Nature Interpretation with Leah

As this semester winds down and comes to an end, I have taken the time to sit down and reflect over the past 11 weeks. Not only have I learned so much about nature and nature interpretation, but I have also learned a lot about myself and my role in the natural world. The question that we have been asking ourselves each week, “Who am I as an interpreter?” is very prominent now as I reflect on what I have learned throughout this course (Hooykaas, 2021). Seriously… who am I as an interpreter? 

To begin to answer this question, I think it is important to understand my own personal ethics as a nature interpreter. Before beginning the important work of interpreting nature, it is crucial to be able to see the interconnectedness of the natural ecosystem, and to also believe that conservation must be an integral component of being a steward of the environment we interact with. Being able to see this interconnectedness of each aspect of the ecosystem, and how certain aspects complement each other and help each other grow, allows for me to truly understand and appreciate the natural world. I am also better able to define my own approach to stewardship and also my role in interpreting for and educating others. In Beck et al. (2018), the authors discuss the Moral Development Theory devised by Lawrence Kohlberg. From a personal standpoint, I believe that as a child I developed “preconventional morality” by lessons taught to me by my parents (Beck et al. 2018, pp.115-117). As a child, I vividly remember the first time my parents taught us the importance of not picking trillium flowers. The fear of picking these provincial flowers from their natural environment and getting in trouble was engraved into me very young, and it became one of my morals to protect these flowers. Although it is not necessarily illegal to pick these flowers in Ontario, I think this fear instilled into me was beneficial in a way because it allowed me to understand how we as humans can have negative effects on our ecosystems. This was the beginning of my stewardship role. Even though my moral sense of right and wrong in terms of the environment developed as a child, my beliefs in how this could be accomplished, and my own particular role in it as interpreter and participant, continues to evolve.

This is a photo that I took at Wildwood Conservation Area showing the blooming trillium flowers! Taken by J. Droog, 2017. 

As a nature interpreter, I think it is important to have strong beliefs and to carry these beliefs into your role as an interpreter. One belief that I have when it comes to being a nature interpreter is good stewardship. It is important to understand the uniqueness of each individual environment and local ecosystem you encounter because this will allow you to share with others and be able to educate future generations. Without this understanding and appreciation for the environment and nature, it is difficult to truly be a steward of the earth. I also need to learn about the local ecosystem and continue to learn as it evolves, so that I can clearly and accurately translate the story to others.

Another belief that I hold is that it is possible to create and maintain sustainable natural areas for the education and enjoyment of all while still serving the needs of the economy. For example, conservation areas do a fantastic job at preserving and protecting these local ecosystems, both the plant and animal species that reside there, at the same time, these conservation areas also provide us with educational information about nature through signage or even a tour guide per se to help us to interpret the nature around us. Another example of this can be shown through our efforts to preserve natural species, such as pollinators. When we try to create habitats that promote and attract pollinators, not only are we benefiting these insects, but we are also benefiting ourselves. The beauty of the habitat provides us with a sense of awe and quiet, giving both a physical and mental boost, while simultaneously creating an environment where the pollinators can thrive, create byproducts that can be consumed, and ensuring that plants that depend on these insects for propagation can also thrive. As an interpreter, it is my responsibility to ensure that this complete story, and the balance of a healthy, functioning ecosystem, is clearly told.                    

As I continue my journey in becoming a nature interpreter, I have to remind myself of what my responsibilities will entail. Although my time as an undergraduate student is coming to an end, I know that will never be finished learning. I think this is important to realize in any profession, but especially as a nature interpreter my responsibility is to continue to build on my own personal knowledge and appreciation for the natural world so that I can bring accurate and relatable information to the table when I am helping others to interpret. Another responsibility I have in this role would be to instill a sense of connection to nature in others through story-telling, stewardship participation, and nurturing awareness in subsequent generations of people. 

