An Ode to Rocks, Reeds, and Dirt

I began this course ignorant of what being a nature interpreter consisted of. My early assumption was that the role of a nature interpreter was to just explain and guide people to their environment. In a sense yes this is what they do, but there is a whole different level of complexity and skill needed to be considered a proper nature interpreter that I never thought of.

Throughout this course, I have learnt a lot about myself and who I want to be. I have taken something from each unit and created my own code of ethics (Steven’s Code of Ethics as a Nature Interpreter):

1. Be knowledgeable. Understand who you really are as an interpreter, understand your audience, and constantly think of ways to make your audience’s experiences more meaningful. Learning about nature is important and all but remember that meaningful connections last longer than random facts.

2. Be flexible. Realize that everyone is different and learns differently. Utilize different skills to help people learn more efficiently.

3. Treat everyone with equity. It is important to include everyone, but it is also important to realize that people come from different privileges. Making a program to ensure that everyone can have the same experience should be the goal.

4. Be open to new ideas. Constantly explore with different lens as there are many perspectives when viewing a topic. Welcome other ideas and go along with it. See where it takes you.

5. Honesty and Integrity. Be reliable and responsible for your actions. Keep your word and be respectful of the people and nature around you.

These are just some code of ethics that I thought were important. Was there anything that I was missing from your list that you think I should incorporate?

From creating Steven’s Code of Ethics, I realize that these traits are transferable to the profession that I currently am in. I work as a physiotherapist assistant and constantly must work on my knowledge of the field. Although in my field being knowledgeable about the topic is considered more important, there is still a huge emphasis on understanding the patient. I find that being able to connect to the person and fully understanding them, optimizes the entire healing process. 

Being flexible is important for building strength and stability, allowing for greater range of motion. Oh, sorry for the wrong context of flexibility (a bad health joke, although it is important to remember to stretch your body), what I meant to say is that every patient is different and will need different programs and techniques to treat. 

As I live in Toronto, Ontario, I have met people from different races, varying in age and gender and have treated them all to the best of my ability. Regardless of what it might be, I always ensure to work to the best of my best abilities. 

As for the fourth code of ethics, I am constantly learning from other professionals that I work with, such as the chiropractor, the head physiotherapist, the athletic trainers, the message therapists, and even the patients themselves. It is important to remember that as human beings, we are not able to know everything. We must constantly communicate with each other and be open with the different perspectives that the other professions might look at the situation. 

And for the last code of ethics, it is important to constantly build trust with the patients as well as your peers. Knowing your limits and asking for help may seem scary, but the main goal is to always improve the condition of the patient. By not being truthful, the patient may not see any results or even worse, their injury might worsen.  

Although my field is not related to nature, I have always had a love for nature. This course has further my appreciation for nature and made me realize the importance of being able to interpret nature for others. Especially for those who have been less fortunate and unable to grasp the beauty of nature. Whether that be due to being non-privileged such as the story of the Boys & Girls Club of Mar Vista gardens with the low-income housing projects (Beck et al., 2018, p. 127), or the barriers that come with being a minority (Beck et al., 2018, p. 135-147), I want to be able to open their eyes to the beauty that nature has to offer.

Artist: Angus Maguire

However, I understand that this is easier said than done. Beck et al. (2018) states that due to economic, cultural, communication, lock of knowledge, and fear are possibilities to why minorities are discouraged to participate in interpretative programs. Hopefully by seeing more minorities get closer to nature, other minorities will see that exploring nature isn’t all that scary or hard, breaking down some of the barriers that Beck et al. (2018) has previously mentioned.

I am aware that this is a hard task, as most older generation minorities are stuck in their ways, but we are lucky to be living in a time where technology is thriving. The first step to getting people to explore and interpret nature is first by getting their interest. Before my grandparent’s past, they loved staying home and watching the Price Is Right. They didn’t like going outside as they were scared that they would not be able to communicate with others and be judged by the people around them. But if I had the knowledge and internet content back when I was younger, I could have shown them the beauty of nature through nature walks on YouTube.

