Nature thoughts - with Jenny!

This is how I order these by importance. If we are too occupied by the past or future, we ignore what is happening now and miss the opportunity to interact and enjoy the things happening now. Setting goals, being mindful of the outcome you want, planning; all of these acts as guides to helps us in the present and are only worthwhile as such, as focusing too much on the future can create anxiety. Using history, our mistakes, our regrets, our “what-if” to change and inform our decisions about our present and future are of course important but if we become to focused on these we become stuck and/or hopeless. That being said, none of these exist or should exist without the others because each have value to helping us grow and live meaningful self-aware lives. Does you order of importance differ?

Stick, rock, leaf: An exercise for reflecting on time

Taken by Jacob Kannel from Unsplash. 

When you want to help your audience reflect on their experience (especially a younger audience) this was a helpful tool I discovered. Ask them to collect a stick, a rock, and a leaf and have them say one thing that will “stick” with them (future), something that “rock-ed” (present), and what they want to “leaf” behind (past). This helps them to engage with their experience in the context of time.

Engaging with the Past

“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)

In this quote, Hyams is stating that while old things aren’t inherently more valuable, there is value in what they tell us.

“Those who fail to learn their history are doomed to repeat it.”

(Winston Churchill)

I am reminded of the over-quoted warning of not learning from history and as someone who is really interested in conservation, this is something I often think about when it comes to analysing conservation and management strategies. While our history is often sad, we have lost so many species due to humans impacts (overharvest, climate change, pollution, etc.), it is important to explain this to your audience with a message of hope. As I said earlier, past without present and future leaves us stuck, making it crucial to share our history to show our progress and encourage further growth.

“Yes our coral reefs are in danger but we are doing amazing things to combat this like using 3D printers to make artificial substrates to regrow coral!”(1,2). 

1.Perry, C. T., Alvarez-Filip, L., Graham, N. A., Mumby, P. J., Wilson, S. K., Kench, P. S., … & Macdonald, C. (2018). Loss of coral reef growth capacity to track future increases in sea level. Nature, 558(7710), 396-400.

I really liked your post, and I find myself agreeing with the interpretation with the blog prompt. Hyams’ words do seem to explain the importance of learning from the past in order to have awareness as we take action in the present and move into the future. I also really appreciate you sharing the “rock”, “stick” and “leaf” analogy. I have worked with young kids and I can see how contextualizing time in a way they can feel in their hands is so helpful. The video about the coral reef substrate reminds of learning about coral reef destruction in my Intro to Aquatic Environments class. It felt devastating to watch, and left me feeling hopeless. I think it is incredibly important to learn about the sad history of human impact on the planet, but if we do not have hope it feels like we are fighting for nothing. Thanks for sparking hope in your post, and reminding us all to act responsibly and proactively now for the sake of the future. 

While we could write about anything this week, I thought I’d ask the question, what’s up with all the aliens around us? 

Alien drinking coffee. Gif by siri-syrup. 

No, not those aliens. If you don’t know what I mean, I’m talking about invasive species! An invasive species is a species not from a region, that is harmful to the environment, these are normally species that either intentionally or unintentionally are transported to the new environment through some kind of human intervention, whether it be through boating, importing materials, or purposefully bringing in a species for many reasons. Before you continue reading, I’d like you to take a minute here to think of as many invasive species as you can, remember these and This not only applies to animals, but also plants, fungi, and even viruses. That’s right, SARS-CoV-2 is an invasive species that originated in a host species in a particular region, and has since spread to humans around the globe. Now that we’ve discussed what an invasive species is, I’d love to introduce you to my “least” favorite one, the European green crab! While these crabs were native to Europe, they have since spread to the coastal waters of many continents including both coasts of North America. The video below shows some truly intimidating scenes of green crabs and discusses ideas for management efforts. 

I personally encountered these aggressive little guys in New Brunswick, where park rangers at Kouchibouguac National Park taught me how green crabs have been steadily destroying eelgrass and other aquatics plants within the park’s estuaries. Staff at the Huntsman Marine Science Center also showed me how green crabs outcompete native crabs for food, like when our hour long beach comb resulted in finding one rock crab and 106 green crabs!

