natural landscapes. I just imagine the times where I was working outdoors, helping my parents, or going on a road trip. It was always country music. Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw, and many others. They just have a certain vibe that makes me feel at home. Driving down the road windows down country music blaring basking in the sunshine just admiring the open landscape, different crops, and the beauty all around me. What are your favourite types of music?

Aaron

Gray, P. M., Krause, B., Atema, J., Payne, R., Krumhansl, C. & Baptista, L. (2001). The music of nature and the nature of music. Science, 291(5501), pp. 52-54. DOI: 10.1126/science.10.1126/SCIENCE.1056960

Mallarach, Josep-Maria (ed.). Spiritual Values of Protected Areas of Europe: Workshop Proceedings. Bonn, Germany: Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, 2012. 170 pp. ISBN: 978-3-89624-057-6.

skgenvs3000w23

Hey Aaron,

I enjoyed reading your post today, you included some ideas that are new to me which really made me think but also some more personal details that I could relate to! I like how you included different forms of music in nature, from the smallest of animals like sparrows to huge ones like whales. You also mentioned interpreting music in nature like through whale songs, which brings me to think about the differences of traditional music that we listen to everyday versus music from nature. The music we listen to when walking to class or taking the bus has been created for this exact purpose, for humans to listen to and enjoy. Music in nature, such as whale songs, is just as enjoyable however was created for communication between the species and not for our entertainment. To me, this brings a sense of beauty that regular music doesn’t always have. While many musicians create their work because it’s something they love, not all artists have this same motivation behind creating music. For some it is simply a source of income or steppingstone on the rise to fame, which can often make it less enjoyable and unauthentic. Nature in music on the other hand never has an ulterior motive, it is most often a form of communication between their community however it is still beautiful to listen to! So, while to some whale songs might not be as entertaining as listening to Harry Styles’ new album, I think we should learn to appreciate the beauty behind it.

Thanks for sharing your post this week, I really enjoyed expanding off of your ideas!

cmenvs3000w23

Nature Interpretation & History

As we continue to work through the topics and themes of the course, I’m finding my own understanding of what nature interpretation is and what it looks to be constantly evolving and expanding. At the start, I’m almost embarrassed to say, but I had a very rigid and unoriginal view of what nature interpretation looks like out in the field. It may be due to my own job experiences, but guided hikes, overnight field centre trips, environmental education programs, was the extent of what I associated with the topic. After working through Unit 4’s topic of Nature Interpretation through Art and now this week's topics of Nature Interpretation through History and Writing, I’ve been reflecting on my own practice in the role of nature interpreter and have come to the conclusion that I’ve been greatly lacking in harnessing cross curricular interpreter skills.

Creating effective nature interpreter skills can only be enhanced by understanding and incorporating the methods for planning and learning that are successful in other subjects such as art, writing, and history. From now on, I’m planning on making a conscientious effort to remove myself from viewing my programming strictly from a science based lens when creating new lessons. I often find myself going through waves of “writer's block” after creating what feels like the 100th lesson on an environmental topic, and I’m hoping this new perspective is a breakthrough in offering some new inspiration.

When exploring the topic of the importance of History and how it relates specifically to Nature Interpretation, it almost seems like the perfect fit. As mentioned by Beck et. al (2018), History and interpretation as well as the written word is meant to elicit an emotional response, by allowing the reader to relate their life to a story of the past. I think that History often gets a bad rep as being boring and dry due to the limited exposure with the subject in the intermediate senior years, focusing more on politics, ancient civilizations, and world wars. I actually loved my experiences with History classes thanks to an amazing animated teacher I had in high-school, who did a fantastic job of using methods from the arts to spark an interest and connection between us the students and the time periods we learnt about. He would get on all fours to enact as best he could what trench warfare looked like. Unfortunately, the curriculum for intermediate/senior grades (at least in Ontario) only exposes us to this narrow version of what History learning is, and I believe that for many students who did not get lucky with a passionate history teacher, the interest in History as a topic ended there. But as we know, History is a broad overarching topic that can be applied across all others including music, science, politics, art , food etc, and in order to gain a better understanding of the present state of a topic, any topic, we must understand the whole story.

Rock outcrop in Killarney Provincial Park, where the rocks are between 1-3 billion years old. Geological history, mind blowing (to me).

