Nature Interpretation @twsenvs3000f23 - Tumblr Blog

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Blog 10

Describe your personal ethic as you develop as a nature interpreter. What beliefs do you bring? What responsibilities do you have? What approaches are most suitable for you as an individual?

Hey! For our final blog post, we were asked to write about our personal ethic as we develop as nature interpreters.

I’m currently in my final year of university, and I’m beginning to look for jobs. And for the first time in my life, I’m looking for career jobs, instead of part-time of summer positions. So needless to say I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what jobs I ideally want, what jobs I’m willing to do, and what jobs I’m not willing to do. Our course readings for this week mentioned a fear of a desk job being a potential motivating factor for pursuing a career related to environmental interpretation. That one did admittedly resonate with me a bit. My last job was more or less of a desk job, where I worked as a research assistant in a lab. And even though, on paper, it was closer to what I want to do as a career, I didn’t enjoy it very much. I missed working in the service industry, I missed the high-energy, social atmosphere, I missed getting to work with my hands and see the results right in front of me. Spending most of my working hours not only indoors, but in a dim lab staring at a laptop just made me irritable. So I’d love to find a job in the sciences that’s more hands-on and active, but I’ve realized I’d happily move away from research if I can’t find a job in that field that lets me move around.

Every week or so I get an email from the university describing job opportunities. It hasn’t been very useful in finding jobs, but it sure has been useful in helping me figure out exactly what place/companies/fields I am not willing to work for. There’s always plenty of decently paying opportunities working for mega-corporations like PepsiCo, and the like, as well as their countless subsidiaries. I know now that I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I worked for a place like that. I would much rather go just about anywhere else, including back to the service industry. I might have a less prestigious career, but I care about having a job that I enjoy doing and that I see as important. During my last job, it was difficult to get up and go to the lab in the morning when I couldn’t really see the effects and importance of the research that was being done. I know that whatever I end up doing, it needs to be relatively active, and even better if I get to spend time outdoors as part of it. As long as I’m still able to spend my free time outside, that much is negotiable.

I wanted to go into more details about my beliefs/motivations/self-assigned responsibilities. First, the rather apparent role of nature in mental health and our current culture around it. Not that I have enough space to go into all of my thoughts on that, but I’d like to include a few of them here. One, on mental health being treated like an individual problem, when it really should be recognized as a systemic one. Even if people admit that it’s systemic, the “solutions” and treatments that are currently popular tend to be highly individual. Take mood-regulating medication, go to eternal therapy, isolate yourself from others in the name of self-improvement. In general, mental health has been both commercialized and capitalized upon. Like I mentioned, I don’t have the adequate space to go through my thoughts on the systemic causes of mental lack-of-wellness. But as I’m sure many of us are aware, spending time outside and spending time with other people (or even both at the same time!) have been shown time and time again to be beneficial to human well-being. Honestly, I don’t think we need more research in that area. We already know, and as much as I like numbers, more statistics aren’t going to save us.

So for me personally, all that means that I don’t want to have a job that drags down the health of other people, or my own. I would love to have a job that helps remove some of the barriers that have been put up between nature and people, which I don’t think should belong in different categories in the first place. But an important caveat for me is that I don’t want my career to be a constant fight. I’m quite tired of war analogies. There’s less of a point in destroying something if there’s nothing better to work towards. I don’t want to dedicate my life to fighting climate change, because I’ll make myself miserable and make everyone around me a little less happy. That’s not to say I don’t care, but I do think that a bunch of sad and lonely people aren’t going to bring about much positive change. Like the video with David Suzuki and Richard Louv mentioned (I think it was Richard Louv who mentioned it), it’s hard to make change if people don’t have any sort of positive idea of a future to look forwards to.

So to summarize as neatly as I can: If I end up doing something related to nature interpretation, I want it to get people excited and help people feel more connected to the world around them.

Picture: One of the Arboretum gardens after a snowstorm

On the same note as working towards something rather than solely working against, I have a book recommendation for anyone looking for a sci-fi story with a positive outlook: Monk and Robot by Becky Chambers (and its sequel)

Thanks for reading!

twsenvs3000f23

Hey! Reading through your final blog was great, i'm in the same position as you being in my last year of university and having to start looking at what potential careers I want to follow feels daunting. When it comes to job’s I also worked as a research assistant over the summer and didn't enjoy it very much either. While I was able to go outside and do some fieldwork every now and then I was also stuck to a computer just filling excel sheets for most of my summer. Like you, I don't think I want to work for a big corporation just to make a ton of money, I also just want to make a difference with my the work that I do after I graduate and if that means moving away from research like you might I’m ok with that. Reading through your thoughts on the role of nature and mental health was very interesting to read and I agree with what you’re saying completely. It’s a systemic problem and we’ve mostly worked on treatments for individuals, and like you said being outside is a good way to help with something like that. Although I think we should keep researching just the brain in general because of how fascinating it is. I definitely agree that people should spend more time outside to help with their mental health. I talked about it a little bit in my final prompt too, nature is a great way to help relax and de-stress and just overall help with mental health. And I think that teaching people about the value of nature in terms of mental health would be a great way to help many different people out. It’s great that you want to have a job that can help people connect with nature. I’ve read through a few other blogs that have said the same thing and I’m seeing a common theme in the class: we all want to try and help people find ways to connect to nature. It's nice to see a bunch of people wanting to improve our relationship with nature and makes me a little more hopeful for the future. You also bring up a very good point near the end about working a job that makes you miserable, even if the job is working towards a good cause if it makes you and the people around you less happy it's ok to leave and find a job that does make you happy. That quote you brought up from the video does drive home a good point, how are you going to change something for the better if you don't have any positive ideas about the future of whatever you’re trying to help.

