Michael's Nature Blog

Nature has been an enchanting wonderland that I love exploring and learning about. But it wasn't always like this. I discovered my love of nature through watching countless documentaries and docuseries' on Animal Planet. Out of all the shows I watched back then, my favourites were always where humans saved domestic and non-domestic animals. However, it was usually humans that put these animals in these situations in the first place. At this moment, I realized that it was humans that were the cause of most of the environmental issues plaguing society today.

Pollution, humans do it every day - from oil spills in the ocean to our morning commute, humans are the sole contributors to most if not all pollution in the world. Humans are causing global warming and the melting of our ice caps. Humans are poaching endangered species to the point of extinction. Honestly, the list goes on and on. I wonder how ethically, we as humans, continue to participate in these harmful practices without thinking about the consequences.

Are we insane? After all, as Albert Einstein said, "insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.Don't get me wrong; I'm guilty of this, too, at times. Most people are often unaware of how their actions may be negatively impacting the world around us. For many, ignorance is bliss. This is why I believe that our responsibility as this generation's nature interpreters is to educate and inspire people regarding issues that matter. After all, "people must care about before they care for" (Beck et al., 2018, p. 60). What is one way you are environmentally conscious in your everyday life?

This summer, I worked as a scale operator at my community recycling centre. Sounds glamourous, right? I promise it really isn't – "community recycling centre" is just a fancy way of saying community dump. I was surprised to learn just how little I knew and how little the general public knew about sorting waste through my work there. Countless times, residents would argue with me because they believed something that was considered garbage to be recyclable. As an environmental issue, I know this seems like something very minute. Still, I believe it is an excellent representation of the lack of knowledge people have regarding ecological issues as a whole. Since working there, I have taken on the responsibility of educating friends and family members on the dos and don'ts of recycling.

Did you know that although books are primarily recyclable, hardcovers are not? When you recycle a book, you need to remove the hardcover and put it into the garbage. Then the rest can go into the recycling!

I don't know about you guys but, I am an animal lover through and through. I believe that all animals, from dogs to snails, deserve respect. Here is a photo of some of the cute furry friends that I have in my life to prove this to you. Of course, I'd love to see some pictures of yours too if you'd like to share!

I believe that wild animals should remain wild. I have watched many shows where people bought and sold wild animals such as lion cubs as house pets. Once these animals grew up, people often discarded them as trash which is extremely disheartening. There is usually a misconception that if a wild animal is hand raised, they are no longer a danger to humans. When handlers learn this isn't the case many times, it is too late. Just because wild animals are not living in the wild does not mean that you've taken the "wild" out of them.

I also believe that animals should not be kept in zoos or marine aquariums; it is unethical. When necessary, I understand that wildlife rehabilitation centres can be great for educational purposes because they allow interpreters to emphasize environmental stewardship—allowing visitors to see these animals can facilitate discussion on important topics of wildlife management and conservation (Beck et al., 2018, p. 95-96). Although I know it's the best place for animals that cannot be wholly rehabilitated, I believe that no animal should have to live out the entirety of its life in a small enclosure. These enclosures often have substantial negative impacts on animals. A great example that comes to mind for me of the adverse effects of captivity on animals is that of Tilikum, the captive killer whale in the documentary Blackfish. If you haven't watched the film, I strongly suggest you do!

This video does a great job of summarizing why captivity is unethical and mentions some other unsettling cases. If you have time, have a watch and let me know some of your thoughts. Do you agree or disagree?

"Our most important audiences might be our smallest and youngest ones" (Beck et al., 2018, p. 144).

I believe it is imperative that we educate children of all ages - children are our last hope for the future (Beck et al., 2018, p. 144). This is an approach I'd love to take. I love teaching kids new things about nature, especially since I have only younger cousins and have been unintentionally doing this all my life. Children are developing their morals, values, and belief systems at young ages and, therefore, are the most impressionable (Beck et al., 2018, p.144). As interpreters, we have the privilege to shape and inspire the interest of these future generations (Beck et al., 2018, p. 144). To do so successfully, our responsibility as environmental interpreters is to provide age-appropriate environmental education (Rodenburg, 2019). It's essential to remember that children learn best through stories, experiences and discovery (Rodenburg, 2019). We must not forget that "interpreters impact the future by interpreting to children today" (Beck et al., 2018, p. 144).