“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)

One of the ways Miriam Webster defines Integrity is “The quality or state of being complete or undivided : synonym - Completeness. I found the quote by Edward Hymans to relate extremely well to a theme I’ve discussed a few times throughout my blog posts: my goal for nature interpretation: inspiring environmental stewardship and ultimately caring for nature. Creating experiences for learners that only allows them to interpret what’s in front of them in the moment, the now, is limiting in the potential for eliciting an emotional response and connection to the program. I believe that taking the strategies of writing and history interpretation, where one uses the past to foster a connection to the present, can only enhance the quality and overall goal of nature interpretation. Rather than observing a 200 year old maple tree for its sheer size and sap production, let’s take ourselves back through time to when that maple seed first helicoptered down to the forest floor. What events has this tree lived through? Was was happening in each of them? After which experience are learners more likely to feel a connection and understanding of the importance of that tree? A completed story is one of integrity. "It is critical to preserve and interpret memories so those memories can inspire action today” (Beck et. al, 2018, p.327).

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

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Hey!

I really resonated with your post this week and I found myself intrigued with your honesty in how your initial idea of nature interpretation was limited. I think being honest in how our initial ideas were restricted before entering the course is the first step in expanding our knowledge on the topic. I too had an unoriginal view on nature interpretation in real life before reading through the content each week, so I’m grateful especially for the units that include the art and history aspect. Your paragraph where you mentioned your animated history teacher in high school is a great example of how a good interpreter can take a topic known for not being the most exciting, such as history, and turn it into an interesting learning experience. I also had a similar history teacher in grade 10 who was able to keep my interest on themes that I usually would have no interest in. Even to this day I can find myself losing interest in historical topics when at different monumental sites, so it definitely isn’t an easy task to be an interpreter and I applaud those who are able to keep it stimulating.

Another part of your post that I thought was really well done was the picture you included of the rock outcrops at Killarney. This was a really great example to pair with the quote from Hyams as he highlights the importance of keeping the memory of the past alive when it comes to ‘ancient things’. The rock outcrop at Killarney is not something that the average person would visit and immediately understand the geological history of, which is exactly why Hymans stressed the importance of interpreters in historical naturalism!

Great work this week!

Unit 06 – Nature Interpretation through History

In this quote, Hyams depicts the connection between physical objects and their importance in terms of historical value. He places much focus on the necessity of upholding the historical meaning behind archival records or artefacts. Interpretation plays a vital role in remembering and keeping the meaning behind certain objects, events or in the case of nature, landscapes. Hyams highlights the importance of integrity in interpretation as it is able to piece together the memories behind ancient things. With nature interpretation specifically, these memories are important within landscapes as they are constantly changing, whether natural or due to human activities. Interpreting the history behind these natural areas allows individuals to create connections with the past, forming values that guide living in the present which in turn contributes to unified communities (Beck, Cable & Knudson, 2018). This connection between the present and how these landscapes used to be bridges the gap between how human activities such as climate change and land development can put pressure on these spaces. This is another example of how interpretation allows for individuals to make personal connections that typically lead to them placing value on the conservation of natural spaces.

A connection I made as an example of what Hyams is describing in this quote, is on the historical value of Stonehenge in England. While this site is very cool to look at without knowing the history behind it, the main attraction portion of the site is due to its past and what it represents. Hyams said there is ‘no particular merit in ancient things’ which in this case is not fully true as Stonehenge does have an aesthetic value to it, however the reason it is such a highly visited site is not just due to this. The interpreters that work at Stonehenge provide visitors with history on its significance and allow tourists to connect with the site on a deeper level. The interpreters maintain the connection with integrity and pass on their knowledge and generations of memories of ancient things or in this case, of the stones.

While Stonehenge is a very big example of how interpreters maintain this connection between the past and present, this also takes place in smaller forms. Within Canada, there are interpreters within the parks who play a role very similar to those in England. There are natural history guides who inform visitors on the history of the land and its formation, creating this connection. So, while this form of interpretation can take in big forms, it is also important on a smaller scale and in this case, it can make for an even stronger and personal connection.

