haenvs3000w22

[haenvs3000w22]

Hi Liv,

I appreciate your thoughts on not being able to change peoples minds. I agree that policy needs to be implemented in order to see real change, however this is much easier said than done, I mentioned the corrupt politicians in another response to this post. Too many politicians accept “donations” from large corporations that are destroying our planet in order to prevent policies from passing that would make real environmental change. As consumers and individuals we have to make the decisions to persuade with our wallets as that is the only way these corporations will listen, when they start to see declines in their profit margins.

I am unfamiliar with the introduction of highway 413, however I pose the question of is creating a highway for less congestion really posing as big of an environmental impact as you might think? The introduction of a new highway won’t increase the amount of cars on the road but it will in fact decrease the amount of cars isoline for ~2 hours a day. I wonder if this highway does not go through wetland or marsh areas if over time there might be a positive effect of the implementation of a new highway. As I previously mentioned though I’m not aware of the specifics so if this highway interrupts wetland and marshes than obviously it should be avoided at all costs, but if not it may actually have a positive effect if the number of idling cars is decreased immensely. Thank you again for reading and responding to my post as you brought up some very important perspectives, I wish you all the best with remainder of semester and good luck on your exams!

Hannah

My Final Blog

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?

My personal ethic as a nature interpreter is one that integrates political change, scientific evidence, and personal experiences to inspire others to see Mother Nature for her true beauty and to inspire true stewardship. Saving the planet will require a massive change across our society, which will require some changing of the day-to-day behaviours of everyone to become more sustainable, but most of the change will have to come to some key powerful figures in our society. Capitalism has concentrated power and wealth in the hands of a few men, from the energy sector where fossil fuels provide most of our power and transportation to the food industry where massive industrial farming is raping the soil for all its nutrients and brutalizing helpless animals to feed only a small percentage of the world’s population while the rest of the world starves. Change at this level will require societal pressure from the working class and those outside of the 0.01%, and cohesive societal pressure will require a coherent narrative that will mobilize people to arm themselves with and to act upon the plain scientific evidence that begs us to do something. I am convinced that the only way to change minds and to invite them to participate in this narrative is through personal experiences. As Louv wrote in “Last Child in the Woods”, “One often overlooked value of children is that they constitute the future political constituency, and their attention or vote – which is ultimately based more on a foundation of personal experience than rational decision making- is not guaranteed.” I believe that, deep down, adults are no different than children, but post-enlightenment white western culture still entertains an outdated notion of the total primacy of objectivity that forces adults to maintain a façade of rationality and to justify their personal experience or else face criticism. This façade can easily be broken down though by inducing just a little bit of child-like curiosity and fascination. One song that comes to mind when I am interpreting nature is John Mayer’s “Belief” where he sings, “Is there anyone who/Ever remembers changing your mind from/The paint on a sign/Is there anyone who really recalls/Ever breaking rank at all/For something someone yelled real loud one time.” My responsibility as a nature interpreter is to not be a political crusader, because this will only reach those who are already convinced of the necessity of protecting Mother Earth. Instead, it is to initiate and guide people on their own journey of rediscovering the quirks, intricacies, and child-like wonder nature has always provided, and only once they have gotten back in touch with this childhood to provide them with the rational knowledge they need to change their behaviours to live more sustainably and the narrative they need to organize their psyches and to demonstrate to others the joy that the Earth can provide. The other, and more important responsibility I have, is to elevate the voices of those who have always known, protected, and advocated for the irreplaceability of nature but have been marginalized, specifically the Indigenous populations in Canada. As a white person who grew up in Burlington and has always had easy access to protected nature spaces, it is easy to forget that those spaces were originally stewarded by the Indigenous people in this area before it was stolen from them, and their cultures and families were destroyed by systemic oppression and residential schools. I have both the time and monetary resources to fully enjoy nature while the ones who protected it for centuries are struggling to have clean water. The land around my house is covered by the “Dish with One Spoon” treaty, which explains how everyone who lives and works in this land eats from this same dish, and so we must only take our share and leave resources for others as well as maintain the integrity of the land for generations to come. This perfectly models sustainability and stewardship, and so this is the core structure for my approach to nature interpretation.

In summary, my personal ethic as a nature interpreter necessitates a responsibility to facilitate individuals’ rediscovery of nature and childhood, to model the Dish with One Spoon approach to stewardship and sustainability, to arm people with the scientific evidence and political narrative that can mobilize the working class to force change at the top of an unjustly hierarchical capitalist society, and to elevate the voices of the original stewards of Mother Nature who have been marginalized.

Thank you to everyone who has interacted with my blog over the course of the semester, I have truly enjoyed this class and the ability to read everyone’s unique perspective. I wish everyone the best as we finish the semester and likely our university careers!

[haenvs3000w22]

Hi Erminio!

Glad to hear you enjoyed my post this week! I completely agree with your thought that our actions against climate change may not happen fast enough. The effects of climate change are growing at an exponential rate and unfortunately our efforts to mitigate and reverse these effects is not happening fast enough. The pressure to change personal habits in order to decrease our carbon footprint needs to be intensified as we can not wait to feel the extreme pressures of climate change before we change our behaviours. As individuals we also need to literally put our money where our mouths are as companies and corporations that contribute the largest to climate change need to feel a monetary pressure in order to make a real change. Additionally there needs to be more pressure on politicians to not lobby with these companies and corporations and apply real legislation that will allow for the progress we need. Unfortunately too many politicians accept “donations” from these companies in exchange for not applying legislative pressure that will save the only planet we have. In the capitalist society we live in the only way to persuade and conduct real change is through money, as that’s what everyone places value in. We all need to make sure we are making the best decisions with our wallets in order to have to best results for Mother Earth. Thank you again for you response as it was very insightful, I wish you all the best with the remainder of this course!