There are not enough words in this post to help me describe to the full extent all the beliefs I bring to being a nature interpreter. But I can tell you that they mostly revolve around having respect for the natural world. While developing all these beliefs, I learned the importance of advocating for what is right. We learned that advocacy is defined as taking public action regarding important issues (Beck et al., 2018, p. 469). Since the environment can't advocate for itself, I believe it is my responsibility to advocate on its behalf. This can be a bit overwhelming because it seems impossible that one 22-year-old girl living in rural Caledon could make an impact. But, regardless of this, it's worth a shot! This is why I believe the conservationist approach to nature interpretation is well suited for me.

This is Karissa signing off :)

References

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

I completely agree that animals should not be kept in zoos at any cost. There are other ways to view and acknowledge these beautiful creatures without putting the stresses of a cage in the zoo on them. Animals are not wired to be kept in small cages. It can make them go crazy and puts a lot of mental stress on the animal.

Pollution is another huge topic of debate as pollution is still on the rise despite all the environmental changes that were put in place to lower global warming. There are plenty of little things that can be done by every individual that collectively will make a huge difference. If I start to save power in my house by turning off lights and not wasting electricity, it will change nothing. Power consumption for the entire world would still look the same. If everybody collectively started to save power and put an effort into saving electricity, then all together, it would have a huge impact on the planet. Same goes for if we decided to all recycle and put efforts into lowering everyones individual carbon footprint.

I agree that children shape the future. Kids are constantly learning at a young age as they have many questions about everything. If they learn at a young age to conserve and not waste things, they will grow up and do the same thing. Thats why its important to teach kids at a young age about the harmful impacts of pollution and ways to save the environment because kids do shape the future.

It was nice to read about your weekly post, I wish you all the best!

We have all come a long way from the beginning of this course, which was only two and a half months ago. I took this class out of pure curiosity but leave it with a new appreciation and understanding of the crucial necessity for nature interpreters. Nature interpreters are more important now than ever before, especially with environmental issues like climate change. Without interpreters who fully understand scientific elements and can break them down for the public to understand, societal habits will not change, thus there will be no improvement for our environment. With the number of people who lack trust in science, we need people who are passionate for science and the environment, and who are natural leaders and communicators who can teach the public effectively.

There are many skills I had never considered for this profession. One of the most important ones I learned over this semester is being able to convey information to people of all ages, backgrounds and learning styles. When I think back to the most impactful lectures I attended through university, or even the lessons that remain with me from elementary school, they have something in common, and that is engagement. I remember the lessons where professors asked for volunteers to help test a hypothesis, or the teachers who incorporated a game into their lesson for better understanding and hands-on experiences. It is important to keep learners active and engaged to make an impactful lesson. “No matter how much confidence we may have in our science and our professional procedures, no matter how enthusiastic and polished our presentations, the audience ultimately decides if the resource has value. The audience determines if they will care enough about the resource in order to support the care for the resource” (Beck et al, 2018, p.130).

I also discovered over this semester, the power in reducing homogeneity. Prior to this course, I would have formulated a public work that was very general, something that regardless of culture, ethnicity, age or gender, an individual could relate to. I now know that this is unrealistic and an inefficient way of drawing in an audience. Rather, a good interpreter does the opposite. An interpreter should make it a priority to get to know their audience on a personal level, understand their motives for being present and listening, and learn how to properly welcome them, eliminating any barriers that could inhibit public interest. As Pease (2015) found, economic barriers, cultural barriers, lack of knowledge, and fear are the most common factors leading to reduced groups of minorities participating in interpretive programs (Beck et al, 2018, p.133). Rather than staying broad in topic, learn your audience and find specific ways of assisting them such as by providing transportation to the site, personally inviting groups of minority, incorporating media and additional languages, and increasing staff diversity (Beck et al, 2018).

Through making two podcasts, one for children and one for adults, I understand the power of language. Listening to a podcast can be hard, especially when the presenters sound unenthusiastic, therefore it is important to rehearse, recognize how you sound and even receive feedback from outsiders since we all learn differently. We must also consider everyone’s invisible backpack, how their past experiences influence their thoughts and ability to connect with different symbols leading to their sovereignty. As Freeman Tilden stated: “The visitor ultimately is seeing things through his own eyes” (Beck et al, 2018, p.131). It is important to think outside the box, if you haven’t convinced someone through one method, keep trying because your ideology will likely resonate with them in some other way.