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

Interpreting to the Future Generations

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

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

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

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

Shelby

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

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

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Week 5 - Reflecting on ENVS 3000 So Far

Without a specific prompt this week, I took the chance to reflect on the work I have completed for ENVS 3000 so far this semester. By completing readings and reading my peers’ blogs, I had the opportunity to broaden my perspective. As well, I reflected a little on the beginning of the podcasting process.

Yesterday and earlier today, I had the chance to read through two blogs for the PEAR evaluations. Reading my peer’s blogs in their entirety was an interesting experience. I was able to see how others consistently approached each of the prompts with a unique perspective and thought to integrate the course content. Reading about how others in the class discuss nature interpretation has led me to think about nature interpretation in my life.

Going into ENVS 3000, I thought of nature interpretation in a very narrow way. I thought I would mostly be learning about how to explain certain aspects of nature and why plants are distributed the way they are. After the first few weeks, and after reading my peers’ blogs, I think of nature interpretation in a much broader way. I now consider paying attention to the little things in nature and appreciating nature’s beauty as part of nature interpretation.

One way I have noticed that I interpret nature in my daily life is by being able to tell when my snake is getting ready to shed. Based on his colouring and behaviour patterns, I can usually guess when he is about two weeks away from shedding. As well, I interpret nature regularly is appreciating the beauty of my two betta fish, Lab and Kirk. It is amazing to me that nature can produce so many colours in such a small space; the fish themselves are almost like natural pieces of art.

My fish Lab. Unfortunately he is camera shy so all my pictures of him are a little blurry.

This is Kirk, he is a bit more of a show-off!

And finally, my favourite picture of my snake, Tribus!

Another way my perception of nature interpretation has expanded is by working on my podcast. I was not quite sure where it begin with making a nature interpretation podcast for children, but with the help of my group, we were able to decide on coyotes and their interactions with humans. I think this is an interesting topic and I am excited to dig deeper into it. While I am excited to work on the podcast, there have also been some challenges.

A challenge my group faced while working on the podcast was trying to create an engaging podcast for 8-12-year-olds without making it too childish. The maturity difference between 8 and 12-year-olds can be significant, so my group wanted to make something that would engage the youngest and oldest of the age group. We eventually decided on presenting facts in a silly, but not too juvenile way, and discuss a real news story from Guelph.

Something that has gone really well with my group is engagement. We were able to quickly set our first meeting and all members were present and engaged. This allowed us to form a positive relationship, which helped with planning future meetings and sharing ideas. I look forward to continuing to work with my group members on this assignment.

Reflecting on my experience in ENVS 3000 makes me excited to see what the rest of the course brings!

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Hey Maya!

I really enjoyed reading your blog post this week and I will admit, your pictures of Lab, Kirk and Tribus definitely caught my eye! I thought it was a very cool idea to use your ‘free write’ this week to reflect on your experience within the course so far. It was almost like a half-way through the course content reflection post. I also had a fun time going through the profiles of my peers and reading their posts all at once for the peer review. That assignment really allowed me to make connections within their own writing and identify some common themes. It felt like a more personal assignment than usual as it allowed me a look into their individual writing styles!

I also really liked how you discussed your own version of nature interpretation through observing your snake’s behaviour and noticing when he starts going into shed! I am a huge reptile nerd and have two geckos of my own that also show specific signs when they are beginning a shed. This was a cool connection that I didn’t even realize was a form of nature interpretation until you mentioned it! It really just goes to show that nature interpretation is all around even if we don’t notice it right away. Overall, great post and thank you for sharing!

(Your pictures of your pets inspired me, so I’ve attached pictures of my geckos, Beans and Zuka, to share with others as well!)

Shelby

Week 4: Interpreting Nature Through Art

As an individual who is not relatively artistic or creative, I found difficulty in identifying how I personally interpret nature through art. I’m not necessarily one to spend much of my free time admiring art in forms of paintings, drawings or even sculptures. Growing up I never really had an appreciation for creating art as I have always been the type of person that couldn’t sit still long enough to create something beautiful. I’ve also been known as a perfectionist for the majority of my life which means I’m never fully satisfied with the art I’ve created.

After reading through the blog posts of my peers this week, I’ve begun to understand that art doesn’t always revolve around specific mediums such as paintings or drawings. It can include performance arts as well as other types of visual art including photography. Photography has been something that I’ve always initially gravitated towards as I’ve never felt the pressure to make sure the pictures I’m taking are perfect (unlike how I feel when I’m attempting to paint). Often times when enjoying time in the outdoors, I will take pictures of landscapes, plants or animals that bring me joy or remind me of a moment. Due to this, I feel less pressure and more enjoyment when partaking in this form of art.

