Kat's Natural View

In the journey to become a successful nature interpreter, you must often stop to assess your personal beliefs, morals, and ethics surrounding the subjects at hand. Doing so allows you to separate the beliefs you hold from the scientific/observable truth, and ensures that you are providing a learning experience that is largely unencumbered by your own prejudices and morals. Here, I will go over two beliefs of mine that I am acutely aware of, briefly discuss the responsibilities I feel as a nature interpreter as a result of these closely held beliefs, and describe the nature interpretation approaches that I feel I could most effectively employ based on what I know is effective. Oh…and share some of my favourite, most beautiful photos I’ve ever taken!

(Personal photo: UBC Campus, Vancouver, British Columbia. The colours of the leaves, the sun rays, the blue sky - this picture is truly heavenlyl!)

Personal beliefs can intersect with one’s teaching practice (Varty N.G., 2009). They can often arise almost subconsciously, as a gut reaction-type response to a comment or question received or in a description of a particular issue in nature. Personal beliefs are not something to feel guilty about or something to bury deep down while in a teaching role, however it is absolutely important to be aware of them. It is also important to reflect on these gut reactions after they occur, and to “understand and resolve the tensions and subjectivities revealed in the process” (Varty N.G., 2009) - this allows you to learn from them to keep in mind for the future.

(Personal photo: The first thing that comes to my mind when I see this photo is LIFE!)

One of my beliefs that I am aware of is my undying commitment to environmentalism. I truly believe that the natural world is at dire risk of irreversible, anthropogenic (human-caused) change, and thus it would be my first goal in nature interpretation. Part of this means demonstrating the “gift of beauty” in nature (Beck et al., 2018), and (hopefully) garnering a sense of respect in your audience so that they are inspired to become environmental stewards themselves. However, there are many people out there who might not be so open to this point of view. When it comes to interpreting nature for people like this, it is certainly not best to get into heated discussions with them about environmental issues, but rather let nature do what it does best: astound them in its beauty and inspire them to care.  

Another belief of mine is in line with that of Richard Louv: being in nature is an essential component of growing up, and that kids (and even adults) these days are spending more time inside and are worse off as a result (Hooykaas, Unit 8). There are certainly many science-backed benefits of spending time in nature, as well as benefits in participating in physical activity over being lethargic. Yet, we never now how people might react to being confronted with the fact that their life could be made better by being exposed to nature: as always, we have to prepare for the best and expect the worst.

After outlining these two beliefs of mine, it’s important for me to understand that these beliefs might differ from those of others, and prepare to adjust my nature interpretation style accordingly. If I fail to do so, I am at risk of pushing certain people away from nature rather than bringing them closer to it, simply because I was too stubborn in my ways. As is stated in Beck et al., 2018 “it is important to be flexible as no two groups are alike.” - we as nature interpreters must actively adapt our delivery of certain topics based on how we feel the audience will respond, and approach every discussion with an open mind and a sense of empathy for who we are speaking to.

(Personal photo: Yoho National Park, Alberta. I hope to go back soon!)

As a result of having these two primary beliefs, I feel the responsibility as an interpreter to a) promote the benefits of being in nature for us as humans and b) bring attention to the risks that natural areas face in the shadow of climate change. These would be my two primary goals and priorities in planning and delivering nature interpretation lessons; they are both causes I am very passionate about, and to me, are of the greatest priority in the field of nature interpretation.

(Personal Photo: Meech Lake, Near Ontario. Check out that blue sky peeking through!)

There are several nature interpretation approaches that I believe would work best, especially when used in tandem. Firstly, I feel that it is extremely important to cater to all types of learners. This means including visual (photographs, diagrams, charts), auditory (music, soundscapes, lectures), and tactile (craft building, use of props) teaching aids (Hooykaas, Unit 2). Everyone has their preferred learning style, however, as is stated by Beck et al., 2018, multisensory learning benefits everyone’s learning; it engages all the senses, creating a well-rounded experience for the student that will stick out in their mind in the future. Secondly, I will absolutely employ active discussion in my nature interpretation. I believe group discussion is so valuable because it allows people to express their opinions and hear those of others, adding a personal touch and taking away from the formality of it all. I think I will plan for setting aside 5-10 minutes at the end of every activity to discuss the experience as a group. Third, I would make sure to incorporate indigenous knowledge along with the science-backed research on nature. The reason for this is not only to pay homage to the people who occupied this land before us, but also to make use of the wealth of knowledge indigenous people have of nature itself and the incredibly deep connection they have to nature (Hooykaas, Unit 7).