One last point I would like to touch upon when it comes to my responsibility as a nature interpreter is to pay attention using all of my senses, recognizing that everything is connected and that there is a way for everyone to benefit while retaining the integrity of the environment (Beck et al. 2018, p. 405). 

ENVS*3000 has been a beneficial course by allowing me to grow and understand the importance of nature through a different lens. This interpretive blog has allowed for me to express my thoughts and beliefs to my peers, as well as hear the thoughts of my peers which adds to the diversity of my own knowledge and the story I am able to share. Although we may all share different beliefs and responsibilities of nature interpreters, we all seem to have common ethics when it comes to nature and preserving our earth. 

Thank you for joining me on this amazing interpretive journey and I am excited to see my fellow classmates excel in the natural world!

Cheers,  Janieka

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

As I write this final blog post I look back on everything I have learned. I have thoroughly enjoyed this unique, creative and expressive way to communicate myself and my development with my classmates. Without this platform, I would not have had the opportunity to get to know my classmates and their interpretations of nature throughout this semester – they would have remained strangers as many of my classmates from other classes have. I feel like I made new friends along the road to nature interpretation as I have met individuals who share similar interests and passions as me. I am especially grateful to have made these friends during a time where meeting new people is pretty much impossible!

I am sad to be leaving behind this amazing community as the semester ends, however perhaps I’d be fortunate enough to continue to discuss the vast wonders of nature with other nature-lovers through the platform of this blog. I hope that as I develop as a nature interpreter, I can meet new people who can introduce me to new skills so that I may share the gift of nature with as many people as possible. I would say that my journey through this course has really helped me develop as a nature interpreter. I would say I am rather different than the nature interpreters I had in my life growing up such as my mother, my father even my aunt and grandparents all played important roles and taught me about nature in my youth. Not to mention other more famous nature interpreters that I learned of as I grew up such as Steve Irwin, Sir David Attenborough and Jane Goodall who are all huge role models for me as I begin my journey as a conservationist, zookeeper and nature interpreter.

I’ve had many opportunities in my life to express to the people in my life how amazing nature is. Growing up I was the child that obsessed over it and craved to learn more and more everyday – I couldn’t get enough. I often thought to myself “Nature so is so cool! How come not everyone knows about this”. And at a young age I took it upon myself to tell my younger siblings stories about wild animals and ecosystems. Eventually – and rather quickly I might add – I soon knew more weird facts about animals than even my parents! I distinctly remember visiting a zoo with my family and my mother and I were looking down into a pit where a capybara was resting. For those of you that don’t know what a capybara is, it is the world’s largest rodent! As my mother stood there wondering what that animal could be, 11 year old me turned to her and said “that’s a capybara” she looked at me doubtful and asked how I knew that, and I told her it was because I had seen pictures of them before and quickly told her that capybaras are the largest rodents in the world. Still doubtful that what I was saying was true, she walked over to the sing outside the enclosure and sure enough it stated exactly what I had told her. Needless to say, she was rather impressed!

When it comes to nature interpretation, I believe that everyone has the right to know about the natural world around them. I believe that the more people understand the vast complexities of nature, the more they will be appreciating, and the more people will want to protect it from further damage. As we all know the ecosystems of are planet are being destroyed due to human activity and consumption and it is my life goal to try to mitigate these effects. I believe that if more people became aware of the problems, we as a species are causing, the more people are to change their habits in order to help. This class has however taught me the importance of invisible backpacks when it comes to nature interpretation which is something I had never considered before. It goes without saying that life is not fair, and some individuals are born with advantages others do not. The differences in these advantages and disadvantages across humanity are a big reason behind why some do not know much about nature. As I continue with my journey to becoming a nature interpreter as well as a conservationist, it is extremely important to me that I consider the invisible backpacks of my audience members. It is my objective to be able to reach as many people as possible and to do so accommodations need to be made so that we may all appreciate nature to the fullest before it is too late.