Hannah

My Final Blog

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?

My personal ethic as a nature interpreter is one that integrates political change, scientific evidence, and personal experiences to inspire others to see Mother Nature for her true beauty and to inspire true stewardship. Saving the planet will require a massive change across our society, which will require some changing of the day-to-day behaviours of everyone to become more sustainable, but most of the change will have to come to some key powerful figures in our society. Capitalism has concentrated power and wealth in the hands of a few men, from the energy sector where fossil fuels provide most of our power and transportation to the food industry where massive industrial farming is raping the soil for all its nutrients and brutalizing helpless animals to feed only a small percentage of the world’s population while the rest of the world starves. Change at this level will require societal pressure from the working class and those outside of the 0.01%, and cohesive societal pressure will require a coherent narrative that will mobilize people to arm themselves with and to act upon the plain scientific evidence that begs us to do something. I am convinced that the only way to change minds and to invite them to participate in this narrative is through personal experiences. As Louv wrote in “Last Child in the Woods”, “One often overlooked value of children is that they constitute the future political constituency, and their attention or vote – which is ultimately based more on a foundation of personal experience than rational decision making- is not guaranteed.” I believe that, deep down, adults are no different than children, but post-enlightenment white western culture still entertains an outdated notion of the total primacy of objectivity that forces adults to maintain a façade of rationality and to justify their personal experience or else face criticism. This façade can easily be broken down though by inducing just a little bit of child-like curiosity and fascination. One song that comes to mind when I am interpreting nature is John Mayer’s “Belief” where he sings, “Is there anyone who/Ever remembers changing your mind from/The paint on a sign/Is there anyone who really recalls/Ever breaking rank at all/For something someone yelled real loud one time.” My responsibility as a nature interpreter is to not be a political crusader, because this will only reach those who are already convinced of the necessity of protecting Mother Earth. Instead, it is to initiate and guide people on their own journey of rediscovering the quirks, intricacies, and child-like wonder nature has always provided, and only once they have gotten back in touch with this childhood to provide them with the rational knowledge they need to change their behaviours to live more sustainably and the narrative they need to organize their psyches and to demonstrate to others the joy that the Earth can provide. The other, and more important responsibility I have, is to elevate the voices of those who have always known, protected, and advocated for the irreplaceability of nature but have been marginalized, specifically the Indigenous populations in Canada. As a white person who grew up in Burlington and has always had easy access to protected nature spaces, it is easy to forget that those spaces were originally stewarded by the Indigenous people in this area before it was stolen from them, and their cultures and families were destroyed by systemic oppression and residential schools. I have both the time and monetary resources to fully enjoy nature while the ones who protected it for centuries are struggling to have clean water. The land around my house is covered by the “Dish with One Spoon” treaty, which explains how everyone who lives and works in this land eats from this same dish, and so we must only take our share and leave resources for others as well as maintain the integrity of the land for generations to come. This perfectly models sustainability and stewardship, and so this is the core structure for my approach to nature interpretation.

In summary, my personal ethic as a nature interpreter necessitates a responsibility to facilitate individuals’ rediscovery of nature and childhood, to model the Dish with One Spoon approach to stewardship and sustainability, to arm people with the scientific evidence and political narrative that can mobilize the working class to force change at the top of an unjustly hierarchical capitalist society, and to elevate the voices of the original stewards of Mother Nature who have been marginalized.

Thank you to everyone who has interacted with my blog over the course of the semester, I have truly enjoyed this class and the ability to read everyone’s unique perspective. I wish everyone the best as we finish the semester and likely our university careers!

[haenvs3000w22]

Hi Andrew!

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my blog, I am glad you enjoyed it! I completely agree with the sentiment that the introduction of social media and the internet has driven a disconnect between societies and the environment, especially when it comes to fashion. With the trends in fashion moving at a much faster rate than every before the waste accumulated by consumers and companies is highly accelerated. Apps such as TikTok drive fashion trends to be cycled through in a matter of weeks, and companies like Shien profit of this high turnover by making low quality clothing in unsustainable conditions. I also really resonated with the quote you provided as when in nature I always have a sense of mindfulness and awakening that can not be matched anywhere else. These experiences allow me to connect and empathize with more individuals and organisms which I believe a lot of people are missing from their everyday lives. Thank you again for taking the time to read and respond to my post, I wish you the best of luck!

Hannah

My Final Blog

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?