In terms of my personal ethic, I have been described as punctual, literal, a good communicator and hard worker. While these traits have helped me in many ways, such as by staying on task, finishing assignments with plenty of time to spare and following instruction, my work ethic has been my own demise in other ways. I have more trouble writing a blog than I do an essay, as blog posts require self-reflection and less formality. It took a while for me to find the balance between being too textbook-ish, and too informal.

However, my personal ethic can help me in other ways to be a good interpreter! First, I am very punctual. I have never taken an extension on any assignment and strive to never take one. This is necessary for certain interpreters such as podcast hosts. If the host of a podcast promises their listeners to have new content every Sunday at 2pm, it is essential that the timeline is met to keep their listeners trust and loyalty. Or for instance in my position as a host for Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants, there is an audience of classrooms waiting at exactly the stated time, therefore it is important to log in early to meet the scientist, ensure there are no technical issues and go live on time. Although I am just another face within the organization, it is important to remember that each staff member and volunteer represents the organization as a whole.

With the new knowledge I have acquired, I am going to work on enhancing my oral and written communication skills but also listening skills. It is easy to assume everyone will share the same feelings toward something as you do, but we all have different interests and experiences leading us to our destinations. While I love coyotes and the peace my seasonal job at my local cemetery brings me, many people fear both of those things! However, someone may share my feeling if I explain that for eight hours a day, I get to enjoy being surrounded by nature, tending the earth, spotting deer, and watching coyote families play in the distance like puppies, of course in addition to strenuous physical labour! I am going to work on incorporating art into my storytelling, through photography and music. I cannot wait to continue this journey of nature interpretation, and I am excited to see the adventures that all of you will go on!

Reference

You’re right, I took this course not realizing how much more there is to it and it goes much deeper to be a nature interpreter. This really shows when we were given the task to write two podcasts targeted to two different age groups and demographics. Sounds like a simple task until you actually start to write the script and realize its more than just using smaller words for little kids to enjoy the podcast.

Kids need to visualize things more than adults and due to their curious nature, they have a lot of questions that need to be addressed in order for them to understand the topic trying to be explained in the podcast. Adults on the other hand understand the world more and how things work, so then you needed to change and adapt the script so that it’s easier to understand for the adults. It’s this that really showed me what it really is like to be a nature interpreter. I will leave this course with a whole new understanding on how to better interpret and communicate thoughts and ideas to people.

Im glad you found love in nature as I feel like nature plays a huge role in everyone life, even if you directly do not interact with nature like go on walks or spend your time outdoors. Without the environment, our health would decline due to pollution. Different things like dirty water, contaminated food, and just more greenhouse gases in the air really affect us.

When I read this week's question, about a thousand ideas popped into my head because nature is amazing and there are so many things we still don't even know about it yet. However if I had to pick one thing that I think is the most amazing thing about nature I would have to say the ocean is the most amazing thing I know about. Through studying marine and freshwater biology I have learned a lot about different bodies of water, however the shear size and diverse components of the ocean is so amazing and exciting. The oceans cover 70% of the earth's surface so they have to be the most amazing part of nature because they are the majority of nature (Vallis, 2012). There are 5 different oceans in the world including the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian, the Arctic, and most recently the Southern Ocean (Rafferty, 2021). The ocean is probably one of the only habitats that actually moves a significant amount. I am not talking about the water or the creatures and life in the ocean either, the ocean basins actually change over time because of the movement of the tectonic plates (Vallis, 2012). Scientists estimate there are one million species of animals in the ocean even though we haven’t come anywhere close to discovering them all yet (Hurt, 2021).

The ocean is amazing in itself however there are some amazingly cool and weird things in the ocean as well. There are many poisonous creatures such as the lionfish that has 18 poisonous spines that can paralyze humans (Aronson, 2021). Another poisonous species is the orange toadfish, its other special feature is that it can survive out of water for an elongated period of time (Aronson, 2021). Another interesting creature that you may know from finding nemo, the one with the light above its head is the anglerfish (Aronson, 2021). They lurk at extreme depths in the oceans and can reach sizes larger than humans.

Based on the details I have listed above and many more reasons I believe that the ocean is the most amazing thing about nature. However, to me the ocean is more than just the most amazing thing about nature. It is also the most special thing to me about nature because it's where I feel the happiest. All the life it contains including my favourite animal, that I have mentioned in my other blog posts, Fungi the Dingle Bay dolphin. The free dolphin I got to kayak alongside in the Atlantic Ocean Fungi is probably my favourite part of the most amazing part of nature, the ocean.