The approaches I like to take to share nature is definitely through art. I’ve always been more artistic and creative than scientific, and I think that quality will help me reach out to a wider variety of individuals. Although I am expressive in various art forms, I think my favorite for expressing nature is by far through art. If you guys have been following my previous posts, you will have noticed I have discussed this under our weekly topic of Nature Through Art in which I shared a few of my favorite painting. I remember ever when I was kid, I used to strictly only paint and draw images of raw nature, meaning there were never traces of humans in them. That goes for houses, powerlines and people themselves. I used to think like this because I didn’t think human belonged in such beautiful landscapes since we often ruin them. Although that same sentiment is present in my art today it has since evolved in the sense that there is still hope humans and nature can coexist. This is seen in a few of my paintings such as the one with the woman with her feet in the water of the simple boat out on the water during sunset. These small inclusions of humanity in mainly natural settings is my way of expressing how beautiful nature is if we take care of it and that synergy is possible.

I hope you all appreciated this class as much as I did and learned so things that can help you al develop as nature interpreters!

Have you ever thought about what it would be like if you were the only human on earth? Maybe a more digestible question is have you ever thought about being stranded alone on a deserted island? Personally, I would probably accidentally eat poisonous berries and die. Especially if I was young, I don’t think my survival instincts would keep me alive for very long. Humans can thrive when they are able to rely on the teachings or inventions of one another. Some animals like bears also rely on some degree of parental teaching and guidance. However, many other animals are just thrown out into the world right from birth and survival is contingent on their ability to follow their instincts. These species are known as precocial. Turtles are precocial and their natural instincts have specifically always amazed me.

Turtles are fairly isolated creatures but an aspect of being born into a large group benefits them. When they are hatching, the process of getting out of the buried nest requires many turtles working at once and can take a day or two (Spotila, 2004). Turtles near the top to move the sand around, causing it to fall to the bottom of the nest. This slowly raises the bottom of the nest up, making it easier to get out (Spotila, 2004). This video shows what the crazy emergence looks like.

Turtle hatchlings emerge from their nest to start their journey to the ocean. Source: Associated Press

Once they emerge from the nest its all about cues. I’ve always found it amazing how turtles find the ocean and how they move with a sense of urgency, like they know a predator is lurking. The first cue they have to travel is temperature. They travel to the ocean at night because of their preference for a cooler temperature. Second, they have a preference for light and so they move towards the ocean where the sky above is generally lighter (Spotila, 2004). Weather and humans can impact the light cue, luckily there are other cues to direct them. They also have a preference for moving downslope, which usually brings them towards the ocean (Spotila, 2004).

On a clear night the ocean is especially reflective and bright, attracting the hatchlings. Source: Santee Cooper

Once entering the water, they naturally begin swimming. I find it fascinating that turtles can not only crawl, but swim as well, all in the first day or so of their lives. They are experts at navigating waters. They swim head on into waves which propels them forward (Spotila, 2004). In the open ocean they may exploit currents like ocean gyres to navigate migratory routes with minimal effort, like the turtle in Finding Nemo!

Crush, the turtle from Finding Nemo turtle uses the Eastern Australia Current to navigate easily. Source: Flickr

As they get further from the coast they follow earth’s magnetic field (Irwin and Lohmann, 2005). Female turtles also rely on the magnetic field to return to the same beach they were born at to lay their own eggs (Irwin and Lohmann, 2005). This may be ten or more years later, but they are able to navigate using their internal compass they derive from these environmental abiotic cues.

Evidence! Turtle trails in the sun are evident when the sun begins to rise and their journey is complete. Source: Pinterest

Precocial animals have a pretty harsh start to their lives, yet nature is amazingly abundant with these species. What other types of precocial species are there? How do you think humans influence the abiotic cues these animals rely on?

References:

Irwin, W. P. and Lohmann, K. J. (2005). Disruption of magnetic orientation in hatchling loggerhead sea turtles by pulsed magnetic fields.

Photo retrieved here!

