Nature Interpretation - Farhad Omarzad

           Writing this final post has actually made me quite sad. I enjoyed drafting these posts as they provided me with an opportunity to express my views and share my thoughts and opinions with my classmates. The response process with everyone also provided a much-needed social interaction that was lost due to the pandemic. Yet I will not dwell upon what is coming to an end. Instead, I will reflect upon what I have learned about my development as a nature interpreter. In particular, how is my personal ethic evolving, what beliefs are influencing me, what do I view as my responsibilities, and what approaches are most suitable for me as a nature interpreter? The highly divergent views expressed by my classmates in their blogs has illustrated how important individual life experiences and circumstances are in forming their opinions, thoughts and views. Sharing our individual experiences has helped us collectively expand our horizons. So how has this influenced me?

          Everyone has an ethic that influences the way in which they approach a task or respond to an issue. Ethics are referred to by the Government of Canada (2015) as “a way of living” that people use to justify their actions based upon what they deem right and wrong and just and unjust. The moral judgments that individuals make are not something that can be taught but is something that they need to cultivate. An individual’s ethics can continue to develop and change as people grow and learn valuable lessons over their lives. The beliefs that I have, the responsibilities that I feel, and how I go about addressing situations are all rooted back to my individual moral ethics.

My parents are two of the most important people in my life. A lot of the moral ethics that I have now are because of them. They have instilled values in me that shape every action I do. Photo taken by Brooke Murphy (my sister)       

       I believe that humans tend to take things for granted and we tend to not understand how truly valuable people, moments or objects are. I think that nature is one of those things humans undervalue. 

Quickly take a second and reflect on how vital nature is for your survival.

 Humans require nature for food, places to exercise, to find inspiration, and improve their mental health. That is why I believe nature interpretation is so vital. It helps enhance one’s appreciation for the natural world. Personally, the pandemic took a toll upon my mental health. One of the ways that I have been able to recover is through interpreting nature. Nature brings me this sense of calm, making all the anxieties, which tend to overtake my life some days, disappear. The significance nature plays in my mental health recovery is why I believe that nature is so vital as the benefits it has tend to go unnoticed by most.

I started really understanding how important walking through nature was for my mental health in 2017 when I started to develop severe anxiety. This photo is around the time my anxiety was becoming extremely bad and I was going on frequent walks just to try to feel calm and I found nature was able to help me find this calm.

         Given how positively impactful nature has been on my life, I feel responsible to serve as an interpreter for nature. I do not necessarily want to be a formal nature interpreter, but I would still like to be a nature interpreter through my day-to-day actions. The natural world has helped me immeasurably and improved my mental health. That is why I feel responsible for helping to improve nature’s physical health by discussing endangered species, climate change, and other pressing environmental issues. When I graduate, I plan to pursue a career in teaching and use the concepts that I learned in this course in my career. I learned that effective communication is essential! To educate an audience about nature, I need to be able to effectively communicate to an audience in both an engaging and inclusive manner in order to appeal to their moral ethic to act as stewards of the earth! 

Freeman Tilden says…..

 “we must not tell one what they can do, but what they should do and not what they must be, but what they can be”. 

I believe that in order to do this I will need to tailor to my audience how I present a topic. In the course and textbook, the notion is discussed that how people interpret and connect with a presentation will be influenced by presentation style. Understanding and customizing each presentation to address each audience’s different learning styles is critical and my responsibility.

           I feel responsible for being an effective nature interpreter, not just for nature, but also for the individuals that I am presenting to. I believe and feel everyone has a right to be included and that no one should be made to feel as if they are not welcome - speaking from experience. As a nature interpreter, it is my responsibility to ensure that everyone can engage comfortably with an issue or concept that I am discussing. As a person who suffers from social anxiety, I can relate to the difficulty of group engagement. I know that as soon as my anxiety begins, I start to zone out and cannot remember anything. To ensure that this does not happen to others, I would give consideration to making people feel physically, mentally and socially safe. Doing this will help to ensure that everyone is given the same opportunity despite what they have and lack in their “invisible knapsack”.

I remember I was super anxious this day and was very quite during this tour/experience. The tour guide picked up on it and in front of the whole group made me come and kiss a stingray for 7 years of good luck. This gesture made me feel so included and special that I stopped feeling as anxious and began engaging more. Highlighting how important it is to make sure everyone feels included and has the same opportunity to learn. 

          I find that humour is one of the best ways to present a concept as it makes people more engaged and relaxed. Adding humour to my presentation, while effectively articulating my point, makes an experience more engaging and memorable while creating a sense of joy and calm. I use humour often in my everyday life. Humour helps to lighten the mood and make experiences more enjoyable, I also find it helps reduce my anxiety, which is an added bonus.