Two green crabs on the shores by Huntsman Marine Science Center in New Brunswick. Photo taken by me. 

Managing green crabs has become an increasing problem in recent years in part due to warming ocean temperatures caused by climate change. So not only did human’s bring green crabs to North American waters, we also allow them to continue to move northward and infest new areas. Scientists use many tools to try to control their populations but as you can see in the video above, even trapping and monitoring populations may not be enough to control their populations, let alone remove them completely. Every invasive species presents new challenges on how to limit it’s spread, potential damage, and overall population. This is part of the reason I find invasive species to be so fascinating, as negative as some species can be, all the organism is trying to do is survive, sometimes doing too good a job, and human’s must deal with the challenges presented by the consequences of having a more connected world.

While this is one example of an invasive species that has obviously detrimental impacts on the environment, there are many others closer to home, maybe even in your own backyard, that you may not have even realized are actually invasive. Some ladybugs, the North American honeybee, and earthworms are just some examples that I didn’t know were invasive, one even has North American in its name, but they all in fact arrived or were brought over from other countries. It is important that native species are protected from the risks of invasive species to preserve our local wildlife and biodiversity, so that future generations can experience ALL the species that we have gotten to enjoy. 

Human’s impact the environment in many ways but bringing invasive species into an area can be especially hard to control or reverse once they have been introduced. Awareness for what invasive species are, how to identify those species near you, and how to report or record sightings to the appropriate group are very important in dealing with these species. So it turns out, the aliens are here because we brought them!

My questions for you are:

 Did you know about all the invasive species I talked about? 

Where did you learn about them if you did? 

Have you ever seen an invasive species near where you live or somewhere you’ve gone? 

If so, how did you know it was invasive and what did you do? 

If you’d like to learn more about how Covid-19 relates to invasive species, check out this blog: https://blog.invasive-species.org/2020/10/05/coronavirus-and-invasive-species/

To learn more about green crabs, check out the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada website: https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/profiles-profils/europeangreencrab-crabevert-eng.html

I really enjoyed the cleverness of this post-indeed invasive species are aliens! To answer your questions, I do know about the invasiveness of green crabs, some ladybugs and NA honeybees, but I was not aware of earth worms. Did you know that mallards are invasive? They certainly are a commonly seen species that have comfortably taken over their niche. I actually attended a conference in St. John’s, NL a number of years ago at the Marine Institute where I participated in some labs where we learned about green crabs. They really are aggressive little buggers, aren’t they? 

It’s a major problem in Newfoundland, both environmentally and economically, since these crabs are able to outcompete mollusks, crustaceans and fish on top of destroying eelgrass beds which as you mentioned disrupts productive habitats for many young fish. 

I am also sadly far too familiar with other invasive species, such as Japanese knotweed. This pesky plant grows all around the roadsides where I grew up, and since I grew up in various conservations areas around Hamilton, I have been aware of invasive plants since I was young. It’s great to see conservation efforts made to cut back on invasive plants and allow native species to thrive, but it truly takes a village. Thanks so much again for your post, it was great to hear about your experience on the east coast! 

As we learned in this week of the Nature Interpretation course, we as instructors should work towards our strengths when it comes to education. We need to understand what our teaching styles are, as well as assess what audience we would be most effective in teaching by employing the methods we know and trust. For me, I feel that my passion for nature interpretation would be best directed at children and teenagers. I have very much experience teaching younger folk (I have worked as a swimming instructor for 5 years) and feel that I know how to keep their attention throughout a lesson, how to best plan activities and games around even the driest of subjects, and how to deliver the material in a way that will (hopefully) spark an interest in them. I know that I have the energy, the creativity, and juuust the right amount of discipline needed to effectively share my passion for nature with youth!

(Image from Aquam. These diving rings are a swimming instructor’s best friend; endless pool game possibilities!)