I agree that precocial animals are quite fascinating to me as well. It's amazing that animals such as sea turtles are driven by instinct since the moment they hatch - I also find it interesting that because of this lifestyle, not many of these animals survive to adulthood. Due to the fact that the turtles are left on their own on the beach, they have to face many predators on the beach before they even make it to the water, and even more in the water after that! In fact, it's estimated that only one in 1000 to 10000 turtles survives to adulthood, yet these animals are still plentiful (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2015).

I've had an interest in precocial animals ever since a young age. I had a family friend that lived on a farm, and I was able to witness a goat giving birth at a young age - soon after birth, the goat was already walking! Many ungulate species including the goat are precocial, with horses being a prime example of precocial species (Rodrigues et al. 2014). However, a lot of these animals still receive parental care, unlike the turtle - only highly precocial animals typically leave their parents soon after birth/hatching, while sea turtles are born entirely on their own. It's quite astounding to think about, especially when you think about how reliant humans are for YEARS after they're born!

Music as is referred to as “patterns of sound varying in pitch and time produced for emotional, social, cultural, and cognitive purposes” are not only created in a studio they are also created in nature (Beck et al., 2018). Music can be found almost everywhere in nature you just have to listen carefully (Gray et al., 2001). I hear music in nature all the time and I’m sure you do as well, some of the ways I hear natures music include birds chirping in the morning, the wind howling, rain beating on my bedroom window and lastly waves crashing against the shore. What’s actually quite interesting is that advances in technology has revealed that the music composed by nature actually resembles some of the music we as humans create. For instance when birds compose songs they tend to us the same rhythmic variations, pitch relationships as many human composers (Gray et al., 2001). In addition to this music composed by humans and nature can serve a similar purpose which is to communicate a message (Mallarach et al. 2011). We as humans often use music as a form of communication and fellowship with other, to share idea, thoughts, feelings and inspirations similarly to how animals communicate (Mallarach et al. 2011). Take ducks for instance they will often produce sounds varying in pitch and time to communicate a message such as in the form of a mating call.

Similar to how music can be found in nature, nature can also be found in music. For instance many of the instruments we as humans use to compose music are products of nature such as the guitar. The guitar is made of wood and metal strings which originate from nature so it can be said that nature allows us to make music. Nature can also be featured in music through the use of sounds originating from nature in types of music such as electric dance music. Additionally nature may be in music by being the underlining message of a song such as in folk music where it has shaped human cultures (Mallarach et al. 2011).

Songs like other interpretive media can not only communicate a message but can also bring someone back in time to a found memory, for me the song White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane does this. This song takes me back to this prior summer where me and my friends where listening to music and looking at the stars on a crown land camping trip. The reason this specific song brings me back to this place and time is because this is one of the odder songs we listened to on that trip so it stands out and now whenever I listen to it I am brought back to this camping trip.

 Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnJM_jC7j_4

Some question for my readers:

Can you tell me of any other way nature influences or is a part of music that I didn’t speak about?

What other animals use music as a way to communicate a message besides ducks?

-Filip

References:

Beck, L., Cable, T.T., & Knudson, D.M. (2018). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage (First Edition). Sagamore-Venture Publishing LLC.

Gray, P. M., Krause, B., Atema, J., Payne, R., Krumhansl, C., & Baptista, L. (2001). The music of nature and the nature of music. Science, 291(5501), 52-54.

As for your question - I think that any animal that uses sound to communicate could be considered music. From howling wolves to the trumpet of elephants, I find many different animal calls intriguing and interesting to listen to, just like music! Sometimes I wonder if animals feel the same way about our "music", but I think they might - the first thing that comes to mind are those videos of dogs that will howl along to music playing as if they're singing! I love those videos :)

Many of us live in the present, but we constantly plan for our futures. Through this cycle of repetition, how do we truly appreciate the progress we’ve made? Well, through history! Simply put, history can be defined as the series of past events that connect us with either someone or something (Macfie, 2013, p. 401).

