A Small Farewell
Describe your personal ethic as you develop as a nature interpreter. What beliefs do you bring? What responsibilities do you have? What approaches are most suitable for you as an individual?
Ā Ā Growing up in a rural area surrounded by woods instilled in me a deep love for nature, and a fierce desire to protect it. I hope this is something which you, the reader, have been able to feel through reading my writing. There is nothing more I could ask than for these short forays into interpretive writing to have given you a spark of curiosity, or some sense of awe about the world around you. After all, these feelings are what inspire people to protect the places I love (Beck et.al. 2018, pp 11, 21, 471-2).
I still remember the first time I saw the Rocky Mountains in Banff, Alberta. My brother had recently moved out there to pursue a career in mountain guiding, and we flew out to visit him. Itās such a strange experience, approaching the park. The land around Calgary is completely flat, with nothing but grass and farmerās fields spanning from one horizon to another, and it was hard to imagine how just an hourās drive from the airport could take us to some of the most massive mountains in Canada. But sure enough, as we drove, I could just see the smallest bumps appear on the horizon.Ā
(Image: Driving on the highway, the Rocky Mountains in the distance. By Sarah Morton)
In ten more minutes they grew. And in another ten they grew. And by the time we reached the park itself I was contorting myself around our luggage so I could take messy photos out the car window, because all thoughts in my head had been simplified to: Oh. BIG. Itās almost embarrassing the number of pictures I took on that trip, at one point I ran out of space on my phone, but it just goes to show what an impression that environment made on me. If there is anything I can do to share those amazing experiences I had with others, and to protect awe-inspiring places like this, then I want to do everything I can.
(Image: Driving through Banff National Park. Pictures canāt really convey the sense of size of these mountains. By Sarah Morton)
It is this love of nature which is the soul of nature interpretation. We have all learned from many teachers in our life; think back on which ones were your favourites. Which ones were the worst? Iām willing to bet that among those you found the least helpful there were many whose greatest failing was a lack of passion. Indeed, passion is often a large part of what determines the quality of a teacher. After all, if the teacher doesnāt care about the topic - if theyāre bored, uninterested, just saying the lesson because itās their job - why should you care either? But if a teacher is passionate about what they teach, if they genuinely want to show you what they find fascinating about the subject, then they can make anything interesting. Iāve had teachers who made learning statistics interesting, and Iāve never liked math! Regardless of the topic, if an audience has come to learn, then there are ways to present the information so that it remains interesting. For instance, this particular statistics teacher treated the class as more of an improv comedy act, and even if the topic was bland the class never was! Itās this same passion and enthusiasm that I strive to bring when teaching people about nature. This is part of why it is one of the founding principles of interpretation (Beck et.al. 2018, pp 85). Like many others, I consider nature interpretation more of a passion than just an occupation, and I want my work to reflect that (Beck et.al. 2018, pp 42).
In the act of interpreting nature to others, on a basic level I take on the responsibility of giving accurate, relevant information. But beyond that, I have to convey this information in a way meant to teach. By this, I mean that it would be easy to talk your ear off about how much I find animal behaviour interesting, but unless I convey that information in a way that is meaningful to you, you most likely will find withholding any of that information difficult. It is the responsibility of the interpreter to present well-designed interpretation programs to their audience, created with different learning styles in mind, and suited for the audience (Beck et.al. 2018, pp 110-3, 450-1). Additionally, it is the responsibility of the interpreter to seek to improve their presentation of the material through self-evaluation, evaluation from peers, and evaluation from managers (Beck et.al. 2018, pp 424). Although this kind of critique can be uncomfortable to receive, it is essential in achieving the goal of delivering the best presentation possible. And how can you really seek to improve if youāre unaware of what needs improvement in the first place? This is one of those cases where itās better to ārip off the band-aidā for the sake of progress.
As this final entry comes to a close, I would like to thank you for reading this far. If you have read all of my other posts, thank you even more! Writing these posts has been an interesting experience, and I think a method of self-evaluation on some levels. Nature has always been such a huge part of my life, I never stopped to consider why I cared about it, or what made me care in the first place. But, these questions are important to ask when youāre in the business of trying to start others on the same path of acting as environmental stewards. Becoming more informed about the ways in which past nature interpreters have inspired and motivated people has given me the tools by which I can craft nature interpretation programs that suit the audience Iām interacting with, and give them the opportunity to form meaningful connections with the world around them. In the future, I hope for more opportunities to stretch my nature-interpreting muscles! Until then, Iām staying safe at home and waiting for spring to fully arrive.
Where do you see nature interpretation playing a part in your future? If not in a career, do you think you will pursue it as a personal interest?
-Sarah
References:
Beck, L., Cable, T., & Knudson, D. (2018).Ā Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: for a better world. Sagamore Venture. Pp. 11, 21, 42, 85, 110-3, 424,Ā 450-1, 471-2.




















