For the last day of Environment Week, we’re encouraging everyone to get outside and experience nature! We have two community profiles today, featuring local Lethbridgians who spend as much of their free time outside as possible.
Walking the Talk: 5 Questions with David Scott
David Scott is someone who spends a lot of time outside. He shares his experience as a local birder and naturalist.
1. Tell me how birding/getting outside/being in nature fits into your life? Wherever I am, provided I’m outside or have a window to the outdoors, I’m birding. Birders always reserve part of their brain to monitor what birds are around! But I typically engage in birding and spending time outdoors more generally as an enjoyable pastime. These have to be balanced with family life and my work as a librarian at the University of Lethbridge. That said, I’m grateful to have a house that backs onto a park (if you’ve never visited Sunridge Park, I definitely recommend it), and the university campus has some great habitat, so I’m able to get out and enjoy nature even during short breaks. When I have more time at my disposal, it’s great to go further afield to see what I can find.
2. How and why did you get started? I’ve always appreciated the outdoors, and growing up in northern Ontario, I was never far from what most would consider wilderness. Camping trips to Manitoulin Island, among other destinations, are treasured memories. In 2006, I bought a digital camera with decent built-in zoom and decided to snap some photos of birds visiting my folks’ feeders and then identify them using an old field guide. American Goldfinches, Purple Finches, and Evening Grosbeaks got my attention. Within a couple of days, I decided to go for a walk to see what I could find. In time, walks turned to bike rides, drives, and flights. I became involved with the local ornithological society and haven’t looked back. When I moved to southern Alberta in 2015, I learned to love the birds of the prairies and mountains as I did those of the boreal forest.
3. What has been your biggest challenge? There is always more to learn, and lately, I’ve been trying to become more familiar with the plants and invertebrates that are an important part of birds’ lives. This has been a fun challenge. In terms of challenges that are decidedly less fun, I’d say watching birds and bird populations struggle against (primarily human-induced) pressures is hard. We do what we can, but there remains too little action to really turn things around to date.
4. What’s your best tip for someone who is new to birding or other nature appreciation activities? I’d advise new birders to take one bird at a time, enjoy it, and not get overwhelmed. Also, find others who share the same interest! It’s amazing how much one can find by just getting outside and paying attention.
5. What’s one wish you have for Lethbridge when it comes to conserving nature? Can I give two? First, Sunridge Park was developed to provide good habitat with native plants, and almost 20 years later, it’s a beautiful oasis where I’ve now tallied over 150 bird species. I’d like to see more parks like this. Large areas of manicured grass make for poor habitat. We’d do well to do away with more lawns and replace them with native plants, both on public and private land. Second, and relatedly, it’s disappointing that we live on the prairies and yet have to drive significant distances to access more than small pockets of native grassland. I recognize that cropland and other development is important to our economy and food supply; however, grasslands are seriously threatened, as are the birds and other living things that comprise them. We can’t lose what native prairie remains, and we should better appreciate what we do have. We tend to flock to the mountains and badlands to experience the outdoors, and understandably so. But native grasslands are likewise beautiful, and I’d encourage anyone who hasn’t spent a spring or summer morning in native prairie to do so. It’s wonderful!
Thanks, David!
Walking the Talk: 5 Questions with Jocelyn Rawleigh
Our second Q&A is with local naturalist Jocelyn Rawleigh.
1. Tell me how getting outside/being in nature fits into your life? Fortunately, my personal and work life center around going outside! I often can be found exploring southern Alberta with my binoculars in hand. As a Helen Schuler Nature Centre employee, all the nature adventures I partake in, directly supports my role there. What a dream! Come and say hi!
2. How and why did you get started? It all started with building curiosity in exploration. Classically, I grew up on a small farm in rolling-coulees-Southern-Alberta, where my dog and I would venture out finding frogs, baby rabbits, and the many, lone, cold eggs that undoubtedly rolled into the dugout long before I found them. I insisted on incubating them on a heating pad, but to no avail.When the time came to choose my own educational path, I knew that environmental work was where my heart felt at home. This is where I took a deep dive into our local flora and fauna and my love for the prairies grew. Fast forward to this past year when I began to explore birds. It was another way to connect to nature. Birds here, birds there, and before I knew it, I became an avid birder. It is funny how that sneaks up on you.
3. What has been your biggest challenge? To remember it all. It is a big world out there! There are a lot of birds. Haha! In all honesty, to see such inherent worth in something, but ultimately, it being devalued and degraded due to our own selfish, human desires can be quite demoralizing.
4. What’s your best tip for someone who is new to birding/nature appreciation/hiking? Just start. Start going outside. Start exploring unfamiliar places. Start asking questions. You do not have to know everything. It will come piece by piece.
Slow down and be truly present with the natural world. If your mind is too busy with thoughts about the past and future, then you will not be able to experience nature even if it is right in front of you. Also, do not be afraid to reach out to local experts. They usually enjoy sharing their wealth of knowledge and are a realHOOT!
5. What’s one wish you have for Lethbridge when it comes to conserving nature? My hope is that protecting the environment will not be constantly trumped by economic development. A city that values the natural environment and prioritizes sustainability, biodiversity, and green initiatives.
Thanks, Jocelyn!
Do: Spend the afternoon at Nature Play Fest! It’s free!
Visit: Check out the downloadable guides for local birds, wildlife, plants and more at the Helen Schuler Nature Centre!
Share: Take a pic of your outdoor experiences this week and tag us on social media!
Thank you to everyone who participated in Environment Week activities this year. We’d like to challenge everyone to pick one or two activities that you tried and carry them through the year. Stay green!