This week’s content has also brought me to consider visual art as an aid in the overall concept of nature interpretation. My idea of nature interpretation highly involves the education of an audience in an attempt to bring more appreciation to all things nature. As a visual learner myself, I am able to grasp concepts and remember them more clearly when provided with visual aids or graphics. When in nature, art can be used for this exact same purpose and can assist others in furthering their appreciation for the natural world. Instead of explaining something such as an environmental concept by itself, an interpreter can use visuals to boost interest and retention of the material.

The gift of beauty, as defined in the textbook revolves around the idea of appreciating the beautiful parts of nature while simultaneously feeling a sense of connectivity to it, ultimately leading to feelings of wanting to protect and conserve it (Beck et al., 2018). To me, the gift of beauty allows others to place intrinsic value on an outdoor experience which while not the most ideal way of connecting others to nature, creates a beneficial sense of connection. Once this connection has been formed it is easier for individuals to further enjoy nature and feel a sense of place within it. How do you use the gift of beauty to connect to nature?

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

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Interpreters are Artists!

Anyone can interpret nature through art! It is an interdisciplinary way to reach many audiences with different means by peaking different interests in art (music, dance, theatre, visual art)! They often encourage viewers to interpret in their own way and not to think about what the composer meant for them to learn (page 228).

There are many arts in interpretation: theatre, storytelling and poetry, music, dance, and visual arts. In the past I never thought to interpret art during my science journey, but I have since learned that art can integrate biological and social sciences, and emotion and intuition, for effective communication (page 218). I always expressed love for nature through visual art but never thought that my photography could be shared to help people learn and interpret to have meaning, they always were something personal and meaningful just to me.

Yes this owl is beautiful, but it mainly means something to ME as a symbol of my passed Grandpa. What could it mean to someone else? I hadn't thought of that...

“The gift of beauty” to me means that we should not allow others to destroy nature for their own profits at the expense of others (page 41). Nature is a gift that sustains life, provides humans with sustenance, and helps with individual growth as a person (page 46-47). Being able to see the beauty in everyday life ensures good mental and spiritual well-being and allows feelings of love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization (page 47). Interpreters help people develop an ethical sense of place and role in their world (page 54) which allows their audiences to appreciate the landscape and nature. This gift allows us to be well-rounded people and allows for health in many sectors of your life. The gift of beauty allows people to exercise in these spaces (physical), relax or get inspired (mental), and gather with friends (social). The gift that nature is allows us to flourish in all aspects of our lives because of the beauty it provides. If the space was not beautiful, it may not attract a wide variety of people and thus the beauty that draws people in allows us to directly benefit in various aspects of life.

“The gift of beauty” could also be interpreted as that you see beyond selfishness and are able to see that nature is beautiful. There is no doubt that some people will exploit nature for their own profits at the expense of everyone else (page 41) but some people can see past their greed and have the gift to see the beauty that nature is and all it has to offer as it stands! It allows the ignition of the participants’ fascination and curiosity surrounding the natural world (van Boeckel, 2015). See beauty can move people in many ways and can strike on emotions and empathy which can help with change of how we currently live to more sustainable because we do not want to see this beauty disappear!

This is beautiful and perhaps you just see a waterfall, but to some you feel peace when you see this! How could someone tear this out and build housing here? If there was a motion to develop this area, and this photo was shown, how would society react? It may be controversial to tear this out if this is the photo that they are sharing of the space to develop. Might get public uproar and may to too controversial to continue because of the power of its beauty!

References:

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

Van Boeckel, J. (2015). At the heart of art and earth: an exploration of practices in arts-based environmental education. Environmental Education Research, 21(5), 801-802.

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Hey!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog post this week and I definitely resonated with the part where you discussed the different arts in interpretation. I don’t find myself to be a particularly artistic person and so this week’s topic seemed a bit daunting for me initially. I appreciated how in your post, you mentioned that you also didn’t realize that photography was an important aspect of art in nature interpretation. As most people in nature typically do, I also highly value photography and being able to capture a moment in the outdoors so I can remember it forever. Photographs can be extremely personal, like your picture of the owl, but also can be beautiful in a different way to others who don’t understand the personal meaning of it to you.