          This course taught me that there are many ways to be a nature interpreter, present a topic or write a blog. The diverse means of completing different tasks allows us to add our own values and beliefs to everything. Therefore, when someone wants to use different approaches, teaching styles, and so on, that is 100% okay! The ways that individuals choose to work in the future will be effective regardless of the style, as long as they stay true to their morals, beliefs and values.

As long as you stay true to you the impacts you can have and the lessons you can teach will be unmeasurable! 

References 

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

I too feel upset that the blog posts are ending. I learned about so many of our classmates, and they all gave us so many unique perspectives on how they interpret nature. Every single person has their own reasons as to why they are taking this course and many of them have such amazing and unique experiences with nature. I think doing something like this in an indoor class setting would be tough so the format of this course was a breath of fresh air and I ended up learning so much. I like your point about how there are many ways to be a nature interpreter. During the first couple weeks of the course, I thought a nature interpreter should have amazing presentation and public speaking skills. While I am sure having these skills can aid someone in being a nature interpreter, it is not the only way. As a photographer, I have the opportunity to use my art in order to be a nature interpreter. Chapter 5 of the textbook discusses how tangible evidence can push intangible meanings and this directly relates to using something like photography as a tool for nature interpretation. being a nature interpreter can be so versatile and the possibilities on what type of nature interpreter someone wants to be is limitless. As interpreters, it is very important to be warm, welcoming, and kind towards people who want to learn more about the natural world around us.

Much like yourself, nature is also very important for my mental health. During covid where I am sure we are looking at a screen for 12 hours a day, outdoor time is essential to unwind. I find myself appreciating nature now more than ever because of this.

Photo I took on a hike 

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 really enjoyed reading your reflection. I think you really nailed it when you said that there is no one size fits all when it comes to interpreting. The podcast assignment and the textbook really opened my eyes more to the different ways people can learn. The children's podcast will relay information to the listener in a very different way than the adult one. As an interpreter, I think it is very important to understand your demographic and cater how you present information to ensure it gets understood the best. I also love your point about not trying to argue with others or trying to change others minds. I think its very important to simply lead by example and inspire people that way.

To answer your first question, I think my girlfriend has always been a nature interpreter for me and I just never noticed. She is a vegan artist/activist who lives on a farm and living with her really opened my eyes to how amazing nature truly can be. Moreover, she never tried to change my views on anything but simply led by example.

Have you ever taken a step back to think about the role certain things play in your life? For me, I’ve been recently thinking about how big of a role plants play in our entire way of life. Although most of our daily life revolves around other aspects such as our jobs, social lives and family, Id like you to take a step back from that and think more simply, in terms of the necessities for life. Animals live in habitats created mainly by plants, and use plants as food and shelter. Many species of animals have evolved in response to plants, in ways such as to make it easier for the animal to consume leaves from the trees such as giraffes, or types of birds developing beaks capable of crushing nuts such as sparrows. 

A photo of a walk I took in Costa Rica. I wonder how many species of plants are in this photo!

Plants are arguably one of the most important parts of our life. It’s easy to forget that we need oxygen to survive. Our main source of oxygen comes from plants, as they create oxygen using sunlight and the carbon dioxide we exhale through photosynthesis. Not only do we need oxygen, most living things on earth do, such as mammals, amphibians, reptiles and other animal groups. Plants are also the basis of many foods that we eat. Plants contain a variety of vitamins and minerals that are essential for us to have in order to be healthy. The houses and structures that we build and the products that we use on a daily bases also come directly from plants. Fibres collected from plants such as hemp and cotton can be used to create fabrics, clothing and rope. Oils and medicines are also produced from plants. For example, coffee, a commonly consumed drink globally is made from coffee beans containing caffeine, which is a natural stimulant.

A photo I took on a hike with friends.

Aloe is a strong example of a plant with medicinal properties. Aloe can be rubbed onto skin and used as a treatment for burns, and can be purchased and grown by anyone. Rubber is produced from a plant called Hevea brasiliensis, and the material is used for tubing such as hoses, and for the tires we used for cars. For aquatic life, plants filter water through their roots of impurities, and expel carbon dioxide in the water, keeping the fish and other life in the water healthy. 

A photo taken from the Dundas peak.

I really enjoyed reading your post and I think you brought up a topic that is surprisingly overlooked. Even though we immerse ourselves in the outdoors regularly we tend to dismiss plants and how important they are for life on earth. I remember in my first year of university at Guelph, my biology class went on a walk to a forest and was tasked with identifying different plant species. It seemed that everywhere I looked, I found something new and interesting. It was honestly both fascinating and overwhelming at the same time. The fact that we can utilize these plants for a wide variety of purposes is almost equally as amazing. 

