Nature Interpretation with Colin

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)

 When reading this week’s quote, I start to think about the various artifacts and buildings that we as humans have preserved over the years. There are the tombs from ancient Egypt, the Colosseum, the old temple of Athena, etc. which have survived over thousands of years and we continue to preserve these buildings and artifacts in order to keep the history that comes with it. We can think the same way with nature and understanding the history within the world around us.

          (Photo of the Colosseum, taken from https://www.romeapartments.com/city-guide-pages/the-colosseum-rome-the-most-famous-building-of-the-roman-empire/)                                                           

 I think this quote relates perfectly to the theory of evolution and how the past is never completely gone. I particularly enjoy thinking about evolution and how fossils are such a great example of nature preserving itself for scientists to interpret and understand. It’s remarkable to me that nature alone is able to accomplish this sort of historic preservation for us to find and learn about. Thinking about how the fossil record has informed us of so many extinct species and the various reasons they are gone extinct. There is so much information that is hidden within the fossil records that are just waiting to be unpacked.

(Photo of fossilized trilobites, taken from https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00117-1)

  We can also see this sort of preservation of nature within the trees, as they keep a record of how old they are in a very unique way. With every year that passes they add another ring to their trunk, telling an interesting story of the various climatic conditions it was survived. Scientists have decoded the history of the climate and life of the tree by understanding the differences in the rings found on the trunk (NASA climate kids, 2021). This natural phenomenon is another way that scientists have had to interpret the history and story that the tree is trying to tell us about its past. These natural phenomena are happening all around us and as nature interpreters, we have to tell their story to others.

(Image explaining tree rings, taken from https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2540/tree-rings-provide-snapshots-of-earths-past-climate/)

 This quote really got me thinking about how nature itself has so much history and information that we are still learning about to this day. Nature is complicated but yet so fascinating in how it is able to preserve such historic evidence. My question for all of you:

 Do you have any other examples of ways that nature has been able to preserve its natural history for us to uncover?

 Thank you for reading this week’s post,

Emily

 Reference:

  With the information gained from ice cores taken from glaciers, we can learn a lot about what the earth was like back when these creatures existed! Ice cores are samples of ice taken from deep within the ice of a glacier. They reveal the contents of the atmosphere throughout a significant amount of earth’s history, through the miniscule air bubbles that became trapped when the ice froze, and thus preserve samples of an ancient atmosphere. In analyzing these samples, we can learn crucial information about historic greenhouse gas concentrations. Without this information, we would not be aware of just how dire the climate crisis is, as we would not have a comparison for the current changes in our climate.

How do you think our ability to learn about the history of the earth through fossils and other natural evidence has influenced how we see nature?

Awesome post! It’s very cool that scientists have found different ways to analyze the progress of our environment through tree rings and ice cores. I’d like to talk about another process scientist use to estimate the age of fishes!

Biologists who study fish are able to look at boney parts of fish such as the spine, gill covers, bones of the ear and if large enough, their scales (Nanami, 2017). The bones and the scales of fish grow in thin layers called circuli, which can be counted just like growth rings of a tree trunk (Nanami, 2017). In the summer when the temperature is warm, fish tend to eat more and as a result, the circuli grow larger and wider than in the winter time (Nanami, 2017). This summer time growth often gives the circuli a white/creamy colour whereas the slower growth that occurs in the winter time is correlated with a dark coloured ring (Nanami, 2017). Most fish that are studied display scales that grow in rings which is an added benefit because a biologist is able to remove a scale from the fish, without harming or killing the fish. For fish that don’t display scales such as a catfish, a sample of the fin spine is used to estimate the fishes age (Nanami, 2017). I just thought this was another interesting method where nature was able to preserve its natural history for humans to uncover.

Diagram of the growth within a fish's scale. Here you are able to see the close together dark lines a would represent winter or colder temperatures where as the wider, larger growth lines represent summer time temperatures

Colin 

Reference 

Me at Ripley’s Jan 2019 Toronto, picture taken by my boyfriend. 

