Stokes Nature Center in Logan kicked off a new monthly series last week called Nature Conversations, featuring talks centered around human emotions.
The goal of the series is to encourage conversation and create space for community members to discuss feelings and emotions in association with nature. Each month will focus on a different emotion and how that manifests in relation to nature.
Stokes Director of Education Kate Hunter said the series came from a desire to develop community in Cache Valley.
“I wanted to create a space for people to come together, talk about those things, explore those emotions, ideally, with some type of expert on that one emotion and some way to focus it," she said.
The first event featured an interactive talk by Courtney Flint, Utah State University professor of environment and society. Her work focuses on nature perspectives and urban-rural connections in the Intermountain West.
“Nature is this catalyst, not only to those relationships we form with each other, and those relationships formed with nature, but with ourselves. Those internal reflections, that sense of calm or relaxation, right, that resetting, right? Nature can really be a catalyst for that,” Flint said.
The next two events will take place at the newly renovated Logan Library, and in June the location will switch to Stokes Nature Center.
At the next Nature Conversation on April 11, Cache Valley resident Bobbi Peterson, who has a masters in communication studies, will discuss conflict and nature.
Hunter encouraged community members to attend future events in the series.
“I am hoping people come to this to find a way to build community through their emotions and how that relates to nature," Hunter said.