Once again great final blog this week! Reading about your thoughts on trying to find a job that you enjoy but also makes a difference was nice to see because I am in the same situation as you and am striving to reach the same goal as you. Hope the rest of your semester goes well!

skylergenvs3000f23

Blog Post 9 - Final Prompt

Throughout the semester, we have repeatedly been posed the same three questions: “Who am I as a nature interpreter?”, “Who is my audience?”, and “How can I make this experience meaningful?” In considering my answer to these questions, I’ve been forced to examine my own beliefs, the responsibilities I have to my audience, and the approaches that will best help me to accomplish my goals as an interpreter.

The question “Who am I as a nature interpreter?” can only be answered by first answering “why do I want to be a nature interpreter?”. For me the answer to this question is simple: I want to change the world. I believe that to truly be able to reverse the effects of climate change and pollution, we need major systemic change. For decades environmental scientists have been telling world leaders and major corporations that they are destroying the planet, but their calls for action have fallen mostly on deaf ears. Even before I began studying conservation, I have always felt a strong sense of anger at this injustice. I feel obligated to protect nature because, like all of you, I am a part of the natural world. When people begin to recognize how connected we all are, and the consequences that the majority of us now face for the actions of a privileged few, it only makes sense to unite and fight back. A prime example of this kind of solidarity came in the form of a letter sent by a group of miners to the activists blockading the iron mine where they worked. The local inuit community in Baffinland had expressed their concerns over the effect the expansion of the mine would have on wildlife, and how the loss of wildlife would in turn affect their livelihood - their ability to hunt. When their concerns continued to go unaddressed, a group of local hunters - the Nuluujaaq Land Guardians - decided to take the defense of their local ecosystem into their own hands. Despite the fact that this blockade meant many workers were stranded in Nunavut, a number of the mine workers decided to express their support for the blockade rather than siding with their bosses who had pushed through the expansion project. Their letter was inspiring, and I encourage you all to take a moment to read it in full. One quote in particular stood out to me, and summarizes the exact sentiment I hope to inspire as a nature interpreter: “This country has seen the consequences of entitlement and greed that have led to the destruction of the land for profit, and we are glad you are fighting for autonomy over your land.” When I see this kind of solidarity I am left wondering: what can I do as an interpreter to foster this sense of responsibility for each other and the natural landscapes we share?

If my goal is to spark a connection with nature strong enough that it inspires my audience to fight for real systemic change, I need to carefully consider who my audience is and what responsibilities I have to them. To be an effective interpreter means to be able to meet your audience where they’re at. Not everyone has the same amount of background knowledge about the natural world, and not everyone learns in the same way. With small-group, in-person nature programming, it’s easier to adapt the way you present your information for people with different learning styles. When your goal is to reach people on a broader scale, as I aim to do, accounting for different needs becomes more complicated. This does not mean that accessibility can simply be ignored, in fact it only makes it all the more necessary. Different people face different barriers when it comes to accessing nature programming, many of which (ability to get to provincial parks, time to attend workshops, etc.) can be addressed with the mindful use of technology. Social media gives interpreters a larger platform to connect people with nature than ever before, and it allows people to learn about nature without having to leave their homes. However, this brings to mind the question posed to us in unit 5: “How do you engage [your audience] when you are creating content (whether blogging or podcasting) and then really leaving it out there for them to interpret themselves)?” How can I use my platform on the internet to spark lasting relationships with nature, when everyone who comes across my content may have different learning styles, needs and/or interests? Overcoming this challenge will require the development of a wide range of skills, the humility to recognize what isn’t working, and a willingness to change my approach to engage as many people as possible.

Creating engaging programming is the bread and butter of our job as nature interpreters. By producing content that is both interesting and easily accessible, I can foster meaningful and lasting relationships between my audience & the environment which will hopefully inspire the kind of dedicated environmental activism we so dearly need. There are a number of different approaches that interpreters can take to create meaning for their audience. One such approach is the integration of art into nature programming. Art can open people up to consider different perspectives. Art can also be an effective vehicle to communicate the ‘gift of beauty’ that nature provides, sparking wonder and curiosity about one’s own local environment. To inspire action requires one to foster these connections with nature, but it also means making people aware of the threats that our ecosystems face. It's about finding a delicate balance between listing off facts, and creating memorable experiences. While it's important to consider what exactly will be the most effective way to engage your audience, with their myriad different interests and backgrounds, unit 3 of this course gave some advice that is equally important to consider: “Sometimes an audience won’t be receptive. Sometimes it won’t work. And it takes some courage to humbly acknowledge that despite your best efforts, you won’t always be able to win everyone over.”

Though I may not be able to reach everyone with my approach, that isn’t my ultimate goal - my goal as a nature interpreter is to spark a deep and lasting connection to nature in as many people as I possibly can. When you’re going up against powerful companies that continue to put profit above our local ecosystems, our lives, and our planet, you need as much ‘strength in numbers' as you can get. With the knowledge I have gained this semester I feel equipped to begin my journey as a nature interpreter, with the hopes of securing a brighter future for us all - and for the ecosystems we call home.

twsenvs3000f23

Final blog

Prompt: Describe your personal ethic as you develop as a nature interpreter. What beliefs do you bring? What responsibilities do you have? What approaches are most suitable for you as an individual?

Hello everyone, I can't believe it's already the last blog for the semester. I know I said it last blog but this semester flew by for me. I initially joined this course because I wanted to look at nature through a different lens than just science and this class helped me with that a lot. By reading through the units and reading other peoples blogs I was able to look at nature through other perspectives than just my own and I think that gave me a lot of insight into different ways to look at nature. As I develop as a nature interpreter my ethics have changed slightly throughout the course. When I joined this class I believed that nature should be conserved but it was only because of ecological reasons and protecting the environment, and those were my ethics when I joined the course. Over the course I came to realise that conserving nature has more benefits than just scientifically. There are cultural benefits, historical benefits, mental health benefits and even musical benefits that nature brings. Looking at my ethics now after I’ve developed a little as a nature interpreter, I want to conserve them even more. However there are now so many more reasons I want to preserve them. I want to preserve the culture that nature brings, the history that it can show, the mental health benefits of being surrounded by nature, and the beautiful music that nature is capable of creating. As a nature interpreter I believe that before anything else nature deserves our respect. When we are outside or when I am interpreting for a group of people I will ask them to respect whatever ecosystem we find ourselves in. That includes staying on the path so that the younger and fragile vegetation does not get disturbed by us, or not pulling up plants or pulling moss off a tree or rock. Nature has been around a lot longer than us and its the same with whatever ecosystem we are in. I also believe that when we are back in nature we should embrace our inner child, like what was talked about in this unit. We should look at nature with wonderment and curiosity while still giving the respect it deserves and try to leave the system how it was when we entered, no littering or pulling up plants and disturbing the area. My beliefs as a nature interpreter also reflect my ethics as I’ve developed the skill. I believe that while interpreting nature I should always keep in mind and take into account multiple perspectives. While it is still difficult for me to look at nature from a bunch of different perspectives I believe that it is worth the effort to try and interpret through a cultural, historical, or a musical lens.