Photo taken by me! A sand tiger shark at Ripley’s, Toronto 

Great post! I was interested right away from that beautiful picture at Ripley’s aquarium. I remember from when I went a few years ago that the stingrays were my favourite part and that being able to touch them was such a unique experience! Having worked at a pet store for four years I didn’t think they would actually let you touch and interact with the actual animal as it sometimes causes harm and there could be contaminants on hands that are entering the water. Super cool experience! For me I am truly passionate about aquatics and the experience that got me to fall even more in love with the sport of fishing was attending a tournament on my home lake. I regularly fish at Long Point, Ontario but at the time, I was too young to participate in fishing tournaments. Nonetheless, I attended the weigh-in where you wait for all of the competing boats to weigh in their 5 largest bass. It was to my surprise that the winning boat had a winning weight of 24.25 pounds, which makes an average weight per fish= 4.85 pounds. This was mind blowing because I fished this lake almost my whole life and the largest bass I have caught to this date is 4.68 pounds, which means they found 5 fish in one afternoon that were all larger than the largest bass I have ever caught. Since that day it has been my motivation to find out all the secrets as to where the largest fish live, taking note of water depth, clarity, temperature and many more attributes in attempt to one day be the winner of a Long Point Bass tournament. My quest still continues but I assure everyone that I will win one day! Thanks for sharing! 

Art is an important medium where people can express themselves and their interpretative of nature in unique and creative ways. For this reason, art can be used as a tool to help us better understand our environment and about how one may feel about it. Nature through the arts can be represented as a picture of the earth’s landscape, music about the wilderness, photography of different species etc. No mater the medium used, our idea of interpretation is going to be different from other peoples because of our own sense of place and how we grew up.

Retrieved from: Naturetvnight 

Personally, when I think of art in nature, I think of the naturally occurring art we see in the wild. I think of the beautiful sunset or a twisted tree that struggled to find sunlight art, I think as humans we relate to the trees struggle and find beauty in that. When I see something in nature that represents me I feel a connection and overwhelming sense of joy. I appreciate the “gift of beauty” (Beck et al. 2018) that nature gives us. I understand that the experience of actually being in nature is more meaningful than something that could be captured in a picture. This allows me to develop a unique vision of what nature is to myself. I think all mediums can help contribute to the gift of beauty, but actually seeing nature in it’s raw form is even more powerful.

Retrieved from:  https://www.encirclephotos.com/image/twisted-tree-at-plaza-columbia-in-vina-in-vina-del-mar-chile/

Art speaks to us when there is a familiarity associated allowing you to feel a sense of connection to the piece, which means art, will be subjective. I think nature is a very good example of this to me when I see the bark on trees it looks like the deep lines that run through my hands, lightning appears to look like the veins that run though my eyelids, the dry cracking ground represents my dry skin in the crisp winter months. Nature often personifies humans, which allows us to relate to it, deepening our connection and understanding for its beauty. Art doesn’t need to be this extravagant million-dollar painting; it can be a simple cloud in the sky that reminds you of something from you childhood.

Retrieved from: https://www.ignant.com/2017/09/12/human-vs-nature-by-agnieszka-lepka/

People look for connections through art all the time and nature is no different, we are all on the same earth and have the same goal, survival. We are more connected to nature than anyone realizes, when it is dark, gloomy and rainy we often feel a sense of melancholy, but when the sun is radiating beams of light down at us we are often joyful and excited. To me Mother Nature is the greatest artist and need to be protected and taken care of better than what we have given her thus far.

Great post! I enjoyed reading about all of the relationships you recognize in nature and how they relate with humans. There is one interaction that I find vividly fascinating and from your post I was able to connect it to people in my life. While it may be a little odd, I find the symbiotic relationship between the Randall’s pistol shrimp and the Randall’s pawn goby quite interesting. As a saltwater enthusiast, I was able to have both of these species in my home aquarium and I saw first-hand their relationship.

Uniquely, the pistol shrimp has very poor eyesight and has little defence against large predators; however, the shrimp’s advantage is that he is able to dig tunnels and burrow under the sand. On the other hand, the pawn goby has great eyesight and it able to capture food for the pistol shrimp but doesn’t have a shelter. Simultaneously these species work together, with the pistol shrimp creating the shelter and the goby sitting on the edge of the tunnel shelter, looking for predators, gathering food and providing protection, alerting the shrimp and taking cover in the tunnels when danger is present. 

My working definition of privilege: a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group (from google). Privilege in relation to nature for me, is being lucky enough to be living in a beautiful country where I have safe access to nature at all times. Moreover, I can go for walks, hikes, sightseeing etc. without having to worry. The privilege I have with regards to my access to nature is the reason why I feel that I have such a strong connection to it. There is no doubt in my mind that if I was still living in the city where I grew up, with limited access to nature, I would not have the connection I have with nature that I do today. Something as simple as growing up in a huge city like New York would truly limit someone’s access to nature when compared to the Guelph/Tri City area.