More specifically, I think the role that would suit me best would be a summer camp counsellor, perhaps in Algonquin or Temagami Provincial Parks because I am familiar with the environments. I would love to lead campers on nature hikes and trips, pointing out fascinating things that they might never notice otherwise and trying my best to answer any questions they might have about what they are seeing. My ultimate goal in this position would be to get the campers to stay curious about nature; to question what they are seeing, and to come up with hypotheses for why they believe are the way that they are. The more they think about what they are seeing and why it is the way it is, the more they will develop an interest in nature, and the more they will begin to understand how complex and intricate the natural areas of the world are; one of the factors which (I believe) makes it so fascinating. 

(Personal photo: an old growth forest in Harrison, British Columbia. The untrained eye might just see a forest here; however,  I see layers upon layers of dense and diverse plant and tree species, each reliant on the layers below for physical support and nutrient supply) 

I know when I was younger, I had so many people who pushed me to appreciate and learn about nature, and to stay curious about the weird and wacky that existed out there past the tree line. Without this appreciation for nature of mine being nurtured and developed throughout my life, I would likely not be in the career path I am in today; an environmental sciences student, passionate about saving the natural spaces which I have come to love throughout my time on this planet. 

(Personal photos: Left, my two brothers and I; we’ve been bonding over our love for the outdoors our whole lives! Right, my father and I on the first day of Beavers.)

As the population of the earth grows, the risk to natural areas across the world becomes ever greater; urban and agricultural areas will replace forests more and more, fossil fuels will warm the atmosphere and fundamentally alter earth’s ecosystems, and the species on earth will have habitats altered as a result of our actions. How great would it be, though, if we could pass on an awareness of environmental issues, an appreciation for the complexity and fragility of earth’s ecosystems, and a sense of thankfulness for what these areas have given to us, on to future generations? 

Thanks for reading; I will be back soon!

Best,

Ty 🦥

I really loved your post. I think the role of a camp counsellor in the world of nature interpretation is invaluable. I have fond memories of attending nature summer camps with my sister when I was growing up, and I truly think those summers shaped me into who I am today, which happens to be someone whose greatest loves are found within our natural world. I also was a Girl Guides leader when I was in high school, and seeing the curiosity of those young girls was awe inspiring. I completely agree that if we can pass that curiosity on and keep young people asking questions about the fascinating planet we inhabit, we can take better care of it. Also, love passing thankfulness for the planet on to future generations. Great post Ty, thanks!

           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 really enjoyed your post, and it just goes to show how amazing this course is in terms of sharing our perspectives with each other. I really loved how you shared about nature being a source of wellness for you in your struggles with anxiety, because I have had such a similar experience. It feels as though we owe nature so much since it adds so much to our lives and recharges us! I also really appreciated the idea of making learning about nature accessible to everyone. It is completely true that everyone has different learning styles and capabilities, and to ensure nature interpretation is inclusive it is totally essential to cater to individual needs. Everyone deserves to enjoy and appreciate our natural world, and it is also necessary for the survival of our natural world for as many people to understand and appreciate it as possible. Thanks so much again for sharing your thoughts, I loved reading them! Take care and have a good rest of your semester.

Picture originally posted by Earth Eclipse

When writing this final post, I can appreciate that I learned a lot about nature and different interpretation methods throughout this course. I have done a lot of self-reflection and realize some of my personal beliefs and morals when it comes to nature interpretation. I realized that specific interpretation methods are not for me, and I think that’s ok because at least I can say that I have tried them. I feel that trying different audiences on different audiences was part of helping us understand what does and doesn’t work based on our personalities. In my understanding, ethics are my moral principles that direct my behavior or the actions I take. I believe that my ethics rely a lot on leaving nature alone and not causing much disturbance. I firmly believe that I must support the survival of life on earth. It means when we observe nature, we don’t disturb the ongoing processes in each ecosystem. This is essential in terms of a lot of ecosystems being destroyed on earth and soon leaving behind a residue of what once was. The necessity to protect nature and its ecosystem is apparent nowadays with all the waste of energy and resources, growth of garbage, and ecological damage by industrialization. In an ecosystem, each organism has its role to play. Consider a small puddle at the back of your home. In it, you may find all sorts of living things, from microorganisms to insects and plants. These may depend on non-living things like water, sunlight, turbulence in the puddle, temperature, atmospheric pressure, and even nutrients in the water for life.