twsenvs3000f23

When we combine all the different perspectives to interpret from, we can achieve a much greater connection to the ecosystem which is a great feeling for me. Though I believe we should look at nature from all different perspectives my main focus will still stay on the scientific aspect for my interpretation. Which brings me to my next points on responsibility. I think that as a nature interpreter it is my responsibility to teach people about nature in some kind of way as I interpret with them. This is why I still want to focus on the scientific side while I lead an interpretation, because I have been trained in ecology during my time at guelph. I think it's my responsibility to share all the fascinating things I’ve learned about nature during my time studying in guelph in hopes that the people I’m interpreting for come to have the same respect and gratitude for nature that I learned to have while studying at guelph. If I'm leading an interpretation it will most likely be outside in person and in the actual ecosystem I want to interpret. Because of this I think it’s also my responsibility to make sure everyone stays safe and respects nature while on an interpretive walk. The people that I’m leading on a walk could have done this on a whim because they like the topic but know very little about it or know nothing at all but wanted to try something completely new and out of their comfort zone. For this reason I believe that if I’m leading the walk then it's my responsibility to make sure everyone feels comfortable while also teaching them the importance of respecting nature. With the hope that they leave the walk or interpretation having learned the importance of respecting nature as well as how they feel about nature. I do this with the hope that when the walk or interpretation is finished they want to go home and tell people about new cool things they learned and the importance of conservation. I talked about it a little earlier in this blog but for me the most suitable approach as an individual would be to actually be in the ecosystem. I am a very tactile learner and would stay engaged while also learning better if I were physically in the ecosystem. For example, in my forest ecology class we had labs outside in the arboretum and I really enjoyed those labs while also learning new things and retaining that information. Doing that in a classroom is more difficult for me and I think it would be the same with nature interpretation. If I were interpreting for people my approach as an individual would be more passive, I said this in a previous blog as well. I think I would give people an initial introduction to the ecosystem and area before leading them on the walk, then once the walk starts I would stay a little more quiet and let people look around and enjoy while coming up with their own thoughts about the environment. I would mostly fade into the background of the ecosystem and be present to answer any questions that people have. That is how I as an individual would approach nature interpretation.

Thanks everyone for a fun semester and I hope all your podcasts go well!

Final blog

Prompt: Describe your personal ethic as you develop as a nature interpreter. What beliefs do you bring? What responsibilities do you have? What approaches are most suitable for you as an individual?

mpenvs3000f23

Blog Post #8

Blog Prompt: Interpret (through this blog) the most amazing thing you know about nature – get us excited. This is your blog – your audience isn’t out in the field with you so bring the field to your armchair reader.

When considering the most amazing thing about nature I had to take a minute to reflect on some my experiences and encounter with nature that had surprised me and made me take a step back. When I think of something that has always interested me and surprised me was the symbiotic relationships between species. In our everyday lives we have symbiotic relationships with other species and each other but theres always been something about two species interacting with each other in a beneficial way that made me curious. I think naturally we think we are the smartest and most superior species on Earth so when you see these complex interactions between another two species it makes you question if their intelligence is really that much different from ours.

A symbiotic relationship that I have stumbled across in my everyday life as well as when working in greenhouses is the relationship between ants and aphids. Aphids are commonly found on all plant species being tiny bugs that feed on the plant's tissue and sap (Mar, 2021). While eating the sap they produce a sugary secretion called honeydew (Mar, 2021). Species such as ants eat this sugary honeydew as a source of food and energy (Mar, 2021). As a result of the aphids providing a continuous food supply, the ants will protect the aphids from other insects like ladybugs and will move them to other plants for them to obtain sap from new plants (Mar, 2021). The ants will shepherd the aphids to more juicier parts of the plant (McVean, 2017). Oftentimes times people will refer to this as the ants being farmers and the aphids being their livestock. Like any human farmer obtaining food sources at a fast rate is the most desirable outcome and is the same with ants and aphids. Worker ants that look after aphids will “milk” the aphids to get them to excrete the honeydew in a more timely manner (Mar, 2021). Ants will use their antennae and stroke the aphids causing them to trigger secretion (Mar, 2021). When ant colonies move from one nest to another they will often times bring with them aphid eggs so they can create new livestock within their new home (McVean, 2017).

Next time if you are looking at your house or garden plants and see aphids oftentimes you'll find a colony of ants close by.

You may remember in A Bugs Life the queen ant had a lap dog named Aphie who was an aphid that the queen adores and protects dearly. I guess it would have made more sense if Aphie was represented more as cattle or other livestock.

Mar R. (2021). Land Lines The Nature Conservancy of Canada Blog: The ants that herd aphids. Nature Conservancy Canada.