This wraps up my blog posts for this semester! I would like to thank you for your reading and interacting with my posts; I’ve learned a lot from you, and I hope I taught you something in return. 

I can’t wait to get out there and do some nature interpretation in the real world!

So the journey begins…

~Ty 🦅

References:

Guinot Varty, N. (2009). My perspective: Personal beliefs informing and intersecting with teaching practice. Language Arts Journal of Michigan, 24(2). doi:10.9707/2168-149x.1050

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

I also resonate with the beliefs you listed and how they can affect a person’s way of interpreting nature. I think a third thing that I personally found throughout this course to add to your list is that a nature interpreter must also always be willing to learn. I think you kind of alluded to this idea yourself when you talked about adapting to your audience. To be honest, when I first came into this course I had a bad attitude towards it. I hope you won’t judge me too hard but when I was picking courses I actually didn’t want to take this course because I didn’t think I would learn too much. For context, I worked as a nature interpreter at Bronte Creek Provincial Park two summers ago and for some reason entering this course I think that experience went to my head a little bit. I learned so much there and had amazing role models that taught me so much about how to make, adapt and run programs for various ages and about many different topics. Obviously I didn’t think I knew it all but I was like what could a one semester course online where we don’t go out and do anything in the real world teach me that I don’t already have real world experience in. When I look back at my earlier blog posts you would find I bring it up a lot because maybe I thought it would give me credibility or impress other students I don’t know exactly, but I had to realize what I was doing and how much I was actually learning. Coming into the course with those experiences I had a very black and white view of what nature interpretation was, which has since expanded vastly. I think this goes along with actual programs too, not only can your audience teach you new things, they can also notice things you don’t, and each person brings their own background to the experience that is important to the success of the program. The debrief period you talked about is definitely a great way to gather feedback from the audience that is so valuable. 

Switching gears, as a gymnastics coach, I agree with your point about how important getting active is. I really enjoyed the coaching courses I have taken and especially the ones talking about how children develop or what they need to learn new things can definitely be applied to nature interpretation. I think having this background will make me a better nature interpreter because I engage in teaching kids in multiple ways. With gymnastics, a lot of the learning is tactile but since taking this course, I have incorporated what we learned into my lessons using models, demonstrating skills so they can see them, explaining the skill or getting them to visualize it in their mind. Will being a coach will make me a better nature interpreter, this course has also made me a better coach which I think is really cool to see how the lessons are already applicable in my life. 

Lastly, I think the two main focusses of nature interpretation you listed are both super important. Within your second point, invasive species are something I am super passionate about and I think this will probably be my main focus as a nature interpreter in the future. 

Writing this final blog is definitely a bittersweet experience. I have had a lovely time going in different directions with my writing and interacting with my classmates in a new and exciting format. On the other hand, however, I feel as though I’m leaving having discovered a whole new side to nature interpretation: what it is, why we do it, and different approaches to take. In this final post, I hope to express how my own experiences have shaped my ethics when it comes to interpretation.

When looking upon my own role as a nature interpreter, it is difficult to aspire to be like anything other than my interpreters growing up. I was taught by people like my parents, and aunt and uncle, my camp councillors and workshop leaders at nature-based programs. These interpreters taught me a wide array of skills using different, equally effective techniques. I think that the personal beliefs and responsibilities of every interpreter dictates the learning approaches and lessons that they will instil in others. Personally, my ethics come from a place of knowledge application. In order for me to effectively interpret I think that it is my responsibility to use all the tools that I have available to create a safe, fun and informative environment for everyone that is interested in learning.

The OG nature interpreters. Myself and my sister learned a lot from my Aunt and Uncle who I definitely give a lot of credit for teaching me much of what I know about nature and interpretation. Photo credit to Linsey Brian.