I would have been able to let them listen to the sounds of what hiking through a forest would sound like. I could have got them intrigued with nature and possibly got them to explore it with me.

This course has been amazing and eye opening. I will use everything that I have learnt from this course to help encourage more people who have not been able to experience and appreciate nature the way that I have been able to! I look forward to reading all your blogs and for those who I won’t be able to reply to, have a great winter break!

-Steven

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

It was really interesting to hear your take on ethics as an interpreter in the context of professional-patient relationships from your experience! Although the roles of an interpreter and physiotherapist seem completely different, it was really eye-opening to read about your connections between the two.

Your discussion on the fourth point, being open to new ideas, was interesting to think about. It’s been very interesting working on group projects for this class as the body of students come from a much more wide array of backgrounds than I’m sure many of us are used to. Working together to create a comprehensive vision on a project brought a lot of creativity, as people’s working knowledge and interests have been refreshingly different. It feels just as much like a piece of artistic work as it does something of science. I also appreciate you talking about your relationship with interpretation in the context of equity. We have been discussing in depth how to be flexible for our audiences, and its always important to consider how our privileges may shape how we see the role of an interpreter versus what is the truly the best way to introduce our vision of nature to someone else. As you say, the main goal is always to improve the condition of the patient, and that’s a really compelling way to see the role of nature interpreters. Its been somewhat difficult to grasp certain concepts from the course and readings as someone that had many privileges, including the opportunity to develop a personal connection to nature from a young age. It is difficult for me to imagine what it feels like to not have that, but recognizing that those privileges exist and that there are ways to share nature with others without serving my own ideals is definitely something I have come to recognize over the course of the semester. It is one of my most intimate takeaways, and something I hope to continue to develop and shelter as we grow into interpreters sharing the world with our patients and peers.

Again, thank you for sharing. It was genuinely a pleasure to read and consider.

Have a great winter break,

It can be debated that the very being of our ethics are developed around what we experience through nature. Nature is evident within our lives and is involved in our daily activity in some way or another. To further evaluate the role that nature has on our lives, consider the extensive interpretation work conducted by the author Richard Louv. Louv believes in connecting to the nature around us and every small detail it has to offer us, we in return are saving it at the same time. A quote from Louv (2019) regarding the importance of nature that has resonated with me within this chapter is this; 

“Will help everyone break away from their fixed gaze at the screens that dominate our lives and remember instead that we are animals in a world of animals.” 

I believe this quote stuck with me as the dominance of online forums takes over most of our lives. Although this new era of technology careers and schooling is not exactly the ideal situation, it has provided me with the opportunity to become the best nature interpreter I can be. When the pandemic became relevant, I moved back to my hometown in Northern Ontario. Growing up, I used to hate living so far away from any big cities and could not wait to get away from all the rural communities. My beliefs, perspective, and responsibilities towards the environment have been forever altered as I now am back in the North and would not want to be anywhere else. I have included a list of realizations I have now regarding nature; 

It is our duty as the next up and coming generation to highlight the importance of nature and environmental conservation as it becomes the predominant threat to society.

There is life outside the cities and this is even more relevant now that remote work is an option.

We should be interpreting nature everyday as it is all around us and is constantly changing, just like we should be doing. 

We all have responsibilities regarding nature. It is our personal duty to identify what they are and ensure we are actively participating in them.

These are just a few, but everyone has different emotions and perspectives regarding nature and our role in it. Personally, I try hard to be active in respecting nature and educating those around me in doing the same. I believe that nature and the environment should be respected the same way some groups view religion or spiritual beliefs. 

To expand on that idea, I believe that environmental education should be taught within the Canadian school system from the first day. Our young people need to be aware of the deterioration of the environment so they can become an active part of prevention rather than affecting it more without knowing. 

So how do you feel? Do you think teaching young people about their responsibilities as nature interpreters from a young age will inspire a generation of nature conservationists? 