McVean A. (2017). Farmer ants and their aphid herds. Office for Science and Society. McGill University.

twsenvs3000f23

Hey maddy, your blog this week was really interesting to read! I also talked about a symbiotic relationship in my post this week too. I agree with you completely that we have symbiotic relationships around us all the time and we take part in, those with other species and with other people like you said. In my blog this week I talked about the symbiotic relationship between plant roots and mycelium. It's when fungal roots attach to the roots of other plants and take nutrients from the root while also supplying it with extra nutrients and water. The relationship you talked about in your blog is really cool. I had no idea about the symbiotic relationship between ants and aphids but you did a great job describing it in the blog. I had no idea that aphids and ants interacted that way at all, the idea that ants use aphids as kind of their livestock is something I find really interesting. I also had no idea that there were worker ants whose jobs are to watch the aphids and also “milked” them to get honeydew. The fact that they also bring aphid eggs with them when they move nests so that they will have aphids at their next home is really interesting. With all these things that happen in symbiotic relationships, I completely agree with you that these relationships make me think about whether these other species also have intelligence. Thanks for the great blog this week and thanks for teaching me about a new symbiotic relationship I didn't know existed.

Week 9

Prompt

Interpret (through this blog) the most amazing thing you know about nature – get us excited. This is your blog – you audience isn’t out in the field with you so bring the field to your armchair reader.

Hello everybody, there's only a few blogs left to write for the semester. It seems like it went by pretty quick for me! This week our prompt is to interpret something amazing that we know about nature. For me, something I find amazing about nature has to do with fungi in the forest, specifically the mycelium/mycorrhizae. These function kind of like the roots of the fungi that exist in the soil. The reason I think mycorrhizae is so amazing is because of the relationship it has with plants, mycorrhizae has a symbiotic relationship with almost every plant. They attach themselves to the roots of plants and take up their nutrients from the roots of the plants to survive, even though this sounds detrimental to the plant it actually has a symbiotic relationship with the plant. These super thin roots of the mycorrhizae are capable of getting water and nutrients where the roots of plants can't reach, then give the plant those extra nutrients and water that it has taken up. My favourite thing about mycorrhizal fungi is that it can create a large network of interconnected plants called a common mycelial network (CMN). Plants within this network can exchange signals and nutrients which travel through the mycorrhizae to each other. It is amazing how a community of plants can all become connected through these thin small roots that exist everywhere in the soil. Unfortunately in the field the only way to really see these tiny fungal roots is to disturb the soil and plants and see if there are any attached to the root of a plant. This means that if I were in the field interpreting with a group of people, I wouldn’t be able to show people the mycelium making up the network because I don't want to disturb the soil and tear out plants just to show people. Showing people a small part of the mycorrhizal network also doesn’t give a good sense of scale for how large of an area this network takes up. The total length of mycorrhizal fungi in the top 10 cm of soil is more than 450 quadrillion kilometres long! For reference, that's almost half the width of the milky way galaxy, which is incredible that something so small can grow to be that long. I got this info from spun, who are a group of people attempting to protect underground networks like mycorrhizae. They believe that these networks sustain and improve plant life on our planet. Mycorrhizae is both a super interesting and very important part of nature and the role they play in our ecosystems is incredibly large for something so small. Interpreting nature by looking at it from the perspective of something as small as mycelium in the soil helps visualise how everything in nature is connected through one form or another. It also helps understand that the size of things in nature does not always correlate to the effect that they could have on an ecosystem. Thanks for reading about me rant about mycelium this week have a good day!

Link to SPUN website:https://www.spun.earth/

slenvs3000f23

Unit 7 Blog

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

As a follow-up (focus on the above two before you tackle this one), what song takes you immediately back to a natural landscape? What is the context? Share it with us – I would imagine many of these ideas may have similar underpinnings of a campfire, roadtrip, backpacking journey, etc.!

In nature, where do we find music, and where does nature find its melody in music? I think this harmonious relationship reveals the ways in which music mirrors the rhythms of nature and how nature, in turn, becomes a source of inspiration.

There's a symphony in the rustling of leaves and a sonnet in the whisper of the wind. These aren't just background noises, but they are nature's very own compositions. And when we venture deeper into the wilderness, the soundscape becomes even more profound. Personally, I find solace in the forest behind my house. When life gets stressful and overwhelming, I retreat to this serene space. There, I listen to the sounds of nature – the gentle gurgling of a stream, leaves rustling in the breeze, and the distant call of a bird. These moments truly make me believe that nature is filled with music, as the soothing sounds of nature serve as my own therapeutic music.

Conversely, musicians and composers have often looked for inspiration from the natural world. For instance, the rustling of leaves can be translated into the soft strumming of a guitar. Nature, with its inspiring landscapes and serene beauty, provides a canvas for artists to paint their musical masterpieces. It's a muse that has inspired renowned composers throughout history, such as Beethoven's "Pastoral Symphony" capturing the essence of the natural world in musical notes.

On a personal note, the song "Fly Out West" by Yot Club instantly transports me back to a memorable journey to Banff, Alberta. The song's melodic tunes align perfectly with the awe-inspiring landscapes I encountered during my trip. As my friend and I drove from Edmonton to Banff, the mountains loomed larger with each mile, creating a sense of anticipation and wonder. The song served as a soundtrack to our adventure, harmonizing with the greatness of the Rockies. The memories of wandering around Banff, exploring Lake Louise, and finding solace within the canyons of Canmore are intricately woven into the fabric of this song. Whenever I listen to it, I am transported back to that moment, reliving the magic of my first encounter with mountains. Through shared experiences, it's fascinating how certain songs become intertwined with our outdoor adventures. For many of us, these melodies often evoke memories of campfires, road trips, or backpacking journeys. It's proof that music acts as a bridge, linking us to the natural world and capturing the essence of our adventures.

The relationship between nature and music is harmonious. The world is filled with melodies waiting to be discovered, and the natural world is an endless source of inspiration for composers and artists. The next time you're out in nature, take a moment to listen carefully. You might just find that the symphony of the wilderness has a song that resonates with you 🌿🎶

Thanks for reading :)

Shanel

twsenvs3000f23

Hey, your blog this week was great!