A great example of the history of our past juxtaposed with the modernity of a museum, indicating how the past informs our future (Parmiter, 2020).

So, what is nature interpretation through history? Interpretation breathes life and meaning into past events, architecture and artifacts (Hooykaas, 2021). In doing so it nurtures the development of not only a personal identity; but it also aids in forming values that guide us in the present. Without the ability to interpret, artifacts are merely old things, historic buildings are just old buildings, and ceremonies are merely entertainment (Beck et al., 2018, p. 326).

Thus, nature interpretation through history not only contributes to the unification of the past and present; but also allows an individual to consider themselves within the historical context of the past.

Delving deeper into nature interpretation through history, sheds light on the importance of the quote:

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)

Further “unpacking” this quote provides a unique look into how we view our past and how the past informs our future.

This is extremely relevant to the landscape of our world in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nowadays, it seems as though many people have an attitude that follows the notion of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, which enables an individual to forgo integrity. Consequently, without “merit in integrity … [that] entails a knowledge, a memory, of ancient things” it becomes difficult for an individual to learn or grow from their past.

Furthermore, history enables an individual to examine themselves, where they have been, and why they are there. Therefore, “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” sheds light on the intersection between an individual’s history, and the historical context of the past that feeds an individual’s identity.

This photo was taken on a walk I took with some friends while we were trying to find “cool” places to do a photoshoot. I remember clearly as we walked around, we tried to come up with different stories about the history of our surroundings. Guelph, ON – Photo taken by Agam Verma.

Consequently, in terms of nature interpretation, history, and storytelling play a large role in communicating the essence of a place (Hooykaas, 2021). Thereby shedding light on the importance that interpretive writing can play in allowing an individual to turn abstract words into a story (Beck et al., 2018, p. 322). Relaying this back to the “unpacking” of the quote by Edward Hyams elucidates the importance that history, storytelling, and interpretive writing play in nature interpretation.

I have linked a great video which delves into the intersection between interpretation and history (Be A Better Guide - Free Tour Guide Training, 2017, 0:00-7:39). Have a watch and share your thoughts!

References

Be a Better Guide - Free Tour Guide Training. (2017, May 4). Interpretation tips for tour guides - interpreting culture, the environment, history and heritage [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkhTY7UWi4M

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

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Unit 06: Nature interpretation through history [Course website]. University of Guelph CourseLink. https://courselink.uoguelph.ca

Macfie, A. L. (2013). Towards a new definition of history. Rethinking History, 17(3), 401–412. https://doi.org/10.1080/13642529.2013.774730

I saw someone else’s post about how nature affected their life during this pandemic and it got me thinking about how it affected my life this past year. It is crazy to think how things change so drastically in 1 year and I never thought I would be living in a pandemic and several lockdowns. Starting the pandemic, I was still living in Guelph with a few roommates while we completed our winter semester. As the weather began to be nicer, we started spending more time outside, especially going for walks with my dog boo. It was great having the opportunity to spend more time outdoors, enjoying what nature has left for us to appreciate.

(Photo taken by myself during one of many walks in Guelph with my dog boo and roommates. We throught this tree looked very different from the rest. It started a lovely conversation about how nature is so amazing in the sense that it does crazy things like this)

Once the semester was over, I moved back home to North Bay to try and save some money while everything was still closed. We are fortunate up here to have many places that are not overly populated with the public which allowed me and my family to go on much different nature walks with our 4 dogs. With all of the hikes also came many drives to our waterfront where we could watch the lovely sunset on the lake. It dawned on me at this point, how I needed to appreciate the little things within nature that I noticed even when times are tough (and in this case living during a pandemic).

(A video I took of our dogs playing with some other dogs we met on the trail. Spending some fresh air and viewing new places while making some new friends is what I love most of being outdoors)

I would find something beautiful in every moment spent within nature, even when I would be hyperventilating while hiking up a hill. I would start to notice all of the different birds chirping and how happy my dogs were to be going for a walk, or swimming at the beach. I was able to take in all that was around me during the summer and explore more within our province.