Louv, R. (2008). Last child in the woods: Saving our children from nature-deficit disorder. Algonquin books.

Thank you for sharing with us this week. I strongly related to the part where you talk about trying to respect nature in the same way you would spiritual beliefs. Ever since I have been young the thought of littering has always filled me with a strange sense of dread. However, I was really struck by your question at the end. While we mutually believe in a respect towards nature, I feel that environmental degradation is something that should be kept away from education until there is enough mental maturity to truly reflect on the weight of what is being taught.  

It is difficult, as a child, to consider permanence as a concept. I think I talked about this in a previous post, but I had a thousand-page picture book with facts about Earth Science that I used to read all the time, even when I was very young. Despite the fact that I could probably recite more earth processes than a high-school student, I did not believe that global warming was real until I was a teenager. I was convinced it was some kind of misunderstood cycle, because the idea of very bad things coming very soon was not a reality I was ready to cognitively accept. An important thing to remember is that while children are cognitively ready to love nature, they lack the ability to connect to its degradation (Rodenburg, 2019). This is actually something I struggled with earlier in the course, as my group and I selected microplastics as a podcast topic – an issue that is difficult to dissect without getting terrifying. I think that the better way to teach kids is to encourage more time outside in nature, so that they can learn to love and understand their surroundings. Rather than putting the concept of environmental destruction in their minds, children have a right to experience the joy of discovering the richness, complexity, and diversity of life (Rodenburg, 2019).

That being said, I completely understand where you’re coming from. Making sure we continue to pass on the weight of being responsible citizens of the world will surely be one of the biggest challenges facing the interpreters of the near future. Again, thanks for sharing this week. Enjoy your winter break.

James

The title for my blog post is a bit miss leading because what I am sharing today is what I think is one of natures greatest mysteries. One of my favourite parts of nature is how there is always something new to discover, and not everything is known, even by scientists. One species that I find interesting because of its mysterious reproductive path is the freshwater eel. 

Freshwater eels beyond the mystery of reproduction are overall some strange looking animals. Something about the long and slithering bodies in dark water gives me the creeps. I have this image engraved in my head of an albino eel being pulled out of water in one of those shows on the history channel that features some of the deadliest sea animals caught around the world. Aside from that image that has probably scarred me for life, I’ve seen many stories on how freshwater eels reproduce since no one has ever observed it.

Let’s start far back in history where numerous scholars in Ancient Greece hypothesized some crazy theories about eel breeding. For example, Aristotle believed that eels just spontaneously emerged from the mud, while others suggested they emerged from gills of other fish species. None of these theories were proven true, but knowing how miraculous nature is, you never know.

One of the main confusions associated with the freshwater eel is the life stages. Eels go through five very different life stages, and in each step, they look like completely different species. I can understand how difficult it would be to discover the origin of eels when it was unclear what the juvenile state looks like.

Now for the craziest part, freshwater eels spend the majority of their life in freshwater rivers and streams, but they originate from the ocean. Almost all other marine species would die if they entered freshwater from the salty ocean, but eels have kidney adaptations that allow them to maintain a saline blood level. Freshwater eels do not just come from any random place in the ocean; they specifically spawn from the Bermuda Triangle. I don’t know about you, but that seems pretty suspicious to me. Reproducing in the Bermuda Triangle would have been a short migration when the continents were originally closer, but now for an eel to migrate to European rivers, they have to travel 6,500 km. Eels make one of the longest marine migrations that we know of. I could not imagine as a young juvenile eel travelling that far.

Eels then travel through the river systems until they find a suitable area to grow and mature. During the movement through the river, eels can sometimes pile on top of each other to clear obstacles or predators. Eels are also omnivores and will eat anything in their path depending on their weight and length. 

Scientists know now that mature eels develop sexual organs and reproduce in the Bermuda Triangle, but no one has ever witnessed reproduction or found any eggs. One hypothesis is that eels fertilize in a flurry of external reproduction with free-flowing eggs and sperm. The long seaweed makes it difficult to know for sure, as of now we can only guess.

