Lutts Landscape - My Interpretation of Nature

Hello all!

This final blog post was such an amazing way of reflecting on how this course has change the way I view nature interpretation, and how I approach the communication of information in general. I am definitely someone who learns best by doing, I like to touch things, or see them in action! I learned this during one of our first units, when discussing how to teach to the different learning types and the difference between tangible and intangible elements (Beck et al., 2018). The reason I am bringing this up again is one component of the prompt we were given: Describe your personal ethic as you develop as a nature interpreter. The answer to this is deeply entwined with the rest of the prompt, but I’ll return to that later. The biggest ethic I believe in when it comes to nature interpretation is that everyone deserves the opportunity to understand the nature that they are surrounded by. This does not mean that that we should all have access to the same free online resources, though it does help, but instead that we are all given the chance to learn in a way that aligns with our needs.

 *Photo taken by me of my two friends crossing a frozen lake in Garibaldi Park, BC*

I started a program at UoG in 2014, graduated with a general Science, and went to Fleming college for Arboriculture, before returning to UoG to upgrade my degree. I learned that all of the book-reading in the world won’t help me retain knowledge the way that listening to a respected instructor, or physically applying my knowledge does. If I had been taught this at a younger age, I might have approached my education differently. This is why I deeply believe that we need to expand public resources surrounding environmental education so that it is not only given to those who can afford a college education, or courses from a private institution. Physical learners need to be given attention just as their counterparts are: starting in early childhood and throughout their developmental years. We need to break down the stigma that those who don’t retain well from intangible learning aren’t smart.  

 *Photo taken by me during a mushroom hunt and information share with my coworker in Coquitlam, BC*

So many of the people that I know who are in outdoor or environmentally central trades/professions stumbled into it later in life, usually due to the many physical faucets that this field has. They are some of the most well-educated people I have ever met, without spending much time at all in a classroom! My beliefs within nature interpretation are that by focusing on diversifying teaching methods we are able to connect more people to our cause. Opening up learning to everyone, despite their location, background, financial position, abilities, or personal beliefs would create a wonderfully inclusive culture around one thing that every human being shares: a reliance on the environment.

*Photo taken by me of a coworker pruning trees in White Rock, BC*

Our responsibilities as nature interpreters are to make this inclusivity possible, to be open to conversing with people, showing them what we know, whether or not they hold the same views as us. We should not argue with anyone, or try to change their minds, because everyone comes to love this earth in their own way, from their own place, as discussed between David Suzuki and Richard Louv in the video we were provided (Suzuki and Louv, 2012). All we have to do is open the door, and hope that they walk through on their own.  

 *Photo taken by me of a coworker pruning a tree in Langley, BC*

I am an arborist by trade, which means that I climb trees in order to identify diseases or hazards within them, prune for aesthetics and/or safety, and am often involved in tree removal. I entered this trade from a place of environmental consciousness, believing I was going to become a “tree doctor”, who identified issues and fixed them, only removing living trees if it was absolutely necessary. This is not the reality of my profession. I have seen many more trees cut down for urban development or due to unwise planting decisions than I had anticipated when I first began my career. I realized early on that people don’t see the benefit in their trees, such as reduced energy bills due to shading their houses on hot days, the way that they act as a sound barrier for roadways, the decreased likelihood of lawn flooding due to their roots up-taking water, and so much more. All they see are extra leaves to rake off their lawns. My coworkers often don’t see trees, especially big ones, as living beings, but instead as a fun challenge to kill that you can brag about later.

*Photo taken by me of a coworker removing a tree in Surrey, BC* 

Through this course I’ve learned that we are all interpreters for each other, we’ve all seen and learned things that others haven’t. Sometimes by listening to other people’s experiences we learn about things we’ve never encountered, and sometimes our own piece of knowledge can help other’s connect the dots on how something works. At my job most of the people I work with don’t understand tree biology but have many more years of practical experience than I do. So when they remark on how a growth on a tree, that I probably never would have noticed, is “weird” or “cool”, I get the opportunity to explain the probably cause of it, and why the tree responds to certain stimuli the way it does. I hope that eventually this mutual enlightenment leads to a deeper appreciation for trees in both of us.