To answer your question, I would have to say plants play a major role in my life. Starting with food, I’d like to think my diet includes lots of vegetables. My girlfriend is also vegan so I do find myself having a lot more plant based meals that I would otherwise. 

Another thing I find myself doing a lot, especially since Covid began, was going for hikes. Since I am staring at a screen for so many hours every day, I like to give my mind and body a break by immersing myself in nature. There is something calming about being around plants that I think I really started to appreciate in 2020. 

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!)

In order to discuss the role art plays in nature interpretation, Id like to state my working definition of art. I would define art as an expression made through the application of creative and technical skills as well as imagination, to create an object with the purpose of inspiring creativity or holding symbolic power. A quote Ive heard before came to mind when writing this blog post, which is that life imitates art. I would define the meaning of that quote to be that art has the power to inspire creativity in those who perceive it, and can lead others to new ideas and perspectives that can create real world events that otherwise may have not happened. Because art can create inspiration and creativity, it seems like a powerful tool for a nature interpreter to use, as the goal of a nature interpreter is also to inspire. Art can also provide another method of communicating ideas to people, which can allow a nature interpreters experiences and knowledge to be communicated more effectively.

A photo I took of a beach I was walking on in Florida

Who am I to interpret through art? I would say that although I’ve never been a talented artist, art has always inspired me. Artwork such as paintings can present information in way that words can’t, such as displaying emotion and thought provoking concepts. Everyone interprets art differently, and there is no right or wrong way to perceive it. Art such as photographs has inspired me many times to want to enjoy the experience in the photographs. Im sure you’ve heard the quote “a picture is worth a thousand words” before, and I agree. For example, after seeing photos my friend showed me of his experience skydiving, I was inspired to go a week later because of how thought provoking the picture was. Compared to reading about skydiving, seeing a photo helped me imagine what the experience would be like and what I would see and feel. Photographs of experiences are a valuable tool in communicating experiences and inspiring others.

Another photo of a walk I took in Florida

Art can tell a story and contain history, which can be very powerful. The inukshuk is a structure that can be found all around Canada made out of stones to resemble a human. They represent friendship, safety and hope. With no understanding of what an inukshuk is, someone could mistake it for a pile of stones, but they are art, and have a long history of use going as far back as over 2000 BCE!

A photo I took of a volcano in Costa Rica

Great post! I liked your point about art being an effective tool of communication. I would like to think the vast majority of people find images to be the most effective way to understand something quickly. I also think your point about communicating ideas and emotion through art when discussing nature interpretation. I really do feel that art, most notably photography/video, are the most effective way to communicate the beauty and issues regarding the environment (aside from being there yourself). The historical aspect of art is also very important for art as well. Looking at images from the polar ice caps years ago and looking at a photo now is a quick and easy way to see that changes are occurring. Anyone that is trying to become an effective nature interpreter should utilize art as a way to communicate their message to others.

What role does “privilege” play in nature interpretation? Please include your working definition of privilege.

Before discussing the role that privilege plays in nature interpretation, it’s first important that I define a working definition. I would define privilege as any form of advantage or right given only to a specific group or individual of which they did not have to work for or earn.  Privilege in this case, can be given to people based on qualities such as social class, ethnicity, religion, age, and sexual orientation.  In this sense, opportunities and rights are then taken away from those who do not adhere to preferred qualities, although it is out of their control. Reflecting on the prompt question, I realized that there are many privileges I should be more appreciative of. I live in Canada, I’m white, I was raised by two supportive and kind parents, I’m in university, and I’ve been fortunate enough to have certain experiences such as travelling because of these privileges.

A photo I took in the summer in my backyard!

Privilege definitely plays a role in nature interpretation. As discussed in a prior blog post, a nature interpreter needs to have certain skills such as strong communication skills, a passion for nature, as well as knowledge and experience. Anyone with a passion for nature interpreting can acquire these skills, but privilege could make it more or less difficult for people. For example, having access to travelling to places you’re interested in learning about and experiencing requires finances and time. Depending on your socio-economic status, finding time from work to travel, as well as money to afford travel, could be a challenge based on the privileges the person has. You don’t need to travel to become a nature interpreter, but socio-economic privilege certainly plays a role in the resources you have access to.

A photo from when I went skydiving in the summer.