Does anyone else have other nature mysteries to share?

Cooke, L. (2020). No one can figure out how eels have sex. TED. Retrieved November 12, 2021, from https://www.ted.com/talks/lucy_cooke_no_one_can_figure_out_how_eels_have_sexutm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare.

The knowledge that freshwater eels spawn specifically in the Bermuda Triangle is absolutely hilarious given the reputation that part of the world has in popular culture. It is just so very fitting that such mysterious, devilish creatures come from a chunk of the ocean that is so widely feared. For all we know it could have been eels that sunk all those ships and aircraft… we’ll simply never know. I love it when knowledge (or lack thereof) of the natural world intersects with the culture of the region it comes from, in cases like this. Like the textbook says, as interpreters, it is more important to take the opportunity to question, grow, and be stunned than simply to know our neighbours in the wild (Beck et al., 2018).

I also chose to write about a mystery in nature this week (Powell’s Great Unconformity), although mine is probably much less appealing for people who don’t care about rocks. For people who don’t care about rocks, I propose a second mystery related to my personal least favourite organisms – mushrooms!

This is the Witch’s Cauldron fungus, a rare fungus that can be found around Southern Ontario. It recently attracted a bit of a buzz by randomly popping up in British Colombia with seemingly no explanation (Godbout, 2021). With such a whimsical name, it probably shouldn’t surprise you that scientists still have absolutely no idea what the liquid gel these organisms form is or why they produce it. We also don’t know what role it plays in the forest ecosystem, which makes its sudden appearance thousands of kilometres away from its known habitats even more intriguing (Godbout, 2021). As scientists, knowledge is power, but interpretation just seems to be so much more fun when we can confidently say that we have no idea what’s going on.

Loved reading about your own mystery,

James

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“There is no particular 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)

There is definitely a lot to unpack with this quote. I definitely did have to read it a few times before I was fully able to understand the deeper meanings of this quote and form my own personal interpretation and I’m excited to share my interpretation with you all! From the beginning of the quote, it discusses how just because something is old doesn't mean it has any importance; it’s what is carried along with the item that’s important. For example, a piece of clothing worn 100 years ago is not special on its own, What makes it special it's the memories of the piece of clothing has associated with it. So much of Modern-day Society relies on keeping prior human memories alive, whether that be good or bad parts of human history, that is the only way we can fully move forward as a society. Like the quote discusses to have full integrity in history, every part of the story must be remembered and we have a duty to pass along that memory from generation to generation. When I think about this I imagine an item belonging to indigenous culture, yes this item belongs to an important and history-filled culture but much of their culture was lost due to colonization. We owe it to the people of the past to pass on their story to future generations in its entire truth. Furthermore, when I read the metaphor of the quote, I definitely see this aspect within what Hyams is trying to say. Just because the train is gone doesn't mean it was never there and it also doesn't mean the train and the station didn't have a lasting impact. Recognizing both the train and the station it's important to understand the true significance of the station. In general, you can split apart the train in the station as separate things but combined they create a full story. Moreover, although the train was only there temporarily the station will always be there and will continue to be there for as long as time carries on. This is true of what I was describing before, The people of the past are gone but the lasting impact or “station” is still there and recognizing the people or “train” is where true merit lies.

It’s been very interesting to read about how people have interpreted the provided quote from the readings in different ways! I thought about the past in a very date-time-place-centric way in my own post, but I definitely believe that the power of spoken word and memory plays a strong role in our connection to the past as well. This is, as you and many of our colleagues have discussed, of particular importance to the Indigenous groups of Canada and the knowledge passed down based on their long histories of connection with the land. 

“Just because the train is gone doesn’t mean it was never there and it also doesn’t mean the train and the station didn’t have a lasting impact.”