My personal ethic as a nature interpreter is one that integrates political change, scientific evidence, and personal experiences to inspire others to see Mother Nature for her true beauty and to inspire true stewardship. Saving the planet will require a massive change across our society, which will require some changing of the day-to-day behaviours of everyone to become more sustainable, but most of the change will have to come to some key powerful figures in our society. Capitalism has concentrated power and wealth in the hands of a few men, from the energy sector where fossil fuels provide most of our power and transportation to the food industry where massive industrial farming is raping the soil for all its nutrients and brutalizing helpless animals to feed only a small percentage of the world’s population while the rest of the world starves. Change at this level will require societal pressure from the working class and those outside of the 0.01%, and cohesive societal pressure will require a coherent narrative that will mobilize people to arm themselves with and to act upon the plain scientific evidence that begs us to do something. I am convinced that the only way to change minds and to invite them to participate in this narrative is through personal experiences. As Louv wrote in “Last Child in the Woods”, “One often overlooked value of children is that they constitute the future political constituency, and their attention or vote – which is ultimately based more on a foundation of personal experience than rational decision making- is not guaranteed.” I believe that, deep down, adults are no different than children, but post-enlightenment white western culture still entertains an outdated notion of the total primacy of objectivity that forces adults to maintain a façade of rationality and to justify their personal experience or else face criticism. This façade can easily be broken down though by inducing just a little bit of child-like curiosity and fascination. One song that comes to mind when I am interpreting nature is John Mayer’s “Belief” where he sings, “Is there anyone who/Ever remembers changing your mind from/The paint on a sign/Is there anyone who really recalls/Ever breaking rank at all/For something someone yelled real loud one time.” My responsibility as a nature interpreter is to not be a political crusader, because this will only reach those who are already convinced of the necessity of protecting Mother Earth. Instead, it is to initiate and guide people on their own journey of rediscovering the quirks, intricacies, and child-like wonder nature has always provided, and only once they have gotten back in touch with this childhood to provide them with the rational knowledge they need to change their behaviours to live more sustainably and the narrative they need to organize their psyches and to demonstrate to others the joy that the Earth can provide. The other, and more important responsibility I have, is to elevate the voices of those who have always known, protected, and advocated for the irreplaceability of nature but have been marginalized, specifically the Indigenous populations in Canada. As a white person who grew up in Burlington and has always had easy access to protected nature spaces, it is easy to forget that those spaces were originally stewarded by the Indigenous people in this area before it was stolen from them, and their cultures and families were destroyed by systemic oppression and residential schools. I have both the time and monetary resources to fully enjoy nature while the ones who protected it for centuries are struggling to have clean water. The land around my house is covered by the “Dish with One Spoon” treaty, which explains how everyone who lives and works in this land eats from this same dish, and so we must only take our share and leave resources for others as well as maintain the integrity of the land for generations to come. This perfectly models sustainability and stewardship, and so this is the core structure for my approach to nature interpretation.

In summary, my personal ethic as a nature interpreter necessitates a responsibility to facilitate individuals’ rediscovery of nature and childhood, to model the Dish with One Spoon approach to stewardship and sustainability, to arm people with the scientific evidence and political narrative that can mobilize the working class to force change at the top of an unjustly hierarchical capitalist society, and to elevate the voices of the original stewards of Mother Nature who have been marginalized.

Thank you to everyone who has interacted with my blog over the course of the semester, I have truly enjoyed this class and the ability to read everyone’s unique perspective. I wish everyone the best as we finish the semester and likely our university careers!

[haenvs3000w22]

My Final Blog

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?

My personal ethic as a nature interpreter is one that integrates political change, scientific evidence, and personal experiences to inspire others to see Mother Nature for her true beauty and to inspire true stewardship. Saving the planet will require a massive change across our society, which will require some changing of the day-to-day behaviours of everyone to become more sustainable, but most of the change will have to come to some key powerful figures in our society. Capitalism has concentrated power and wealth in the hands of a few men, from the energy sector where fossil fuels provide most of our power and transportation to the food industry where massive industrial farming is raping the soil for all its nutrients and brutalizing helpless animals to feed only a small percentage of the world’s population while the rest of the world starves. Change at this level will require societal pressure from the working class and those outside of the 0.01%, and cohesive societal pressure will require a coherent narrative that will mobilize people to arm themselves with and to act upon the plain scientific evidence that begs us to do something. I am convinced that the only way to change minds and to invite them to participate in this narrative is through personal experiences. As Louv wrote in “Last Child in the Woods”, “One often overlooked value of children is that they constitute the future political constituency, and their attention or vote – which is ultimately based more on a foundation of personal experience than rational decision making- is not guaranteed.” I believe that, deep down, adults are no different than children, but post-enlightenment white western culture still entertains an outdated notion of the total primacy of objectivity that forces adults to maintain a façade of rationality and to justify their personal experience or else face criticism. This façade can easily be broken down though by inducing just a little bit of child-like curiosity and fascination. One song that comes to mind when I am interpreting nature is John Mayer’s “Belief” where he sings, “Is there anyone who/Ever remembers changing your mind from/The paint on a sign/Is there anyone who really recalls/Ever breaking rank at all/For something someone yelled real loud one time.” My responsibility as a nature interpreter is to not be a political crusader, because this will only reach those who are already convinced of the necessity of protecting Mother Earth. Instead, it is to initiate and guide people on their own journey of rediscovering the quirks, intricacies, and child-like wonder nature has always provided, and only once they have gotten back in touch with this childhood to provide them with the rational knowledge they need to change their behaviours to live more sustainably and the narrative they need to organize their psyches and to demonstrate to others the joy that the Earth can provide. The other, and more important responsibility I have, is to elevate the voices of those who have always known, protected, and advocated for the irreplaceability of nature but have been marginalized, specifically the Indigenous populations in Canada. As a white person who grew up in Burlington and has always had easy access to protected nature spaces, it is easy to forget that those spaces were originally stewarded by the Indigenous people in this area before it was stolen from them, and their cultures and families were destroyed by systemic oppression and residential schools. I have both the time and monetary resources to fully enjoy nature while the ones who protected it for centuries are struggling to have clean water. The land around my house is covered by the “Dish with One Spoon” treaty, which explains how everyone who lives and works in this land eats from this same dish, and so we must only take our share and leave resources for others as well as maintain the integrity of the land for generations to come. This perfectly models sustainability and stewardship, and so this is the core structure for my approach to nature interpretation.

In summary, my personal ethic as a nature interpreter necessitates a responsibility to facilitate individuals’ rediscovery of nature and childhood, to model the Dish with One Spoon approach to stewardship and sustainability, to arm people with the scientific evidence and political narrative that can mobilize the working class to force change at the top of an unjustly hierarchical capitalist society, and to elevate the voices of the original stewards of Mother Nature who have been marginalized.

Thank you to everyone who has interacted with my blog over the course of the semester, I have truly enjoyed this class and the ability to read everyone’s unique perspective. I wish everyone the best as we finish the semester and likely our university careers!

[haenvs3000w22]

Hi Kiran!