 *photo taken my me, of a cool tree graft found in Victoria, BC*

In conclusion, this course hasn’t changed the way I see nature, instead it has shown me different ways to communicate my own view with others, and the value of listening to their response. There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to learning or interpreting, and, since we are all both interpreters and students, we need to have patience with each other, and try to see through the eyes of others. Only through connection to each other can we communicate our passions.

*Photo of my dog and I frolicking in Tofino, BC*

My questions for you are: have you realized through this course that someone in your life was a nature interpreter for you, and you never noticed? How have you been an interpreter for others before this course, and will your methods change now that it’s over?

Thank you to all of my classmates and our instructors, you’ve all taught me so much this semester!

Katie the Treehugger

*Photo of my dog and I looking forward to our next adventure!*

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For a better world. Urbana, IL: Sagamore Publishing.

I have to start by saying just how relatable and well written your post was! To start, you raise a great point behind learning styles and how to deliver a message to the audience as nature interpreters. Much like yourself, I learn by doing with hands on experiences. I feel as though most people can actually relate to this form of learning as well. As you mentioned, being able to physically apply the knowledge you are taught creates an experience that cannot be gained through just reading books.

Building off of this, I couldn’t agree more with your idea that our responsibility as nature interpreters is to provide everyone with an equal and fair opportunity to learn. You idea of making inclusivity possible and aligning needs to properly educate the audience is super important. I mentioned in my post that as interpreters, it is important to find common ground with our audience in order to effectively and efficiently relate to them. This in turn, helps relay the message we are trying to get across as there is a personal connection to build off of.

I hope you enjoyed the course and had a great semester!

Throughout this course I have learned a significant amount about nature interpretation. One thing I have noticed throughout the semester is that my personal ethics have evolved. The root of my ethics I feel is associated with my “sense of place” (Beck et al., 2018, Chapter 1). Coming into this course my sense of place in nature was strong. I was introduced to nature at a young age thanks to my grandparents. This helped me build a relationship with nature as a child. Furthermore, in high school I had an amazing teacher who helped to further my relationship with nature and encouraged me to pursue a career in the environment. Without my family and my high school teacher, I would not have such a strong relationship with the environment. I am very fortunate for this! Thanks to this I feel that I have strong environmental ethics. Over the semester I have solidified my belief that nature interpretation and a “sense of place” go hand and hand together. To this day I feel that interpretation can help an individual find their “sense of place”.

A photo of the Catskill Mountains from Kingston, NY. Photo taken by me on December 30th, 2016.

As a nature interpreter one of my responsibilities is to bring awareness to the environment and promote environmental preservation. Nature is a beautiful gift that is often taken for granted by many. It is important to educate others about its importance. It is also key to promote environmental sustainability. So, moving forward as a nature interpreter I am going to ensure I develop my teachings to incorporate all of these components. In doing so I will successfully teach other’s what natures worth is and how it can be protected. These aspects would be incorporated into my nature walks and information sessions; which is my ideal role as an environmental interpreter. One day, I hope to lead my nature interpretation activities at North-South Lake State Park in New York. As a nature interpreter it is important that I think about the audience that is participating in my activities (Beck et al., 2018, Chapter 4). My first approach as a nature interpreter is being adaptable. Depending on the type of audience I have, I will need to make modifications and changes as I go to ensure that my nature interpretation is speaking to all audiences (Beck et al., 2018, Chapter 4). This means how I lead my nature interpretations for adults will be completely different from how I lead interpretations for kids.

For instance, with kids it would be like a teaching experience and I would incorporate fun activities to keep the kids interested. This would also help to solidify what they learn! Adults I would take a completely different approach such as more in-depth detail. However, one similarity I would have between the two potential audiences is that I would also incorporate personal experiences and stories to help draw in both audiences. I believe this is one of the key characteristics of nature interpretation! This is because a nature interpreter needs to be able to incorporate their own life experiences (with nature) into their teachings to help intrigue the audience more (Beck et al., 2018, Chapter 6). Storytelling is a critical way to get messages across to an audience (Beck et al., 2018, Chapter 10).