This is a really interesting way to rephrase the quote! Looking from the perspective of a train station through which trains have previously passed - it seems the past is inherently connected to the context of the present. Maybe I’m really overthinking this... but I imagine someone in an empty train station for the first time with no previous knowledge of trains. You would never be able to determine what the purpose of the place you’re visiting without first seeing a train come through and stop. Suddenly, the purpose of the seats, open area, and rails are all fairly explanatory. Our understanding of what is going on in the present is reliant entirely on what went on in the past. This flip in perspective helps further drive home some of the themes being communicated during Chapter 15 of the reading. Much to consider! 

Thanks for sharing, 

This week’s blog prompt got me to think about nature and what I want to share with everyone. There are so many topics that I could talk about for hours with everyone, and probably write several essays on, but I think this week I really want to talk about how interconnected the environment is with Mental Health. 

In a lot of my posts, I talk about how exploring the wilderness awoke a different part of myself, that made me appreciate the world around me and kickstarted my education into Environmental Science. With this, my exploration into nature has also improved my mental health and continues to be a coping mechanism for when I am overly anxious or stressed. 

Nature continues to act as my escape to the world, where I can immerse myself in the wilderness and forget about the stress of my day-to-day life. 

I’ve said it before, but I continue to use nature as a way to take a deep breath. This week’s blog prompt got me to think about my own feelings towards nature, and I did some research on how mental health is scientifically proven to be improved by interactions with nature.  I wanted to share with everyone some of the research I found, to help convey to everyone how important nature is to improving and maintaining good mental health. 

I think a lot of people would be surprised by how much the environment can impact someone’s mental health, and if more people knew the facts, they would be more inclined to explore the natural world in order to improve their own mental health. 

In a study, it was found that people who spend at least 2 hours a week in green spaces are more likely to report good health compared to those who have no exposure to green spaces (Robbins, 2020). Not only does nature act as a relief for mental health, but it also provides a safe space for people to exercise to improve physical health.  Good physical health is important to mental health as the endorphins released during exercise create feelings of joy and happiness that put people in a better mental state (Robbins, 2020). 

Looking into how nature continues to make people feel relaxed, it’s understood that people pay attention to nature in a different way than they do everything else in their day-to-day life. Look at your own life. In your day-to-day life, you pay extra attention to whatever task you are working on. When people enter nature, they pay attention in a more broad sense, and with less effort (Robbins, 2020). The broad and effortless view leads to a relaxed body and mind because people are not paying as close attention to what they are doing, and simply enjoying the moment (Robbins, 2020). 

Reading the facts has reinforced to me, and I hope everyone reading, the importance of exploring nature and how it can be a great benefit to our mental health. 

I’m glad you decided to cover this topic in our open prompt week, as its such an undervalued part of nature conservation. Access to green space is one of the single most important indicators for good mental health, especially in children (Summers & Vivian, 2018). And for people struggling with mental health issues, one of the many forms of ecotherapy can be hugely beneficial. I grew up with a parent with GAD and didn’t realize until the last few years why they go for nature walks every day. Stress has an obvious effect on how we feel, but our environment around us has so much more of an effect on our stress than I had realized while doing some of my own research into this prompt. Physical activity has an obvious and immediate effect on our mental health, but I didn’t realize that even just the sight of green landscapes releases endorphins like serotonin  (Summers & Vivian, 2018). This summer I was saved by ecotherapy, having never even heard of it. 

I spent this summer away from home and school, working in a city where I didn’t know anyone - in the middle of a pandemic. The culture shock was immediate and distressing. As I was already in therapy prior to this point, I felt like I had few places to turn to. So I started walking. Coincidentally, 10 minutes out of town lay the Trans-Canada trail. Three days a week, I drove out to wherever I was on the Trans-Canada trail and walked for as long as I could. I walked 350km+ of the trail over two months. Apparently this is called ‘wilderness therapy’, but I don’t care. Through this mastery of the outdoors, my loneliness became self-assurance. With all the time in the world, I started process things I did not believe I could touch. I completely understand what you mean when you talk about nature being a deep breath. It is the purest form of distraction, giving us time to think when we want it and small memories to hold on to when we need them. 