I am glad to hear that my post really resonated with you! Concerts are the perfect example of being able to bring together such a wide range of people, one thing I am truly looking forward to going back to concerts as things with COVID start to calm down!

Hope you have a great week as well and good luck with the rest of the course :)

Hannah

Music as a Gateway To Nature

Where is music in nature? Where is nature in music?

The overarching similarity between nature and music is that these two things ground us in life. You can hear the music in nature from birds chirping, the calls of different animals and how the wind interacts with the surroundings. Many of these particular sounds are very calming and can centre you in the moment. Many people who are struggling to sleep will listen to nature sounds, whether that be rain, wind, or birds and other nature noises, to find a clear mind and tranquillity to sleep. Humans live such busy lives that they are often so disconnected from nature that these sounds can pull us in and help us find inner peace. Music in nature is beautiful and so expressive of many emotions without using any words, which truly allows for decompressing and moments of relaxation.

Nature plays such a central role in our lives, often without our realization. It is very often that motifs and symbolism are subconsciously pulled from aspects of nature. Part of being human is our connection to the environment and how its patterns have dictated our lives for so long, and only recently has the power of nature being able to be ignored in our everyday lives. When we think of beautiful metaphors, they often refer to aspects of nature as its beauty and mystery are unmatched. Only recently, in respect to human history, have lunar cycles and other parts of nature not been the cornerstones of societies and how they are run. I believe that the introduction of music has aided in grounding human emotion alongside the help of nature.

One particular album that grounds me is A song for every moon by Bruno Major. This album has a lot of beautiful comparisons to love and nature; this unique album holds a lot of sentimental value for me as it was what I was listening to with my boyfriend when I realized I was in love with him. Nature provides an ideal gateway for perspective and an ability to see things in a manner we have never seen before. Music is a beautiful medium that can capture these life-altering moments. Listening to the songs in this album gives me the same peace and joy I experience when hiking in a beautiful landscape. We as humans love to find connections, and I believe the most longstanding relationships come through feelings of love, peace and tranquillity. Music can encapsulate these feelings and emotions and translate them to experience nature in a whole new way.

Music can connect multiple people who don’t speak the same languages as nature can. A beautiful flower or song can be interpreted and loved by every individual uniquely, which deepens the connections we have with each other.

A song for every moon - Bruno Major

[haenvs3000w22]

Hi Brooke,

I really connected with your post this week, similarly to you before this weeks prompt I did not think too much of how nature is connected to music and vice versa. Your section on how flight of the bumble bee made me reflect on the true sharpness and power that song holds. I also really enjoyed where you spoke on how music can remind us of simply times and bring back such great memories. I believe that nature and music are perfect gateways for memories and connecting us to feelings of joy and tranquillity. One thing I realized with this weeks blog post is how much nature symbolism there is in music without even realizing. Often in songs beauty is compared to sunsets and experiences of freedom is connected to nature motifs as well. I believe nature plays such a integral part of our lives without us being able to fully comprehend the impact it has on our life experiences and perceptions. 

Take me home country roads is the perfect camp song and one of my favourites as well, another super fun camp song is stand by me, we used to sing that one all the time at my cottage!

I really enjoyed your post this week and look forward to seeing more of your posts in the future. Good luck with the remainder of the course!

Hannah

Nature in music and vice versa.

Where is music in nature? Where is nature in music?

Trying to answer and brainstorm for this blog prompt led to me going for a walk today.

And I just simply listened.

The gusts of winds had me thinking of how they can produce music themselves. Either with breezes passing through a windchime clinking the small metal beams together to produce a tune or when gusts of wind encounter tight crevasses between trees and their branches creating harmonies and whistles.

Going on the walk allowed me to reconnect with nature almost again as I go through a cycle of perhaps not experiencing its full beauty during all of the seasons.

Yet as the days go by and the snow melts, I find myself waking up to the birds chirping outside my window – which is a way better alarm than the one on my phone.

It is almost like nature is warming up its lungs from the frost and singing to tell us spring is coming.

I especially enjoyed the video of how Ben Mirin was able to take clips of creeks and cracks from nature that may sometimes go unnoticed or underpraised and made it into something beautiful that we can all enjoy. It makes you sit back and reflect on how amazing nature is and the sounds and enjoyment we can gain from it.

Back in grade 8, I remember how our music teacher would make us listen to songs. Our heads down, eyes closed, lights off, and just simply listen and think about how it made us feel or imagine. This one particular piece by Rimsky Korsakov called the “Flight of the Bumblebee” stuck out to me. Not just because it is an amazing piece of art and I cannot wrap my head around how the orchestra can play it so fast.

But because when listening I was envisioning these little bumblebees busy working in a radiant field of flowers passing on pollen to the next lucky blossom. This piece had a way of making me appreciate the tireless work of their colonies buzzing around, supporting our ecosystem.

So with that, thank you bees and thank you Rimsky.

When thinking of songs that bring me back to nature landscapes, I think of my outdoor education trip and the video my teacher made us for at the end of the semester. It was filled with little snippets of us canoeing, hiking, and laughing around the campfire. The song in the montage was “Sleep on the floor” by the Lumineers. It brings this feeling of simplicity and how we can just enjoy ourselves in the little things like laying under the stars, where there is no light to pollute the sky.

In the video, it cut to all of us around the fire singing “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver. A classic tune that talks about the beauty of the landscapes that we pass, and the places that we belong to.

That’s all from me for today, what are your favourite campfire songs to sing or play?

[haenvs3000w22]

Music as a Gateway To Nature

Where is music in nature? Where is nature in music?

The overarching similarity between nature and music is that these two things ground us in life. You can hear the music in nature from birds chirping, the calls of different animals and how the wind interacts with the surroundings. Many of these particular sounds are very calming and can centre you in the moment. Many people who are struggling to sleep will listen to nature sounds, whether that be rain, wind, or birds and other nature noises, to find a clear mind and tranquillity to sleep. Humans live such busy lives that they are often so disconnected from nature that these sounds can pull us in and help us find inner peace. Music in nature is beautiful and so expressive of many emotions without using any words, which truly allows for decompressing and moments of relaxation.