I think your take on music and nature was really interesting! I completely agree with what you said about how music is made from the rustling of the leaves and the sound of the wind. I didnt even think about how venturing deeper into the wilderness will only make the music made by nature more profound like you pointed out. Also, I think it's a great idea to retreat to a serene space like that when life gets a little too much and you need a break. I think sitting in a peaceful space like you described just hearing the music made by nature can be very good for people's mental health. I thought your ideas on nature in music were very insightful, like the rustling of leaves being translated into soft guitar strumming is a great example of nature in music.

The song you chose “fly out west” by Yot Club is a great song and I can definitely understand what you mean when you say that the tune of the song fits great with the amazing landscapes around Banff. The song definitely sounds like it fits well for a road trip from Edmonton to Banff. Listening to the song I can picture the huge mountains surrounding Banff. It's so interesting that songs can be given so much meaning based on the things we've experienced while listening to them and can call to mind memories of just hanging out with friends on a roadtrip or sitting around a campfire at night.

Thanks for the interesting blog post this week!

Blog 7

Prompt: Where is music in nature? Where is nature in music?

Before this week the thought of interpreting nature through music had not really occurred to me. But after reading through the unit, nature interpretation through music started making a lot more sense to me. Tilden’s third principle of interpretation “Interpretation is an art, which combines many arts, whether the materials presented are scientific, historical, or architectural.” is a good way to view nature interpretation through a musical lens. Interpretation is an art and music can be another conduit for interpretation. I realise now while writing this that sometimes while listening to music I find myself wishing I could just walk through the woods listening to the song instead of driving or being at home. For where music is in nature I think that music is everywhere in nature, you don't even need to be surrounded by nature to hear it. Sometimes just walking outside I can hear birds singing which is always a lovely sound whenever I hear it, but there’s a lot more than that. There’s the noises that bugs make throughout the day and night as well as something as simple as wind moving through leaves. I also think music plays a large part in our culture, with different cultures listening to different kinds of music. Including indigenous knowledge into something like this is also something I find very interesting. I’ve always thought that it was really cool how nature plays a large role in their culture and its intertwined with it. I believe Native Americans were very good nature interpreters because of how they were taught to view it, and I want to one day see nature in the same way that they saw it as a living thing with a soul instead of just a tree. As for nature in music, I think it’s a little more difficult to notice nature in music than the other way around but it’s definitely there. Like was stated in the unit this week music can be made with animal calls, sounds. Like was stated as well, music is a gateway to nature so even if there isn't any actual nature in music I think it's still there. What I said at the start of the blog that some songs make me feel like taking a walk through the woods, I think that's an example of nature being in music. Even though there is no nature in the song it can still make me feel like I'm surrounded by nature. As for a song that takes me immediately back to a natural landscape I think for me its the song ‘vagabond’ by caamp. For some reason this song just makes me picture myself on a hike through the woods or a road trip through mountains. The context of the song is a man lying in bed but as he dreams of moving through different landscapes very fast. I say road trip as well because throughout the song he also sings as if he's in a car at times. I don't know why but this song by caamp always makes me want to go on an adventure through the woods or on a road trip.

#nature #forest

edenvs3000f23

Blog Post #6: Nature's relation to history

Prompt: "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."

Initially when reading this quote it was honestly a lot to take in and interpret but I think at the core of this quote it works to capture the value of history such as past human lives, ancient things, and memory. It’s quite interesting because it challenges the idea of giving things intrinsic worth and why. It suggests that antiquity or just because things are ‘old’ or ‘from the past’ doesn’t mean that it deserves value. Instead the real value lies within the fragments of knowledge and experiences that something from the past represents that can then be carried on throughout the human experience. The quote basically suggests that maintaining integrity means having knowledge and memory of the past and the interconnectedness of time and human experiences. It brings light to the broader idea that our present cannot be separated from our past, in other words things in the present couldn’t exist without the past. If we are to disregard things from the past in the modern day then we are disregarding integrity from the human experience to put it short.

I kind of wanted to take a minute to dissect the railway station analogy within the quote because I think it emphasizes an interesting point! To me, the quote is saying that when a train is travelling through the station it is a short moment in time BUT the station itself has been there before the trains arrival and then will continue to exist after the train leaves. This is metaphorical to history or ancient artifacts, they existed long before we did and then will persist past our lifetime. This can also be applied to things that have happened in our lifetime that will then be carried on, for example the covid epidemic. This is an instance where we experienced something happen in real time that we carry first hand knowledge and memory of and will be talked about as a historical point in time past our lifetime! I think it’s kind of interesting to think of it that way because we can learn about history that happened way before our time and not really entirely grasp the significance of it since we did not experience it. This scenario gives us an idea of how important these times or things in history are and how they shape the way the world works or responds at the time!

In a rapidly changing world there is a constant tendency to favour or focus on the present and the future kind of leaving the past behind us. Although in some scenarios, especially social ones, focusing on the past is something that is usually deemed as a bad thing but I think when relating it to things in nature and our environment it is super beneficial. Understanding history on the environment not only allows us to understand the innerworkings of it but it also can allow us to make predictions about the future (and in a world experiencing extreme climate, this is CRUCIAL!!). When looking at it through a nature interpretation lens, this quote can remind us that integrity of nature exists without the coexistence of species, sustainable use of resources or like preservation of the natural world. Our actions upon the natural world whether it be from the past or the present essentially affect and shape the web of life and to keep its integrity we have to keep in mind past knowledge of these ecological systems and environmental challenges. I think the quote provided once looked at in the deeper perspective can relate to different scenarios within our existence. Having something so universal allows for us as humans to see different scenarios from different perspectives and give us insight as to why things like history are so important and not something we should brush off.

twsenvs3000f23

Hey Emma! Great blog this week, it was a good read. I agree with you that the quote is a lot to take in and try to interpret and unpack it. I chose to separate the quote into different portions and unpack them separately to make it easier for myself. Even though I unpacked it differently and still came to the same conclusion as you about the quote, it explains how we capture the value of things like history, ancient things, or memories. You also said that the quote suggests that something's age or antiquity doest actually give it any real value. Its real value comes from the knowledge, experiences, or culture associated with it. I completely agree with what you wrote and I said the same thing as you. I think your view on the railway station analogy was very interesting, using the covid epidemic as an example of what the quote is trying to say is a great idea. It being something that we carry first hand knowledge of and that it will be discussed as a historical point is definitely an interesting way to think about it that had never occurred to me before. In your final paragraph I definitely agree with what you're saying, that relating the past to nature and our environment can be super beneficial. I think you’re final interpretation of the quote is very thoughtful and insightful, and also shows that you care about nature and the environment. You’re blog this week was fun to read and I look forward to reading your other ones throughout the semester.

