Personal Ethic as a Nature Interpreter
Here we are, delving into our last blog posts of the semester! I have truly appreciated this course for so many reasons. Sharing perspectives and ideas about nature interpretation and the beauty of this marvelous planet with my classmates has really inspired me. It has been exciting to read about all of our unique experiences and I do feel as though it has allowed me to view aspects of nature in new ways.
In order to describe my personal ethic as a nature interpreter, I must start out by stating my core personal ethics that I carry with me in my daily life. These are as follows: compassion, empathy, kindness, honesty, dedication, respect, responsibility and fairness. These are the values I actively strive toĀ live by every day, and certainly try to bring forth into my role as a nature interpreter. As a wildlife biology and conservation major at the University of Guelph, some of my greatest love and passion is found within nature. I have a strong desire to learn all I can about the animals and plants with whom we share this planet, and in doing so I hope to play a significant role in environmental sustainability and education.Ā
I believe that we as humans have a profound responsibility of preserving and honouring the creatures we share the earth with. Nature is their home, and though we all enjoy its beauty, it is essential that we take our knowledge as nature interpreters to do our absolute best to care for it. I have always had a great deal of empathy for wildlife, from little bugs to majestic eagles. I also love plants, and I feel connected to nature each time I am out in the world and take the time to look around at the world of greenery around me. I love using plant identification apps on my phone to learn about new species and share this information on the apps so more people can learn of the whereabouts of these species! It is so incredible to bring people together through a love of nature. The same goes for birdwatching, which is another activity I really love. I love tagging the location of birds I see in nature so it can provide data for others to share. In case anyone is interested, I really enjoy āSeekā by iNaturalist for plant identification, and Merlin Bird ID from Cornell Lab of Ornithology for birdwatching. It is always exciting to hear a familiar call of a favourite bird when out enjoying nature, and sharing this information with people who are with you.Ā
The Black-Capped Chickadee (30 seconds)
(A 30 sec clip of a black-capped chickadee from Hinterland Whoās Who- you can learn so much in half a minute!)
Reviewing the main questions continually asked throughout this course, I believe it is relevant now to answer them on a personal note.
Who am I as an interpreter?Ā
I am an advocate for wildlife, their habitats and trying to bridge a connection between nature and humans in order to create a better world.
Ā 2.Ā Who is my audience?Ā
My audience is people of all ages who can contribute in a meaningful way to wildlife and their environment. As mentioned in the course, kids always seem like the most impactful audience because the influence we can have when they are young and learning about the world can stay with them for the rest of their lives.Ā
āWhether you introduce a child to a pileated woodpecker, you provide tools to allow them to make safe decisions when on a hike with friends, or something else, you are offering a spark to be fanned and developedā (Hooykaas, A., 2021
3. How can I make this experience meaningful?Ā
My experience as a nature interpreter, as a steward of the earth, can be made meaningful by making connections with others. In forming connections with other people and educating each other, holding each other accountable, and speaking for the voiceless (ie; nature), this experience can be extraordinarily meaningful.Ā
I feel a great deal of responsibility in my role as a nature interpreter. As a young woman who is incredibly passionate about our natural world, I knowĀ my education is a privilege and a tool in my belt that can be used to connect people to nature. It is a circle, the importance of wildlife to people and vice versa. Humans take comfort in nature in order to recharge, whether that be out birdwatching, hiking, or canoeing. On some level, we all take comfort in nature and amongst our beautiful wildlife. However, wildlife really depend on us to ensure their survival based on how we value them and their habitats, which we coexist in. Wild animals are so important to us, not only on an emotional level, but their wellbeing is also a direct correlation to the health of our ecosystems and even our economy (Hinterland, n.d). Education is power, and the responsibility of teaching fellow Canadians about our natural world is one I am more than happy to take on.Ā
Hinterland Whoās Who from the Canadian Wildlife Federation, courtesy of Environment and Climate Change Canada has an incredibly informative website regarding the importance of wildlife, and I will include it in my citations for anyone who is interested to read!
Some statistics from this particular page made me a little bit emotional. As we all know, working and studying in the field of nature interpretation, can be very daunting and sometimes feel hopeless. When we are constantly bombarded with news of environmental destruction and loss, it feels like we are fighting a losing battle. However, I will share these statistics in this blog post so at a glance it may lift your spirits a bit to see just how many Canadians truly care about our natural world!
-14.5 million Canadians (70 percent of the population) participated in wildlife-related activities around their residence or cottage. These activities included feeding, watching, studying, or photographing wildlife. Some 6.6 million people put out special feed for wildlife.
-3.9 million people made trips or outings whose primary purpose was to enjoy wildlife.
-1.9 million Canadians belonged or contributed to wildlife organizations.
-17.7 million Canadians (85 percent of the population) took part in activities such as watching wildlife films or television programs, reading wildlife books or magazines, visiting game farms, zoos, aquariums, or natural history museums, or purchasing wildlife art, crafts, or posters.
(Statistics Canada, on behalf of the Canadian Wildlife Federation)
As I have come to realize, the approaches to nature interpretation that are most suitable to me are those that are hands on and directly helpful to nature. Throughout my hopefully very long career in wildlife research and conservation, I plan on learning more about our beautiful natural world and making it a better place.
A final note, I want to thank everyone so much for a great course! I feel like I have learned so much about myself and others and my perspective of nature interpretation has broadened so much.Ā
Citations
1. Seek by inaturalist Ā· inaturalist. (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/seek_app
2. Hinterland whoās who - benefits of wildlife. (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://www.hww.ca/en/issues-and-topics/benefits-of-wildlife.html#:~:text=Wildlife%20is%20important%20to%20natural%20processes&text=These%20ecological%20processes%20are%20essential,and%20by%20preventing%20waste%20accumulation.
3. Merlin Bird ID. (n.d.). Home page. Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/
4. HinterlandWW. (2010, March 23). The Black-Capped chickadee (30 seconds). Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjl9MUojYzY&t=30s
Hi Jenny!
That was a very enjoyable post to read - you really have such a talent for writing, and definitely brought up lots of fantastic points as well!
I think nature interpretation is inherently environmental. By showing people the beauty and fragility of nature, we are simultaneously showing them what is at risk in the face of climate change, thus pushing them to care more about environmental issues. This is more of a side-effect of nature interpretation; so, at least for me, I think I would bring this even further by discussing larger scale environmental issues (and possible solutions) with my group in every session.
One thing that was brought to mind while reading your post is the argument about whether humans are a part of nature or are separate from it. This has been a hotly debated topic for environmental philosophers for quite some time now - however, we seem to have reached a conclusion. According to The Conversation (2019), seeing humans as separate from nature is not only ethically problematic but completely untrue. We are animals, just the same as any other species on the planet. The fact that we have reached such extreme levels of technological innovation does not negate this fact - however, it does give us the responsibility to take ownership over our impacts, and take steps to prevent large-scale changes to the natural world in any way that we can.
All the best,
Ty
Reference:Ā Alberro, H. (2019, September 17). Humanity and nature are not separate ā we must see them as one to fix the climate crisis. Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://theconversation.com/humanity-and-nature-are-not-separate-we-must-see-them-as-one-to-fix-the-climate-crisis-122110




