In Week 3, I discussed in depth how I felt my personal point of privilege was connected to class - as a function of my ability to access nature. I think subconsciously, I connected with this over other issues of privilege affecting the environment because of how deeply my access to nature has touched my life. Not everyone has the chance to do what I did, let alone spend money on therapy. This is why nature interpretation is important to me. The average person’s access to nature is diminishing as we continue to modernize our society (Summers & Vivian, 2018). Even if its small, I want to give others the chance to discover, and interpretation is a method of achieving that goal. 

The importance of nature for our mental health is something I think everyone can relate to. It was great reading your post and branching out to learn more about something I did not realize I had been engaging in. 

Again, thanks for sharing.

James

Although I often see art through nature, I found this weeks prompt a little difficult. I am not a very artistic person so I had to really think about the question “who are you to interpret nature through art?”. But I do feel that I was overthinking the question. I think that we are all capable of interpreting nature through art, but maybe we just aren’t looking around to see it. The saying “stop to smell the roses” is famous for a reason, we often forget to look around and appreciate the beauty all around us. In the society we live in, everything is go go go so we often forget to stop and smell the roses. That is where I think nature interpretation comes in. 

Nature interpretation gives people the opportunity to step away from what is going on in their lives and dive in to the beautiful natural world. In chapter 5 of Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage For a Better World, I learned about the principles of interpretation and “the gift of beauty”. Having “the gift of beauty” means that you as an interpreter can get others to see the beauty of whatever it is you are interpreting to them. Being able to inspire other’s imaginations, give inanimate objects a story, and open people’s eyes to the beauty of the things around them is what “the gift of beauty” entails . For me personally, I don’t have a hard time finding beauty in nature. No matter where I find myself, I try my best to take a step back from what I am doing and appreciate my surroundings. Even on the darkest, gloomiest days, there is still beauty to be found; in the sound of rain hitting the earth, in the way lightning stretches across the sky, and even in the colour of the clouds. What I think is so cool about beauty as well, is that it is subjective. What I find beautiful can be completely different from the next person and that is so exciting. It is for that reason that I think nature interpretation is so exciting as well, you get to see and hear so many different opinions on the beauty of nature. For example, an interpreter that does nature walks will have different groups of people everyday and they will each have their own perspective on the beauty of things around them. Nature interpreters can learn so much from the people they interpret to, just as the people they interpret to can learn from them. 

I wanted to end this post by sharing a few pieces of art that I have made that are inspired by nature. I am by no means an artist, but nature often inspires me. Usually when I see something in nature that I find beautiful I take a picture. My paintings however, are often of things I haven’t had the chance to see yet but I find beautiful. For example, I have attached my painting of the Northern Lights. I have always dreamed of seeing the Northern Lights but I haven’t had the opportunity to do so yet. So instead of taking a photo, I painted a picture in hopes that one day I can go see the real thing (which will definitely put my painting to shame). I am similarly inspired by the ocean, thus the other two paintings I have attached are of the ocean and the beauty that it conveys.

These paintings are just one way that I interpret nature through art. Let me know how you interpret nature through art!

Thank you for sharing your art with us! I particularly appreciated the context behind your painting of the Northern Lights, I hope to someday see them in person as well. I love that they kind of flow from one source like a stream – I can’t give any first-hand experience but I’ve always thought they would look like rivers in the sky and I can relate to your depiction for that reason. I don’t believe art has to be pretty to be beautiful – but in this case yours is!

As an uncreative person, I spent some time thinking about this prompt as well. I think we came to a lot of the same conclusions about the role of an environmental interpreter pertaining to “the gift of beauty”. We can all agree that parts within nature are beautiful, and yet its so difficult to explain to someone else why something is beautiful to you without waxing poetic. The gift is exposure to beauty, and the principle that it will touch the audience. We can give stories to the world around us but it will never be those stories that gives the world intrinsic value.