Nature plays such a central role in our lives, often without our realization. It is very often that motifs and symbolism are subconsciously pulled from aspects of nature. Part of being human is our connection to the environment and how its patterns have dictated our lives for so long, and only recently has the power of nature being able to be ignored in our everyday lives. When we think of beautiful metaphors, they often refer to aspects of nature as its beauty and mystery are unmatched. Only recently, in respect to human history, have lunar cycles and other parts of nature not been the cornerstones of societies and how they are run. I believe that the introduction of music has aided in grounding human emotion alongside the help of nature.

One particular album that grounds me is A song for every moon by Bruno Major. This album has a lot of beautiful comparisons to love and nature; this unique album holds a lot of sentimental value for me as it was what I was listening to with my boyfriend when I realized I was in love with him. Nature provides an ideal gateway for perspective and an ability to see things in a manner we have never seen before. Music is a beautiful medium that can capture these life-altering moments. Listening to the songs in this album gives me the same peace and joy I experience when hiking in a beautiful landscape. We as humans love to find connections, and I believe the most longstanding relationships come through feelings of love, peace and tranquillity. Music can encapsulate these feelings and emotions and translate them to experience nature in a whole new way.

Music can connect multiple people who don’t speak the same languages as nature can. A beautiful flower or song can be interpreted and loved by every individual uniquely, which deepens the connections we have with each other.

A song for every moon - Bruno Major

[haenvs3000w22]

Hi Giuli!

I really enjoyed reading your post this week! I completely agree that the opinions of the indigenous peoples is the most important part of keeping the integrity of land acknowledgements. When acknowledging the land it would be a misrepresentation without the input of the indigenous as their legends and practices are what have shaped those lands that are so often forgotten. The way the indigenous people and their lands have been treated in the past is horrendous and I agree that including them helps with mending the relationships but there is still so much more that we need to do to help restore the relationships. Overall this was a really good posts and I look forward to reading more of your posts in the future. Good luck with the rest of the course!

Hannah

History and Indigenous Communities-Blog 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

This quote is very important as it explains that history is essential as it explains our present and our future. This quote reminds me of the saying 

History has a tendency to repeat itself

-Unknown

as when a train comes to a railway station it leaves and returns again along the same track, it might be facing a different way or look a little different than when it first arrived but it is nonetheless the same. 

I also believe this quote explains that we need to constantly remind ourselves of important events in history, when we put the events together we will see that these have merit and we can learn from our mistakes. 

As nature interpreters there is a certain emphasis they must place on history because in order to understand our current environment we must first understand its history. I believe that nature interpreters must acknowledge the history of the land and in order to do this we must give respect to the indigenous people of the land the program is taking place on. 

More and more people are giving this respect by stating a land acknowledgement in ceremonies and events. This is a great start as it acknowledges the history of the land and keeps the history’s integrity. However, as interpreters we must do more when explaining and acknowledging the history of the land. I believe we need to include indigenous people when discussing the history of the land we are hosting the program on. They have more knowledge about the land and it is indeed their story to tell. It would also ensure that those in the program get the best information and experience possible. This also offers them a different way to reflect on this event and ask specific questions that the interpreter might not be able to answer. We need to work together with local indigenous communities to provide a full experience to the clients. 

When we include indigenous communities, we restore the integrity in the land as well as their history. They may be able to explain the medicinal properties of plants in the area as well as how we should treat the environment or give their perspective on climate change. They have a different perspective on nature and I believe many people could learn from what they have to say.

The Nature Blog,

Giuli

[haenvs3000w22]

The Story Nature Tells

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)

When thinking about this week's blog prompt, it made me feel conflicted. Though I agree the merit an object holds lies in its nuances, I find it difficult to accept that there is no merit in the thing merely existing itself. Though an Ice core map shows lots of information on carbon levels over the past, that ice that nature provides is not meaningless in the absence of the information it gives us. Ice and water work in beautiful homeostasis, and whether we can identify and quantify this relationship does not diminish the value it holds. Although we can understand the scientific importance of how aquatic systems work, the organisms inhabiting these systems do not have this same ability, but that does take away the merit of the ice or water to them. I feel we can apply the same logic to an ancient tree. Just because we can understand the deeper and more nuanced connections with this tree, the tree does not lose its value as soon as humans do not recognize or quantify it. 

What I do resonate with and value in this quote is that believing that the past is done is a downfall that we fall into. The past shapes everything we do, say and feel. Just because things evolve and change does not mean the imprints of the past do not still live in what has developed. As a society, organisms and nature evolved, the building blocks still live within them. To think the past does not affect how we continue to live our lives today is how we repeat the same mistakes we have made in the past. Without recognizing the beauty and the errors of the past environments we used to live in, we will not grow into a newer, more beautiful space. 

Overall I believe that the nuances may contribute to the merit of history, that does not mean there is only merit if the nuances are present. From this quote, I'm reminded of how history shapes our future and how we need to handle that with care to create better environments for our future.

Hannah

[haenvs3000w22]

Hi Jill!

I really enjoyed your post this week! I too really connect and like to explore myself through photography! Do you play around with the editing aspects of your pictures at all? because they are beautiful, you either have an amazing neck for photography and a great camera or have an excellent eye for photo editing!

One reason why I really connected with your post is I have also climbed cascade mountain, my first attempt being in 2020 so your post Brough back a lot of fond memories! Your photos are super interesting and I look forward to seeing more of your post in the future. Good luck with the remainder of the course!