           Having been exposed to a number of interpretation opportunities, as well as having grown up on a farm, I have a very strong belief in the effectiveness and the vital importance of interpreting nature, especially for children. Not only does exposure to nature give children a passion for preserving natural spaces, but it can improve their mental wellbeing as well. Studies have shown that playing outdoors promotes creativity and builds confidence while improving problem solving skills, all of which led to a healthier and happier child. A Harvard University biologists, named Edward O. Wilson, also theorized in his book Biophilia that innately, humans are draw to nature and the outdoors. Instinctively people want to be in and learn about nature. This research, combined with my own experience with interpretation and what I have learned through this class, have helped to shape the approaches, responsibilities and beliefs that I carry as an interpreter.

           Growing up, I was a part of 4H Ontario – an organization that uses the knowledge of volunteers to teach youth the skills to effect positive change on the world. 4H is traditionally agriculture based but has since moved to include club topics of any description – if you can find enough children interested in a subject, you can have a 4H club on it! I have had the opportunity to be a part of the field crop club, sheep club, horse club, pizza making club, the cake decorating club, canning club, etc! 4H is widely focused on the development of leadership skills, and in line with this, I was able to participate in a number of teambuilding, leadership training camps, where we were taught variety of skills by a set of inspiring interpreters. While we may not have been taught exclusively nature-based content, the experience I gained from these opportunities has helped me to envision my own style of nature interpretation. From these strong interpreters in my life, I feel as though some of the most vital skills to build when interpreting are:

·      Leadership

·      Responsibility

·      Teamwork

·      Problem solving

The group photo from Provincial Leadership Camp 2017. It was here that I made some incredible, lifelong friends. Photo credit to Bruce Sargent of Farm Boy Productions.

           To me, the most effective approach to interpretation- especially for children- has been through hands on activities. The 4H motto is ‘Learn to Do by Doing’ and this truly is what I believe children and youth need to fully gain interest and experience in natural surroundings. During 4H meetings we not only learned about how to make pizza, or decorate a cake, or train a sheep, we got to also do these things. This is one of the ways that I became passionate and involved in nature – by having fun and getting to physically partake in activities. This also comes down to knowing your audience, if you are interpreting for others that have knowledge in the field, they may benefit from a more in depth look into different ideas; if you are interpreting for children with little to no natural experience, I think that integrating facts and knowledge into visual and tactile learning activities that encourages teamwork and leadership are what creates a safe, fun and encouraging environment.

As stated by Dave Smaldone’s A Crash Course in Interpretation all interpreters should understand three main ideas:

1)    It is a process

This goes for both the interpreter, and the audience – you aren’t going to get all points off effectively the first time, and similarly, the audience won’t know everything they need to after only one session.

2)    It serves to connect the visitor to something (the resource) on both an emotional and intellectual level, and

3)    It should be more than mere information

 It should involve more than just reciting facts, dates, lists, etc.

Understanding all of these factors can help to set a base for what good, effective interpretation. In addition, personally, I think the most important aspect of interpretation is that it should be fun! This goes for both the audience and the interpreter. One should strive to excite their audience – if this doesn’t happen than there is a danger of putting people off of nature – the opposite of what is trying to be achieved! Being out in nature should be a positive experience for all participants and it is important to remember that pushing boundaries is vital for growth, but students of nature should have a sense of comfort and easy with this.

Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash

I feel as though being an interpreter in 2021 means taking on an extra, vital responsibility of educating about climate change. This is a relatively urgent matter considering the state and trajectory of the planet. To me, this adds to the responsibilities that an interpreter has. It is not simply enough to help one develop a sense of place, or to enrich experiences, in today’s world youth need to be equipped to rally for the safety of the planet when they are older; in the end, this is the future of their plant and they need to be left the skills and resources as well as the passion for preserving nature and its species.

I definitely agree with you that the ways we experience nature interpretation and the role models we have that teach us about nature have a large impact on who we become as nature interpreters as well as kindling the passion within us for nature in general.   

