What do we mean when we say we envision a world awakened to the wonders of nature? For us at Vashon Nature Center, this vision is a central guiding principle inspiring how we take on, develop, and coordinate our programs. To grow a world awakened to the wonders of nature means reincorporating the skills our ancient brains knew well. Human evolution has relied on our species’ ability to observe the world around us with all of our senses to make critical decisions. Not long ago, the ability to see patterns, understand natural cycles and processes, and identify the community of diverse species around us was critical to our species success.
As a science-based organization, environmental monitoring and collecting data – counting and measuring – is a pivotal part of our work. However, it is not the essence of it. The essence is the power of coming together in community with youth, elders, experts, and novices.
The joy and wonder come while side-by-side, we slow down and begin to pay attention to simple pleasures that are all-too-often overlooked: the tranquility of a fall breeze bringing a shower of big leaf maple leaves down from the forest canopy while looking for salmon; the glimmer of the sun off the back of a mother seal as she and her calf surface alongside kayakers during a kelp survey; the incredible diversity of moss and lichen encountered while Trout Tracking; how the moss-laden trees and new Spring leaves create more shades of green than Crayola could ever produce; the giggle of a child as they experience a sea star, salamander, or the taste of huckleberry for the first time.
These experiences call us to be fully present in the moment. And during Vashon Nature Center programs, we are often also fully present in community. For, while we gather intent on collect monitoring data on salmon, trout, forage fish, kelp, shorelines or other topics; we accomplish much more than that. As Van Buren wrote in The Beauty of Everyday Moments (Finding Joy in the Mundane) “By practicing mindfulness, cultivating gratitude, and embracing the impermanence of life, we discover that the mundane is anything but ordinary. It is a composition of beauty waiting to be admired by those who choose to look closely.”
Restoring the health of the Salish Sea is a driving force behind our long-term monitoring and education programs. To achieve this on a large scale, data collected by volunteer community scientists informs policy and land management on local and state levels and with international partners throughout the Salish Sea. Through this process, community members and students are provided access to nature in a way that is different from what most experience in their everyday lives.
“Nature is not only nice to have, but it’s a have-to-have for physical health and cognitive functioning.” (source). When we come together to monitor the health of our island habitats and the species that rely on them, we also improve our health as individuals and as a community. A wealth of studies has demonstrated that nature experience is associated with psychological well-being including increased happiness and subjective well-being; positive social interactions, cohesion, and engagement; a sense of meaning and purpose in life; improved manageability of life tasks; improved cognitive function, memory and attention, impulse control, and students’ school performance, as well as imagination and creativity. (source)
Our programs nourish the emerging idea of collective hope; identifying a shared goal and providing opportunities to put energy towards being part of a solution in pursuing a world awakened to the wonders of nature! This is our vision and it is what gives us hope. “Hope is the belief that the future will be better than today, and that we have the power to make it so.” Dr. Chan Hellman.
With the advancement of technology associated with the dominant Western European worldview, many humans live an increasingly fast-paced, indoor lifestyle with diminished opportunities to slow down and connect with nature. A way of being that has contributed to the severance of human beings and the natural world. Over the last 200 years, most humans have moved away from following seasonal patterns, tracking moon cycles, and knowing the intricate connections between us and the life around us. At the Vashon Nature Center, we see nature as a balm for our species as we work to heal the systems and processes that support all life on our planet. By working in reciprocity with nature, we simultaneously heal nature and ourselves.
We have listened to community input and are pleased to share our newest program to advance our hope and vision of a world awakened to the wonders of nature. We are excited to be offering for the first time, a Naturalist Training on Vashon-Maury Islands to study the natural history of Puget Sound while exploring shorelines, terrestrial forests, ponds, streams, and underwater kelp forests. Learn about geology, weather and climate patterns, plants, animals, habitats, and our role as responsible stewards of nature. Each class is led by local scientists, experienced naturalists, or experts. Join us in 2025 for seven stand-alone classes or sign up for the entire session. Register here
Naturalists are curious, observant, inquisitive, patient, full of wonder, and respectful. They study patterns, connections, and cycles, often in a place (or places) near their homes where repetitive visits help evolve a sense of place influenced by personal experiences over time. A sense of place is a complex concept describing the relationship between people and the places they inhabit. It includes personal feelings, values, and beliefs associated with a particular location that combines memory, sensory impressions, and reasoning. A person’s sense of place informs the lens through which they experience and make meaning of their place in our world.
As Senegalese engineer and forest scientist, Baba Dioum stated, “In the end, we conserve only what we love, we love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.” We look forward to exploring naturalist skills together in this upcoming course as we follow our vision of a world awakened to the wonders of nature.