Unfortunately, some groups are more privileged than others in respect to their access to nature. This can limit how often an individual has access to nature (if they have access to nature at all). One of my beliefs is that everyone should have the same opportunities to access nature! The audience that does not have access to nature can be classified as being “underserved” (Beck et al., 2018, Chapter 21). This means that they are not able to fully participate in nature interpretation and are limited in their achievements. Those who have constant access are privileged since they have an advantage in participating more (Beck et al., 2018, Chapter 21). A key factor influencing this is economics. Economic barriers such as the inability to afford services, transportation, and lodging play a significant role since those who cannot afford these are less likely to participate in nature interpretation (Beck et al., 2018, Chapter 21). My second approach is accessibility. I want to ensure everybody has access to nature interpretation! This is what will one day set me apart from other interpreters. I plan to offer FREE access to those who cannot afford it, including children, teens, adults, and seniors. I also want to run free workshops for at-risk youth! Transportation and lodging would also be provided to those who could not afford it. This way everyone has the same access to these resources!

Another belief that I bring to my nature interpretation is that nature is a form of art. From my personal experiences and what I’ve learned this semester; nature offers so many different forms of art! A couple of forms of art present in nature are paintings, photography, and music (Beck et al., 2018, Chapter 10). Photographs and physical surroundings in nature are like natural paintings. The “gift of beauty” is when an individual has the capability of assessing surroundings through interpretations (Beck et al., 2018, Chapter 10). Everyone has the capability of interpreting the “gift of beauty”, however, I feel this is most successful with storytelling. In addition to this, nature offers its own music to us everyday. Sounds like a river flowing and leaves blowing in the wind are all forms of music. These types of sounds are classified as ambient sounds. These sounds are actually similar to an orchestra (Grey et al., 2001). These forms of art in nature are aspects I plan to highlight in my interpretations!

Another responsibility is to be a peacemaker (Beck et al., 2018, Chapter 20). A peacemaker is an individual who promotes peace with others. Not only do others need to respect each other, they also have to respect nature. One of my responsibilities will be ensuring that others are respecting nature as they would another person. Nature and history are aspects that go together. There is history in nature and in historical places there is nature (Beck et al., 2018, Chapter 4). So, another responsibility is to teach others about the history associated with nature. It will also be my responsibility to understand the stories I am telling to intrigue the learner more (Beck et al., 2018, Chapter 21). Finally, my last responsibility is to prepare ahead of time. A good interpreter prepares their material ahead of time to ensure everything is structured so the learners can understand everything.

A photo of me and my Fiancé. Photo taken by my Fiancé on December 30th, 2016.

Good luck on your final assignments and exams everyone!

References

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Chapter 1: What is Interpretation? In Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For a better world (pp. 3-16). Urbana, Illinois; Sagamore-Venture Publishing.

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Chapter 4: Values of Interpretation for Management. In Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For a better world (pp. 127-161). Urbana, Illinois; Sagamore-Venture Publishing.

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Chapter 6: How People Learn. In Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For a better world (pp. 3-16). Urbana, Illinois; Sagamore-Venture Publishing.

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Chapter 10: Arts in Interpretation. In Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For a better world (pp. 127-161). Urbana, Illinois; Sagamore-Venture Publishing.

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Chapter 20: Global Interpretation. In Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For a better world (pp. 457-478). Urbana, Illinois; Sagamore-Venture Publishing.

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Chapter 21: The Bright Future of Interpretation. In Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For a better world (pp. 457-478). Urbana, Illinois; Sagamore-Venture Publishing.

Loved the post! Honestly I think I relate to your personal ethics behind nature interpretation to a great deal. The idea that you feel as though your understanding behind nature interpretation stems from your “sense of place” is powerful. You highlight that it allows you to build your relationship with nature on a personal level which is something that cannot be understated! Creating that aspect where we have an inherent relationship with the surrounding environment is so important to grasp when practicing nature interpretation. Additionally, it was great to read that the torch was almost passed on to you in a sense from a previous teacher you had. In this weeks’ post, I wrote about the idea of nature interpretation coming full circle. Well this is a key example of just that! You had someone who was passionate about teaching and relaying their message that it actually resonated with you to do that same!

