“What’s important is that children have an opportunity to bond with the natural world, to learn to love it, before being asked to heal its wounds.”
—David Sobel, Beyond Ecophobia

Nurturing young people to internalize a deep sense of wonder and connection with Nature is paramount if future generations are to thrive. Jessica Adams takes up this joyful quest with great enthusiasm. I asked her about her educational work and her commitment to make a difference for many Nature-deprived children.

Jessica, can you tell our readers how your childhood influenced your present work?

I was fortunate to grow up with family members who shared their curiosity and appreciation for the natural world. My parents kept close watch on the visitors to our bird feeder, monitored and recorded when migrant species returned, and would marvel at the chorus of frogs that erupted each spring and the curious winnowing of the Wilson’s Snipe as it performed its aerial display over the field in front of our house. Appreciating Nature for its beauty and brilliance was a part of life.

I also had an incredible natural setting to my childhood. We moved to the Eastern Townships from Brossard when I was five. I had almost 20 acres of forest to explore behind the house, and neighbours who didn’t mind if I wandered onto their property to investigate different ecosystems or scout out some good climbing trees.

When my parents shared about Nature, I wasn’t always listening with rapt attention and I wasn’t always keen to head outside when my parents told me to. Sometimes I just wanted to do the easy thing—watch TV, for example. But most of the time they’d insist, so out I’d go (little brother usually in tow). Sometimes we would complain that there was “nothing to do” or that we were bored, but eventually we’d find something to do and get completely engrossed in it. As an adult, I’m incredibly grateful for these moments. Learning how to be in and curious about Nature happens very organically when given the opportunity. 

All of this meant that, when I was presented with the option to pursue university studies in either veterinary medicine or wildlife biology, the choice was obvious.

You write about Nature Nerding. What does it mean to be a Nature Nerd?

Completing my bachelor’s in Wildlife Biology brought me to the next level of nerdiness. I’d learnt so much and also gained a humbling appreciation for how much there was that I didn’t (and might never) know. I found this incredibly exciting. It meant that the opportunities for discovery were endless, and it also got me thinking that the wonder, awe and joy I experienced when learning about Nature were something I just had to share.

Working with Parc d’environnement naturel de Sutton enabled me to hone my identification and animation skills, but most importantly I found my voice as an educator and communicator. In developing and leading programs for various audiences, I found that I favoured an enquiry-based approach that involved using as many of the senses as possible as well as discussion with those who accompanied me. I realized that listing the names of the species I had learnt about in university wasn’t the most valuable thing I could impart to others. Most impactful of all was sharing my passion, piquing people’s curiosity, and teaching how to look and learn.

I view Nature Nerding as a lens that allows us to see the natural world from a different perspective, founded in insatiable curiosity and fervent enthusiasm for all life forms. I always say that going for a walk is never “just a walk.” It’s a process of expanding your awareness and opening yourself to the joy and wonder of noticing the world around you.

This noticing isn’t purely for the sake of interest, but is a way of cultivating a sense of connection and belonging. As we take more notice, suddenly Nature is no longer separate from us and it’s no longer an inanimate backdrop to our human existence, but rather a thriving, animated context where our life and the lives of so many other beings are taking place simultaneously and are inextricably linked.

Tell us about your current work at the Massawippi Foundation.

I had the pleasure of meeting the Massawippi Foundation as they were looking to develop their educational mandate. We piloted our first edition of the education program in 2022 with two classes from local schools. We now have nine schools (four English, five French) and 18 classes from grades 3 and 4 participating. Several teachers have been with us since the inaugural year and I am now the Education Program Coordinator.

The program is built on the premise “We protect what we love. We love what we know.” Over 300 students come to Scowen Park through the program, each class visiting for a two-hour outing each season. Outing themes reflect the seasons, providing learning opportunities that allow students to situate themselves in the unique multi-seasonal context of our region. The aim is to cultivate curiosity and wonder, encouraging careful observation using all the senses, and fostering mindfulness in our interactions with the natural world.

Having established meaningful relationships with many of the schools in the Massawippi watershed, we wish to continue cultivating those ties and our hope is to have a program for each level up to grade 6.

Can you tell us how these gatherings foster a newfound awareness of the children’s role as ambassadors for bringing about a closeness with Nature? 

The majority of the work I’ve been involved in has been with primary school children. These children go home after an outing or activity with us and share about their experiences.

It’s important that we recognize the impact and influence young children can have on their parents as they convey their excitement and wonder after spending time outdoors learning with their peers.

You have chosen not to encumber the young people who come on your programs with details of climate breakdown or biodiversity loss. What do you hope students will come away with through this positive approach?

When you study and work in any environment-related field it is impossible not to become painfully aware of the dire predicament we are in. I was lucky because my exposure to and understanding of this came at a time when I was old enough to digest such complex and alarming information. Even so, I have moments where I feel completely defeated…

I’ve found that in order to gain an appreciation for the magnitude and complexity of this environmental ordeal, it’s imperative that we zoom out and view the puzzle as a whole composed of many interconnected parts. I’ve also found that if I’m to do something with that overwhelming information, I have to zoom right back in and focus on one small piece. My chosen piece is education. More precisely, Nature education and connection. Most importantly, instilling a deep love and appreciation for the natural world of which we are very much a part.

I’m not saying that’s enough on its own. But I firmly believe it’s the key place to start as we go about cultivating a relationship with Nature. It takes something that can be overwhelming and boils it down to something so simple, so fundamental: love and belonging. I can’t think of a more solid foundation on which to construct our understanding of the world around us.

Do you believe that by being close with Nature, children will naturally become guardians of Nature?

It’s by no means a given that young people who have these formative experiences learning in and about Nature will go on to dedicate their lives to conservation. But I like to think that the seeds sown can influence values formed and choices made in many different ways.

If I were to envision a future where we succeed in repairing our fractured relationship with the natural world, I’d think of conservation not as a field in and of itself, but rather as a universal mindset. Regardless of whether every child impacted by a Nature-education experience becomes an advocate for conservation, perhaps these experiences will be part of creating an important shift in adopting respect and awareness for the environment as a universal shared value.

Naive? Perhaps. But at the very least, they’ve been exposed to the healthiest and most fundamental/sustaining relationship—that with Nature.

Tell us what adventures you have planned for this summer. I hear there’s something to do with mud!

I’ll be running WonderMud in collaboration with Meagan Patch. For the second summer in a row, we’re inviting children aged 5—12 to spend time outdoors moving, exploring and connecting with the land. We want to combine our love for Nature, agriculture and education in a way that strips away overplanning and overanimating and brings young people back to the basics. https://tinyurl.com/wondermud

https://www.facebook.com/nature.nerding
https://massawippi.org/