References:

Aronson, A. (2021). The Weirdest Things You'll Find in the Ocean. Redbook. Retrieved 10 November 2021, from

https://www.redbookmag.com/life/g32765185/weirdest-things-in-the-ocean/?slide=11.

Hurt, A. (2021). Ocean Habitat facts and photos. Nature. Retrieved 10 November 2021, from https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/nature/habitats/article/ocean.

Rafferty, J. (2021). Just How Many Oceans Are There?. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 12 November 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/story/just-how-many-oceans-are-there.

The picture of you kayaking is adorable and i love it. I too am fascinated by the ocean because we know more about the surface of the moon than whats at the bottom of our oceans! It’s scary to think that only 5% of the oceans have been explored and documented yet the other 95% is still unknown. It’s a scary thought and all the ambiguity makes it even more exciting to learn and talk about. We have fish like the blob fish that looks hilarious all the way to fish like the lion fish that will definitely hurt if you get stung.

I myself have a fear of the ocean thats stuck with me since I was little. Its just that the ocean is so deep and dark that when you look down, you cant see anything. Anything like sharks or different animals can be coming up to you any minute and you wouldn’t know. Thats why i only stay in clear parts of the ocean :). 

Theres something about the unknown that drives people to wanna explore more and more and the ocean is no exception.

Have a good week!

Where is Music in Nature

When I think about “music in nature” The first thing that comes to my mind (and probably many others) is the sounds of nature. The sounds of the birds chirping, the wind rustling the leaves, water running in a river. There are many different forms of music in nature; some more recognizable than others, and its a listeners job to recognize it. For example a squirrel running through the leaves is much more subtle than a bird chirping a melody. However it is all music from nature; especially when combined. When all the different sounds from the world come together a pure, calming music is created.

Where is Nature in Music

Now this question required a bit more depth then the previous one. However, I do think the course readings were very helpful to answer this question, especially when came to the topic of indigenous culture and incorporating their knowledge into our own understanding. As we all know, the indigenous people have a very strong connection with nature. That connection is especially seen through the music that they make. Listening to music created by the indigenous people you can feel the connection to nature within the melodies they make and sing. Thinking about this concept actually reminded me of Indigenous throat singing that I once saw on Instagram. Doing some more research, I found out the origin was from small birds who taught the singing to the Indigenous people. Furthermore, I actually discovered that throat singing is the indigenous interpretation of what nature sounds like. (Balsam & Foden, A revival of indigenous throat singing, 2021.) Here is a sample of throat singing that I found. I really recommend that you all take a listen! https://youtu.be/gWYK25XAx_Q In the first clip they're actually recreating the sound of mosquitoes, and when listening to their singing you can definitely see the connections to Nature. I can even feel the connection to nature in their music myself; and when it comes to recreating nature and music I do believe that the indigenous people the closest to the natural sounds we see in nature.

Song that takes me back

A song that makes me nostalgic for nature would have to be ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’ by Peter Paul & Mary (which I admit seems odd). Growing up I actually went to Summer camps, and at the end of the day we would all circle around a giant fire and sing campfire songs and ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’ is one of the only ones I remember. So whenever I listen to it I definitely feel nostalgic and remember all the wonderful people their singing and dancing in the middle of the woods having fun. Listening to it now it really doesn’t seem like a song that fits that context but regardless I still have that warm feeling in me.

https://youtu.be/Y7lmAc3LKWM

I took a listen to the song you attached and i have to agree it does give me a warm feeling on the inside and its really catchy. I recommend listening to different Zen music. It sounds like background music and i always play it and it tunes out the different sounds of my room and the road noise outside.

“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 can be interpreted in many different ways, but there’s no denying that it emphasizes the importance of preserving history and spreading the lessons that history teaches us.