As for your experiences with 4H, I am jealous! I only found out about 4H from a coworker a few years ago when she was teaching me how to care for the animals at work and mentioned how she had learned. I think it is so neat that something like this network of clubs exists and I wish I had known about it. I grew up in the city and while we did have small pets, I have tended to be a little nervous around animals even though I loved them. I think that clubs like 4H are especially crucial for those that live in the city to get involved with because they don’t always get the same exposure in their community normally. I am currently working on being less skittish handling animals and I have made progress but I think if I had grown up with more exposure to animals I wouldn’t necessarily have to. Some of the ideas presented in the video we watched for class were really interesting to me as I think my family did a lot outside but didn’t necessarily do this with other families all the time (Suzuki & Louv, 2012). Building a community at the same time as spending time in nature and learning about it is a great way to combine two important things that people who live in the city sometimes struggle with (Suzuki & Louv, 2012).  

I also second the idea of activities or doing as part of children’s programming. When I worked as a nature interpreter for Bronte Creek Provincial Park, we ran many different children’s programs for schools. Learning how to run each of the different programs was interesting and I remember noticing the different engagement level between the animal guessing game story and the time we had small groups playing with old toys and doing a call-back song. I’m not sure if this is because kids tend to lean more to tactile learning or if they just have more energy so even if that's not the way they learn best, its how they focus best or maybe even something about their attention span. 

I also feel the extra responsibility of the climate change movement with becoming a nature interpreter. I particularly resonated with the quote “ Eventually, children will learn even to go beyond sustaining and to engage in acts of regeneration”. Having even a small role in inspiring the next generation to go beyond what our generation is even doing is quite a daunting yet exciting task (Rodenburg, 2019). Sometimes though I feel a bit hypocritical thinking about this because I am not always the most sustainable person and so talking about the topic of climate change can sometimes feel like I am also not doing enough and should or could do more before telling others to. So its not just that I don’t feel equipped or prepared but I also have to battle the internal voice telling me I’m not even the right person to say it. This is especially amplified when you see people on the news like Greta Thunberg or other young activists that are younger than us having a profound impact. Articles like this can be super encouraging that just one person can make a difference but also unmotivating that we may never accomplish as much. I would love to know how you or anyone else reading this view this!

Rodenburg, J. (2019). Why environmental educators shouldn’t give up hope. Clearing Magazine. Retrieved from: https://clearingmagazine.org/archives/14300

Suzuki, D. and Louv, R. (2012). David Suzuki and Richard Louv @AGO. DavidSuzukiFDN. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5DI1Ffdl6Y

To me, the most amazing thing about nature is how much we truly don’t know about the universe, and even just our planet alone. There is so much that cannot be explored and/or studied due to human limitations. We continue to discover more and more previously undocumented species every year, and there is still much more to be discovered. As well as species being discovered, there are also hundreds of species going extinct each year due to human activity. The current rate of extinction is over a thousand times faster than the estimated natural rate of extinction (Lees, 2015). This number also doesn’t account for undiscovered species, and it is likely that many species have gone extinct before they can even be discovered by humans.

Of course, the first thing that may come to mind when you think about the unknown is space. There is nothing more mesmerizing to me than looking up at the stars and thinking about all of the planets, stars, and even entire galaxies that exist outside of our reach. I often think about what’s out there, how everything came to be, and of course, the age-old question: is there life out there? In my opinion, the universe is far too large for us to be the only life there is, but that’s a whole other question for another time (and thinking about it too long gives me an existential crisis).

It’s estimated that there are billions of galaxies in the cosmos. Photo retrieved here. 

Deep-sea life is another example of how much that we don’t know about the natural world of our planet. There have been many technological advances made to allow us to explore further into this territory, but there are still many limitations that we face when it comes to the study of deep-sea marine life due to the fact that it is so expensive and difficult. Even though the ocean covers over 70 percent of the planet’s surface, 80 percent of it is still unmapped, unobserved, and unexplored (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2021)! You can’t tell me that that’s not intriguing!

There is a lot that we don’t know about deep-sea fish and animals, and much of it cannot be uncovered without conducting behavioural experiments, such as whether or not they can even see colour (de Busserolles et al. 2020). However, these experiments are nearly impossible to conduct due to the high pressure at the bottom of the ocean – the fish cannot be brought to the surface without causing rapid tissue damage and eventually death (without expensive equipment such as pressure containers), and humans cannot withstand the pressure at the bottom of the ocean without being crushed.  I’m sure you have all seen the pictures of the “world’s ugliest fish” the blobfish pulled out of water, but here’s the thing: the fish doesn’t actually look like that. It’s actually the rapid change in pressure causing them to bloat and essentially fall apart (Hale, 2019). Trust me, you’ll never look at a picture of that poor fish the same again.

