Lorens Nature Blog

This is a really fun blog post to talk about! I am not exactly sure where to start because there are so many amazing things I know about nature just through experience and being surrounded by it. I wanted to do some research on this topic and the first thing that came up was that there are 12 times more trees on earth than stars in the Milky Way! This is pretty amazing if you ask me! Scientists estimate 200-400 billion stars within the galaxy while there is an estimated 1 trillion trees on earth. A paper that was published September 2015 discussed that there are approximately 3.4 trillion trees on earth. Of these trees, approximately 1.30 trillion exist in tropical and subtropical forests, with 0.74 trillion in boreal regions and 0.66 trillion in temperate regions. This was definitely an interesting read! 

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.

This quote shares a very important message as it emphasizes the historical impact the world has on us today and without it, we wouldn’t where we are. Personally, history is not something I dwell on, however I understand that it is crucial to keep record of our past. Whatever we learned in our past whether it is success or failure, we can apply those lessons learned to our day-to-day life. Fully acknowledging our past will allow us to move forward in inspiring and creating more amazing things! A great example of this, is all the beautiful historical architecture downtown Toronto. Unfortunately a lot of them have been demolished to restore new more modern looking buildings. However those that are still standing, provide a lot of character for our city and reminds us of all the hard work and infrastructure that went into building these monuments. Without these buildings, one can see that a lot of the historical influence is gone and it we can be forgetful on how influential these buildings were at one time. Having these buildings still in place provide a memory and knowledge of ancient things. I do appreciate how a lot of the new architecture is still keeping some of the old character and building around it.

Interpreting nature through art is something I love to do and some art pieces depicting nature can almost be very surreal to observe and admire. Growing up, I would paint a lot with my mom and we would draw a lot of landscapes that we saw after hiking through the ravine near my house. Specifically, I enjoy paintings that have a lot birch trees because they are rare to find as they’re usually found near lakes and rivers. They require well-drained soil, enough moisture and direct sunlight for proper growth. The graceful shapes, small stature, white trunks and distinctive bark are why I love birch trees so much. 

Interpreting nature through art allows me to connect with nature on a different level and express my imagination. It also has a lot of healing powers as interpreting nature through art can be somewhat therapeutic and soothing. Nature can be interpreted as art as it represents recreating the natural world and also creating new ways to see nature in a new light. In other words, art can mimic nature by seeking to visually replicate certain objects as they would appear in real life.

I also interpret nature through photography which is a form of art. When I would go glamping with my friends, I love to take photos of the landscape, plants and animals. In addition, I love enhancing the photos to bring out the colors that are in the trees and the sky. I think that is a key tool for myself in interpreting nature and forming a certain narrative of the photo that I captured. Art galleries and museums allowed me to interpret the gift of beauty and the history behind a lot of the issues that we face in the our day to day life within the environment that we live in. We touched on this briefly in our textbook and I believe whatever we are exposed to in our adolescents will ultimately be the result of how we interpret certain things today. Everyone interprets “the gift of beauty” and “nature” in a different way and we all cherish certain memories from our past that relate to how we have interpreted nature. Which reminds me, I used to love interpreting nature through animated movies such as Ice age. It sounds silly, but these movies opened my eyes to what nature looks like in different parts of the world. It allowed me to construct my imagination on what nature looks like in places like Antarctica. Also, the human tribes featured in the movie are somewhat powerless in the face of a dangerous natural world. That gave me a better sense of how us humans are even impacted by nature. 

Hey everyone! I really enjoyed discussing this weeks blog post on privilege and how that correlates to nature interpretation. A fellow classmate touched on how the disabled community are not always accessible to the great outdoors. While doing some research on that topic, I stumbled upon this website that is very inspirational. I urge you to check it out and hear her story! 

“Many people with disabilities don’t get to experience outdoor recreation at all. There is ample evidence that time in nature provides a range of physical, emotional and mental benefits and can enhance a sense of belonging. Yet the people who need these benefits the most – the disability community — are often excluded from the outdoors.”

Privilege is defined as having a special right or advantage granted or available only to a particular person/group. In addition, having access to many resources or opportunities can make someone more privileged then others. Sometimes being privileged is out of a person’s control and was not asked for and most people don’t realize they’re privileged until they are educated about its existence. Although, privilege is not a concept that should make people feel guilty or diminished of achievements, however being aware of it is important.

For example, I feel very privileged to live in such a beautiful country like Canada and a grand city like Toronto. Having the ability to drive and own my own vehicle also makes me feel very privileged as I have a lot of freedom. With respect to what we are learning however, privilege seems to play a very important role in nature interpretation. This is an interesting question to break down and I’m excited to discuss this with you all and read what my fellow classmates have to say in their blog posts!!

Personally, I feel very privileged to live within the city, while also having the advantage to interpret forestry and many ravines just down the street from where I live. It’s very accessible for me and I enjoy being able to go on long walks along the beautiful trails with my dogs just minutes away from home. Also, being able to afford to study at university of Guelph, allowed me to enroll in many environmental classes that enabled me to interpret nature with my fellow classmates and professors. Having the access and opportunity to this abundance of education allows me to appreciate nature interpretation more and be more knowledgeable about all living things surrounding me. In addition, taking classes like such can open up my interests and possibly intrigue me to further my studies about nature more and/or pursue nature interpretation as a possible future career. However, this is not to say that others who don’t have access to a lot of education are not just as capable to pursuing a career in nature interpretation. With that being said, I believe schools should offer more programs that allow you to interpret our natural environment in a more hands-on way.