Blog 6

Prompt: unpack “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.”

Hey everyone! This week's prompt is about unpacking the quote above. I think for this week's blog I’m going to go through the quote step by step to unpack it as easily as possible. The first part of the 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” is something I agree with as we learned this week about interpretation through history, its interpretation that brings life in and meaning to “ancient things'' and the quote says that integrity entails the keeping together of the parts of any whole and I think that also applies to history. Through our interpretation of history we keep together the parts of history and attempt to keep it whole. The next portion of the quote “and if these parts are scattered throughout time, then the maintenance of integrity entails a knowledge, a memory, of ancient things.” What I think the quote is saying hear is that if parts of history are scattered through time or lost, then it is through interpretation of history that we can attempt to put the pieces together. Because we interpret history it allows us to remember the stories, the knowledge, memories and keep the stories of ancient things intact and breathe life into them. The last part of this quote “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.” talks about how if don't care to think about history or don't care to interpret it is like saying all that happened in the past doesn't matter. If no one thinks about or attempts to interpret history it's like it never happened at all. Or whatever did happen only happened then, and it doesn't matter what really happened. I agree with what the quote is saying overall, that something being ancient or old isn't what makes it interesting. What makes an ancient thing interesting is found through the interpretation of that location, when you interpret the history of something you look at its community, its culture and the stories about what happened there. Through interpreting all these things we can give meaning to history. The same goes with interpreting nature as well, the landscapes we interpret won't always look the same, as the world changes it could be destroyed for housing or it could be burned down in a fire. If we don't interpret the landscapes and attach stories, cultures, and memories to the landscape it’ll be just like the quote said, the landscape would be like the railway station, it only existed while we were there. I think the quote has a lot of meaning attached to it, especially around the importance of interpreting history and the things attached to it so that the history of a place stays meaningful even after it's gone.

mfenvs3000f23

My Passion Project Part 2

.....Continued....

I remember the first hatch I ever saw at my co-op, which was also the first hatch my coworkers had ever seen. We’d been gathered around all morning because we knew it was going to hatch that day (the chrysalis goes from green to translucent once it is time). When it came out looking all shriveled, we all freaked out and a couple of us actually cried because we thought we had messed up the process for the poor thing. We were all hysterical wondering how it was going to fly with such crumpled wings. Luckily, some minutes later, the butterfly had developed into its more well-known state after pumping its wings.

I will never forget that experience and the fear that quickly turned to wonder.

After I’d moved on from the farm, all the eggs I find come from my own backyard. I average about 60 per summer, so over the years I have released just around 300 monarch butterflies. I have only lost 4 caterpillars total over all the years, so I feel accomplished. The losses are due to disease, I can’t be for certain which one (monarch caterpillars are victim to many), but I believe mine have been affected by O.E. (Ophryocystis elektroscirrha). This is a protozoan parasite that waits on the milkweed host plant to be ingested by the caterpillars. It is known as the “black death” because affected caterpillars often blacken and deflate just before dying. Below I have included a photo of a dead, diseased caterpillar, the only one I lost this past summer. Diseases like O.E. are a reason why it is so important to clean milkweed leaves before feeding the caterpillars, using a 10% bleach water solution. This is also why it is important not to overcrowd containers, so that sick caterpillars don't have the chance to spread the disease. Caterpillars may also be implanted with eggs by tachinid flies, so I make sure to always keep the enclosure door closed, stay vigilant when I am cleaning out containers, and take containers indoors to clean if they will be staying open for a while.

This past summer, I raised exactly 70, 38 males and 32 females. It is not too difficult to determine the sex, the easiest way being taking a look at the wings. Males have thinner veins and 2 glands which you can see circled in the photo I attached. Females have thicker veins and do not have the glands, as seen in another photo I attached.

I have also included a photo of me at Guelph Bug Day, which has a decent view of my enclosure and caterpillar containers.

If you wish to follow along/see more about my monarch adventures, feel free to follow my Instagram account which is dedicated to my monarchs @madelinesmonarchs 😊

In the off season, I post about other insects now and then!

Hope you enjoyed!

twsenvs3000f23

Hey your blog this week was super cool and your passion project is amazing! Raising monarchs is also super cool, I didn't even know people did that. It’s also nice to read that you’re planting a bunch of native species to help other native pollinators around the area. I always love reading about people planting native species and helping pollinators! Wow, reading through the process of how you take care of them, and reading about what happens inside of their cocoon is really interesting! Reading about the process you described only made me want to watch the process even more, I think seeing the chrysalis form is definitely the thing I want to see the most, it sounds really cool to watch. I also had no idea that butterflies had to pump their wings or come out with their proboscis in two pieces and that they have to put it together after coming out of the cocoon. The work you do with monarch butterflies is awesome, releasing around 300 monarch butterflies and just from your own backyard is amazing! And only losing 4 caterpillars in total is definitely a big accomplishment, and thanks for teaching me about a ton of new things about caterpillars and butterflies and how to tell the difference between them. The difference is definitely very clear in the photos but I'm sure when I try it'll be way more difficult. I’m definitely gonna follow the instagram account and see and learn more cool things about monarchs. I really enjoyed your blog this week and I look forward to reading your other blogs!

