Interview

For a deeper understanding of The Society of Wilderness, we plan to visit the chairman of the association. In addition, to the formal interview with the chairman, the leader of our group committee conducted a pre-departure interview with the secretary general before the full interview to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the operation, and background of the association and to prepare for subsequent interviews. After completing the pre-departure interview, the group leader will lead the team on a formal visit to ensure that the content of the interview is more in-depth and effective.

Interview person introduction

謝振東 Hsieh Chun-tung

Nature Name: 紫嘯鶇 Blue Whistling Thrush

Hsieh Chun-tung is the Secretary General of The Society of Wilderness, the Society gave him the nature name of Blue Whistling Thrush. He once served in the Taitung Chi Air Force Base, and after his discharge from the military, he decided to serve the community as his career aspiration. At that time, he often participated in activities organized by The Society of Wilderness, but he simply loved nature. After seeing his hometown become a complete mess due to ecological destruction, he decided to join The Society of Wilderness. After going through various tests, he became a knowledgeable guide. For 14 years, his goal for The Society of Wilderness has been to prevent human exploitation of forests and habitats. He hopes to emulate Japan’s Satoyama Initiative, which encourages farmers to reduce the use of pesticides and herbicides in order to harmonize the natural ecosystem with the countryside. To this day, Hsieh Chun-Tung remains committed to working with his fellow Society of Wilderness members to preserve Taiwan’s natural ecosystems.

李騏廷 Lee Chi-Ting

Nature Name: 地球 Earth

 Lee Chi-Ting is currently The Society of Wilderness, “Earth”. After learning that there was a career for eco-narrators, he decided to devote himself to nature. He has now served the Wilderness Society for more than 14 years. During these 14 years, Lee’s main job has been to serve as an interpreter for the Wugu Wetlands and to protect the land from human pollution. The Wugu Wetland is home to a rare creature known as the Four-spot Midget. According to Li, the Four-spot Midget is classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN, and the Wugu Wetland is one of their few habitats. However, due to problems with the Danshuei River’s barrier gates, the Wugu Wetland has seen a gradual decrease in the amount of water, which has had a significant impact on the Four-spot Midget. Therefore, Lee said, “Protecting the rights of the four-spot damselfly is our top priority.

We took the initiative to contact the chairman and secretary general of The Society of Wilderness, to send an invitation letter to visit and prepare for the interview. Eventually, we were able to receive a response and were allowed to make an official visit.

Interview Request – Research on The Society of Wilderness

Dear Mr. Lee,

We are a group of middle school students from Kang Chiao International School, Linkou Campus, participating in the CyberFair competition. In August this year, we discussed various topics for our project and explored dozens of ideas. After much discussion, our team unanimously decided to learn more about The Society of Wilderness (SOW).

We are eager to understand the founding purpose and goals of SOW. During our summer vacation and after-school hours, we dedicated our time to researching this topic with great enthusiasm. As part of our study, we sincerely hope to have the opportunity to interview you. We believe your guidance will be invaluable in making our research more comprehensive.

Additionally, we would love to learn about the hard work that goes into running the organization and even participate in some of its activities. Our goal is to gather and organize valuable information to create an educational website, which we will submit for the International CyberFair competition. Your support and insights would be of immense help to our project.

Below are the interview questions we have compiled over the past month. If any part of our wording is inappropriate, we sincerely ask for your understanding:

Questions for the Organization:

  1. What are the organization’s specific development plans or future directions?
  2. Has the organization faced any major challenges, such as internal conflicts or negative criticism?
  3. SOW aims to make environmental protection accessible to people from all walks of life. Have there been any members from particularly unique professions?
  4. We learned that Mr. HSU JEN SHIU led a group of volunteers to protect native lands. What inspired them to establish SOW?
  5. SOW has various committees, and we previously discussed the Parent-Child Group. Could you share more details about it?

Questions on Environmental Protection and Wildlife:

  1. How does the organization prioritize and evaluate which natural environments need urgent protection?
  2. Since the organization was founded, which environmental issue has been the most pressing? What practical measures are being taken to address it?
  3. What specific actions does SOW take to protect natural environments and wildlife?

Questions for the Chairperson and Volunteers:

  1. What inspired you to join SOW? Do you have any memorable experiences?
  2. What have you learned or gained from being part of the organization?
  3. Have you ever encountered opposition or skepticism regarding your work?
  4. When facing difficulties and setbacks, what motivates you to keep going?
  5. If we wish to participate in SOW activities, which ones would you recommend?

We sincerely appreciate your time in reading our letter and interview questions. We are grateful for this valuable opportunity to learn from you and gain insights into environmental protection.

Looking forward to your response.

Best regards,

Student: Harry Wang, Daphne Hsu, Sophia Chen, Justin Hsiao, Kenji Chang

Teacher: Jyunjie Wu, Janet Gong

 Kang Chiao International School, Linkou Campus