One thing I am curious to know more about is you approach to inspiring your audience. For instance, what kinds of fun activities would you plan with them to create a better understanding of nature interpretation?

Really great post and hope you enjoyed the semester!

I think for this post I will be focusing on the honey bee! Something I’m sure all of us science students have done some research on in our education so far. I do want to focus more specifically on the honey bee dances. Honey bees use dancing as a form of communication. Pretty neat!

So the first dance I want to discuss is the waggle dance! Honey bees do a fascinating dance that we call the ‘waggle dance’ as a form of communication to other honey bees.  During this dance, the honey bee can communicate both the distance and direction of a flower patch! I’m sure we all know that bees like to communicate and work as a team but when I learned this about honey bees I was absolutely blown away. Research also suggests that the number of bees that go through with following a waggle dance decreases as the distance of the food source increases. I just think its brilliant for creatures so tiny to make those kinds of complex decisions.

From BBC’s Earth on Youtube 

The second dance is the round dance. This dance is not as amazing as the previous waggle dance but still noteworthy enough to include in this blog post. During the round dance, the bee trying to communicate to others would move in a circle, turn around, and repeat. This dance simply communicates to other bees that there is a flower nearby, not the direction or distance like the waggle dance.

Anyways, that’s just one of many amazing things honey bees can do. It seems like the more I look into honey bees, the more I am amazed.

Do any of you have any cool facts about honey bees you’d like to share?

Sources:

Al Toufailia, H., Couvillon, M. J., Ratnieks, F. L., & Grüter, C. (2013). Honey bee waggle dance communication: Signal meaning and signal noise affect dance follower behaviour. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 67(4), 549-556. doi:10.1007/s00265-012-1474-5

Another great post. Honestly super informative. I genuinely didn’t know that Honeybees use dancing as a form of communication. That is actually so cool so I can understand why you chose to interpret Honeybees as one of the most amazing things in nature. To think that these insects are so intelligent with communication tactics that they can actually communicate both the distance and direction of a flower path through dance blows my mind (Something I would love to do for food myself).

Honestly, I wish I had more knowledge regarding honeybees. I know that the University of Guelph actually offers an upper-level course that is exclusively geared towards honeybees and their biological lifestyle. It seems like something worth looking into if you would like to learn more about honeybees!

After reading your brief post regarding them, I might have to look into that course myself! Very cool facts Farhad!

I think its absolutely amazing that music in nature can be found everywhere you go. From birds chirping, the wind blowing, and leaves rustling under your feet. If you stop and listen, you are bound to hear music in the nature around you.

Nature in music can be found from the materials used in instruments. Violin strings often use sheep intestine, nylon, or steel. I’m not somebody who knows a lot about music but I can safely assume that each material used in the creation of instruments have a purpose and contribute to the quality of sound produced. I would also like to think that there have been many sound samples that come directly from nature that is used in music .

There is one song that really does take me back to natural landscape and it is called ‘No Place in Mind’ by Justin Nozuka. The combination of album artwork, gentle acoustic sound, and softer toned singing, makes me feel like I am outside. I guess I can say it gives me a very campfire or early morning fishing trip feeling. Justin Nozuka is a very talented and under appreciated Canadian artist and I highly recommend giving him a listen, especially this song.

Song Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nLgLrss22w&ab_channel=JustinNozukaVEVO

There is one interesting phenomenon I stumbled upon last semester during my evolution class and that is how singing birds can learn new songs and pass them on for generations. To be brief, researchers played music on speakers, adult birds learned the song, then passed it onto their kids. These newly acquired songs would spread among many birds. This is amazing given that this same bird species may have been singing drastically different songs in the far past and humans have the influence to sway birds into singing specific tunes for years to come.

