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The most amazing thing I know about nature

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! 

The most amazing thing I personally know about nature and something that always fascinated me about nature are underground natural springs. They are also known as underwater caves. It almost looks like a sink hole which are known as cenotes. If any of you have swam in one of these, feel free to share your story! Would love to hear about your experience. Its caused by a collapse of bedrock or limestone and it creates this cave like hole where you can swim. You can find a lot of these within Mexico and they're basically all nature pits filled with water and nature surrounding it. I always feared swimming in a cenote because a lot of them are really deep and I always feared what could be swimming beneath my feet. Although, it is definitely something that it is on my bucket list! 

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Hello everyone!

I really enjoyed reading through some of this weeks blog posts about Music and Nature. Where is music in nature and where is nature in music is something I’ve never really thought of, although there is certainly a lot to say about how the sounds of nature can be incorporated into music. In our textbook of the authors discusses the importance of music in nature interpretation as it can allow the listener to feel more emotion with the living things around them. An example of this is when I could go to overnight camp growing up and our camp counsellors would play certain songs on our camping trips. When I hear these songs today, it brings me back to those times when I was so in tune with nature & how much it impacted my perception of it at such a young age. An example of how nature is incorporated into music, is through spa music. One can notice that a lot of the sounds that are used to make these songs are sounds of nature such as trees blowing in the wind, the waves crashing into the shore, birds chirping & even the sounds of insects such as crickets. These are all sounds that we can hear when walking through forestry or ravines. That itself is music to my ears & is also very therapeutic. It’s very calming and it reminds me of the endless healing affects that nature can have on your mind body and soul. Growing up, my mom would play a lot of music that was influenced by the sounds of nature and this really helped my mood as a young girl. I grew up painting a lot with my mom and she would always play soothing spa music in the background that had a lot of sounds of nature. This made me really calm and just hearing those sounds made me more creative when painting and more focused. Music was created on a foundation based in the natural environment & researchers have found that the music of both humpback whales and many bird species have surprising similarities to the structure of our human music. The ambient sounds is a central component of natural habitats as well. It was really nice reading all of your posts!

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Hello!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post! & I love the photo you added to your post! History is definitely what holds a lot of information from our past. I mentioned In my post that a lot of the old architecture that is in the downtown core of Toronto is what gives the city such amazing character and history. It’s unfortunate a lot of it is gone due to demolition and reconstruction of new buildings but it’s interesting how some of the old buildings are being built in some of the modern architecture as well. Like you said, it’s provides a lot of value. beautiful photo you attached of the coast of India! That’s interesting to hear they still use bow and arrows hunt. i like how you mentioned this gives us an idea on how certain tribes interacted with eachother. Like you said, that makes the island a lot more special. Even the way islands came into existence. layers of lava that build up under water and eventually form what we know as an island. This happens over a long period of time and is very historical itself. I actually did some more research on the tribes and the consti of India is recognized as scheduled tribes which is something I didn’t know! Having these tribes still existing gives a person a sense of self and identity as well.

thanks for your post!

Week 6

“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)

This quote written by Edward Hyams is a wonderful quote that hides a deeper meaning. This quote explains how, physical objects are simply just objects at the end of the day, but it’s the meaning and the history associated with that object that really makes it special. History is what holds the answers to the past, and history can be found in stories associated with objects, not just the objects themselves. It’s also this history that makes objects so valuable compared to the same objects that have no meaning behind them.

Photo Credits: https://fellowprimo.com/north-sentinental-island/

For example, this image is a picture of a beautiful island off the coast of India. On the outside, it looks like any regular island. It’s filled with beautiful green trees, blue waters, and white soft sand. There’s nothing out of the ordinary which can be seen by this island so to people unfamiliar it’s merely an island off India. But this island is one of the most important islands in understanding our pasts and where we came from as the island is inhabited by the north Sentinelese people. This tribe has a population that totals roughly 50 – 400 people have been untouched by modern human civilization for hundreds of years. The Sentinelese people are still alive to this day and have been hypothesized that they have not discovered fire yet, as satellite imaging shows a lack of modern development. A travel ban was placed around the island which bans people from visiting as a threat of modern diseases and illnesses will be enough to kill them as their immune systems have not developed to sustain such diseases. Studies and testing have been done with the island which shows they still use bows and arrows for hunting and appear to be unclothed in photos taken with modern cameras. This is an example of how it’s the history that makes this island so special, not the island itself. People who do not know anything about the island would think it’s nothing special.

The end of the quote states “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.” It tells us that history is special because of how it shaped the future. Not only are there stories associated with the island, we learned from these stories and shaped our understanding from the past. By understanding the north Sentinelese people, we now know how tribes interacted with each other and how the development of “groups” was able to help with the survival of early humans. How the common bow and arrow were used for hunting and defending the island from intruders.

