Let the interpreting begin!

If a human builds a cabin in the forest, is the forest still considered natural? If a farmer tears down a forest and grows corn, can the corn still be considered nature? If a community grows around the farming of corn, does nature lose its value to human culture?


Nature is a part of us, and we are invariably a part of nature. Our lives depend on its bounty, although few of us take the time to connect to those resources. Do we understand what nature is? Do we decide on what is natural? Does human involvement ever strip nature of being natural? How does nature affect the development or relevancy of human culture? There are so many questions to answer: the who's, what's, when's, where's, why's, and how's for every natural or cultural resource we encounter.


Every individual can come up with their own answers, but our solutions are merely a reflection of our own previous experiences, emotions, knowledge level, interests, and needs. But when a new resource is encountered, such as the giant redwoods of Muir Woods National Monument for an individual straight from the Mojave Desert, that person is generally inexperienced and unattached to the resource. This is where a resource interpreter, or some form of resource interpretation, becomes just as important as the questions that may be asked.


A resource interpreter - also called a Naturalist, Park Ranger, Park Guide, or plain Interpreter - is a knowledgeable person that connects an audience to a resource. They spark emotions, deliver knowledge, and provide experiences for technical and non-technical persons seeing, touching, smelling, tasting, or hearing a resource - from birds, to rocks, to weeds, to ancient or historical human sites, to the skyscrapers of today. Without a Naturalist or the words they write in brochures or information panels, our Mojave visitor may never feel connected to the ecological and cultural significance of Muir Woods.


Now, I am not a famous or a veteran-ed Naturalist. I am a recent college graduate that fell in love with resource interpretation by working as a Naturalist-in-training for a large regional park agency for the last three years, and I am now pursuing interpretation and environmental education as a career. While I connect a resource with the public on a regular basis, there is often a need for me to share things when the public is unavailable. And that is what this blog is about.


From the things in my backyard to the things in yours, I hope to be your backyard interpreter. Enjoy.


- Allison