I believe that nature is beautiful and very mentally refreshing. Nature has kept me sane through this pandemic, as I’m sure it has for a lot of others. This makes me wonder why nature has this effect on us. Thinking back to my nature walks this week, I noted the sounds you hear, the wind, the birds, the leaves on the trees. They all embrace you with open arms. I love feeling all five of my senses being heightened when I walk. I feel the wind, and I smell the fresh air; I hear the birds’ sweet sounds. I love thinking of nature as a way of medicating the soul. I can almost feel it slowly healing me and bringing me to a happier place mentally. With all that nature is providing us, it is essential to give gratitude towards nature. Have you ever asked yourself if what you believe in is true? It is essential to understand your life depends on your beliefs, so make sure you only choose the best. 

The picture took by my sister at Sylvan lake. 

Time has come now to realize that the beauty of nature is very precious. Nature’s natural state of love, joy, and pride is the essence of life. With that being said, thinking about the responsibilities, I feel as though we should all be responsible for taking care of our surroundings. For example, A walk in the park is highly relaxing and peaceful and offers numerous health benefits. While it’s great to take the time to stop and smell the roses, it’s not a good idea to stop and pick them! Every park has a unique and complex ecosystem. Taking flowers or native plants changes the park’s ecosystem and prevents them from generating new seeds for future plants. Another responsibility is to spread awareness about the existing issues and promote their effect on our mental well-being. Letting others know the benefits of nature and making them more aware of the disturbances they might be causing. The best approach to the issues is to talk about the new concepts with my friends and share them with my family.  From writing blogs, and making podcasts, I got the chance to explore my comfort level and bring out the nature interpreter in me. I believe that knowing your audience is an important task that everyone faces. It is vital to understand your audience’s values, attitudes, and beliefs as it will allow you to anticipate and plan your message accordingly to connect with your audience deeply. I also take part in various clubs where I can promote these ideas. I love sharing new ways to improve mental health because it’s such a stigmatized issue, and it should be taken seriously. Most people have done well in this pandemic, but many have suffered detrimental damage from being indoors all the time.  This is why I will continue to promote nature walks and take care of the nature of this planet.

The picture was originally posted on Unsplash.

I want to incorporate some approaches into my responsibilities as a nature interpreter are using different learning styles.  This includes making a poster for visual learners or making a podcast for auditory learners. Even encouraging people to go on nature walks with me for people who prefer kinesthetic learning activities. This would allow me to educate a wider group of people. Another approach that most suitable for me is to combine humor with knowledge about the environment, highlight the issue, create a lasting impression, and grab attention from a wide range of people. According to research done by Stephan Schmidt’s article, humorous sentences were better remembered than non-humorous sentences. It is essential to keep these approaches in mind when spreading knowledge to others in the future.

All in all, spending time in nature is a great way to get out and explore nature. As long as we remember not to disturb the natural surroundings, the nature parks will be around for future generations to enjoy. Without nature, I’m not sure we would survive. 

Thank you for reading my post! I hope you all have a great rest of the semester. 

References

Beck, L., Cable, T.T., & Knudson, D.M. (2018). Chapter 6: How people learn. Interpreting cultural and natural heritage for a better world. (pp.105-111). Sagamore Venture.

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Unit 2: Teaching Learners [Course Website]. University of Guelph Course link. https://courselink.uoguelph.ca/d2l/le/content/666945/viewContent/2583079/View

I really loved this post. I feel like I resonated with so many things that you mentioned that I felt compelled to reply to it. I could not have put it better myself when you describe nature as being medication for the soul. I feel the same way when I am out for nature walks, which have also kept me grounded during this pandemic, As I grow older and learn more about the creatures we inhabit the earth with, I feel like each walk is more special because I recognize more of our friends! Whether that be recognizing a new bird song or identifying a new lichen species on a trail, it is refreshing and totally recharging to the soul. I also am adamant about leaving nature alone. My parents always told me growing up, “leave only footprints and take only photographs” when out in our natural world. The beauty of nature remains intact when we stop to smell the flowers without plucking them. This is how we can interact safely and sustainably with our natural world. Thanks so much for your post! Have a great rest of your semester. 