(https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181004143948.htm#:~:text=Summary%3A,on to the next generation. )

     I just want to start by saying I thought your post was great. I actually found it quite insightful. For instance, when writing this weeks’ post and answering the question “where is nature in music?”, I didn’t even clue into the fact that it can be represented through materialistic aspects in instruments. You raise a great point in suggesting that the creation of instruments utilizes naturalistic materials to produce the sound. One thing I’d like to add to your point about music coming directly from sampled nature sounds would be the inclusion of elephant sounds in music. Some East African tribes incorporate low frequency Elephant sounds into their songs as a form of storytelling and to garner a sense of the cultural heritage of their environment (Gary et al. 2001).

     Additionally, I would like to point out how great “No Place in Mind” is in terms of a song taking me to a naturalistic landscape! I listened to it and couldn’t help but feel the exact same senses as yourself. It does seem somewhat hard to explain but I too gathered the ambiance of being around a campfire. Whether that is solely based on the song itself or me taking in what you said is up for interpretation.

     Overall I agree with your statement suggesting that music, nature and humans are all intertwined and share an intriguing element that generates inspiration.

“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

The author uses the word integrity to mean “the state of being whole and undivided” when remarking how we need to keep the past maintained for knowledge and memory of ancient things. This is all too reminiscent of a South Park episode entitled “Free Hat” in which George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are remaking all their old films to the dismay of the fans of said films. The episode came out in July of 2002 when E.T. and Star Wars had freshly been remastered, in real life, by Lucasfilm to the horror of Trey Parker (creator of South Park).

 Link: http://gph.is/2bqMPVv Source: comedycentral.com 

This episode was made in direct response to the announcement that Lucas and Spielberg were amid remastering Raiders of the Lost Ark. In the episode, Cartman Stan and Kyle (the quintessential characters of the show) protest directors altering these films by making a club called “Save Films from their Directors”. Stan states his reasoning because, “Movies are art, and art shouldn’t be modified! These films we all grew up with, that touched OUR lives and are parts of OUR souls are being updated and changed. If they keep getting changed, and updated, we eventually won’t recognize them anymore.” Not only did Steven Spielberg write South Park a letter to backhandedly thank them for being the villain in their show, but Spielberg and Lucas CANCELLED the remastering of Raiders of the Lost Ark merely weeks after the episode aired.

Link: http://gph.is/24IKcSC Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r13riaRKGo0

When Edward Hyams explores the thought of a railway station no longer existing once the train your riding leaves reminds me of the age old question, “If a tree falls in the middle of the woods, but no one is around to hear it: did it make any noise?” To which my answer is yes it did, regardless if a human is around to interpret it or not because I’m sure a bird, bear or badger was around to hear it! And my answer to Eddy Hyams is of course the railway still exists…for now! Time decays every human made structure whether it be via erosion, oxidation, explosions, etc. Humans have done their best to preserve past ancient civilization cultures through museums, designations of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and through individual families passing on heirlooms. What Mr. Hyams fails to neglect is that every moment is fleeting, and the world is in constant flux.

Link: http://www.keepcalmandposters.com/poster/5394670_keep_calm_cause_nothing_lasts_forever_even_cold_november_rain

I strongly suggest being knowledgeable about the past; as those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it. But life isn’t about going backwards it’s about moving forward. There are times that we wish we could preserve in a time capsule and cherish forever but the adventure of life is there are new challenges and experiences lying ahead! I have a hunch Mr. Hyams longed for a time gone by and was the Don Quixote of his time. 

Honestly thought your post to this weeks’ prompt was great! Your connection to the South Park episode was particularly interesting. The idea that if things are constantly changed or modified from our past raises the question of whether or not we will even remember them for what they truly were anymore. This also strikes an eerily representative relationship to what the US experienced under the Trump presidency over the past 4 years. With falsified remarks and lies being told daily, Trump tried to rewrite his own history. However, maintaining records of the truth and what actually happened is the sense of integrity that must not be forgotten. As  you stated yourself, it generates a sense of obligation to maintain that history ensuring the whole is kept intact.

One thing I would like to note though is the context in which Hyams uses his train station metaphor. Rather than it being about the existence of the train station only if our train was in it; it may be more directed towards the idea that it is ignorant to even suggest it doesn’t exist solely based on if our train was in it or not. It’s the concept that history can’t be changed one way or the other and that it is inherently selfish to think our lives are the only determining factor in history. It can’t be changed one way or the other and thus is a great tool to utilize in educating our future decisions.