Photographs can even be used in the idea of the gift of beauty. While some of us nature enthusiasts are lucky enough to be able to go outdoors and see amazing sights like the second picture you posted, not everyone has this opportunity. This is why taking pictures of amazing landscapes and being able to share them is an amazing gift that can allow others to experience a portion of the world’s natural beauty. It can be used as a form of nature interpretation for people who may not have the chance to actually experience this firsthand, which is an amazing thing!

Great work this week!

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Unit 1: Launching Into Nature Interpretation

My current relationship with nature drives me to seek out new experiences outdoors, be it for some sort of exercise-based activity, or for something more reflective. This past summer, my relationship with nature strengthened considerably due to a new job working in my hometown’s parks, as well as making the decision to start running again.

At this point, I would describe myself as an avid runner, and I find the opportunity to focus exclusively on myself and the natural space I am in to be incredibly calming. By being outside while tuning out the stresses and worries of other components of my life, I find that I can better appreciate the parks and natural spaces in my area. The sense of place it provides me instills a sense of gratitude for the specific environments I used to play in as a child and continue to use through exercise.

Attached is a photo from my family’s 2022 vacation to Eleuthera, an island in the Bahamas, on which I maintained my running routine as best I could in the brutal tropical heat. While the route I took could be described similarly to the forests and fields of my hometown on paper, the difference in climate and vegetation provided something new. I think that experiencing nature in new ways like this is important, as while I could appreciate the gorgeous scenery and new challenges the heat provided, it also made me even more grateful for the spaces I can use at home. No natural space is the same and experiencing the nuances of each allows for a deeper appreciation of the sometimes similar and sometimes varied ways they can make you feel. When I returned home, I found myself excited to run at the park near my house again, with a renewed sense of appreciation for a running route that began to grow a little stale after a summer’s worth of repetition.

While this story is a little more recent, I have always felt a similar way about being in nature and am continuing to learn about my relationship with the environment to this day. As mentioned above, I spent a very large portion of my childhood biking through and running around forests near my home, and various hobbies such as paintballing and riding BMX continued to strengthen that desire to be outside into my adolescence. Some of my earliest memories involve going on hikes with my grandfather, and the times I spent with him outdoors influenced my interests in nature and ecology greatly.

Looking back on my previous experiences in nature and how my relationship with the environment continues to evolve, I am excited to continue chasing these new experiences and appreciating the old ones, while gaining a more advanced skillset to interpret these spaces and what they mean to me.

Disclaimer

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.

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Hey!

I really enjoyed reading your post and being able to relate it to my experience with nature, while also admiring our differences. I’m not the most active person in the world and while I’ll always appreciate a good hike, I’m definitely not a runner so I found it interesting to hear your perspective of nature through running. I thought it was interesting how changing up the natural scenery you’re in was able to re-spark your passion for running. As a previous ecology major, I am someone who is always thinks about how we as humans can be an asset to nature, so I enjoyed reading about how it actually benefitted you in this case. Nature is an amazing thing that always continues to surprise us!

My family and I also went on vacation recently and it gave me a bigger appreciation of the environment I’ve grown up in. Coming home from our trip was a pretty jarring in terms of the temperature drop but it also made me more admirative of my natural surroundings and environment. Sometimes a change of scenery is all that’s needed to truly cherish the world we’ve grown accustomed to.

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Unit 3

To begin, I think that it is important to define the word “privilege” before diving into the question. I believe that the word privilege describes a person or a situation that is appointed an advantage or set of advantages due to their luck, wealth, family, etc. With that being said, those who are privileged tend to view the world and nature in different ways than the average or unprivileged person does.