One of the most significant quotes I pulled from the textbook is

“Any interpretation must be presented with the utmost attention to personal and professional integrity to assure that the recipients (clients and customers) of the interpretive effort are presented with the truth." (Beck et al, Chaper 15, Inerpreting History)

In summary, this quote emphasizes the importance of keeping history intact and authentic. One of the most important aspects of history is that it allows us to come to our own conclusions. You are presented with a story, and each person has the ability to interpret it in their own ways. From the telling of the same story, each person in the room can take a totally different message. This is why it’s important to keep story is as close to the original event as possible. Throughout time, details of stories get changed especially when there’s little to no records and the bulk of communication happens through oral history. It’s also important to note that you will get a different story depending on the perspective you are being told from. For example, when we look at World War II, Americans will tell a very different story than Germans. But as interpreters we have a responsibility to tell things from an unbiased perspective.

“We use history as a tool for reflection and comprehension. When we listen to stories of the past we seek a better future.” (Beck et al, Chaper 15, Inerpreting History)

This is where the true value of history lies. When we hear stories of the horrors or triumphs of the past generally, we apply what we learned from that to our lives. Most of this comes from the feelings that these stories evoke. For example, when we hear of something horrible such as the Rawandan genocide we sit with the way these horrors make us feel. From that feeling we learn whether or not we’d be okay with that happening again.

My favourite part of this quote is the train metaphor, it sums up the quote so beautifully and greatly helps the reader understand the message. It took me a couple times to fully understand what the author was saying by this. I believe that they simply mean that even though history happened in the past we carry it within all of us in the present. The lessons learned through history can be applied to the present and future to guide us all to a better life.

References

I agree with the fact that keeping history intact is very important. Old artifacts and objects that have meaning behind them can keep their history and stories forever so its important to not ruin them. Learning from history is very important. We can learn from past mistakes, or we can learn to better our future or better understand the past. Learning about the Rawandan genocide is a very horrible event in which lots of people lost their lives. By studying this event and learning why things like that occur can really help us learn how we can do things differently. 

Another point I wanted to add is that, I agree that we learn from our pasts and from our histories but sometimes history does repeat itself even though we learned the outcome of the last time it happened. There are many examples of things that have happened in the past that have happened again. The great recession, the great depression, napoleon, and Hitler are all examples of human history and how we did not learn from our pasts. History is just a tool we have, but if we dont know how to use it or learn from it, its use less. 

I wanted to use this free write opportunity to address the ever consuming midterm stress we must all be going through right now. Personally, I find it very difficult to find the energy or time to do the things I love once school picks up. It becomes increasingly difficult to go on walks, leave the house, hang out with friends, or watch a good show. This year, I have been trying to work on this issue, and reserve more time for myself so that I can wind down and reduce my stress levels.

One of the ways I have been doing this, is taking my notes and reading them outside. This is a great way for me to still enjoy nature, get some fresh air and relax, while not feeling anxious about wasting precious study time. When I am trapped inside all day, I end up feeling very burnt out and I start to feel guilty that I have not been going out and enjoying my favorite season!

Sadly, midterm season falls right around the time when the autumn is at its peak and all the trees are showing off their beautiful color changes. As frustrating as this is, I think it is important to find the balance between our school work and natural interpretation. Since we are all taking this course, I think it is safe to assume that we all appreciate nature and value our time outside. Thus, I think it is important to acknowledge the problem of finding time for both.

Instead of watching some Netflix or YouTube in my spare time, I have been opting for a short walk around my neighborhood or park to fill the time. This is a great way for me to rest my eyes from the computer screen and shut down my overthinking for a little while. These breaks also allow me to continue appreciating nature and they allow me to stay connected to the changing environment around me. Most importantly, it helps me calm down my nerves about school and it keeps me from feeling utterly overwhelmed with my upcoming deadlines.

Apart from studying outside and going on walks, I do not really have any other solutions for enjoying nature during midterm season. I am pretty new to prioritizing myself above school, so I would love if you could drop any suggestions on this topic! I have been looking for more ways to continue practicing natural interpretation through busy times, but it has not been easy.

Thank you for reading, and I look forwards to reading your comments!

-Georgi A.

Thank you for sharing! I think that you and I have a lot of similar work strategies. As someone who commutes to Guelph for school, I find that between working part time as well as doing school work, it is sometimes hard to make time for yourself. Especially now, during midterm season, I often find it hard to make time for myself to do anything other than school work I often find myself going to gym to workout in the early morning or even going outside to do work. Even just going outside to do some yoga are something is a great way to destress while also enjoying the beautiful scenes are sounds that surround us. As you mentioned in your post, I completely agree about taking a short walk instead of use an electronic device. We would all have so much more free time if we were not constantly picking up a cellphone or turning on the next episode of Squid Game. Overall, I really enjoyed reading your post as I fell that I could connect to a lot of your ideas.