With spring break around the corner, I thought it would be great to remember the place that truly makes me happy; North-South Lake Campground. With the weather being so cold lately, I can’t help it, I love thinking of this happy place. Going there during the warm summer, it just brings a smile to my face. No matter how bad a day I am having, if I think of this place, it makes me happy. There is something almost magic like about this place. It has so much beauty to offer, but that’s not all it has; it has a mysterious side too. Think about this, even though you are in nature, there are so many aspects you cannot see. What animals are hiding in the forest just behind your campsite? What insect is hiding under the rainfly of the tent? What insect is crawling on the ground as you are hiking to the summit of the mountain?

A photo at North-South Lake Campground from the summit. Photo taken by me July 26, 2019.

All of these questions help to highlight the mysterious side of nature. Even if you know the types of animals that are in a certain area, the animals around your campsite may always stay hidden. Sure, you see the squirrels running around and birds flying by. But what about a small frog or a baby deer? Many animals stay hidden from us because they are afraid. So, you may never know what animals are around. This mystery really keeps me imaging all the possible animals that could be around me. And if you’re not careful you may accidently step on an insect while walking! Some insects are so small you might not even see them when looking at the ground. Another mysterious aspect about this place in nature that makes me happy.

A photo of my campsite at North-South Lake Campground. Photo taken by me July 25, 2019.

When it comes down to it, I feel this is my happy place because I feel this place is “the gift of beauty” in my life (Beck et al., 2018). When I am here, I am able to assess my surroundings through interpretations of beauty and provide a sense of spirituality to those around me. According to Beck et al (2018), this is what “the gift of beauty” is. Being here truly is a gift and I will forever cherish it. It’s beautiful and every activity that I get to do here adds an additional element to North-South Lake’s beauty.

A photo of me  kayaking on North-South Lake. Photo taken by me July 25, 2019.

One thing I learned about this wonderful place is if you are patient the mysterious aspects will come to you! For instance, me and my fiancé decided we would just sit around at the campsite in silence. In doing so many insects and animals came near us that we may have never noticed or seen if we were making a sound. One of the cool insects that came right up to me was a twelve-spotted skimmer. It landed right at the table I was sitting at and stayed there for quite sometime. Once we made a sound it flew away.

A photo of a twelve-spotted skimmer (female) on a picnic table at North-South Lake Campground. Photo taken by me July 24, 2019.

Being here is just so peaceful and relaxing. The best part is sitting by the campfire; listening to the sounds of nature and trying to guess what animals or insects are causing these sounds.

A photo of the campfire my fiancé built at North-South Lake Campground. Photo taken by me July 25, 2019.

Question for the readers:

What is your happy place in nature? Explain why.

References

I really enjoyed reading about your happy place in North-South Lake Campground. You painted quite the experience just through your written piece alone! Even seeing some of the pictures you took makes me realize why you call it your happy place and how majestic it can be. Reading about this campground and how it makes you feel really resonated with me.

Briefly answering your question, my happy place would in nature would have to be my cottage. Located in South Frontenac, this cottage is where I spend most of my summers. Unfortunately, I can’t be there year-round (as much as I would like to), but this place has always been a special and unforgettable nature setting in my life. Through the open lake water where we kayak to the dock where we fish, our cottage truly serves as a place to get away from all the noise of the world. As you stated, it serves as that “gift of beauty” for me in my life through the gorgeous sunsets every day to the crackling fires we have at night. Truly one of my favourites places to be.

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

Have you ever looked out your window in the evening and sat in awe for a few moments looking at the sunset? Did you feel compelled to capture the moment with a photo? It’s so common to see people taking a picture of a pretty sunset, or flower, or cloud. I know I definitely have taken at least a hundred photos of the sky outside my window. How amazing is it, that we all want to preserve the things we find beautiful, so we can enjoy them again later and share them with others. Whether it be through snapping a quick photo, or spending days crafting a painting, we have filled the world with beautiful works of art depicting scenes of nature both spectacular and mundane.