Blog 5

Hey everyone! No prompt this week was surprising to me and made this a little more difficult because I'm terrible at choosing things and it took me a while to choose what to discuss in this week's blog. After a while I decided I was gonna talk about how I figured out I became so interested in plant id and how it helped me with nature interpretation and this class. I actually only recently became interested in plant id, I always thought it would be a cool skill to have but I actually started learning how to do it and follow keys in books like michigan flora which was really helpful to learn. The sudden start came from a botany class I decided to take which went into detail about plant id and I really took to it. Since then i've been continuing to learn things about plants like they have different cultivars as well. This semester I’ve started learning more about specifically trees and how to id them properly which I’ve been really enjoying, the past two weeks I've been in the arboretum for labs just learning how to properly id trees and how to do things like tree inventory which has been very fun and rewarding to learn. Learning about all these new things and how to id plants has given me a brand new perspective now when I for hikes or walks in forests, before I just saw beautiful greenery with all the plants and trees and now I find myself looking out and seeing a bunch of different species and its astounding to me and makes me want to learn more and get better at id. Thanks to that increased interest I think that's what mainly helped my nature interpretation, I'm able to use the knowledge I've learned and apply it in a way that's interesting through interpretation. It also makes me feel more connected to the ecosystem I'm in when I understand the processes happening while I I'm there. My ecology classes also helped highlight to me just how closely everything connected and affecting one thing affects the whole system. So in that regard when I'm interpreting a place if I know the processes and the social interaction between organisms I feel like I know the place much better, almost like talking to a person, the more you get to know people the more interesting they become and I think my classes have helped me connect in that way with certain ecosystems I've learned about especially forests recently. So whenever I get lucky enough to go and visit the boreal forests one day I'll have tons of knowledge about it and feel right at home surrounded by the ecosystem. That's already how I'm starting to feel in the deciduous forests around Guelph and my home, being able to walk through the woods while on a hike and look at plants and know what they are is a great feeling and I hope I can continue to grow this skill for my everyday life and for nature interpretation.

Blog 4

Prompt: Who are you to interpret nature through art? How do you interpret “the gift of beauty”?

Hello again everyone, I hope everyone's semester is going well so far!

This week we’re talking about nature interpretation through art, and I think it's an interesting medium to do nature interpretation with. Like the saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words and I agree although I personally would prefer to be there in person I have still always enjoyed looking at natural landscapes in art, I even have a game on my phone where I just colour in natural landscapes whenever I get really bored. I think nature interpretation through art can be very interesting because art is able to tell us a story of the landscape we are looking at as well as capture moments in history. I think one of the largest benefits of interpreting nature through art is you can interpret things that could no longer be there, for example art of a forested landscape which is now guelph. I would have the opportunity to interpret something that no longer exists, the tree’s from the art have been cut down and the landscape has been changed for buildings but with art I can still interpret what was once there and maybe learn to appreciate Guelph even more through art. The difference with art and being there in person for nature interpretation is that I’m not a part of the landscape when I’m looking at art but in exchange for that I gain the opportunity to interpret what a place could have looked like, or I could interpret nature from around the world through art. When I interpret through art I’m no longer part of the ecosystem but instead a bystander watching it from a distance undisturbed by anything.

As for interpreting the “gift of beauty” I think that's something much like finding a ‘sense of place’ where it's something that a person is capable of doing on their own. Since beauty is subjective, what one person thinks of beauty another person might find pointless or gross, for me this means that each person can come to their own conclusion for interpreting the gift of beauty based on what they view as ‘beauty’. I think the same train of thought also works with interpreting art, people view art in many different ways, they could love it, think its stupid, or just be indifferent to it, but they also relate stories to art and relate art to their personal lives, and I think people sometimes do the same thing with nature interpretation. They go out to an environment and learn to interpret in and feel more connected to it and they do that by relating nature to their everyday lives. A sad example of this is the sycamore gap tree, a famous tree which was recently cut down, and some people are deeply hurt by that as they viewed the tree as almost like a member of their family. This is an example of humans growing a connection to nature just as some connect to art, and how people can give meaning to tree’s or animals or even entire ecosystems and grow a connection to them.

ltenvs3000f23

Unit 4 Blog Post

Who are you to interpret nature through art? How do you interpret “the gift of beauty”? (Your readings – specifically Chapter 5 of the textbook – will be helpful for this!)

To me, interpreting art through nature is a fascinating topic as it can take on many different forms as well as connect with people through their interests. Of course, a representation of this can be seen through paintings as many would assume when talking about art specifically. However, art in itself typically surrounds creativity and imagination, any form of expressing oneself or an idea or any one topic that involves that creative factor is at the heart of any art form. This can range from paintings to videos to dance or music, there truly is no limit for the various ways of expressing art.

Personally, my favourite form of interpreting nature through art is with photographs or images that capture the beauty of nature itself. This doesn’t specifically entail photos captured in real life but these can also be images that have been made on other platforms that attempt to express a particular part of nature. For example, I absolutely love sunsets, any chance that I get to watch one is when I try to be outside to appreciate it as much as I can. I can also say the same about the northern lights (it’s my dream to see them in real life!!) and space. Any photos that capture the absolute stunning views of the stars in our planet, galaxies, northern lights, etc., always take my breath away whether the images are real or not.

Another form of an art form that I have always connected to is music. I listen to music every single day, at this point it is so routine and structured into my life now. I listen to a variety of different artists and they all have very different ways of expressing themselves through this art form. An artist that I love to listen to and have been a huge fan of since I was a little kid is Taylor Swift. Yes, I know that some of you may be thinking… seriously? But yes, seriously. Listening to her music while walking outdoors is when I truly take in nature for its beauty. On my walks, I listen to her ‘folklore’ and ‘evermore’ albums, and if you happen to know anything about those albums, you would know that those two albums are the most poetic of hers. The lyrics within are so captivating to listen to while looking at the beautiful colours of the leaves along with the gentle whistling of the wind and the sounds of diverse species that ring through. I look forward to walking specifically with those soundtracks because I truly feel embedded within nature when I’m listening to it.