Photo Credits:https://fellowprimo.com/north-sentinental-island/

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Nature & History

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.

A lot of the nature we see around us is new and what it was once was, was not previously kept or preserved. It is either man made or a new landscape has been developed. Because of this, a lot of the history is lost and we interpret nature in a different way not because of it. Although a lot of our forestry now has been restored which allows us to interpret the historical nature mixed in with the new. By restoring nature, we are keeping a memory and an understanding of the history that was once there. This quote is also saying that even though a lot of our historical discoveries are not with us today, it does not mean that they do not exist. We shouldn’t think that just because we can’t see the history, means it’s not there. For example the textbook discussed tragedies such as the holocaust. In high school, my history class had a unit that was dedicated to educating students about the holocaust. Despite not living through these terrible tragedies, we still understand the impact it has had on millions of lives and we continue to educate people about it.

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Hey everyone!! Just wanted to share a short clip I took at the Van Gogh exhibit I recently went to. It reminded me of our last blog post and how we discussed interpreting nature through art. This exhibit allowed me to do just that as a lot of his art work is based around nature and landscape. I urge you to check it out if this interests you. Both the visuals and audio were very therapeutic & it was really nice to see how the legendary artist interpreted nature himself. Have a great weekend! :)

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Hello! I really loved reading your blog post about interpreting nature through art. I too love interpreting nature through photography and videography. I like the photo you included and I thought the caption was funny. It is nice to see the perspective of certain animals and insects. It just goes to show you how big the world is for such small creature like a squirrel or bee. I like how you mentioned we can interpret nature through art galleries and museums. This is something I really enjoyed doing with my family at a young age. Its really nice to have the access and to be able to interpret nature in museums. I love interpreting nature through art and if you read my blog post you will see that I also mentioned interpreting nature through art galleries and museums which was something I really enjoyed doing as a young girl. I also loved going on long hikes with my mom through the ravine near our home and taking pictures of the nature surrounding us. We would then go home and paint the landscapes that observed on a canvas. This method allowed me to connect with nature and was also somewhat therapeutic. 

The principle which correlates with the gift of beauty is “interpretation should instill in people the ability, and the desire, to sense beauty in their surroundings- to provide spiritual uplift and to encourage resource preservation” (Beck et. al, 2018). I believe this principle goes in hand with Tilden’s (1967) quote, “information, as such, is not interpretation” (Beck et. al, 2018). Individuals must have some form of connection to a historical or natural site, whether it is a love for history, a love for nature, or patriotism, to be passionate for it. As a kid, I was never amused by art galleries or museums. Although I found particular sections or pieces interesting, I thought overall, they were boring, and maybe this is due to a lack of connection or understanding to what is inside the museum. After reading the textbook chapters, this concept makes sense to me now. As I have grown older and learned about specific issues, I have become more interested in history! This logic can be applied to anything, especially nature. While I have always been drawn to nature, I knew a few children growing up who did not share the same enthusiasm. Our passions and curiosity depend on what we already know and connect with. Through the last few weeks, I have learned that it is possible to teach others to relate to nature, not through coercion, but through guidance and symbolism that they can interpret. I have always been fascinated by the art that nature provides, and the imagery that resonates with me and brings me back to glimpses of my childhood. Moments such as when the sky appears lavender on a snowy, January night, or how the sidewalk illuminates a bright white as the sky gets darker and darker before a thunderstorm. I have always loved hearing the cicadas in the trees reminding me how hot it is outside, and the cheeriness of fall when the leaves turn orange. I wish I could share these glimpses with others, and thankfully for technology and art, this is achievable.

Chapter ten delves into different artistic methods of interpretation. Although I am not an artist, I enjoy teaching myself to play instruments, but I am not skilled enough to positively impact others through my music. I do however, love writing, photography, and videography and find that through these, I can express my love for nature. I have not truly engaged in photography since high school, but I think it would be great to invest in a camera and just start somewhere! The picture above was taken in 2015 with the iPhone 5C, so the quality isn’t great, but it gives the perspective of what a squirrel or insect sees, and I think that is pretty fun!

Do you interpret nature through art? If so, in what ways? I look forward to seeing your blogs this week and to learn about the ways you share your love of nature to others!

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

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Interpreting Nature Through Art...

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. 

I really enjoyed talking about interpreting art through nature for this week’s blog post! Looking forward to reading your posts! How do you all interpret nature through art and has it had an impact on how you perceive nature today?

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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.”