Hannah

Hellllooo ENVS folks, 

Due to the freedom of this weeks blog, I wanted to add a “photo blog” so you guys can get to know me more and to see the things I enjoy doing!

Top picture: Backcountry camping trip of the Rockwall in Kootenay National Park (2020).

Second to the top: Hiking up Cascade Mountain (Banff, 2020).

Third to the top: Bugaboo Glacier from Applebee Dome Campground, BC (2021).

Third to bottom: Myself trail running somewhere in the mountains ! (2021)

Last two pictures: Myself and my good friend Katelynn on some amazing backcountry trips to the Bugaboos & Assiniboine Provincial Parks (2021)

[haenvs3000w22]

Beautiful Landscapes and Fluffy Friends

I have decided to take the opportunity of this week's free topic week to talk about what motivates me the most in my connections to nature. When it comes to travelling, the areas that I am driven to see the most are the ones that are known for their beautiful landscapes. To me, a beautiful landscape is the most rewarding after a long hike up a mountain. When you feel the accomplishment of completing an extensive physical task, it adds another level to the beauty of nature. Standing at the top of a mountain gives you immense perspective on how beautiful the world we get to live in is. I have a personal bias for the most beauty existing in the western provinces as I spent lots of time with family out there, so the beauty has more than surface-level value. Nature has this beautiful way of connecting you with friends and family as there is always an aspect that everyone you are with can relate to and appreciate. When you get to the top of a mountain with a group of friends or family, you are all sharing this unified experience that connects you closer to nature and each other

Another primary motivator to connect me to nature is my pets and my friend's pets. The unfiltered joy that our pets experience sparks so much joy within me. I find it provides me with a new perspective, as I can get so caught up in all the tiny aspects of life being out in the snow or a new park with my dog reminds me of all the small things there are to be grateful for in life. I feel there are so many lessons that we can learn from our pets and how they interact with nature they can indulge without overtaking, and that is a lesson that I think everyone can connect to. Going on walks with my dog allows me to disconnect from the stressful aspects of my life and recenter. Stopping and allowing her to experience the different smells at the park and play with her friends (corgi's her favourite) reminds me of how we are so similar without communicating with each other directly. When we share these experiences, it makes me so grateful that I have the privilege of having a pet who loves me so much and that I can allow her to explore her love for nature as well.

Hannah

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Interpreting Nature through Art

Who am I to interpret nature through art?

When I first thought about this question, I started thinking about what credentials I have to critique art, and I am not artistically inclined at all, so it made me really think about "who am I to interpret nature through art? I know nothing about art." The more I thought about it, the more I realized that being human allows me to connect with nature through different art forms. I do not have to be the best artist or know the most about that specific biological interaction to connect with nature through various art mediums.

A passage that really stuck out to me in the textbook was "taking a picture is capturing a snapshot in time" (Beck et al., 2018). As someone who cannot express themselves through painting or sculpting, I can express my love and connection to nature through photography. This statement really stuck out to me because it looks different as someone who travels out to Banff, Alberta, almost every summer to visit family every year. Some years when we go, the air is nice and clear, and views are excellent, but in other years like this past summer, due to forest fires, you can barely see the tips of the mountains when you are in town. In the years when the air quality is low, I find being awestruck by nature in a different way, I find myself focussing more on the actual trails we are walking and less on the mountains and the views, and it allows me to appreciate the area through a whole new lens. When taking photos every summer, I travel there; it allows me to collect these snapshots of the places we visit every year and see how it has changed and stayed the same year after year. Photography is a beautiful medium as it can capture the diversity and beauty of an exact moment and very accurately represent it.

As someone who can not paint or create in the same ways that others can, when people I care about share these talents with me, I can experience nature in a whole other way. As nature photography is not a super interpretive medium where personal emotion shines through, I can see people's emotional connections to specific areas through their paintings. For example, my boyfriend is a fantastic painter and can capture the sites we have been together differently than I do when taking a photo of the same area. His medium allows the artist to adjust and focus on shadings and colouring to depict particular emotions. Experiencing the same memories through different mediums allows me to connect differently when looking at the pictures I have taken; I see the diversity and am entranced with the beauty and power held by the environment. When I look at his paintings, I still see the beauty of the environment, but I can also feel connected to how he was feeling in the moment. Sharing this way allows multiple levels of connection to nature that I would have not experienced with just my photography.

Sunwapta falls, Albeta (2021)

Sunwapta Falls, Alberta (2020)

How do I interpret the gift of beauty?

The gift of beauty is subjective and is found in everyone and everything. Beauty has a different meaning to everyone and can also hold many other purposes. You can find beauty in the smallest, daintiest flower while describing the world's largest, most powerful waterfalls as beautiful as well. Beauty is a truly subjective concept, and in my opinion, everything has beauty in one form or another. I think nature is the perfect example of how diverse people view beauty. Some find the most beauty in forests, others in the water, and some people find animals and their surroundings to be the most beautiful things on the planet. These environmental characteristics have immense beauty, but our own specific lens is that we declare to be the most beautiful. The same principles can be applied to everything in life; while what we appreciate in beauty may not be present in everything that we see, that does not mean what we are witnessing lacks beauty.  

Work Cited:

Reference: Beck, L., Cable, T.T. and Knudson, D.M. Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage For a Better World. Sagamore Venture Publishing. 2018.

Hannah

[haenvs3000w22]

Wow! This was such an amazing blog post!

I was able to resonate with almost every word written in this blog post, I am also not gifted in terms of artistic abilities I am more so able to express myself through words and photography. When considering the gift of beauty I believe that nature is an all encompassing representation of beauty being subjective; where some people gravitate towards forests and mountains, others the ocean and waterfalls and to many seeing beauty through animals not everyone has the idea of what the most beautiful aspect of our world is but they are able to see beauty and be connected to nature in one way or another. 