For example, ENVS 2060 (ecology) was a course I took at UOG in my 4th year and I thoroughly enjoyed it because we did a lot of our lectures/labs at the dairy bush. I’m sure most of you have gone to the dairy bush and know that it’s basically a living laboratory just on the northwest corner of Guelph campus. It’s a very natural, exciting and a real eye opener into the field of biology and environmental sciences. Having the opportunity to perform labs there makes me feel very privileged. Lastly, being able to interpret nature from different parts of the world is a privilege in itself. A moment were I felt privileged to interpret nature is when I had the opportunity to see Lake Louise in Banff Alberta. Interpreting nature in Banff National Park which has beautiful Valleys, Mountains was also a memorable experience.

My ideal role as an environmental interpreter would be developing and conducting educational programs for visitors within a conservational area of my choice. My specific area of choice would be Limehouse Conservation Area in Georgetown Ontario, Canada. There are many hiking trials within this vicinity of Halton Hills (Silver Creek and Terra Cotta Conservation Area). The park history dates back to the 1800’s when the grounds were apart of the booming lime industry. Working as an nature interpreter, I will be able to make a stronger connection with the conservation park and its natural resources within the forestry.

Limehouse Conservation is an area of interest for me as its one of the best hiking trails near Toronto, nestled between Halton Hills and Georgetown, Ontario. There is a lot of local history, accessible caves and plenty of hiking trails to enjoy. This conservation area is known for its “hole in the wall” section of karst, that the Bruce Trail runs right through, which then transverses into an escarpment landscape. For those of you who don’t know what karst is, it usually develops when soluble rocks dissolve and form underground caves. This area sparked my interest because I spent a lot of time hiking trails within Halton Hills while I was studying at University of Guelph. I would escape from my studies and take some time to appreciate the nature surrounding me. Not to mention, it’s a very close nature spot to Toronto which made it really convenient for me to travel to.  

             As a nature interpreter I will develop many tours and presentations for visitors that are hiking the various trails within the park such as Kiln Trail, Black Creek Side trail and Credit Valley Conservation Trail. Both credit valley and black creek side trail run parallel to each other and both are just over 1.5km in length. This conservation area contains approximately 190 acres of meadows and mature forestry. I would also educate the visitors about why each trail is so special and unique in its history. In addition, I would navigate them through the forestry and point out any interesting wildlife within the environment that its known for. With that being said, it is important that I have the skill sets to deliver a thorough tour for the visitors at the park. I would need to be knowledgeable about the area that I am exploring, have strong communicational skills, enthusiasm and a relaxed demeanour is essential, especially because it’s such peaceful environment where people go to explore and just breathe. Its important that I am able to engage in conversation about nature and wildlife with the visitors so they can share their thoughts on their experiences and anything that interests them about nature. In addition, telling them historical stories about the park or maybe my past experiences with nature can initiate conversation. Lastly, the keen ability to improvise and adapt to certain environments is also very important for this role. Relating to the visitors on a personal level about our love and appreciation for nature is definitely essential for this position as it will make them more comfortable and hopefully make their experience more memorable. To help the visitors engage and see how they perceive nature, I would propose the idea to draw whatever they see within the trail while on the tour. This will hopefully give them the opportunity to share their creativity and also communicate differently on how they perceive nature!

             Everyone perceives things differently, however as a environmental interpreter, my goal is to allow others to understand how I perceive nature and the environment as well, which I think is a really awesome experience. Although that can be difficult, ensuring I communicate and listen effectively is important to make the experience more collaborative! This isn’t related to Limestone Conservation Area, but another area of interest out of the country would be the hiking trails in Zermatt, Switzerland.

As we all know nature enhances our wellbeing and provides us with the essentials that we need for survival such as the water we drink and the air that we breathe on a daily basis. Since my adolescence, nature has been a huge part of my life. However, living in the city didn't always allow me to have the opportunity to truly appreciate nature for what it is. Despite that, growing up my mom and I would go on a lot of hikes and we loved picking up rocks that we found along the ravine and simply observing the wildlife surrounding us. As a nature enthusiast I also often delighted in picking up amphibians such as frogs and caring for them as a child. I also interpreted nature through a lot of documentaries such as “our planet”, “natures great events” and “planet earth”. 

I was really able to connect with nature when I went on my first camping trip to Parry Sound. When sleeping in our tents at night, I remember smelling the air and listening to all the sounds of nature surrounding us. Not only did I learn a lot about self-sufficiency and survival skills, but I also took note of the importance of environmental conservation and protection. I became more aware of how impactful humans are on the environment and wildlife habitats. Another memorable moment in my life that strengthened my bond with nature is when my family and I went to Banff Alberta and toured the Columbia icefields along the Canadian Rockies. We drank some of the glacier water and we hiked one of the mountains within Banff national park. Being so in tune with nature at that time taught me that all living things surrounding us can have a purpose. Moreover, its important to value what all living things can do despite the fact that it might not aid in our survival. 

Nature has also been somewhat therapeutic especially during the pandemic. As the restrictions commenced last year I took the time to develop a new appreciation for nature. I slowly began to rekindle my relationship with the outdoors which is where I found myself most at peace. It allowed me to escape from my day-to-day life responsibilities and kept me very calm and relaxed. Hence, its benefits of reducing our cortisol levels. Spending our time in natural environments can have an immense affect on our mental health as well. I can confidently say nature has been linked to reducing my anxiety and lowering my stress levels which I’m sure most of us can relate to. 

For my future, I want to enhance my connectedness with nature, rather than my contact with nature as it has been linked to feeling good and functioning better which can enhance personal growth. Being connected with nature has also opened my eyes to climate emergencies and all the wildlife loss around the world. I have become more aware of the impacts of climate change, and this has made me more respectful towards the natural world and more sustainable.