Article publication a second chapter in nature journaling outreach experience

For the past three years, W.K. Kellogg Biological Station outreach staff and fellows have offered a program focused on nature journaling. First staged in spring 2020, the program originated as a series of online sessions that combined short ecology lessons with a guided exercise in sketching a different subject each week.

In late 2023, an article detailing the development and facilitation of the nature journaling course was featured in Art in the Plant Sciences, a special issue of the Plant Science Bulletin, which is published by the Botanical Society of America.

About the article

The article, titled “Nature Journaling: Sharing Perspectives Between Art and Science,” was written by Corinn Rutkoski, Ph.D. student in the Evans Lab; Robin Waterman, Ph.D. student in the Conner Lab; Misty Klotz, KBS education and outreach coordinator; Meredith Zettlemoyer, former graduate student at KBS, currently an assistant professor in the Division of Biological Sciences at the University of Montana; and Taylor Scamehorn, artist and instructor at the Kalamazoo Institute of Art’s Kirk Newman Art School. Scamehorn co-facilitated the KBS nature journaling program in 2022 and 2023.

According to Klotz, “Corinn and Meredith played a critical role in creating the Blending Art and Science program in 2019 as part of their summer outreach fellowship, funded by the MSU Graduate School. Other amazing KBS graduate students involved in outreach also contributed to the program’s development and implementation.”

The benefits to be gleaned from nature journaling are abundant. From the article:

“Nature journaling invites us to connect with our curiosity for the natural world by keeping records of our observations. Documentation can include words, numbers, sketches, diagrams, photos, collage, maps, and found objects. Anyone—even those not trained in art or science—can use nature journaling to cultivate mindfulness and wonder, build critical thinking skills, develop greater perception, and deepen their understanding of the environment.”

Try nature journaling this spring

The next KBS nature journaling event, “Blending Art and Science: Turtles,” is a one-time, in-person workshop set for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 23, in the W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary Classroom. Ayley Shortridge, a graduate student in the Janzen Lab at KBS, will combine her love for art and science (and turtles!) for a foray into the world of turtle ecology.

More workshops are planned over the summer months, so keep an eye out for announcements on upcoming programs.