In the context of nature specifically, people who are privileged have a different sense of nature and the way that they interpret it. For example, someone who is able to travel every so often definitely has a larger palette of what they have seen. This goes from hiking the most beautiful mountains, walking down tropical trails, and even swimming in the most exotic waters. These are a few examples of extreme privileges, but others can be as simple as living near well preserved areas and forests. I, myself, consider myself to be quite privileged in the sense that I am able to take nature in with all of my senses. By this, I mean, I have 20/20 vision which allows me to see my surroundings; I have my sense of smell which allows me to breathe in the fresh or not so fresh aromas of a hiking trail; I have full hearing which allows me to listen to the sound of waves crashing or branches snapping below my feet; I have two legs and arms which allow me to feel bark on the tips of my fingers or sand between my toes; lastly, I have my sense of taste that would allow me to taste fresh maple syrup from a tree or dirt if I were to trip and fall. Also, I have been lucky enough to travel and see amazing parts of our world from other provinces in Canada, down to the tropics, and across the ocean to different parts of Western Europe.

To circle back to the role that privilege plays in nature interpretation, I believe that we are all privileged in a sense to be living in Canada and having nature around us. I read a post that was titled “Exposure to nature is a privilege, and a pathway to environmental care” which I believe to be so true (Scott, 2022). Being surrounded by greenery and wildlife is a fascinating thing, and we are fortunate enough to live in a country that encourages environmental acts. Especially Guelph, we are run by a Green party that respects diversity and ecological wisdom that ensures individuals are doing their part in respecting nature.

All in all, I believe that nature interpretation is dependent on many factors that are not just privilege related. There is a combination of factors such as age, place of residence, personality and interests that combine together to allow for individuals to interpret nature. In conclusion, the way people interpret nature is personal and unique in comparison to others.

Scott, M. (2022, February 23). Exposure to nature is a privilege, and a pathway to environmental care. Earthbeat. https://www.ncronline.org/news/earthbeat/exposure-nature-privilege-and-pathway-environmental-care

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Nature interpretation is most definitely an individual experience that is unique for everyone. Privilege can play a big role in one’s relationship with nature, whether they’re aware of it or not. I thought it was interesting how you were able to make connections between nature and privilege in big and small ways. I think typically the first connection people make between the two concepts is through the bigger ideas such as hiking in beautiful mountains like you mentioned. Not many people are able to recognize that there are smaller things that we should be grateful for such as having all five of your senses in order to be able to fully appreciate nature. This is a form of privilege that I don’t think would immediately come to mind for most people when discussing privilege in nature interpretation. However, having full use of your five senses is an amazing ability and not something to take for granted. It would be very thought-provoking to do an activity in the outdoors where you 'turn off' one of your senses and see how it changes the overall experience. For example, you could close your eyes and see how this alters your ability to appreciate and even interpret nature. Overall, I enjoyed reading your perspective on this week’s question regarding privilege in nature and I look forward to reading more of your posts!

Unit 03: Risk and Reward

My working definition of privilege involves the unearned reception of certain advantages to a group of people, or individual. These privileges are often passed down through generations and typically revolves around identities such as race, ability, socioeconomic status, sexuality, and level of education (Mcintosh in Noel, 2000 p. 115). While many people who live a privileged life are afraid to recognize it, it is an important topic to discuss in order to fully understand the power imbalances that result from it.

Privilege is just as important of a concept within nature interpretation as it is in everyday life. One of the ways I recognize that I am privileged in terms of my relationship with nature, is through having parents that placed values on our natural environment. Not everyone has the same opportunity to grow up in a family that has an appreciation for nature as I did. I am able to recognize this as a privilege as it is not something that everybody grows up with, and not something I ever worked to earn. I was simply born into a family that happened to share the same love of nature as I did, and this ultimately shaped the course of my life. One way this privilege unfolded as I grew up was through travelling. I have been fortunate enough to have parents that understand the value that comes with travelling and can set aside enough money for our family to go on trips. This has benefitted by relationship with nature greatly as it has allowed me to learn firsthand about different environmental topics such as ecology and conservation in other countries. This has bettered my ability as a nature interpreter as I’m able to spread the knowledge I’ve learned on trips with the people around me.

This privilege has benefitted me throughout the course of my time as a student, which even furthered my privilege. A specific example I can remember of travelling benefitting my performance in school was in grade 10. In my biology class we were learning about different interactions within nature, specifically symbiotic relationships. During the Christmas break of that year, my family travelled to the Amazon for an adventure. We were on a hike with a guide who was informing us of the natural history and interactions that occur within the rainforest. One topic he mentioned was the relationship between capybaras and cleaner bird species. He explained how certain birds will land on capybaras and eat ticks and parasites off of them and how this benefits both animals. It was a perfect example of a type of symbiotic relationship, specifically a mutualistic one, and I was able to reinforce what I had previously learned in class with a real-life example. When I returned to school, the information I had learned over the break stuck with me and ended up benefitting me in class. I was able to recognize that this was a unique experience that I was able to participate in and that it was a privilege resulting from my parents.