These works of art can also be considered an act of nature interpretation. They draw attention to the parts of nature that the artist finds inspiring or beautiful, and purposefully rouse emotions in the audience. Artists will use techniques involving lighting, colour, and framing to create a certain mood in the work and imbue the subject matter with meaning.  

(Image: ‘Along the Ridge’ painting by Robert Bateman)

Take for example this piece by famous Canadian painter Robert Bateman titled ‘Along the Ridge’. The subject matter alone is quite simple; a mother grizzly bear and her two cubs walking along a mountain ridge. However, Bateman gives the image a greater meaning through the previously mentioned artistic techniques. Note how far left the bears are placed, and how that gives you a sense that they might have been walking for a long time, and have a while yet to go. See how he uses colour to make the bears stand out against the background. And notice how, although the bears are the focus, the majority of the painting is dedicated to showing the vastness of the sky and mountains. Bateman masterfully uses artistic techniques in his paintings to not only depict the subject, but to tell us a story. By showing us the emotion and meaning in a scene, an artist can make a bird’s nest just as impactful as mountain vista.

           I found your take on this week’s blog prompt to be extremely well written. You highlighted the key facts that allow for naturalistic art to be a form of interpretation. Specifically, I found your insight of the image ‘Along the Ridge’ to be particularly interesting. As a studying landscape architect, I don’t think I could have said it better my self! You alluded to the fact that Bateman uses artistic techniques in his painting to not only depict the subject, but to tell the story. I would have never thought about the idea of the bears’ placement in the photo. But as you stated, Bateman almost signifies how dramatic nature can be with the bears having to travel that distance across the painting.

When hearing the word “privilege”, the definition that comes to my mind is a set of traits that allows an individual who possesses them to have specific advantages in life. One’s privilege can be determined by their race, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, education, gender identity, age, and more (Media Smarts, 2014). Privilege can easily be taken for granted and can become normalized in environments such as schools (Gallavan, 2005). Therefore, it is critical that privilege is recognized as an advantage, and education systems are constructed around the idea that each student has a different set of privileges. This applies to interpretive programs as well.

Retrieved from : https://www.theantiracisteducator.com/post/the-anti-racist-educator-white-privilege-test

Before discussing how privilege relates to nature interpretation, I would like to reflect on my personal privileges. I am a white, I speak english, my family is middle class, I have a Canadian passport, I attend university, and I have two very supportive parents. I have never been deprived of clean water, heating, or a place to live. When reflecting on this, I recognize how fortunate I am. Both my grandparents are immigrants, they left Macedonia and came to Canada to find better living conditions. My grandma immigrated to Canada when she was 12 years old, and her life growing up was much different than mine. When she was in Macedonia, they had no access to running water or heating and she was forced to work on the farm from a very young age. When she arrived in Canada, she faced discrimination due to her accent and weak english proficiency. When comparing her experiences to mine, it is clear that I have been granted privileges that she never had access to. 

A photo of my Grandma and her friends at Woodbine beach, Toronto in 1957.

Peggy McIntosh describes privilege as an “invisible knapsack of unearned assets” (McIntosh in Noel, 2000, p. 116). When considering nature interpretation, privilege can quite literally be demonstrated by a knapsack full of expensive equipment. Money can buy you a nice tent, hiking shoes, a kevlar canoe, and a down sleeping bag. All of these items will make a camping experience much more comfortable and affect the experience you have with nature. One major factor that influences privilege is social class. If you are wealthy, you will likely have very different experiences with nature compared to someone who is less fortunate. For example, if you can afford a cottage or vacation home, you will have a drastically different interpretation of nature than someone who can only afford to connect with nature at their local city park. Therefore, privilege plays a major role in nature interpretation. Privilege can determine the experiences you have access to, who you share these experiences with, the places you can travel, and your level of comfort while doing so.  

My friend and I on a trail at Algonquin Park, photo taken by my mom.

My question to you: 

As interpreters, how can we enable all participants to have a similar experience regardless of their privilege?  