        Nature Interpretation Through Art 

  Initially, asking myself, “Who are you to interpret nature?” was a painful experience. If I’m being completely honest with myself, I don’t believe I have all that many skills that would make me qualified to safely guide someone through a natural landscape. However, interpreting nature through art is another story.

Mills’ guide to nature interpretation really resonated with me, particularly the part about providing biographies instead of classifications, because I think that Mills’ principles have always been a part of how people have made sense of nature.

I think that the inclination to “give biographies” and “appeal to imagination” come naturally to most people because we’ve always stories to make sense of the world or to recontextualize feelings and phenomenon in ways that will make them easier to understand.

If you examine most mythological stories, I think you can see a lot of evidence of people creating stories to explain the unexplainable. For instance, Greek myths created Apollo’s chariot to explain how the sun rises and sets. The urge to create stories to explain the unexplainable hasn’t gone away. People generally have a better understanding of the natural world now than they did before, I don’t’ think we can say that we understand it perfectly or that we ever will.

We don’t need stories to explain why the sun rises, but we still use stories to explain why animals do what they do or even how ecosystems work. We anthropomorphize wildlife and construct stories around what we see to make it make sense to us, and I think many of us have embraced this type of storytelling. Documentaries like Planet Earth are probably the most straightforward example of making people care about wildlife by assigning human characteristics and storylines to it, but I think there are many other works that accomplish this in a more indirect way.

Additionally, assigning human characteristics to plant and animal life can help people find “the gift of beauty.” I think that most people are more likely to care about something if they can empathize with it or see elements of themselves reflected in it, so the ability to find human interest angles can be an asset in nature interpretation. 

your blog post was very interesting to read about. I really enjoyed reading about the mythical creatures and how people create stories to explain the unthinkable to ease the mind. It is very true, different gods and different stories were made up to explain thunder, weather, and everything else in between. I really enjoyed how you tied it into the fact that we still do those things in modern times, making stories to explain to make things make sense to us and how it began a type of storytelling.

you explained how you used to ghost write. I think that ghost writing is a very good example of how you can see the perspective of other people as you need to put yourself into their shoes. Being able to explain yourself better will allow you to convince people and persuade them. Using this as a nature interpreter is a great way of strengthening the bond of other people with nature.

The video you attached is very interesting thank you for including it:)

Privilege refers to certain social advantages, benefits and respect that an individual has because they belong to certain groups or fall within certain social or cultural categories. Privilege can be linked to a persons ability, their ethnic backgrounds, their socioeconomic standing, they way they identify, their gender identity and many other things which the individual themselves cannot change.  

Privilege unfortunately plays a large role in nature interpretation as there are many barriers that exist and block people who are less privileged from participating.  Privilege also creates many opportunities for those who are able-bodied, white and typically from affluent socioeconomic standings.  

Nature interpretation is often made inaccessible for people with mobility issues.  People with able bodies are able to go on long nature walks, go off the path to explore, navigate obstacles like fallen trees, and keep up with large walking groups.  People who may use mobility aids or re not able to maintain strenuous activity would not be able to participate in such activity because trails can be very inaccessible, trails can often be unmaintained so even if there is an accessible boardwalk it may be broken and not fixed, and nature interpretation hikes can be long.  All these factors would privilege able bodied people and create barriers to accessing nature spaces for those who do not experience this privilege.  

When I worked in the Yukon this summer, I was responsible for purchasing all my own gear.  The gear required to be outdoors can be very expensive. I probably spent upwards of $300 on gear alone.  Luckily, I had my parents who helped me purchase some of this and I was able to afford proper gear but if someone wasn’t able to spend this amount of money, they likely would not have been able to work the job I had.  Even other researchers at the field station would make fun of my co-worker who wore jeans because they were more comfortable in their opinion than field pants.  Every day the other researchers would make comments about jeans weren’t appropriate field pants.  In this case my co-worker could have afforded proper “field pants” if they wanted to but chose not to.  Those kind of comments could have been very hurtful to someone who couldn’t afford “field pants” and had to use jeans as their only option.  

I agree with the statement that people with disabilities  have less of a privilege than people without disabilities that would like to get closer with nature. It can be very discouraging to make an effort to go outside. Now, different provincial parks now offer more options for wheelchairs. Different inclines are being installed instead of stairs and strips of pavement to allow for wheelchair use around provincial parks, its a great thing!