(Photo I took while going on a walk in the summer)

Even now during the pandemic I feel more privileged than ever living on a farm. During the beginning of the pandemic on our side of the world, there was a lot of panic and uncertainty regarding Covid-19. I remember my friends and family expressing their anxiety when leaving their apartments and having to walk by somebody in the hall. I on the other hand, have access to a beautiful farm where I can do any sort of outdoor activity without having to worry about running into anyone. When I am outside with nature on the farm I am in my own world and I honestly think I couldn’t be luckier. Having the connection to nature that I do now is paramount for my mental health given what is going on in the world right now.

(Photo I took while going on a walk in the summer)

Awesome post! Similarly, I feel very privileged during this pandemic. While I don’t live on a farm, I do have access to a vehicle which I was able to use during the summer, when covid wasn’t as major of a concern and travel to Lake Erie and surrounding parks. Although we had to be socially distanced, I was still allowed to use my boat and fish throughout the summer which was a huge relief for me. I could explore and not have to worry about coming too close to somebody. As you mentioned this was paramount for my mental health in enabling me to be relaxed and appreciative of the world around me.

I guess my question for you is that in the event this pandemic continues, and we are more restricted in our movements, how is someone who does not have access to an open farm continue to expose themselves to nature? 

The role of being an environmental interpreter is a highly critical position as we try to persuade individuals who may have lost their connection with nature, are searching for their ‘sense of place’ or who just want to learn more about their surroundings, about the importance of nature. This needs to be done with passion as we must transform facts into intricate and compelling stories and experiences; the individuals have to feel as if they were ones who experienced those stories firsthand. Environmental Interpreters also have the responsibility to not only the environment but as being members of society to aid their peers in observing the beauty and meaning of culture and nature in their everyday lives.

To be honest, I am still unsure as to what exactly my purpose is or the specific kind of job I would like to pursue in the future but after learning what a nature interpreter’s role is in society, I feel like that is something I could do. About 4 years ago, I had the opportunity to volunteer at a water and nature festival at Ball’s Falls Conservation Area in Vineland, ON. At this event, children would come from the surrounding elementary schools and we had the role of informing them about the importance of conservation and what they can do at home and in their everyday lives to help. We had to make sure we were making the event as interactive as possible as we were working with children but at the same time had to ensure that we were getting our concerns and points across to the children.

Image of Ball's Falls Conservation Area in Vineland, ON. Photo obtained from Google Images.

With that being said, I think my ideal environmental interpreter job would be similar as to what I was doing for the festival. Being able to work hands on in small groups within smaller scale communities really aids in the connection aspect of being an interpreter. I think it is super important for us to connect with the younger generation and show them how crucial conservation and preservation are for our environment. And starting this integration of nature and children as soon as possible will be the most beneficial. As I stated above, it is essential to make this kind of event as interactive as possible for children. But as we learned this week, there are different types of learning styles, so as an environmental interpreter, I would have the responsibility in including activities that will encompass all of these styles.

A few questions for you as you conclude this reading:

1. Has nature interpretation always been an option for a career path? Or is it something that has recently sparked interest?

2. Do you think it is more important/ effective to reach out and integrate nature interpretation within the younger generations or do you think that adults would be more receptive?

Thank you for reading and I can’t wait to see what you guys think!

Great blog post, I loved reading about your experience as a volunteer at a water and nature festival. In fact, I did a very similar thing in my hometown, I was in charge of explaining the water treatment cycle to children and found it very rewarding to teach the future generation about the world. I would also like to work in smaller groups as you are able to convey your message and engage with participants better. To answer your question nature interpretation has never been on my radar as a future career but this class has sparked my interest for sure. In the future I wish to be an elementary school teacher which possess a lot of similar skills as an interpreter. Also, young children tend to be very interested in nature so in a way I will hopefully be a nature interpreter by going on nature walks with the children and describing different elements of their environment. In fact, I work at an elementary school now with JK/SK children and they have such a strong passion for the outdoors. We recently did an activity where they classified different elements outdoors as living or non-living and talked about what made something alive or not. 

I think that it is important to begin integrating nature interpretation at a young age to build the foundation for when people are adults. Children I find tend to be more interested in nature, but that doesn’t go to say adults wouldn’t be equally interested it depends on the person. But i think it especially important to educate the young about nature and its beauty because they are the ones responsible for future policies relating to conservation and climate change. 

