Communication is central to the work of conservation and stewardship professionals who seek to influence the politicians, corporate leaders, and citizens making daily decisions that impact on the Earth. Writing skills in the Field Naturalist/Ecological Planning program are developed through deliberate curricular attention to the role writing plays in advancing and expressing ideas, insights, and information to a variety of audiences. Below is an outline of writing activities that Field Naturalists (FNs) and Ecological Planners (EPs) might expect.
Before Fall classes officially begin, first-year Field Naturalists and Ecological Planners spend a week "on the road" (in vans, streams, tents, woods, and cabins) with program faculty. The kick-off event for this exploratory week is an overnight writing retreat where students are introduced to strategies, techniques, and motivations for keeping a naturalist's journal throughout their two years in the program. During subsequent days on the road, students use journals to observe, remember, plan, reflect, and speculate about a variety of ecological issues in specific "place-based" settings in New England.
Click to see photos and description of recent Fairfield, VT, writing retreats.
Three different approaches to "putting nature on paper" are emphasized in this Fall semester course: technical/scientific writing, integrative writing, and field journaling. Through a diverse set of readings and writings, FNs and EPs actively explore the interconnections between audience, purpose, and stylistic approach.
Click to see the Naturalist's Journal (PDF).
Every Friday, all day, Field Naturalists and Ecological Planners visit, explore, and interpret a wide range of field sites (e.g., an old-growth forest, a glacial lake, a thrust fault, an aggrading stream, a constructed wetland, an abandoned hillside farm, a montane ecotone). The tangible product of each investigation is a "site review" that explains the who, what, where, when, and why of each site. These site reviews capture each student's individual interpretation of the shaping of the New England landscape.
Click to see sample site reviews (PDF).
Students participate in writing workshops throughout the Fall semester to examine, sharpen, and stretch their writing abilities. Workshops often address questions such as: How do you start writing? How do you continue? How do you know when you're finished? How do you find ideas where there aren't any? How do you write when you're not in the mood? What are some effective editing tricks? What makes your best writing "good"? What makes your worst writing "bad"?
Students conduct a field-based ecological inventory and assessment that addresses a specific real-world landscape problem. The culminating professional report is team-written for the sponsoring organization and includes original maps, graphs, and charts, and runs to over 100 pages in length.
Learning to sell one's ideas effectively is a pivotal skill in environmental problem-solving and fund-raising, and marketing your ideas on paper is what proposal writing is all about. This part of the writing curriculum starts with drafting and redrafting proposals for two different fellowships. One sponsoring organization asks students to "focus on a specific issue affecting the conservation of fish, wildlife, or plant species in the United States." The other foundation asks candidates "how his or her career goals will have a direct, early, and positive impact on environmental quality." Field Naturalists and Ecological Planners submit their proposals to the funding organizations, and most years some number of students are awarded a fellowship.
Click to learn more about proposal writing in the FN/EP programs.
Click to read sample proposals to the Switzer Fellowship Program.
FNs and EPs gather for two days at the beginning of their second year to reflect, speculate, and write about their summer research experience. In a rural retreat setting, participants write, share their writing, tell stories, take walks, build bonfires, and eat well.
Click to see photos and description of recent Fairfield, VT, writing retreats.
Each student enrolls in a year-long variable-credit writing workshop focused on writing persuasively to popular audiences. Students examine, imagine, and question the larger implications of their research projects and compose popular articles aimed at educated lay audiences. Target publications for these student essays include Northern Woodlands, Orion, Natural New England, Vermont Life, Yankee, Nature Conservancy, and other local, regional, and national publications with an interest in conservation, ecology, and forestry.
Click to see samples of recently written popular articles (PDF).
Students complete a formal Master's Project required for graduation. Research results are posted in formal academic style to the larger scientific community of which they are now full-fledged members.
Click to see brief biography and resume of writing instructor, Toby Fulwiler.
Last modified January 28 2008 04:48 PM