Privilege is an important topic to discuss, within the field of nature interpretation but also in everyday life. Continuing the conversation is one way to recognize your privileges and understand the power imbalances it creates.

Gallavan, N.P. (2005). Helping teachers unpack their ‘invisible knapsacks.’ Multicultural Education, 13(1), 36.

Noel, J. (2000). Notable selections in multicultural education. Guilford, CT: Dushkin/McGraw-Hill.

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Teaching Learners

When I think of who I want to be as an interpreter, I think about my experiences on the receiving end of interpretation as the audience. Who made me think, and who made me laugh and engage with their talks, who inspired me?

One of the most influential interpreters in my experience has been someone that refers to themselves as a science translator. I think this is a really cool title because she focuses on making the big science words, themes, and concepts, digestible for all audiences. Bryna Belisle is the director and owner of Monteverde Butterfly Gardens in Costa Rica, but she does more than just talk butterflies! When I watched one of her presentations she wanted to illustrate that even bugs and insects with a not-so-pretty reputation were just as loveable and deserved more appreciation. She talked about cockroaches and her love for them, telling us cool facts about them as she let one crawl all over her arms. Then, as she's talking about how they're not as dirty as everyone thinks and letting the cockroach crawl across her face, giving it some smooches, she then pops it into her mouth! You can see her do this in her Instagram post below that I've linked where she shares her love for these creatures.

Bryna B shared a post on Instagram: "I 💚 🪳 Here is the proof Put your roach related questions in the comments and I'll answer! #cockroach

Now I'm not saying as an interpreter this is how I plan to approach all of my work, but there's definitely a few things to learn from Bryna's methods because it sure was memorable and effective at communicating her message! Bryna demonstrates key skills that make an effective interpreter: passion, enthusiasm, and storytelling are critical in getting messages across to an audience.

If I could pick and choose different aspects from all of my experiences as an interpreter, it would look a little something like this:

Once I got my first job in something more related to my field and major of wildlife biology and conservation, there was no going back. I cannot picture myself in a world working a 9-5 job for 30 years before retiring and then finally 'living'. I want to keep learning about what's around me, and the more I learn the more I realize there's so much to keep discovering (hence continuous learning)! I want to continue growing and fostering my own appreciation so that I can inspire others. I want to be outside and see cool wildlife and witness amazing landscapes that even photographs can't capture the complete beauty of. I want to share my own passion and enthusiasm that Bryna does every day at Monteverde!

Above is one of my favourite photos of myself from my time volunteering with Wild Ontario, and really captures my ideal role as an environmental interpreter. Here I am handling Sibley, a non-releasable red-tailed hawk with the program. Not only was this a valuable experience for Sibley who was working hard at her job as a species ambassador, but also for me because I was able to speak with so many people and have many deep, profound conversations. I was really proud of Sibley for handling the many stresses of a hot day with lots of people around, and I was proud of myself because I felt like I made an impact on a lot of people who talked with us, and that's all I could have asked for!

skgenvs3000w23

Hey Teagan!

I really loved reading your post for this week as it really aligns with what my idea of an interpreter is! I find one of the most important duties as an environmental interpreter is to be able to create an appreciation for concepts that aren’t very well known by the average person. I’ve never heard of Bryna Belisle until now, but she seems like a great example of this!

After watching the video you included in your post, I can see that she is a great advocate for what most people consider a ‘creepy crawly’. The video reminded me of a class at Guelph I took in the W22 semester, Invert Morphology and Evolution. It was a really interesting course all about invertebrates and a few of our in-person labs included us observing real invertebrates! One of my favourite species to learn about was the Madagascar hissing cockroaches. Our course coordinator was a great example of an interpreter as she was able to successfully share her love of the species with us. There were even a few students who were initially afraid or creeped out by the cockroaches but then ended up appreciating them by the end of the lab. I thought this was a great example of how an interpreter can share their love of certain creatures with their audience, similar to Bryna Belisle.

Can’t wait to read more of your posts!

Shelby :)

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