Over my university career, I have learned many things about the environment but the most amazing and surprising thing I learned was about sharks and the influence they have on ecosystems. Did you know that sharks evolved before trees and despite a few exceptions like the hammer head sharks, have remained relatively unchanged for millions of years (Davis, n.d.)? I first became interested in them when I took a vertebrate biology course and dissected a dogfish. Learning about the sensory modalities that these ancient animals have evolved blew my mind and is what initially interested me about sharks. The ampullae di Lorenzini are tiny electroreceptor pores found along the nose and face of elasmobranch species and allows them to detect electromagnetic fields that are generated by the muscles and movements of every living thing.

A schematic diagram of how sharks use the ampullae di Lorenzini to detect their prey. Credit: Sharkbanz

This incredible sense of elasmobranch species allows sharks to roll their eyes to the back of their head when feeding and rely on their electromagnetic sense to tell them where to bite. These amazing pores are also the reason why you should not listen to the common advice to punch a shark in the nose if you ever come face to face with a curious shark. Hitting the underside of a shark’s nose will cause them to reflexively open their mouth which is likely the last thing you want! Instead, as demonstrated in the video below, a better method to deter an inquisitive shark is to place your hand on the top of the head and direct them away from your body. Also, remember, only prey swims away!

Here is a video by One Ocean Diving, a shark eco-tourism group in Hawaii, in which Ocean Ramsey shows us how to physically deter a shark. Credit: One Ocean Diving

Other cool ways of deterring sharks using their electroreceptors are active shark deterrents like sharkbanz which use magnetic technology to interrupt the sharks reception using their ampullae di lorenzini to deter their approach.

There is a quick video explaining how sharkbanz work. Credit: SharkBanz

Learning about sharks in that lab dissection really highlighted to me how little we know about these creatures most of society would only describe as a monster. Since they aren’t as charismatic as other marine life, sharks receive a significantly less attention in turns of conservation and research (Cisneros-Montemayor et al. 2013). Our media focuses on the rare aggressive behaviour and influences like the movies JAWS has painted sharks to be blood thirsty, mindless killing machines when they are actually extremely intelligent and deserve our respect. For example, the common phrase “shark infested waters” really highlights our societies relationship this these apex predators. Since the waters are the shark’s home, technically humans are the ones who are infesting our waters with the amount of coastal development and the crowds at public beaches. I think Ocean Ramsey did an amazing job in her TEDtalk, explaining her relationship to sharks and their importance to our world so I highly recommend you check it out below!

Ocean Ramsey of One Ocean Diving describes her relationship with Bella the great white and their importance in ecosystems. 

Davis, J. Shark evolution: a 450 million year timeline. Retrieved 20 March 2021, from https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/shark-evolution-a-450-million-year-timeline.html

While on a hike or ski, it’s tempting to want to put in some earbuds and listen to a podcast or your favourite playlist to keep your mind off of the difficulty of the physical activity that you are engaging in. However, when doing so, you are missing out on something wonderful and truly unique to nature; a live show brought to you exclusively by the animals and insects surrounding you. 

(A field cricket, which makes its recognizable tittering sound by rubbing its wings together. This sound is synonymous with sleep itself! Image from: Brittanica)

Music is simply defined as “patterns of sound varying in pitch and time produced for emotional, social, cultural, and cognitive purposes” (Krause et al., 2001). But this definition, to me, is very anthropocentric, and puts unnecessary boundaries and limits on what music is. The sounds of nature certainly fit within the definition of what I would consider to be “music”, but are not produced for these reasons (emotional, social, cultural processes); they occur as members of a species interact with each other, with members of other species, and with their abiotic environment. The animals in nature don’t care about making wonderful sounds for us; they are simply going about their lives. However, the sounds that they are creating are certainly music, and more than that, it is the first music that our world has created and the first music that mankind has ever heard. 