(Photo my mom took of me and my dog boo after hiking to the Firetower in Restoule,ON. One of the many hikes that boo and I went one during the summer)

Once the fall came around and the new semester began, fewer exploration adventures were happening and more local admiration occurring. I was fortunate enough to have a lab where I could go to a stream within my region and collect a water sample using leaf packs. From here I would pick through all of the leaves and identify the macroinvertebrates found. It was such a fun time and education in understanding what lives in the water within your area. This opened a new fascination of mine to understand more of the things living within my area. It was great getting to share this experiment with my family as I showed them all of the different macroinvertebrates living just around the corner from our house. I have always wanted to go to the ocean (and really, I still do), but learning and sampling the lakes and streams here opened a new world to interpret and understand.

(Photo of myself taken by my mom while I was writing the information of the stream chemistry when placing my leaf pack. This was for my Limnology and Natural Pollutions class)

This pandemic ultimately changed my perspective on the natural world around me and I love being able to share my knowledge and desire for it with others. I hope that even when this pandemic is over that I continue to interpret, appreciate and share my knowledge with those around me.

My question for you is:

What is something you noticed changed with your interpretation of nature during this pandemic?

Picture of the sunset taken from my dad’s back porch by me. 

I was also in the Limnology class where we used the leaf packs - however, my pack was in downtown Guelph, so you likely had much more diversity than I had in mine. Regardless, it was still nice to get out and do some sampling while we are all stuck at home. What kind of macroinvertebrates did you get? Any cool pictures? I had tons of snails in my pack!

A very blurry photo of one of the many snails in my leaf pack, taken by me.

Recently I started working on this project with a group of folks in Guelph, called F*ck Perfect. It works with you on a journey of self discovery and finding growth, or achieving whatever you want. They also break pre-existing notions set by society around art and perfectionism. We grow up feeling and learning that to do art, we need to be perfect, or the end goal is something perfect. It works towards breaking these notions and starting on a journey of creative risks.

Art Not Shame, Guelph- Fuck Perfect Workshops.

Ever since I started working on this workshop, I realized how many times when we are expected to do something, we try to be the best or feel like we failed. During lockdown (all the versions of it :D), I started working on a new type of art. I have done water-colour, acrylic, soft pastels, repairing jewellery, journalling, crochet, embroidery, craft, drawing, and what not! And every time I did something new, I would be too focussed on the end product- to make it beautiful and perfect. I never reflected on how the process made me feel, why was I doing it. By journalling for this workshop and later processing things, I realized that it was during the times that I was painting, I was processing my feelings with COVID-19, being isolated, struggling with work, and being burnt out. While I was stressing about making that piece perfect, I forgot about the fact that the process of making that piece of art (moving the brush on the canvas, needle on the cloth) was actually very therapeutic and was actually the best stress buster. 

The painting that I made through the university’s art stress buster series, December 2020- photo taken by me. 

Why am I talking about this when talking about nature interpretation? Something that I noticed while reading through multiple posts was folks fixation on “good art” by “great artists” can create feelings/connection with nature. I don’t think that is true. I think every small piece of art, made by anyone, can play a role in nature interpretation. While my favourite poem is by Oscar Wilde, I do enjoy the random rhymes that slip into conversations, and honestly its these rhymes and not poems by great poets that I remember with a smile on my face. I think every small piece of art- grainy/unfocused pictures, undeveloped music, a kid’s stick figure drawing, journal entry- literally anything that speaks to you, can be a great interpreter. You just have to allow yourself to appreciate it. 