These poor fish get a bad rep from the pictures spread of them on the internet. I bet you wouldn’t look too hot if your tissues exploded, either! Photo obtained here. 

Overall, there are so many fascinating things about the natural world, but it never ceases to amaze me just how insignificant we are in the scope of the universe. Do you think we’ll ever have the technology to actually explore the unknown, or are some things never meant to be discovered?

References 

I must say I really enjoyed reading your post. I found it really interesting to find someone else writing about the same topic, comparing space and the ocean, but through an entirely different way than how I did mine. I thought it was really cool to see the different approaches we took as it is an insanely large topic to try and cover and there are so many potential ways to go. There is still so much for me to learn, even about the things I am passionate about. Your post is the first time I had stopped to think about the blobfish. This fish is on just about every “weird sea creatures” list when there are SO many unique looking animals in the ocean (not to say its not interesting or unique but it usually makes the list for the depressurized version). It really made me question the facts and images I have seen and how they could be of of context or how sometimes we blindly trust what we come across even if that isn’t the entire story. The first website I found when looking up the blobfish after your post says “ Scientists call this fish Psychrolutes microporos, but also, more directly, "Fathead." Smithsonian Magazine even notes that the weird looking creature is largely considered the World's Ugliest Animal.”. Just the statement “fathead” and quoting “scientists” to give the statement credibility misleads the audience. While the website does go on to explain the misconception, the only visual they provide is the classic image and is very misleading. The ocean has amazing creatures and any one of them could equally be the most amazing or fascinating thing in nature.  

Technology-wise I think there definitely will be a time where we gain technology to explore more of the ocean. For instance it took 70 years for the shipwreck of the Titanic to be found in the ocean. I mentioned this in my post but the Mariana’s Trench has seen much more exploration in 2020 and continuing into 2021 and that is thanks to the advances in technology allowing for the further exploration. I think part of the advances in technology are thanks to activism around climate change and the need and interest increasing for media that showcases human impact on the ocean and media that inspires people to want to save the ocean. This increased awareness can also inspire people that might not have been exposed to invent or get investing in technology that deals with the ocean in some regard. I think there is no limits on exploration, it just takes time to get there and great minds working on it that are passionate about destroying potential roadblocks in the way to exploration. 

In closing, I’m very curious, what is your favorite marine animal? 

Thanks, 

Kat

References:

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/animals/g210/strange-sea-animals-2/?slide=23

Everyone has memories that they look back on and cringe at. Maybe it was something awkward you said to a crush back in high school, or a time you tripped walking in the mall. I wanted to se the scene for this blog post by sharing a story from way back in 7th grade. Picture this, 25 12-year-olds about to enter/currently in their angsty phase, being asked by my very passionate-about-the-environment teacher to come up with a song about an environmental issue or share one that you like. I am writing this covering my eyes remembering us 12-year-old with no style or semblance of musical talent trying to come up with an environmental rap song….it’s a lot to visualize. My angsty pre-teen self shared a song by a band called Rise Against called “Ready to Fall” that had an accompanying music video highlighting the devastating affects humans are having on the planet. You can watch it here if you are interested!

(A photograph of the band members of Rise Against taken by Travis Shinn, retrieved from Fadroski 2007) In my mind, it was the perfect song from a great band – angry, impactful, and making caring “cool”. A few years later in 2011, they came out with another song that got some good radio time and may be a bit more recognizable to some people called “Help Is On The Way”. This song and it’s music video which can be seen here focuses on the devastation of Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. As we have learned in Unit 7, presenting in nature interpretation has a number of roles, such as to tell a specific story, engage or inspire. I think good music with an important message accomplishes this most effectively! It is in this bridged gap where I feel I can find nature in music.