I think that one way we can achieve this is by having cheap transportation to provincial parks. There currently is a park bus that will transport people from the city to provincial parks. However, a one way ticket to Algonquin is $71. Most people who live on a strict budget cannot afford this. Another way that we can enable all participants to have a similar experience is by collecting donations of old or broken equipment and repairing them. These items can then be used by people who can’t afford to purchase their own camping equipment. There are many equipment rental programs in existence. However, like the park bus, they are quite pricey and not everybody can afford them. 

References: 

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

McIntosh, P. (2000). White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack. In J. Noel’s (Ed.). Notable selections in multicultural education (pp. 115-120). Guilford, CT. Dushkin/ McGraw-Hill.

           I really enjoyed reading what you had to say about your working definition of privilege. Much like yourself, my invisible backpack holds many attributes that I try to remain humble about. I was born into a white, middle class family, raised in Canada. I didn’t have to worry about food on the table, additional money to help pay for bills, or limited opportunities.

           I was saddened to read that your grandma had to endure discrimination when she arrived in Canada from Macedonia but as you stated, that is just one of the very real experiences highlighting the privilege discrepancy.

           I would also like to address the question you posed regarding interpreters providing a common experience to all individuals regardless of their privilege. While I agree with both of the solutions you provided, I would like to direct your attention to the summary of chapter 7 in our textbook. Larry Beck and the associate writers addressed the interpreter’s role as it relates to privilege by explaining the diversification in audience members and how they all share some form of commonality regardless of their inherent privilege or disadvantages. The area in which I think we ought to explore is finding the threshold that our audience can relate to. The text suggests that “as interpreters seek to cast interpretive nets more widely – in addition to removing social, psychological and physical barriers – the key to serving new audiences is to know them” (Beck et.al, Pg.158, 2016). So, by getting to know your audience and becoming more of a co-learner and facilitator of interpretation, people may feel more welcomed and inclined to support these interpretive sites in nature.

References:

I went a long time without knowing what nature interpretation necessarily was. Even when I selected this course, I wasn’t entirely sure what it was – I thought that it sounded interesting and fit into my schedule, so why not? However, as we delve into this course, I am realizing that this may have been an excellent course for me to take and give me ideas for what I want to do after I graduate.

I am currently in my final semester of Marine and Freshwater Biology, and the graduation clock continues to tick down, but I am still not entirely sure what I want to do as a career. Over the past few years, however, I have been considering a career in institutions such as aquariums giving tours – and I have now come to realize that this is exactly what this course is about! Being an Aquarium Interpreter began as just an idea, but I hope that this course will give me a better idea of if this career path is for me!

As mentioned in my previous blog post, I was born and spent the first ten years of my life in Bermuda, which sparked my interest in marine biology. I would frequent institutions such as the Bermuda Aquarium and the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI), whether on school trips or in my own free time. Although the displays and specimens were enough to capture my interest on the subject of the ocean and its organisms, I can still remember some of the tours given to me by interpreters over a decade later. A good interpreter is someone that is enthusiastic and engaging (especially when it comes to children) while also remaining knowledgeable and concise. Although I am not the best at public speaking (hopefully one day I will work past this stutter), if there is one thing that I can talk about, it’s my interests! Despite my impediments, I feel like this would benefit me in the role of an interpreter. After all, I do believe that passion plays a big role in being an interpreter.  

Family looking at an aquarium. Source

           Reading about your ideal role as a nature interpreter really resonates with me. Specifically because, much like yourself, I too find myself in a predicament where I am not entirely sure where my degree will take me and what I will end up doing post graduation. The world is a big place with endless opportunities. I find it dauting to even think about choosing my career path at the moment. Deciding what to do for the rest of my life is no small task.

           However, as you pointed out, the idea of undertaking a career path in which interpretation is a central aspect sounds amazing! Something I never really thought of was the premise of teaching. As a studying and passionate environmentalist, I truly want to make a difference in the world but have been questioning how I could possibly make my mark. Reading that you remember guided aquarium tours back in Bermuda from a decade ago shows just the kind of effect one can have through interpretation.