Your statements about photography also struck a strong cord with me as some do not see photography to be an art form I believe it to be the most accurate representation of art we have in the moment. Being able to take a moment and display its beauty in the most raw and true form and be able to speak to many individuals with one single moment is a very special gift. Not only does photography have the ability to share a moment with a wide range of people it simultaneously preserves that forest, waterfall, animal etc for many years to come so the impact of its beauty is everlasting!

Again I really enjoyed your blog post and look forward to interacting with you and reading more of your posts in the future, best of luck with the remainder of the course!

Hannah

Blog 4: Interpreting Nature Through Art:

When I thought about the question “who are you to interpret nature through art?” It took me a while to answer. I am not artistically gifted and so I have never been able to capture the beauty of art through drawing, painting or sculpting. For many people it is difficult to truly gravitate towards art and to be able to express themselves through art, me being one of them. I struggle to find a deeper meaning to art pieces when visiting art galleries and museums. However, I believe that we all just need to find a connection to art in our own ways and that can help us strengthen our connection to nature because nature is art. Interpreting nature through art does not necessarily mean being able to find the deeper meaning or micro-analyzing a piece of art; it could simply be appreciating how that piece of art was able to capture the beauty of nature.

When considering how I interpret the "gift of beauty," I had to acknowledge that beauty is subjective. If I find something beautiful it does not necessarily mean that other people will share my sentiment. “The gift of beauty” is when your art, whether that be a photograph, painting or piece of music, touches the heart of your audience. Your art becomes their safe space and it is something memorable for them. Sometimes the viewer needs more encouragement or knowledge to properly appreciate the beauty and depth of your art, and other times it is "love at first sight". Our responsibility as nature interpreters is to make our audience “feel” something.

How I interpret the “gift of beauty” is through photography. I love taking photos which is why when reading the textbook the line “taking a picture is capturing a snapshot in time” really resonated with me (Beck et al. 2018). Some claim that photography isn't actually art, but I disagree because the pictures photographers take are able to capture nature in a unique state that it will never be in again. Every sunset is different and every tree tells a different story. Being able to capture all of this is a skill and is also a form of art. Interpreting nature through art goes beyond words and employs a variety of mediums, including paintings, pictures, and music, to express information that words by themselves can't convey (Beck et a;. 2018).

Here are some of my favourite photographs that I have taken over the years on my adventures.

I find it amazing that I can capture the beauty of a sunset, the tranquillity of a lake, and the magnificence of a tree just by a click of my finger. By simply glancing at that photograph again at a later time, I am able to relive the same feelings I had while taking the picture. I can share these beautiful moments with other people and encourage them to also appreciate the beauty of nature through photographs. Being able to share these photos on social media for my friends and followers to see and enjoy makes this a form of interpreting nature. Whether we are sharing our photographs/ paintings or our knowledge about nature, the ultimate goal for us is to help individuals in appreciating the beauty of their environment, regardless of where they are, and instilling in them the importance of conservation (Beck et al. 2018). If people are able to recognize the beauty of the world around us it will encourage them to do everything they can to protect the world from harm.

Work Cited:

Reference: Beck, L., Cable, T.T. and Knudson, D.M. Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage For a Better World. Sagamore Venture Publishing. 2018.

[haenvs3000w22]

Privilege In Nature

My working definition of privilege is: Privilege is an advantage that a individual or group of people have that is held at birth or an advantage that was not earned. 

I personally believe that privilege plays a large role in nature interpretation as not everyone has the same opportunities or encouragement to connect with nature as others. Thinking about my own personal invisible backpack I grew up in an upper middle class, white, English speaking home with loving and supportive parents. Coming to university and connecting with more people who did not have the same experiences as me even in their elementary and high schools as I did all come from a point of privilege as attending schools in Burlington and Oakville resulted in higher funding from school boards.

Another large part of interpreting nature is having the opportunities to experience nature in ways that you do not get to see in your everyday life. As a person who has emended privilege I was able to experience different environments through family vacations and fall in love with the diversity of the world and everything it has to offer. My love for being connected to nature started with family trips up to cottages, seeing different oceans and tropical areas as well as travelling out west and climbing mountains. Someone who was not exposed to all of these experiences may not find their love for nature the same way I did by being able to see everything it has to offer. 

Opportunity risk is also a large contributor to being able to connect with nature and experience it in certain ways. As someone who can afford to travel for the physical trip to connect with nature they may not be able to afford the time off work or away from home etc. As many people in this class have experienced their “aha” moments with nature in the process of travelling it can play an emended role in how an individuals paradigm can shift about the earth and nature itself. Without having the time or access to all the different areas and opportunities to see and experience nature it is very easy for someone to oversee all of the small things the world has to offer without that ability to disconnect as the circumstances they have do not allow for it. 

I believe my role as a nature interpreter is to work on making nature more accessible to everyone. Nature is boundlessly beautiful and powerful and it is so easy to look it over when living a busy lifestyle. By having more parks and green spaces incorporated into all aspects of urban planning it makes these small moments of connecting with the earth much more accessible for everyone and privilege will not have to play such a big role in the ability to connect with each other through the environment. 

Hannah

[haenvs3000w22]

Hey Tamia!

I really enjoyed your post and it this week and it especially caught my eye. What stood out to me specifically was your discovering of the different learning styles and techniques through this course. Part of our time in high school we all had to take tests to figure out what type of learner we are, during this time was when I learned that I am a very predominant auditory learner. Through this information I was able to understand how school for me as an auditory learner may be much easier than for someone who is a tactile learner. While I was in high school I also had a part-time job working at McDonald's in my time working there in I became a shift manager and part of our training was learning how to coach and train people with different learning styles while also figuring out different people’s motivational styles as well. This was an eye opening experience for me as a teen learning how different everyone is as it is so easy to assume what motivates you is what also motivates other people the same way we often do with learning. If figuring out your learning style was interesting finding out whether your motivation style is intrisinic, extrinsic, introjected or extroverted may also provide another eye opening experience for you! I really enjoyed your post and am looking forward to interacting with you more, good luck with the rest of the course!