(The nightingale. Bird songs are an example of unbelievable beautiful music that can come out of animals in natural ecosystems. Listen to it sing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKqfcR4mXMI)

To put it in simple terms, nature’s music symbolizes life, activity, and prosperity of natural ecosystems. Thus, since nature’s music holds so much meaning behind it, of course it can be useful to us as nature interpreters. These soundscapes can act as a gateway into nature (Hooykaas, Unit 7); hearing them immerses the listener into the world of the natural, and helps them comprehend the interconnectedness, beauty, and diversity of life contained within natural ecosystems. 

But as much as we take take away from nature’s music as an outsider, we can also bring nature into our own lives through the music that we create. By doing so, we can exposure nature to the general public in subtle ways, garnering their interest in nature by including soundscapes that no man could produce into our man-made tunes (once again, a subtle act of nature interpretation). Additionally, us outdoorsy folks can bring a piece of nature with us even when we are nowhere near it, as listening to this music reminds us of how we feel when we’re outside. 

(LA band Lord Huron. Being a nature lover and a music lover, their stuff really strikes a chord with me! Image from: TimeOut magazine)

There are 3 artists which I would like to introduce you to, so that you can better understand what I mean. It’s hard to say exactly what makes each of the successful at giving off the “outdoorsy vibe”, but there is something about the beautifully haunting sounds they create that makes me feel like I do when I’m in nature. Give them a listen for yourself!

Lord Huron:

The Night We Met: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtlgYxa6BMU 

Meet Me in the Woods: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJOsLdBqbPA

Ben Howard: 

Promise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xjg0Ip7TzzM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8ccDb6n5Wg

Bon Iver:

Flume: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuQrLsTUcN0

Holocene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWcyIpul8OE

Some questions for you this week: what are some artists that make YOU feel like you do when you’re outside? Why/how do you think their music makes you feel this way?

Thanks so much for reading (and listening)! 

Ty 🐪

References: 

Field cricket | insect. (n.d.). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/animal/field-cricket

Wildlife World. (2015, October 26). Singing nightingale. The best bird song. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdlIbNrki5o

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Unit 7: Nature Interpretation Through Music. Lecture Notes Retrieved, March 5th, 2021

One way I love interpreting nature through art is by watching documentaries. There are many aspects of wildlife documentaries that can be compelling and really suck you in. Documentaries are amazing in regards to nature interpretation for many reasons, one being that they are widely available to people around the world. This means that the information is more accessible and thus more people can engage with it. The more people that experience interpretation through educational, recreational, and inspirational experiences the better. These experiences make people care about the particular topic at hand or nature in general, and bring people together to protect it. There will always be a few people who will gladly destroy our heritage in return for a large profit. People that are connected to their heritage will fight back and protect, thus the more people that are informed and feel connected to their heritage, the better. A few of my favourite documentaries are “My Octopus Teacher” and “Nature: Touching the Wild: Living with the Mule Deer of Deadman Gulch”. Both stories revolved around a man that was intrigued by and in love with wildlife. They each follow an animal in hopes of gaining its trust. These types of documentaries tell a story, one that is very intriguing because it is not every day that you hear a man forms an emotional relationship with an octopus or a herd of deer. They start off slow where it is very difficult to see how there could possibly be any relationship between humans and wild animals, as wild animals are often skittish when they see humans. Both documentaries showed that after time, the animals began to build trust for the human that was following them, and eventually the human became fully integrated into these animals' lives. In particular “My Octopus Teacher” showed the complete timeline of the octopus and man’s relationship, including the hardships that the octopus encountered while the human watched (for example getting its tentacle eaten by a shark and almost getting killed). There does come a time where the octopus’ life has come to an end, she gives birth and she slowly passes away. Watching this relationship form specifically showed me how incredibly intellectual and emotional octopus can be. It showed to me that these little creatures have souls, and initiated something inside me where I felt they must be protected at all costs. The documentary did what it was supposed to do, with the visuals and music, it had me so emotionally invested in the story that I was crying while watching. It is one that I will never forget, and I will forever view octopus in a different light than I would have if I hadn’t have watched this documentary. Music is also always integrated into documentaries. It is used to manipulate or enhance what the viewer is feeling, so if the story itself is not enough to elicit an emotional response, the music will most likely seal the deal.

