Nature Awareness

Introduction & Assessment

Nature awareness is the art of truly seeing the world around you — not just passing through it. Begin by visiting a natural space near you: a neighborhood park, the Jordan River Parkway, or the foothills above Salt Lake City. Spend twenty minutes sitting completely still and observing. Download the free iNaturalist app and photograph three living things you cannot identify — plants, birds, insects, or fungi. Also download the free Merlin Bird ID app from the Cornell Lab and let it identify birds by their songs while you sit. Write down what surprised you most about twenty minutes of stillness. Most people discover they had been missing an entire world. Check how many species iNaturalist says live within five miles of your location — the number is usually stunning. You're ready for the next step when you have logged at least three organism observations in iNaturalist and can name two things you noticed that you had never paid attention to before.

Foundation Building

Now you build a framework for observing nature systematically. Learn the "sit spot" practice — choosing one place in nature and returning to it regularly at different times of day and in different weather. The Wasatch foothills, Antelope Island State Park, or even a consistent spot in a neighborhood park all work. Visit your sit spot three times this week: morning, midday, and near sunset. Each visit, record what you observe using the free iNaturalist app and a small notebook. Learn to identify the five most common bird species at your spot using Merlin Bird ID. Read the free introduction to "Kamana Naturalist Training" materials available at the Wilderness Awareness School website for context on why the sit spot works. You're ready for the next step when you can identify five bird species by sight or sound at your sit spot and have three sit spot journal entries from different times of day.

Skill Development

Deepen your observation skills with active tracking and awareness exercises. Learn to read animal tracks using the free online Peterson Field Guides preview or the iTrack Wildlife app. Visit a muddy trail edge near a stream in Big Cottonwood Canyon or along the Jordan River and look for tracks — deer, raccoon, and coyote are common. Practice "wide-angle vision" or "owl eyes" — softening your gaze to take in your full peripheral field rather than focusing on one point. This technique, taught in wilderness awareness programs, helps you notice movement you would otherwise miss. Sketch three different leaf shapes you find and try to identify the tree using the free LeafSnap website. You're ready for the next step when you can identify two animal tracks in the field, demonstrate wide-angle vision for thirty seconds, and correctly identify three local tree or plant species.

Practice & Refinement

Apply your awareness skills across different Utah ecosystems. Plan three outings to contrasting environments: the salt flats edge at Antelope Island, a riparian zone along the Provo or Weber River, and a montane forest in the Wasatch. At each location, use iNaturalist to log at least five observations and write one paragraph describing how the ecosystem feels different from the others — sounds, smells, soil, and the types of animals present. Learn the concept of "edge habitat" — the zone between two ecosystems where biodiversity is highest — using the free resources at the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources website (wildlife.utah.gov). Take photos of the same type of subject (for example, wildflowers or insects) at each location and compare them. You're ready for the next step when you have logged fifteen or more iNaturalist observations across three distinct ecosystems and can explain what makes each one unique.

Challenge Mode

You now go beyond observation into interpretation. Choose one specific species — a native plant, a bird, or a mammal common in Utah — and conduct a deep study of it over two weeks. Use iNaturalist's species pages, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources species profiles, and the free JSTOR Global Plants database for research. Visit your species in the field at least three times and document changes in behavior or appearance over the two weeks. Learn how that species fits into the local food web: what does it eat, what eats it, and what would change in the ecosystem if it disappeared? Create a one-page species profile with your own field photos and observations alongside research facts. You're ready for the next step when you can give a five-minute verbal presentation on your chosen species, using your own field observations as evidence, without reading from notes.

Mastery Demonstration

Mastery means you contribute to the collective knowledge of your natural community. Submit at least ten research-grade iNaturalist observations (photos clear enough for species confirmation) from your field work. Lead a thirty-minute "nature walk" for at least three other people in a local green space, pointing out species, explaining animal signs, and teaching at least one observation skill such as wide-angle vision or listening mapping. Write a short guide — one page — to your favorite local nature spot: what to look for, best times to visit, and which apps to bring. Share it with the Utah Natural History Museum's community science program or post it to your neighborhood association. You're ready for the next step when your ten iNaturalist observations have been confirmed as research grade and the people you guided can name at least three things they noticed on the walk that they would have missed on their own.