I also agree with you that the interpretation of beauty is so vastly different from person to person. I think it really does hinge on our own personal experiences, as its something of a reflection on where we have best connected with nature on our own. I deeply love rivers and streams and hope to spend the rest of my life working around them. I grew up within walking distance of the Grand River. I spent my first blog post ranting about my childhood love for the Colorado River. I love that there is peace within the constant noise of water. Many people love winter and all of the stillness and silence that comes with it – yet I can’t stand how quiet it is. You’ll never find a group of people who will agree on their favourite season of the year, and I think that’s charming.

Thanks for sharing.

To start off with my definition of privilege, I think it’s anything that gives you an advantage in life when compared to someone else. Obviously, there is a lot of things that are associated with privilege; these include race, sexual orientation, religion, social-economic standing, physical/mental health, etc. These things give privilege to varying degrees, however. For example, a gay white person would have more privilege than a straight black person because race has more associated privileges than sexual orientation. That’s why being able to understand the privileges we have are so important, being aware of the privileges you hold over others is the first step to becoming a good ally to marginalized groups.

I absolutely had the same reaction, as it took me a moment to reflect on how privilege has affected my own accessibility to nature. One other position of privilege I have been considering throughout our discussion of the topic is being able-bodied and male. In my own blog posts, the concept of appreciating the natural environments within cities has been important to my writing as it has helped me form a very personal connection with the natural heritage areas of the places I have been. I have the privilege of venturing off-trail, needing not worry about my safety due to my gender, race, or other aspects I have no control over. I have the privilege of feeling safe when out on my own, something I far too often take for granted. I truly believe that exposure to natural is a healing force and it is disheartening to consider all of the reasons not everyone may be able to take full advantage of that resource. 

Furthermore, I appreciate what you shared in the last paragraph of your response. Access to education is absolutely a massive benefit for anyone who is able to afford it, especially those that have the luxury to do so without bearing the financial burden on their own. Becoming a natural interpreter is not a high-paying career, and the weight of student debt must be a significant hinderance to following such a passion. I too am a believer that hard work bears its rewards, but I sympathize for you - paying for school is difficult enough without having to take care of others alongside. 

Thank you for sharing.

Ever since I could remember I knew I wanted a job outside surrounded by nature. Hopefully that career would be working hands on with animals but if not I would still be happy with being outdoors. I'm older now and my job aspirations haven't changed much since I was a child. I still am chasing that field job so i can be outdoors breathing in the fresh air every day. As id be happy with a field job, I have focused in on finding a job that involves animals in some form. My ideal role as an interpreter would be to share my knowledge of wildlife and their ecosystems. I would primarily set a focus on local Canadian wildlife and habitats and eventually branching out from there down the road. A hands on in the field type job is a must for me so a nature guild or educator for National Geographics or a national park would be a dream even working at animal rehabilitation centers. There would be a number of different skill sets I would need based on the career I get into. One of my favourite shows as a child was zoboomafoo, which gave me my first taste at an educational program aimed to teach about different animal species. After that I loved following the careers of different zoologist and wildlife adventures like Steve Irwin and recently Forrest Galante. Especially in this time when the internet is a huge source of information and for an outlet for entertainment I don't think this is the type of interpreter i want to be as of yet. I like the idea of being in the location I would be educating about. I feel like being in the location in person would deepen the connection and bring more of an impact on the lessons and information I would be delivering. Doing this job in person out in the field would take a bunch of different skills from communication to physical ability. Communication skills would come in to play to one get the information across and to be able to teach and inspire the crowd. To teach the younger generation or anyone who cares enough to listen is the main goal of mine. To teach how to respect and care for animals and the habitats we share with them would be an importance of mine. I would also need to learn on how to keep an in person crowd involved with wildlife activities and visuals to help get my points across. Also safety would be a big key to as groups of people trust me to lead them around our national parks I want to know how to lead them through the terrain safely. As my "heros" in this field taught me I would stress on conservation and preservation of this beautiful planet we live on to the younger generation to help stand up to the different forms of ecosystem loses we face today.