(An animated GIF of a Spring Peeper Frog) Switching gears now to where I find music in nature, I think its everywhere! There is a reason there is thousands of hours of nature sounds playlists on Youtube and Spotify, and that is because people enjoy it. As many many others, I struggle a bit in the winter with getting through the cold days where the sun sets at what feels like 2 PM and going on hikes is all the more work. One of my most comforting sounds is that of the Spring Peeper, a small frog species whose distinctive call you can hear as a wonderful signal of spring. Sometimes I throw on a long playlist of their calls to remind me that the world will bloom again! Are there any sounds of nature that any of you find particularly comforting? What is the story behind your comfort?

References

Fadroski, K. S. (2017, June 27). Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath gets candid about politics and why punk rock matters now. Retrieved from The Press-Enterprise: https://www.pe.com/2017/06/27/rise-againsts-tim-mcilrath-gets-candid-about-politics-and-why-punk-rock-matters-now/

Hooykaas, A. (March, 1 2021). Nature Interpretation though Music. Retrieved from Courselink: https://courselink.uoguelph.ca/d2l/le/content/666945/viewContent/2593375/View

I really enjoyed reading your post about nature and music this week. I was definitely not expecting that genre of music connecting to nature, for some reason my brain connects nature related music to cheesy little tunes someone makes to try and pass on a bit of information to children or a song from a Disney movie, I am not sure why. I was pleasantly surprised to be opened to how nature can be found in all types of music! As I was playing the first song, my boyfriend took his headphones off and asked me if I was listening to his Spotify playlist, then began to sing along. He is not too into nature related things so I was super surprised and it turns out he had no idea the music video related to human impacts on the environment at all, so I got to show him! I thought this was a funny coincidence that made interacting with your post even better, as I wasn’t the only one to learn something from it. I think messaging behind songs is super important, some of the catchiest songs have very strange or maybe controversial messaging and get more media attention or radio time because not everyone pays attention to what the song means. Watching the second music video, my mind immediately jumped to when our whole school learned Wavin’ Flag. Even though that song related to a different type of natural disaster, this song made such a huge impact on me as a kid because of the power this collective of artists seemed to have coming together to raise awareness for something important was really meaningful. 

Jumping into your question though, I have always loved bird calls. When I worked outside two summers ago, I made it a goal to learn as many bird calls as I could. The only issue is, bird calls are so echoy in the forest that it can be super hard to spot the actual bird, or even know which direction or which tree it is coming from, although this in itself can be somewhat magical. For that reason, one of my favorite sounds is a woodpecker drilling into a tree because for some reason (I am not an acoustics expert), that sound is a lot easier to pinpoint and then I can also get photos of it! If I had to pick a favorite bird call, even though its very common and maybe cliche, I love the chickadee’s call! I think this is because I associate them with a field trip where we got to hand feed chickadees and they their call is arguably the cutest too! 

The Nature of Art

Art is such a personal thing, as is the interpretation of the nature around us. Based on state of mind, or emotional place, we might feel the sound of a twig snapping in the woods we are in as a threatening or ominous noise, or an indicator that we are about to have an exciting and personal interaction with some wildlife. Rain may be interpreted on a “good” day as a bringer of life during a drought, or as nothing but an indicator of soon to be wet boots on a “bad” day. We are constantly reflecting our self into our surroundings, as seen by the way that we relate to nature by giving it a “personification”; a “happy” squirrel, a “needy” dog, a “pompous” cat, a “stubborn” weed.  

I used drawing as an outlet for boredom during high school (as seen in the doodles above). Yet, slowly, as I entered into places that fed my soul (evidently that was not high school for me!),  art shifted into a way for me to express passion. Potatoes are both natural and a work of art themselves, hence I have included them in my post.

The above paintings are my first attempt at water color. I did them while living on a group of islands in northern BC called Haida Gwaii, for a semester that completely changed my life.

Art and nature have been intertwined for the entirety of human history. As long as we could tell stories, scrape a doodle in the dirt, or sing a song, nature has resonated through our artistic channels. We interpret nature because we are a part of it. Because as we interpret nature it helps bring our own reflection into focus. “The gift of beauty”, as explained in our text, to me, is all about channeling the majesty of natural areas and the ever present resonance we feel with it, and giving it a target. Make beauty obvious, explain it, justify it, and then instill people with a need to protect and appreciate it. 