As discussed in this unit, risk is also associated with privilege. People vary in their responses to risk, and privilege plays a role in the opportunities people have to take risks. Privilege also can change the rate or chance of risk associated with certain activities. For example, in Canada the predominant languages spoken are English and French. If you moved to Canada without initially knowing one of these languages there could be more risk due to the lack of privilege and / or understanding of the local language. Another example could be financial risk.  When making any significant purchase, there is always the risk of the item becoming damaged, or in the case of traveling bad weather. These risks become less significant to someone who is privileged and holds a higher socio-economic status or income. Having a great understanding of risk versus reward is important for nature interpreters to understand, as risks taken with safety in mind can become wonderful experiences, such as free-falling!

A photo of a park In Guelph near where I live.

Your blog post was very insightful and I think you touched on some great points. One point you made that really resonated with me was how certain peoples privilege gives them more accessibility to nature than others, and thus ones location, socioeconomic status, etc. can play a huge role in their relationship with nature.

This makes me think a lot about my own privileges that I have being middle class, owning a car so I can visit different places , and living in a location where I have lots of nature readily accessible to me at any time. There is no doubt that these factors play an enormous role in my relationship with nature. I have family that live in downtown Toronto who drive all the way to Guelph to get out of the city and into nature because the city gets too overwhelming and it really gets me thinking about my privilege of where I live.

Describe your ideal role of environmental interpreter. What might it entail? Where might it be? What skills might you need? (Keep these all-in mind as you begin to work on your assignments – tailor these to that ideal job!)

I believe that my ideal role as an environmental interpreter would be to act as a voice for those who can’t. A lot of my background has been in conservation and working with species at risk. I found the most gratifying part of the job was incorporating the public and getting them interested in the species at risk within their own communities. You would be amazed at how little is communicated between science and everyday life. Being able to draw attention to butternut trees, barn owls, bumble bees, and snapping turtles made me feel like I was finally giving a voice to species at risk in Ontario (SARO). You would see how people’s eyes would widen as they had never thought twice about these species that they would consider “common” now registered with SARO. Starting the conversation is the first step in starting an education program within the community.

A butternut tree with fruit, taken by the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, Manotick, Ontario.

A job where I could give the people a chance to interact  and see with their own eyes how the organisms around them have been impacted due to anthropogenic (human) factors. Ideally, I would love to go back to my hometown and create a walking along program in a local conservation park that educated the community on the species they share their lives with. To point to a habitat that once held a large population of turtles, explain what has caused a decrease in population, and how we could prevent/help them moving forward would be amazing. Also, to bring people out into nature and help them appreciate their surrounding by providing historical facts, conservation knowledge, and how everything is tied together would be personally moving. Getting the public involved in clean-ups, restoration, and conservation would be the ultimate goal. There is a certain part of all of us that feels good when we do something good for the community and the environment. This idea can also be applied to any community which is great because any community could benefit from this knowledge.

A photo of myself. Stuck on a rock. In my kayak. During the annual Raisin Region Conservation Authority’s canoe race. This race brought the community together and raised awareness about our local watershed. Photo credits to Rob Fry.

Bringing attention to the species at risk in our community is something I am also passionate about. I agree that there is not enough education on how species in our own communities are at risk. Our everyday actions unfortunately threaten these species and its great that there are people like you who want to give these species a voice. We hear about the species at risk around the world, but rarely consider the species threatened in our own backyard.

Knowing who your audience is is very important when trying to communicate effectively and this is something I touched on in my own blog post as well. Physically getting people out in nature is a method that resonates with most, especially youth. I remember that good feeling I had when my elementary school class would go on field trips tree planting, cleaning up litter, and learning about the local biodiversity. What I learned on these nature outings is much more memorable than any fact I learned in a text book.

I think it would be really powerful as you said seeing habitats and learning what once lived there, but can't anymore because of changes us humans made to the landscape/environment. All people need is a little guidance from someone like a nature interpreter to help them relate these issues that seem to only affect the world as a whole to issues that affect and can be fixed by our community.

Describe your current relationship with nature. How has this developed/evolved? Who offered you “a sense of place,” as described in our textbook?

I really enjoyed reading your post! I really do think the point you made about reflecting on our sense of place in nature is quite powerful. As technology continues to progress and our connection with nature keeps growing farther apart, it does truly seem like we are losing our sense of place in nature. In my case, I found that actively looking to seek a relationship with nature has made me a more mindful individual. For my own post and many others that I have seen, the content has been about what nature does for us and/or how we can benefit from nature in terms of entertainment, mental health, hobbies, etc. You instead, looked at what we can do for nature and I think that is really amazing. A strong relationship whether it is between other people or us and nature is strongest when there is a balance of both give and take between both parties. I think the story of your father biking to work is really inspiring. It is a decision that can benefit both him and the world and I think we should all take steps of that nature in order to do our part making a change in the world. I personally, try to limit the amount of animal products I consume because I am aware of the negative impacts factory farming has on the environment and I am always looking for other new ways to improve my relationship with nature.