To answer your questions:

1. If you are asking each of us individually, I have always had a dream of teaching in the outdoors because of growing up going to camp. If you are asking about whether the job is accessible to a greater audience, I think that my answer to that is that we are more desperate for nature interpreters. As nature-deficit disorder has become a common term and is an increasing issue, it is so important for our society to have more interpreters (whether as careers/jobs or as a hobby with friends) who are passionate about taking people out into nature. It is a career that is so needed right now!

2. Children are so receptive! You can see this in most of our posts about connection to nature, most people talked about how as a kid they would play in puddles and be fascinated with insects. That being said, I also read posts from people who have grown their love for nature as adults. It is in our nature to be in nature.

Lastly, I want to recommend a book to you, it’s called the Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature by Jon Young, Ellen Haas, and Evan McGown and is a guidebook to learning to connect deeper yourself and how to teach that to others. 

Happy adventuring!

I believe that an individual’s relationship with nature is unique and ever changing. The term nature is very broad, and can mean something different to each person. One’s idea of nature can range from a city park to a remote tropical rainforest. Nature influences people’s lives in various ways. I have always been fascinated by the natural world. Some of my first vivid memories involve nature. From a young age, I would sit for hours and observe how species interact with their environment.

A photo of me at my cottage when I was younger. I’m likely looking at some fish in the lake. Photo taken by my mom. 

I am very grateful that I grew up surrounded by nature. I was born and raised in the city of Toronto, but when I was younger I would spend my summer camping or at my cottage. I would spend the entire day fishing and looking for frogs with my brother. We would explore for hours, hoping that we would find some interesting animals. When looking back at these memories, it is my mom who offered me a sense of place in nature by taking me on all these adventures. Exploring the different provincial parks in Ontario opened my eyes to the immense natural diversity located in our own province. This gave me an appreciation for nature and allowed me to recognize how important its preservation is.

Going for a paddle in Killarney Provincial Park, one of my favourite places. Photo taken by me. 

As I got older, my interest in nature grew stronger. This prompted me to work for Ontario Parks. I had the opportunity to work at Algonquin Park for a few summers, which was an amazing experience that had a major influence on my relationship with nature. While working here, I got to volunteer with research being conducted in the park. I assisted with turtle research being conducted at the wildlife research station, and I helped the park biologists collect water samples. The water sampling required us to access remote lakes in the park, so we were granted permission to use the park plane for transportation. Working at Algonquin also allowed me to do some of my favourite activities. I went on many backcountry trips and went fishing almost every day. These experiences lead me to the realization that I wanted to pursue a career where I can be immersed in nature. This motivated me to apply to the Marine and Freshwater Biology program at the University of Guelph.

An aerial view of Algonquin Provincial Park. Photo taken by me. 

Rapids found near a trail at Algonquin Provincial Park. Photo taken by me. 

My undergraduate education has evolved my relationship with nature. It has provided me with a strong awareness of how ecosystems function and has allowed me to develop a thorough understanding of how species interact within these systems. Additionally, it has exposed me to the vast diversity that is present among different ecosystems. As my relationship with nature progresses, I am becoming more aware of the environmental degradation caused by humans. Humans have an intrinsic relationship with nature. Thus, it is essential that we protect our planet and mitigate the harm that we cause to it.

A photo of me at Bruce Peninsula National Park in 2016. Photo taken by my aunt. 

Some questions I have for you: 

1. How have your experiences with nature influenced your field of study? 

2. Have you been camping before? If yes, what is your favourite Provincial / National Park? 

I feel as though we share some life experiences in terms of growing up with exposure to nature as well as a love for provincial parks. The opportunities that you were able to have at Algonquin are amazing, it seems as though your future career path has been heavily influenced by these opportunities. I myself have been to numerous provincial parks with my aunt and uncle – Killarney, Grundy Lake, Halfway Lake, Awenda, Inverhuron, etc – and the experiences I had during this time has had a lot of influence on my undergrad as well! I am in Wildlife Biology and Conservation and although I still don’t have a clear career path laid out, I hope to possibly work for Parks Canada. 

I also grew up on a farm, so I have known most of my life that I would work in an involved and natural environment, and coming to Guelph forced me to form a relationship with nature while living in the city. Do you think that having grown up in the city has given you a different definition of what nature means? Do you think that you would have found a similar life path if you didn’t spend your summers at your cottage? Thanks for the engaging post!