To summarize, these are the forms of art that I love to use to connect with nature. As I quickly stated above, there are so many ways that nature can be interpreted through art. The two forms that resonate the most with me are through visual images and photography as well as through music. I’m curious to hear what some of your favourite ways of interpreting nature through art is, I would love to know! I have attached some images that I find fascinating below that I was talking about earlier — some are genuine depictions of nature, while others are interpretations. However, I will leave you to decide what you think is and isn’t “authentic.”

Thank you for taking the time to read my post this week!

twsenvs3000f23

Hey, great blog this week! I think your idea of art is spot on, that it’s a form of expressing oneself using creativity and imagination, and that art is capable of being represented in many different ways. I also prefer interpreting through images to capture nature and I think its a super cool idea to attempt and express particular parts of nature which might be easier through photos when you’re not surrounded by the rest of the big stuff happening around it. It’s also a dream of mine to see the northern lights so lets hope we get to see them someday although the photos taken of them are fantastic because you can get images of beautiful phenomena like that at high resolutions that the natural eye wouldn't be able to see. I’ve never thought of trying to interpret nature through a song but I definitely agree with you that when I listen to certain songs it feels like I'm surrounded by nature and while I enjoy the song. I agree that art can be represented in a big variety of ways and you gave two great examples of how different forms of art help you feel connected to nature when looking at them or listening to it, and i’m sure there are tons of different ways that I couldn't even think off to interpret nature through art but that’s also why its always interesting to hear how other people use art to interpret nature. Great pictures at the end as well!

ejenvs3000semesterf23

Blog 3

Privilege is something that can stretch across multiple disciplines and cause a series of events to unfold leading to more opportunities. My working definition of privilege is of someone with more opportunity and possibility than others. This means that some people are more fortunate than others and have access to more things in life. These opportunities and possibilities are not inert and can be due to things like having wealthy parents, being born white, or being raised speaking English.

When interpreting nature, the privilege someone possesses can drastically change how they do so. To truly interpret nature, someone needs to have a good education to understand the underlying processes of nature. This may sound like something that is ubiquitous but not everyone receives a good education or one at all. Education is important because many of us learn the natural processes through schooling such as the water cycle or how mountains are formed. In some countries, people can be so poor they do not have enough money for their kids to attend school where the children would learn about important topics like ecology. Beyond that, it is very important that kids learn what state the climate is in and how nature differs around the world. Postsecondary school is also a luxury to be able to attend. The only reason I am making this blog post is because I was fortunate enough to have the money for university. Even fewer people are able to attend post-secondary education than in grade school. These are important processes to understand as a nature interpreter.

Accessibility can also be a factor in how someone interprets nature. Having the privilege of being mobile allows someone to actually go out and view nature as much as they want. People with reduced mobility or someone who requires a wheelchair for movement do not have the liberty of experiencing off-road nature. They do not get to experience the soil with their own very feet like the rest of us can, and this would affect the way they see the world. This privilege also extends to people who live in a highly urbanized area that is far from any large section of nature. Many people nowadays live in large cities that are devoid of wildlife and so people do not have quick access to nature.

I think one's upbringing plays a big role in how one connects with nature. The way we are raised changes our perception of nature in terms of importance. Many families deeply value things like camping or going for walks in the wilderness. Other families spend most of their time indoors and so they do not establish a strong connection to nature. The family someone is born into is completely out of their control but can change their relationship with nature.

twsenvs3000f23

Hi Eric,

I agree with your working definition of privilege as mine is very similar to yours in that the opportunities that some people receive are not inert and there's a multitude of factors that make it so that some people receive many more opportunities and possibilities than others. I also agree that privilege plays a big part in nature interpretation, like with education which I discussed as well, some people can't get a good education or any at all which is necessary to a degree in nature interpretation. Like you said, not a lot of people are as lucky as us and have the money to attend postsecondary schools. The thought of accessibility is also another good example of how privilege comes into play with nature interpretation, although it is possible to do online nature walks and other things like that you don't have the opportunity to be there in person which I believe makes a big difference in nature interpretation. I also didn't think about how it would affect the way they view the world and nature, you make a very good point about how the things that they are unable to experience in nature could affect the way they perceive it. And when it comes to upbringing I completely agree with you, I was lucky to grow up with parents who also enjoyed nature which pushed me to learn more about it and grow to appreciate it greatly but some people grew up disconnected from it and spending most of their time indoors. This was a great blog Eric, I look forward to reading your other ones throughout the semester.

Blog #3

I think that privilege is having many different opportunities in life which gives those people advantages in certain situations of their lives. I think that privilege does play a role in nature interpretation as well, I think that how a person grew up has an impact on the person they become and their values. I had the privilege of growing up with great parents who helped me and encouraged me to pursue what I enjoy. If they didn't let me into the woods near my house or made me go into school for something I wasn't interested in, my values could have been very different. Some people weren’t as privileged as me and maybe didn’t have a nearby forest to explore or parents that pushed them to pursue what they enjoy, and in that sense of privilege I was very lucky and that led me to where I am today. There’s many different roles I think that privilege plays in nature interpretation and for me it was having the opportunity to explore and learn what I was curious about. But it can also come from something like language, because I can speak english it makes it easier for me to do nature interpretation in the boreal forests like I want to do because some of the ecosystem is in Canada where pretty much everyone speaks english. So speaking different languages also presents different opportunities to explore and interpret different ecosystems across the world. Another asset where privilege comes into place for nature interpretation is through education. In most places of the world pursuing an education costs a lot of money, and some people can't afford it which removes a lot of opportunities to learn. To be a nature interpreter I think the person needs to be educated on the ecosystem their interpreting in order to have a better interpretation, although it’s still possible to interpret without a good understanding of the ecosystem I think having the privilege to attend a university or college can help greatly improve interpretation as well as people's interest in nature. For example, if I would not have been able to come to guelph to learn about all the different aspects of nature I don't think I would be as interested or invested in nature and it’s possible it's the same for other people as well. Overall I believe that privilege does play a role in nature interpretation, it can influence how people value nature and how they view it.

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