Nature is not equally accessible to everyone. People of color, people with disabilities, and people with other marginalized identities can experience many barriers to engaging with nature and wildlife.

There are many resources that can help people, but not everyone has the time to find them. Odd Duck Pond’s goal is to collect and highlight these resources for people to find.

Odd Duck Pond was created as part of the capstone project for the individual major Animal Welfare in Human Contexts.

 What is an individual major?

The Individual Major Program at St. Olaf College allows students to design their own integrative major. It gives students the ability to drive their own education and follow their interests.

Official Major Description

Integrated coursework on animals and wildlife and human cultures and society. Studies focused on the relationship between humans and nature and how this relationship can be strengthened and practiced more intentionally. The goal was to learn how we can improve the welfare of both humans and animals at the same time. Classes included courses in biology, anthropology, environmental studies, and management.

Official Project Description

Created a website which collects resources related to ways of engaging with nature and wildlife. This includes resources about pet ownership, outdoor activities, and information about native wildlife.  The resources are focused on creating support for people from marginalized communities who experience barriers to nature. The website also has user engagement functions such as forums to encourage people to connect with and support each other.

Guiding Questions of the Major

1. What do I need to know about animal biology in order to take care of animals?

1. What do I need to know about the natural environment in order to protect and create spaces for animals?

1. What do I need to know about society and culture in order to understand human and animal relationships?

1. What do I need to know to be able to create effective programming and communication that supports animals and humans?

Individual Major Proposal

Here is a copy of the original proposal for the major.

Here is a copy of the caapstone project plan:

Coursework

Throughout my classes that I took for my major, I had a lot of experiences that really contributed to my learning journey and my capstone project. Here’s some highlights.

For the class Culture of Nature, I visited the same spot in natural lands on campus throughout the spring semester. This is my reflections on the experience.