Thanks! :)

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Hello! Great blog post. I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on privilege and how that correlates with nature interpretation. Was really nice to hear about your experiences at camp & how this ignited your interest for nature. I can definitely relate to this as I also went to overnight camp growing up and I forgot to mention this in my blog post actually! I would go for 3-4 weeks to camp Manitou/Oconto. I learned a lot about nature through our long canoeing adventures to blueberry island and other islands within the lake. The demographic however was pretty diverse, although one can imagine that the individuals attending these camps were middle-upper class which allowed them to have this amazing opportunity. I find it slightly unfortunate that a lot of these camps are so expensive, especially when most of the experience is interpreting nature and embracing the natural forestry environment around us. An experience like that in my opinion shouldn’t be so costly.

It was also nice to read about your experience working at a summer camp. I’m sure that sparked your interest for nature interpretation even more. I can relate to this as well, as I worked at an animal camp when I turned 16. We spent a lot of time outdoors performing animal presentations for the campers and going on long hikes near by. I really liked the fact that you spoke about having an able body when interpreting nature as that is a privilege as well. A lot of outdoor activities require you to be mobile and for those who are handicap, it makes it a lot more difficult to interpret nature because they cannot partake in certain activities. One of the camps I went to growing up made it really inaccessible to do certain activities for those who were handicap and like you said a lot of nature interpreters don’t always consider that when making their sessions. Hopefully this can change in the near future. People with disabilities are more prone to being vulnerable in case your working environment is unsafe. Making sure that the area and obstacle is safe will make it easier for them to partake in a lot of activities. 

The Privilege of Nature

My personal definition of privilege is an inherent right or advantage that someone has based on their standing in a particular group. Privilege is often linked to race or socioeconomic standing, for example middle/upper class white people have far more opportunities in life than people of colour or people from lower economic classes.

Outdoor privilege can manifest in so many ways, nature experiences can be expensive when considering travel costs, buying gear, taking time off of work if needed etc. I’ll admit that my standing as an upper-middle class white woman has provided me with MANY privileges and opportunities to experience the outdoors

- My passion for the outdoors was ignited at overnight summer camp, which was not exactly cheap. Each summer I’d spend the month of July living in cabins, going sailing, canoe tripping and swimming. It wasn’t hard to notice that the main demographic of this camp was- just like me, mostly able-bodied white people whose parents had enough money to ship them off each summer.

- When I turned 18, I was able to get a job at my summer camp, although it did not pay very well, it provided me with integral skills and experiences that I have since used as references for more professional outdoor jobs.

- My family has a property in Muskoka which allowed me to continually foster my love for nature.

- My personal fitness has always been an important part or my life. From a young age my parents enrolled me in dance lessons and sports teams that helped me develop the fitness level needed for these activities.

- I live without physical disabilities or limitations.

These privileges awarded to me at birth have massively impacted my relationship with nature. That being said, there are some remaining barriers that prevent me from fully experiencing nature the way I want to. As a woman, I don’t feel safe or comfortable enough to explore nature on my own. I’ve heard beautiful stories about people’s life-changing solo trips through the back country, or weekends where people dropped everything and went for a hike deep in the forest. I so badly wish I was able experiences nature like this, pure solitude in nature would be so reflective and deeply healing. But to me the risks are too high, being a young woman alone in the forest makes me the easiest target. This fear hasn’t massively stood in the way of me experiencing nature, I just make sure I’m always with at least one buddy and that we have means to protect ourselves (mace isn’t just for bears (; ).

Another overlooked privilege is an able body. Have you ever seen an advertisement of someone in a wheelchair or crutches in a nature interpretation session? When most people think of outdoor activities, they think of climbing mountains, portaging a canoe, and other physically demanding tasks. Many environmental programs are inaccessible to people with physical disabilities, and environmental interpreters do not consider diversity of learners when planning sessions. Some activities that are accessible to physically disabled are; paddling, walking on accessible paths, and nature baths/meditations.

I just believe that no human should be faced with barriers when it comes to experiencing nature. Dismantling the narrative that the outdoors is expensive and inaccessible will greatly help with getting more people involved in the outdoor community. The way we can achieve this is through developing and maintaining more interactive green spaces, providing subsidized programs and educating people about all of the opportunities in their area.

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What role does “privilege” play in nature interpretation?

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.

Thanks! :) 

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Hello! It was really nice reading your blog post of your take on an environmental interpreter. I love that you talked a little bit about your passion for horseback riding, as I also love horses and grew up riding. Like you said, horseback riding allows you to explore new places and value the space around you. I’m sure you can also relate to the idea of its being very therapeutic and allows you to connect with nature on a whole new level. I just recently went on a trail ride and it reminded me how much I miss riding and having that connection between the horse and the nature around me. As mentioned in your blog post, the horses also have a great appreciation for nature as well. Montana is a destination I would love to go to and I can only imagine how beautiful the trail rides are. In addition, I have always wanted to go to Paintbrush adventures in Absarokee, Montana. You also mentioned that some of the skill sets you would need are patience and passion and I could not agree more, especially when it comes to horseback riding. I am curious to know why you chose Montana or British Colombia as a location where you can embrace this career path. Do you have an memorable experiences or interests there?