Video: taken by me. It is a snippet about a man's interaction with an octopus. With the music and connection between human and animal interaction made, it is easy to become emotionally invested.

Documentaries can be used to show these touching stories of human interactions with wildlife, and end with a final message of why these animals or natural areas must be protected. They effectively show people how important that the natural world is, and what benefits they can bring to humans. Interactions with nature contribute to the overall mental and physical well being of humans, and this art can elicit sympathy and empathy which will lead to a kinder society that will hopefully protect nature. It is important to remember that a strong emotional response to these documentaries can not be guaranteed, as the beauty of nature is within the eye of the beholder. The best these documentaries can do is tell a compelling story and hope that people will want these natural areas or mystical creatures to live on enough to help protect them.

Questions:

What type of art do you think is the most effective in regards to nature interpretation? Why do you feel this way?

  Okay, so I am definitely going to have to add “My Octopus Teacher” to my watch list, that sounds like the exact kind of story I’ve love to experience! I really like how in your post, you talk about little creatures having souls – I absolutely agree. Have you ever sat and watched a group of crows hop around a park? If they let you get close enough, you can see their little eyes darting around, thinking their little crow thoughts. I’d also highly recommend you check out this page - https://twitter.com/tef_ebooks - for some excellent examples of soul-having behaviour. 

Photography like this, as well as the documentaries you love can be fantastic resources for people to connect with nature without ever leaving the comfort of their own homes. Tying it back into the privilege discussion we all had last week, someone people have disabilities that might prevent them from doing a long hike to a mountaintop of river, but they still get to experience it through the romantic lenses of television and art. 

To answer your first question, I think paintings are the most effective for nature interpretation for me personally. I enjoy knowing a person likely went to a place, and was inspired enough by its beauty to try and capture it. 

This week’s blog prompt “What role does privilege play in nature interpretation” is not something I had really considered until I read the assigned course material for this week. Before I go on to discuss how I believe privilege is an aspect of environmental interpretation, I`ll provide a definition of what I believe privilege is.

In my understanding, privilege is possessing any advantage or special right that can be used to benefit the person possessing the privilege. With this working definition in mind examples of privilege could include having high socio-economic status, being of a particular race or gender, or identifying with a particular sexual orientation. My backpack of privilege holds several things. I am white I come from a middle-class family and was raised in a household with both my parents having higher education. I speak English fluently and am a Canadian citizen. I can afford my university education currently through working various summer jobs throughout the years.

Photo by  EqualiTeach

In terms of nature interpretation privilege can play a major role. For example, being blessed financially can lead to easier access to resources and the ability to travel to natural areas. This is something that I can relate to. As mentioned in one of my previous posts, I spent a lot of time growing up in nature and got the chance to visit and explore various natural areas. This ultimately led to the development of my love of nature and passion regarding environmental issues. Looking back, I was only able to gain this because of my socio-economic status privilege. This is since my family was able to afford the luxury of travel. Whereas, on the other hand someone with lower socio-economic status may not be able afford such luxury.  

Education is another privilege that I believe is associated with nature interpretation. As mentioned in my last post one of the skills I believe to be essential to becoming an effective nature interpreter include possessing extensive knowledge regarding the issue in which the interpreter is trying to educate the audience on. For me I have been privileged to be able to attend a University in which I gain knowledge of various issues every day. Which can then be utilized in the future for environmental interpretation. Even looking back to just a couple of weeks ago I knew nothing about what environmental interpretation was. The knowledge that I possessed about interpretation was solely based on what I had read from the syllabus for ENVS*3000. Which has since grown and will continue to grow as I progress through the course material. This is something that I would have not been able to gain had I not had the privilege of higher education.