Thank you for sharing your experience! I can completely understand why you would want to work in animal rehabilitation based on the programs you watched. Its pretty crazy how the things that keep us entertained as kids often lead us to be inspired later. I read a lot as a kid and I can honestly say that the earth science section of Bill Bryson’s A Brief History of Everything is probably at least some of the reason I am studying what I do today. I’m sure following the careers of zoologists as well as keeping up with the work done by National Geographic had the same effect for you.

I completely relate to your desire to working in the field – nature and the life within it is best studied and explained when in its presence. I can see this being especially important for animal education – documentaries form a very different level of respect than just observing a species as it goes about its idle business. I feel like many people only familiarize themselves with a dramatized version of nature, one that doesn’t capture the day-to-day reality of the uninterrupted environment. What I’ve always appreciated about animal interpreters is their ability to engage the audience without disconnecting them from what animals are really like in their habitats, while emphasizing the importance of the preservation of their habitat. My all-time favourite documentary is Ants: Nature’s Secret Power. While it bolstered a curiosity, watching Ants Canada on YouTube shows a much more realistic depiction of what exotic ants look like and do. And yet I’ll still go out and watch local ants swarm when in season, as it garners a different kind of respect for the creatures. I respect what you’re trying to do as an interpreter and wish you the best, as I can tell that it is meaningful to you.

Thanks for sharing,

I would say my current relationship with nature is one full of fondness and excitement. I love being outside and taking in the world around me. I have respect for the environment and always make sure to take care when exploring or travelling. I am excited to be learning more and more about how plants function and grow and how to identify many of the plants growing here in Canada. Through my love of photography, I try to capture small moments in nature when something wonderful is happening from a snail moving across the pavement to a butterfly drinking from a flower to raindrops on a spiderweb. Every cloud, every sunset, every rainy day pulls me in further and I try to appreciate the gift nature really is.

I haven’t always felt completely comfortable outdoors, though. Growing up I certainly played outside with my friends, made forts out of sticks and snow, and made “potions” with random berries and leaves, but I think the unpredictable elements of nature discouraged me because I didn’t fully understand it. I was terrified of bees, insects of any kind really, and when I would brush by a plant I would get scared for no reason. I think for a long time, being anxious kept me away from all the aspects of nature that help ease my anxiety now. My family did go on a few long camping road trips across Ontario and all the way to the East Coast, stopping at a different Provincial Park every night, and I absolutely loved them. I loved waking up with the sunrise and feeling the cold morning air, seeing all the different forms that our Canadian landscape can take on, and just being present with those that I loved. Those trips definitely started my transition to a more friendly relationship with nature and gave me that “sense of place”. There was one trip I went on with my science class in grade 9 where we walked around a conservation area with an interpreter and got to take samples from a creek, look at different wildlife, and even identify plants like poison ivy. After a few hours I was an expert at spotting poison ivy and different insects and it made me so excited. Since then I have had a few summer jobs and some classes at the University of Guelph that have really gotten me excited about nature again.

I really enjoyed reading your experiences with nature and some of the moments that have helped you connect over the years! I’ve always felt very comfortable outdoors but not everyone gets to have that experience – it was cool getting to learn about your process of overcoming that discomfort. I can definitely understand how your own ‘sense of place’ developed on your trip with your family, as its always a really beautiful thing getting to see and experience something new with people you love. I also love that you mention your love of photography! Its an awesome tool to capture little moments and I love the nostalgia that comes with looking back at old photos. I’ve done a lot of moving around over the last few years for work and I can always tell which city pictures in my phone are from just from looking at the landscape and plants. To me, nothing says ‘summertime in Guelph’ like sprawling patches of goldenrods.

Additionally, its really cool that you mention the field trip you went on in grade 9 as I went on pretty much the same one! It ended up influencing the direction I wanted to go in as a career and I now get to work very closely with watercourses, doing pretty much all the things from that field trip! Experiences like that are why I’m looking forward to learning more about nature interpretation. Thanks for sharing, seems like we have a lot in common! Looking forward to reading your posts this semester.