I believe it takes a certain skill set to teach. In order to show others your thought process, you must possess a level of patience and passion towards the subject being taught and educating others. The environment is something that should be important to everyone, however, this is not always the case. My ideal role as an environmental interpreter would be to show close minded souls how to appreciate what we were given. This would entail finding their specific interest and learning styles followed by making connections to the environment. 

To achieve this, I would embrace my favourite outdoor activity, horseback riding. This is something I have done since I was a child and never fully appreciated until I was older (and started footing the bills). Besides the responsibility and focus that horse riding entails, it also taught me to value the space around me and to explore new places. I consider this a form of active learning as it is done through exploration, discovering, and trying it out.

My ideal environmental interpreter career would be to take people trail riding through all different locations and show them the endless places to go. I would want to help them realize that nature is all around us and even the horses we ride have a level of appreciation for it too. By doing so on horseback, an environment is created that is free of judgement and insecurities. This environment feels safe and encourages people to learn. 

This is a career that can be embraced anywhere in the world, but I would love to do it in locations that have mountains and big open spaces (i.e, British Columbia or Montana). It also consists of learning tactics that we explored within Unit 02 of the ENVS 3000 course! Visual and verbal learning styles would be the basis of the job. Explaining how to direct your horse and then showing them how to do it myself will help folks quickly learn the basics of horseback riding. This will also apply to explaining my knowledge of the spaces we explore! It is easy to get carried away in everyday life and lose touch with nature, but it is not hard to reconnect.

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Ideal Role - Nature Interpreter

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.

Prior to making this blog post, I was oblivious to what an environmental interpreter is. This was a really interesting to discuss and I hope that I continue to research more about nature interpretation as this is an area of interest for me. Looking forward to seeing your posts!

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Hello! I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog post on your relationship with nature. I also briefly spoke about the impact the pandemic has had on our freedom especially with all the restrictions. Personally, I found myself connecting with nature more during the pandemic which was really delightful. However, a lot of the big parks around Milton were shut down due to the pandemic which was unfortunate. Although luckily I got the chance to go on long walks within my area. I enjoyed reading the fond memories you have with your grandparents and nature. I remember going to Kortright park with my grandfather and walking along the forestry trails and bird watching. If you like conservation centres, Kortright is nice place to visit. Its more of a suburban conservation area and educational facility. 

- Loren 

My experience with Nature

To be honest, currently my relationship with nature is not as strong as it once was. Like I’m sure many of us have experienced COVID-19 has put a stop to my life and I’ve essentially become a shut-in for the last two years; only going out when it is necessary rather than going out as a luxury. My life and relationship with nature hasn’t always been like this though. When I was a child I was always outside playing with my friends in the park and in the fields, finding bugs and showing them to our parents, as children normally do. Other parts of my free time were spent in my garden growing all different types of flowers and vegetables.. My fondest memories with nature would definitely come from times I’ve spent with my grandparents, however. My grandparents’ home was in Orangeville in the middle of the woods and my grandfather particularly had a love for nature. The backyard at their home had a viewing deck and the backyard was filled with bird nests and feeders. Whenever I would visit, my grandfather would give me a pair of binoculars and he would list off every bird he saw fly by to me; and I would happily listen because I wanted to learn more about nature and the world at that moment. I will always look at those memories fondly and one day I do want to recreate those happy times with someone else who wants to experience the world. I definitely think that’s my ‘sense of place’ that is the place where I want to be. I do hope that with the aid of this course I’ll be able to find the same full appreciation for nature as I did as a kid easier. Luckily, I found as restrictions have begun to lift I’ve been slowly regaining my touch with nature; my greatest moments of peace right now are when I am outside with my dog walking the local trails in my city. Taking the air and listening to the birds chirp while the wind rustles. It really is a moment where I get to think for myself rather than the stresses of life. With each day I want to go even farther and explore more; me and my friends are even planning a getaway one day, driving north to a campground and over the course of a week, having fun walking through the woods, swimming in the lakes, and reconnecting with each other in an environment that will allow us to be in serenity with the world. With these facts in mind I do think I’ll have that strong bond with nature again.

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My Relationship with Nature

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. 

Living in Guelph for the past 4 years also allowed me to appreciate all the things nature has to offer. To destress or when taking study breaks, I would go on hikes with my friends along the trails in the Arboretum. One of the reasons why I wanted to attend university of Guelph was because of its agricultural background and all the nature surrounding the campus grounds. Lastly, studying biological science and performing labs within the dairy bush on tree species was a huge gateway to learning more about nature.