Hannah

BLOG POST 2  Nature & Beyond

I never thought too much about what type of learner I was but trying to put together this blog has proven that taking my thoughts and transforming them into words is much more difficult for me than just speaking. The lecture this week, on discovering the different ways to learn, left me pondering how many times I might have stopped pursuing a hobby or dropped out of a course because I didn’t attempt a new way of learning. The class seemed to overall agree that the three major factors that impact the way they learn were: visuals, examples, and a quiet environment. This is a great example of how everyone takes in information differently, since each of those represent either a visual, auditory, or tactile learning style. Personally, these different “needs” seemed very reasonable to me - one didn’t seem more important in grasping information than the other – and my results from the learning style quiz support this: 40% visual, 30% auditory, and 30% tactile. Where I expected there to be an obvious majority, it seems that I don’t have one specific type of learning style, and I was surprised by the amount of confidence that these results gave me.

- I try not to take many pictures when I am out in nature so I connect better, but the colors of this surrounding were incredible. I enjoy looking at this and seeing the way all the different elements connect and work with one another.

Growing up, I was always very aware of language barriers, and it bothered me that I could miss out on having a relationship with an entire person just because we simply, literally, couldn’t understand each other. Thinking about my future as an environmental interpreter, I think having a balanced understanding of the various learning styles will allow me to communicate well with others, for example using visual and tactile skills to teach even with an auditory barrier. It is important when trying to teach others information that we are understanding our audience may learn differently because it shows that we empathize and care about their knowledge, which in turn will want them to learn. When it comes to the future of our planet there is so much debate, especially online, because no one is taking the time to stop and interpret their information to someone in a way that they would be able to understand it. Instead of taking the time to explain to someone who doesn’t believe in climate change that it is an important and urgent situation, a lot of people get angry at the misunderstanding because they assume everyone should be learning the same way they do. I think the skills that everyone would need to fulfill the role of an environmental entrepreneur is to allow themselves the space to grow in the ways they struggle with learning - the better we hone these the easier it is for us to share our knowledge with people of all different learning styles. The most important part in being a steward of the planet and to working towards a better future is understanding that the task can’t be done alone, and everyone should have the chance to be properly taught about why our environment is so important for the survival of our generations to come. Instead of wanting to exclude people we consider ignorant, we should be aiming to understand, educate, and teach in order to allow our society to prosper and empathize with one another.

- My view on the sea bus in Vancouver, BC looking towards North Vancouver (no those are not UFOS, just reflected lights unfortunately) 

If it hasn’t become obvious yet, my passion is the environment and everything and everyone on it. We are beginning to lose our touch with the natural world as a species, and this leads to a dangers path where people might believe that technology is all we need to survive. My passion is to change the minds of people like this, to stop the collective thought that the only way people can be happy is to go to school, get a good paying job, have kids, and that’s all. The way I feel when I stand beside a large or small body of water, the rush of excitement I get when I’m walking in a forest and the sun in slowly setting, the giddiness I felt as a kid when I would feed chipmunks and racoons with my grandparents, that is what I believe will continue us forward as an empathetic society. Everyone who is reading this and who is in this course I know feel the same way, that there is something so beautiful about this earth and to be so grateful to get to interact with nature every day. This is a hard thing to explain to someone when they ask you about your future career – how do I tell people what I really want in life is to make people happy again with their relationship with the environment? Immediately I feel like I would be met with complaints of how that “isn’t a real job”, and I guess it isn’t, it’s a vocation, and this course along with others is how I plan on achieving that. I’m not 100% sure where this will have me end up in the future, but I know that as long as I am working towards making sure the environment strives with the help of humanity then I am in the right direction.

- Took the Via Rail to get to Vancouver, one of the stops along the way. Instead of staying at the waiting area curiosity got the best of me and I decided to explore. I’m glad I didn’t sit still. 

[haenvs3000w22]

My Role as a Nature Interpreter

“Some people choose to see the ugliness in this world, the disarray. I choose to see the beauty. To believe there is an order to our days. A purpose”

This quote is pulled from the HBO series WestWorld the context of this quote in the show has much more philosophical meaning towards what it means to be human and have humanity. I believe beauty and purpose come from nature and how we can interact with it. One of the most human experiences is when you are in a moment only connection between you and the vast beauty and power that nature holds. The moments where I experience nature in its most powerful forms are when I can step back and think about how interconnected everything is and how important the balance of nature is to sustain all life on earth. My role as a nature interpreter is to see beauty in a world of disarray and share that beauty with others.

One aspect of nature that moves the most is climbing a mountain and seeing the vast diversity that nature holds. I feel this same sense of overwhelming power and beauty standing on the beach, looking out to the ocean. In these moments, it is easy to be reconnected with the purest forms of joy and find the most humanity and interconnectedness of the world

Moraine Lake, Alberta

Miami Beach, Florida

As a fourth-year student, my aspirations when I am completed my biological science degree is to move out to B.C and work for Parks Canada in Nature Reservation. Part of my role as an interpreter is to ensure that the beauty of this world is maintained for many more generations to follow so the same peace and joy that I feel when connected to nature can have the same impact on many more to follow. Working directly with the preservation of nature and being connected to the most powerful aspects of our ecosystem will further drive my passion for sharing the beauty of Canada and the world.

Because of my connection to the beauty of nature and what beauty and power it holds while providing order to all aspects of life, I believe that it is my responsibility as a nature interpreter to preserve the beauty it has for future generations.

Hannah