FEATURE
Interpretation is Everywhere
The thing about interpretation is that it can sneak up on us. It really is everywhere. It could be in the sky at night or in the soil beneath our feet or even right in your own backyard. Forests, rivers, streambeds, ponds, and prairies are all amazing places to interpret, but we don’t have to stop ourselves there. Interpretation can be about nature, history, culture, art, science, and so many other things. It can be found in almost anything and it wants us to use it. It doesn’t even necessarily have to be to teach something. It could be to share a life story or a memory. I find myself doing this all of the time and I think it’s important for what we talk about to be relatable to the audience.
Working for the Forest Preserve District of Will County for the past three years has been a great learning experience. I work the front desk at Plum Creek Nature Center and although I do not have interpretive naturalist as my job title, I can say that I interpret nature every day. When I started working at Plum Creek Nature Center, I didn’t even know that the field of interpretation existed, outside of foreign language interpretation. Now I can’t imagine myself doing anything else with my life. I guess it’s a good thing that I like talking to people.
Because I work the front desk, people are always coming in and asking me questions about plants or animals that they have seen in their yard or here in the preserve. Many of them I can answer from experience. One example that comes to mind is when people come in with a picture of a snake that they saw out on the trail. If visitors were down by the pond, they usually see a Northern Water Snake, but we also have Fox Snakes in the preserve. For the questions I don’t know the answer to, I remind myself that it’s okay to not know the answer. It is better to know where to find the answer and to be able to show visitors where to find it, than it is to give people incorrect information.
I love being able to teach people things about the nature preserve that I work in and the things that I am passionate about. So many people are amazed that there is so much to see here. It has shown me that interpretation is everywhere, even in simple things. There is always more we can learn from what is around us, especially in the natural world. I know I learn something new every day just by working here.
I never thought I would be the person who takes out our Ball Python, Blue Tongued Skink, and Eastern Box Turtle so that visitors can see them more closely. I love doing this for our visitors though. It’s not something that people can experience just anywhere. Many people seem to be under the impression that reptiles are slimy or wet like amphibians are. People who don’t know much about reptiles are always surprised that their scales are dry. It’s a good learning experience and it shows one way that reptiles and amphibians are different.
Lilo enjoying some time outside. Photo by Rafael Munoz.
My favorite animal to take out for visitors is Penny the Ball Python. What is interesting about this is that before Penny, I had never really picked up a snake, at least not one that big anyway. I remember our program coordinator had asked me to get them out for his program and put them in the containers in the other room. I said sure and went to unlock their cages. It wasn’t until I got over there that I realized what I needed to do. Penny was great though and she had no problem with me picking her up. I was the only one that seemed nervous about the situation. The rest is history.
Lilo, our Eastern Box Turtle, is probably one of the fastest turtles you will ever meet. She moves around her enclosure like she is training for some sort of Olympic medal. She also thinks she should be a parkour master because she climbs everywhere. I often spend the day getting her out of predicaments that she gets herself into.
Bluey the Blue Tongued Skink is a bit of a pickle to get out of his cage. He doesn’t like to have his space invaded, which I can relate to. Once we get him out, though, he is great with kids and the other visitors.
I love seeing the look of wonderment on people’s faces, especially children, when they learn something new. Kids are like sponges when it comes to learning new things and it’s great when we can foster that. When kids learn something new, they often want to show it to other people. I think that is their way of providing their own interpretation. That makes me think that there is an interpreter in all of us, some of us just foster it a little more deeply than others.
One of the main things I love about interpretation is that it allows us to show people what we love about a particular topic. It helps them to learn more about it and to fall in love with it too. I think it allows us to have that deeper connection to the topic and with those who have come to hear our presentations.
Bluey enjoying some sunshine. Photo by Rafael Munoz.
LEFT: A Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly in front of Plum Creek Nature Center.
RIGHT: Penny posing with me for a selfie. Photos by Marissa Jones.
If you had asked me in college if I would be an interpretive naturalist someday, I would have told you that you’re crazy. I didn’t even know this position existed when I was in college to be honest, but if I had I don’t think I would have chosen it. Back then I wasn’t what you would call an outgoing person. Now the opposite is the case, and I think I owe that to my many years of customer service experience. The more you talk to people, the easier it gets, and you find people who are interested in many of the same things that you are.
Now I want to talk to everyone, and it’s hard to get me to stop once you have gotten me started. I actually think it’s a requirement in this field to have the gift to gab–at least that is the case with everyone that I work with. We can all talk for hours, I swear.
My first real experience with giving a presentation was to pass my Certified Interpretive Guide course for NAI. The instructors for my class were Tim Merriman and Lisa Brochu, who I am sure all of you reading this are very familiar with since they basically wrote the curriculum. I am not going to lie: I was a little intimidated when I realized who my instructors were, especially considering how new I was to the field of interpretation. Tim and Lisa are great though, and I am so glad that I was able to learn from them and get to know them, even if it was over a computer screen. I know that if I ever have a question, I can email either one of them.
I have had visitors say that they learn something new from me every time they come to the nature center. Other people have asked me what field my degree is in without me even telling them that I have one to begin with. Both of these types of occurrences have made me feel proud. It shows me that people can see that I am passionate about what I am doing and that I am knowledgeable about it.
The Big Bridge at Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve is a sight to see in the fall. Photo by Marissa Jones.
Trillium photographed at Raccoon Grove Nature Preserve. Photo by Marissa Jones.
One issue I have encountered with this field is being able to find a job as an interpretive naturalist without already having the experience. Sure, I have the certifications and the college education, but employers want you to have the experience of presenting already under your belt. So far, I have found that networking is a great tool to find opportunities to be able to present to local groups and organizations. This is something that I am doing to add those presentation experiences to my resume.
Something that I like to do for some of our children’s programs is to write stories. I guess you could say that writing is a form of interpretation that I have been doing since I was a teenager. I got the idea to write these stories because many of our kid’s programs include a story about the topic. I thought it made sense to write the stories myself. Interpretation is storytelling so I think it is a great way to show off my skills and to provide a unique story to our participants; one they haven’t heard before over and over again.
Another thing that I plan to do to gain more experience is to start my own YouTube channel. It would be a kid’s nature adventure channel that takes them outside to explore nature. So far, when watching YouTube with my son, I haven’t found anything like this, and I think it would be a good way for kids to enjoy screen time because it would make them want to go outside.
Someday I hope to be able to say that interpretive naturalist is my job title. I love working the front desk, but I want to teach people about the natural environment and encourage them to love it as much as I do. I am excited to one day be the one leading the programs and taking people out into the woods and out of their comfort zone. Nature is truly wonderful, and it is great for our health and our mental wellbeing. I want more people to know that and to be able to embrace it.
It may not always feel like it, but we all have a story to tell. Let’s just keep on doing what we are doing so the world can experience what we have to say.