Above are paintings I did of pictures my partner took during a hike.

Lastly this is our fish, Frankie.

The gift of beauty helps people make nature personal, and leads them to find the gifts of joy and passion. If someone can see the beauty of a natural space, an animal, a plant creeping through the cement, then they might be inspired by it. This inspiration may lead them down a path of preservation, such as becoming an activist or even just an avid recycler, or maybe it will inspire them to create their own art. Effective nature interpretation is about handing down passion, letting what fills your cup overflow into the cups of those next to yours until they can pass it on to others. 

So who am I to interpret nature through art? I am a part of nature, and thus the art within me is just as natural as the art around me. 

My questions for you are: Do you feel that humans are a part of nature? Does it have to be made by a human to be art? Which of the “gift of interpretation” resonates most with your experience with nature and why?

Thank you so much for reading!

From a distance, it seems as though being an environmental interpreter is a daunting task to someone who may not be a comfortable leader. I know I fall into this category for most subjects, as I don’t have much confidence to publicly speak as well as I fear that I will be wrong. Environmental interpreters not only have the responsibility of the environment, but also require a highly critical position, supported with stories and justification in effort to teach and persuade a general audience to care about the things they care about. This transfer of information needs to be done with passion, as facts are presented in a compelling way in attempt to connect with the individuals to feel as though they experienced the same stories. 

That being said, there is one aspect of my life that I feel like I could talk about for days and that would be fishing on Lake Erie. Following my last blog post, my passion for nature stems from my childhood growing up and fishing on Lake Erie. This is one area of conversation where I feel the most confident when talking due to my personal experiences on what I found works and what I found didn’t. In my opinion, talking from experience with a personal story that explains your method has been the best form of communication when conveying information. 

About four years ago, I had an opportunity to join the ambassador team of the largest fishing brand in North America, Pure Fishing Inc. From this involvement pre-pandemic, I was invited to sportsman shows and high-level fishing tournaments where I would assist with talking with potential customers and selling product. As a team we would make sure the event was as entertaining as possible for all ages, while at the same time conveying information to anglers who would approach us and ask for our opinion. This is where I found that my personal experiences would benefit me, due to telling personal stories to fisherman, who all want to know my secrets. Mentioning intricate details such as how to present the bait, or what to look for in the water are all fine details that make a difference in catching bigger fish. 

Picture of me at the Toronto Sportsman Show, 2018

Although the pandemic has taken its place and has hindered the enjoyment of sportsman shows, in the future I would like to continue with the skills and confidence I have when talking about fishing and portray that in small groups to the younger generation. I found my love for the outdoors, in particular fishing started at a young age, and I hope I can encourage a young outdoorsman through multiple learning styles and participation to do the same, and possibly catch their biggest fish. 

I found your post quite interesting. Your story is very different from my own and so I found your perspective fascinating. I would have never thought about how this could be yet another way to interpret nature as I think I fall under the bias of the “typical” interpreter idea a lot. While this course opened my eyes to how blogging and other media related activities fall under nature interpretation so far, I had not considered how else this definition could be extended and showed me how many other things I should consider and that I have a ways to go in understanding what nature interpretation actually means and looks like. Thank you for demonstrating yet another way people interact with nature, especially to a marine bio kid who is always thinking about aquatic things. 

I love that you have found a passion and want to find a way (and sounds like already have) to use it towards a career. I think combining these things is great! I have only been fishing once on vacation and sadly I did not catch anything. I wonder, I know you said that a lot of it is specific, but do you have any general fishing tips? I am very curious to know as well if you know anything about Asian carp in the great lakes as I would hopefully like to work around those this summer. 

To answer your question, as a kid my parents often took us outside to explore places. One of my favorite places was Riverwood Conservation Area because we would bring a bag of seeds and feed the chickadees. Birds are now one of my favorite things to photograph when out in nature and going there and having those experiences are just a few of the times when I was inspired to love nature. 