Where did you work in the Yukon i’m very interested. But yeah, some outdoor activities can be very expensive which can limit the experience someone has with the outdoors. Finances is a very important thing when it comes to privilege. If some one is able to have more money then it opens more doors to enjoying nature and enjoying life.

I wanted to share with you my ideal role of a nature interpreter.  There are so many ways that nature can be interpreted which is something so unique and personal to everyone.  Everyone sees nature through a different lens and perspective and its our role as interpreters to encourage others to find their own viewpoints and explore nature in a way that is meaningful to them.  

If I think about my ideal role as nature interpreter, I think of myself on a beautiful trail complete with a winding boardwalk usually surrounded by wetland plants and water.  I love boardwalks in parks and natural areas because they allow people to explore places that usually would be hard to get to.  You can walk on water over a boardwalk and explore the amazing diversity of life that lives in wetlands.  Plus, when they are built right boardwalks make nature more accessible to people who can’t navigate rough or uneven terrain.  

In my ideal role I would be able to tell everyone of all ages about the amazing diversity of life that wetlands home and the many services they provide for humans and the environment. Wetlands are home to cool plants, migrating waterfowl, unique insects, and other amazing wildlife.  I love that almost everyone who is interested in nature can find something they like in wetlands.  Wetlands are a beautiful interplay of land, water, wildlife, insects and plants and they work in harmony to provide so many valuable services like flood protection, water purification, and recreation.  I would love to one day be able to take people on guided tours through wetlands and be able to share all the fun facts and identify all the organisms that live in wetlands.  I also want so many people to know how important they are.  People can see the biodiversity of wetland through their eyes, they can hear the sounds of nature and they can feel the water, which is another reason why wetlands can be a awesome learning environment.  

Wetlands are dynamic and ever changing, you can’t get bored visiting the same wetland every day. Each time you visit you will probably find a new plant sprouting, a new duck taking a bath or looking for food, or notice a new frog hopping around.  That is part of the reason wetlands are so exciting. People of all ages can visit and learn something new, especially with the help of a nature interpreter!

When I think of my ideal nature interpreter role, I think of all kinds of wetlands in all kinds of places, but one place stands out to me.  That place is the prairie pothole region. The prairie pothole region is a result of the last glaciation, when big glaciers were retreating they left thousands and thousands of small indents in the landscape.  The indents filled with water and became beautiful functioning wetlands in my home province of Manitoba. I am partial to this region because not only did I grow up there, but it was also my experience working in wetlands in Manitoba that brought me to my great love of nature I have today.  

The skills needed to be a nature interpreter depends on everyone’s individual styles.  For my ideal role, I think you would need to be creative, enthusiastic, and be willing to learn.  To be engaging to a wide audience from children to adults you need be able to think of new and exciting ways to talk to them and share information about wetlands. Creativity is so important in every field, especially nature interpretation because when things change or go wrong you need to be able to think of new and exciting solutions.  One characteristic that is absolutely required is enthusiasm, if you are not passionate about what you are sharing people will know and not be interested.  Whenever I watch a cool talk or join someone on a hike I love seeing just how enthusiastic they are to share their knowledge and I am even more interested.  Lastly, you need to be willing to learn. Technical skills like plant identification and  wildlife identification can be learned with experience if you are willing.  You can check out a library book on the types of waterfowl and just get out there and start trying.  You can use apps like iNaturalist to crowdsource some of your plant identification and get more and more comfortable as you get more experience.  The most important fact remains is that you must be willing to try new things and learn.  

Reading your blog post was very informative and really interesting to read about. I agree with the skills required to be a nature interpreter. Being creative, enthusiastic, and willing to learn are all very important in developing a successful interpreter. Every zoo or guided hike i’ve been on, has interpreters who have those skills and they always have a creative approach to learning about different things.

You mentioned you really like wetland walks and hikes. I agree as they are some of the most scenic and exciting trails to be on. I really recommend going to Terra Cotta. You can spend hours there and not get bored. There are so many different routes you can take so there is always something new to see. There's a high diversity of plants and animals, so if you're into photography its a great place to go. In the fall when all the trees start changing colours and the weather starts to get cooler its really a great experience i really recommend it Its really close to Mississauga so its not that far of a drive.