As a way to incorporate this in my life, I took a little advice from my friend, and I no longer throw away art that does not look like what I wanted it to be. I used to call it mistakes, but now I just call them creative opportunities! I will paint over them or try to draw something with a black marker on them and integrate it together. Or, I just leave them as is, just cause they still remind me of the sunset I saw! Others might not see they same sunset as me, but I know what it means to me and what it remind me of. Hopefully, to others, it reminds them of something else they saw! In my small ways, I am fighting the urge to be perfect and embracing my imperfections. 

After reading your post, I agree that even small pieces of art can play a role in nature interpretation. Something that speaks to me may not speak to someone else, and vice versa. As the saying goes: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". 

For me, I love any pictures, paintings, videos, etc. of animals in action. The behaviour of many animals is so cool and fascinating to me, and if I can't see it personally, I may as well get the next best thing!

Photo from Steve Hinch

Privileges are when a certain group of people in society have special benefits or advantages without doing anything to merit those advantages. These privileges can be due to factors such as race, gender, sexual orientation, class, ability, etc.

Most of the time, privilege is innate - it is something we are born with. Many of those that are privileged are not even aware of the fact that they are. For example, for most of my life I was unaware that I had certain privileges due to my race, sexual orientation, etc., reinstating the fact that we need to continually educate ourselves about privilege, and remember why it is important to have an understanding of it.

I think it is important for everyone to unpack their invisible backpack, to allow yourself to see the opportunities and experiences in life that you have had access to. By doing so, it allows for individuals to expand their views and understanding of systemic injustices at play. It is vital to be cognizant that not everyone has had the same opportunities in life due to their social location. This can be helpful on an individual level to not take small things in life for granted. Simply having access to clean drinking water every day is a privilege many of us do not even realize that we have.

So what is in my invisible backpack you may ask? What privileges do I have? Well let’s unpack our backpacks together.

To start off, I am a white, cisgender, able-bodied woman. I am a Canadian citizen, with English as my first language, and have had access to higher education due to having financial support from my middle-class parents. These are just a few factors that have contributed to my privilege, and as such, I have been given opportunities that I did not necessarily earn. As a result of these opportunities, I have gone through life taking these advantages for granted and not recognizing them as privilege.

Personal Photo: This is a photo of me that my mom took during one of our walks over Christmas break. Taken by P. Nowak, 2020.

Unpacking your invisible backpack can be an uncomfortable and difficult task for many. However, it is important for people to reflect and challenge their thinking surrounding privilege and truly recognize the systems they have been benefiting from. By doing this, it has allowed me to realize the opportunities in nature that I have had the chance to experience due to my privilege, and recognize that others may not have had the same opportunities.

Growing up, I lived in a rural area surrounded by nature and farmland. Admittedly, this has allowed me access to quiet country roads to walk, run, and explore. Additionally, with access to family vehicles, I was always able to accompany my family on walks and hikes through local forests or conversation areas. In being able-bodied, I have had the freedom to hike whenever it was convenient and without assistance. I am able to interpret nature with all of the five senses, and I feel that many able-bodied people fail to consider this a privilege. Moreover, ever since I can remember, my family has owned a sailboat and has had access to the open water of Lake Huron in Goderich, ON.

Personal Photo: This photo of the beach in Goderich, ON. Taken by J. Droog, 2020.

Personal Photo: Photo of snow covered trees on the edge of our property. Taken by J. Droog, 2021.

It was interesting to read your statements on how where you grew up gave you more access to nature, and therefore an advantage in interpreting it (I love some of the photos you've taken, by the way!). I can relate to this; I grew up in Bermuda and would visit the beach nearly every weekend, having opportunities such as snorkeling or boating in the sea. I believe this gave me a very strong bond with nature, namely the ocean, that not everyone gets the chance to have. I also grew up traveling a lot with my family - from cruises in Alaska to hikes in Yosemite Park and the Grand Canyon, I have been to some amazing places that I feel have strengthened my bond with nature, and I feel extremely lucky to have been given these opportunities. I'm glad that this week's blog posts have been encouraging everyone to reflect on their privilege!

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!