I have always gone back and forth in my mind as to whether I want to focus more on the education or research side of nature. I love teaching and leading but I also love learning new things, especially discovering things no one else knows. I think in the future, my ideal role in society would combine these two aspects because I think there are advantages to being a “scientist” that the public can understand and actually learn from in a way tailored to meet them where they are at. As having been in a “typical” nature interpreter role during my time at Bronte Creek Provincial Park, I gained an insight into how rewarding it can be to inspire people’s love for nature and be able to give them new information in a way that gets them excited and allows me to share my passion. One of the unique things I wasn’t expecting to take away from my experience was how fun it could also be to be a heritage interpreter. I have sometimes felt that as a teenager, adults do not always value my opinion in some experiences and while most of my engagement was to kids, I also interpreted the heritage house to many adults on the weekends. I found that by providing interesting facts and history on the house, I was able to interact with this demographic in a way where I could bring something to the table. The other fun thing for me was learning how much more connected people were in the past to nature than our society today and what the take-aways are from the past, as well as how to share those ideas with visitors. Since one of my passions is also photography, I have also considered how I could use that as a potential skill. Feel free to check out my nature related Instagram at kphotos333 where I post pictures from time to time and play around with photo editing to hone my nature photography skills as another way to reach out and share nature with the world!

A recent photo I posted on my Instagram showing local Guelph landscape I took on a walk with my family this summer. Photo taken by me. 

 As a marine biology major though, my ideal way to interpret nature would have to be something related to the ocean. I would love the opportunity in the future to go to somewhere in eastern Canada to be able to teach people of all ages about the ocean and share my passion for tide pools. I think a good compromise between research and interpretation would be a similar role to the course instructors that taught me about marine biology at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre in New Brunswick. These instructors were researchers who also got to run a summer course with high school students to show them all the interesting ways to engage with the ocean. They inspired me to pursue the path I’m currently on and I would love the opportunity to inspire someone else in a similar way. The ocean is like space, it is not well explored, can seem scary, large and daunting, but also offers so many unique and wonderful things. Helping people to understand the mysteries, wonders and -outlandish- ;) creatures that inhabit the ocean while getting to study it myself as well and bring that  constantly evolving knowledge back into teaching people would be the best way I could think to spend my life. 

My questions for you are: what do you see yourself doing in the future and how might you incorporate nature or maybe even other passions you have into a potential career? What was your favorite experience with a nature interpreter and what did they do that made it a great experience, and finally what is your favorite aquatic creature? 

I would love to hear your thoughts, experiences and plans for your future!

I understand how it feels to be unsure whether you want to steer your career towards education or research. This is something that I have been struggling with as well, and although I have been putting it on the back burner for a while, it is something that I will soon have to face due to it being my last semester at the university. 

Initially, I planned to try and have a career in the research aspect of marine biology in wildlife conservation. However, over the past few years, I have also been considering a career in what I now know is nature interpretation! I grew up visiting the aquarium and Underwater Exploration Institute often and enjoyed the tours I received as a child as it is where my interest sparked in marine biology. Because of this, I have been seriously considering looking into working at a zoo or aquarium as an interpreter!

It’s great to hear from another marine bio student as there are only 40 ish of us per year so it is rare, and it’s great to know that other marine bio students are taking this class. I love how you expressed that the unknown aspect is part of what drew you to studying the ocean, as I think that is so cool and can relate a lot. I see you put a clip of a sea urchin, is this your favorite or one of your favorite ocean creatures? I’d love to know as one of the things we studied at the Huntsman course was sea urchins where I learned a bit about how cool they really are.  Speaking from personal experience I can say nature interpretation is really rewarding, especially if you like working with kids as well because I found that is a good way to combine those too things. I coach both gymnastics and used to teach skating to kids and doing research exclusively, that may be something I would have to give up. Nature interpretation allows me to combine working with kids, being outside in nature, and learning new things about some of my favorite animals in a way that’s really fun. I also love how you brought up the zoo. I grew up going to the Toronto zoo all the time as a kid and considered photography because of it for a bit. 

A moon jellyfish at the Toronto zoo. Photo taken by me. 

I totally feel the whole, what exactly do I want to do after undergrad, although it sounds like I have a little bit more time than you do as I am in third year. Luckily I have come to realize that they may not be as mutually exclusive as I once thought and there are many ways to do both in some capacity in one job! None the less I think a zoo or aquarium would be a wonderful place to work. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some questions I have for you: 

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

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