Recently in Geography Awareness Week Category

3. Home of characters like Mickey Mouse, this new play place, "where dreams come true" is located in which heavily populated East Asia city?

This blog-a-thon submission is an excerpt for the National Geographic News Watch blog. It is written by Andrew Howley as he documents a Tuscon BioBlitz Transect. To access the fully article, follow this link.

With seven days and more than 70 miles of walking and cataloging of plants and animals ahead of him, NG Explorer-in-Residence Mike Fay (right) looks out with Tucson desert vegetation expert and writer Jim Malusa (left) into the foothills of the Rincon Mountains to try to make an early identification of pine species from a distance.
Saguaro National Park consists of two large parks on either side of Tucson, Arizona. The east is very different from the west, and both are obviously different than the city between them. Still, the same birds, bugs, pollen, wind, and water are swirling about them all. They are all part of the same story.

As part of the 2011 BioBlitz in Saguaro, NG Explorer-in-Residence (and University of Arizona alum) J. Michael Fay walked some 70 miles over the course of seven days on a transect across both parts of the park and the city between them, noting the first time he saw each plant species in an area, and identifying and tallying every bird he saw or heard along the way.

The photo gallery above takes you along moment by moment through open landscapes and close-up details. It shows many of the park rangers and local scientists who accompanied Mike for a few miles or days at a time, and reveals highlights of the experiences and knowledge they shared. Soon you will also be able to view the route in Google Earth and see Mike Fay's photos exactly where they were taken. By going through these features, you'll be able to develop a sense of what it is to experience Saguaro National Park or any place in this unique and exciting way.

But Why Walk?

A few mintues of walking with Mike Fay and it's clear that he is not out here as a feat of strength or to set a record or conquer a desert or a mountain. He's here to collect data. He picks an area that people think they know, draws a line across it on a map, and follows that line recording what he sees along the way. Taking this approach, the only way you're going to see everything and have time to write it all down is if you're walking. Any other mode of transport funnels you into existing pathways, gets you moving too fast, and keeps you too far away.

This blog-a-thon submission comes from Debbie Glade of Wandering Educators. Debbie reports on some great facts about America's National Parks as she encourages her readers to find the adventure in their own backyards! To read more from Debbie or to access this blog post directly, follow this link.

With summer approaching, many domestic and foreign travelers will be flocking to our National Parks for vacation. The vast landscapes, diverse climates and abundant wildlife America's extensive park system offers are nothing short of spectacular. There are so many options for visitors, that it is almost impossible to choose just one.

• The US National Park Service was established in 1916 through the National Park Service Act, while Woodrow Wilson was President.
• It is managed under the umbrella of the US Department of the Interior.
• Between 1901 and 1909, Franklin D. Roosevelt, known for his dedication to conservation, signed executive orders to establish 5 National Parks and many Historic Sites. He also signed the Antiquities Act, which made it easier for future Presidents to officially declare Historic Sites and Landmarks into the National Park Service.
• In order for a site to be officially named a National Park, it must follow an Executive Order from the President or be an act of Congress.
• There have been 18 Directors of the US National Park Service; in recent years, 2 have been women.
• It takes more than 21,000 employees and more than 145,000 volunteers to run our National Park System, which includes National Parks, Historical Sites and Monuments. The National Park Service could not operate without the help of volunteers.

• The annual budget for the US National Park System is over $2 billion.
• The complete US National Park System covers more than 84 million acres.
• Alaska and California are the states with the most National Parks; each of these states is home to 8 National Parks.
• The largest National Park is Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska, with more than 20,000 square miles or 13 million acres. It is known for its picturesque glacier landscapes and is home to many grizzly bears, caribou and Dall sheep.
• With only 9 square miles, the smallest National Park in land size is Arkansas' Hot Springs National Park. A former government operated clinic here was one of the first places in the US to treat patients with penicillin.
• Death Valley is the hottest National Park in the US. This desert reached a record-breaking 134 degrees Fahrenheit in 1913, making it one of the hottest places on earth.

This blog-a-thon submission is by Sandani, a youth enrolled in ChildFund's programs in Sri Lanka. Sandani writes about the way she views her community and the struggles she faces post the 2004 tsunami. To learn more about ChildFund International and to see more photos from Sandani check out the ChildFund website or follow this link.

The community I live in is Kirinda, situated in the Hambantota district of the southern province of Sri Lanka. It borders both Yala National Park and the sea. It is a community where Singhalese and Muslims live in harmony. Singhalese mainly engage in farming while Muslims do fishing.

Chena cultivation (slash and burn) is the livelihood of about 80 percent of the families in my area. This cultivation solely depends on monsoon rain received from October to February and intermittent showers in March and April. It is a struggle from the day of sowing to the day of harvesting. All the challenges in life that come one after the other like waves, we face with the little income earned from chena.

Though they used to, most of the farmers no longer cut and burn the jungle in Yala National Park. They try to do their farming in harmony with the animals and the environment now. The reason for this is that they know they too will be destroyed if the environment is gone.

The farmers in my community still cultivate using traditional methods. They work both under the sun and rain, no difference. During the farming season all the family members go and stay in a temporary hut built in the cultivation area. This is mainly to protect and look after the crop. All the family members from child to father are involved in the farming. Children help parents in light work while parents do the hard. So the burden of farming is shared between all members of the family. They stay vigilant during night to protect the crops from wild animals such as elephants, boars, deer and cows. This is not a new thing. This is something our farmers have been struggling with for generations now.

Elephant attacks are a threat to many people in our area. The growing population in the village has encroached on the habitat of the elephants and these animals frequently roam around. They sometimes destroy houses and crops. There were number of deaths reported recently because of elephant attacks. Sometimes elephants also lose their lives.

This blog-a-thon excerpt comes from Johnathan Tourtellot, a National Geographic Fellow who writes for National Geographic's Daily News blog.  To access the complete article, follow this link.

In a major step forward, an International Congress in Arouca, northern Portugal, has just decided what "geotourism" means. It's been an issue. What, you never heard of geotourism? Read on. It's about the way we travel. Sometimes it's also about rocks.

Whose "Geo" Goes Into "Geotourism"?
Geographers and geologists usually get along. The two fields are so closely related that universities may put them in the same department. They share the same prefix, geo-, from the Greek, ge, Earth. And that's where the confusion started.

For the past 10 years or so, two different meanings for the neologism "geotourism" have both been growing in acceptance--in different parts of the world, for different reasons. One concept derives from geology. Dr. Thomas Hose, an English geologist, is said to have first proposed that tourism focused on geological features be called "geotourism." In tourism-industry parlance, that's a niche market.

The other concept derives from "geography." National Geographic has defined geotourism as "tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place--its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents." ("Environment" includes geology, of course, but it's not explicit.) This concept is an approach, rather than a focus on a single topic.

As the person who introduced that sense of the term, I am just a bit biased. The idea was for tourism to help protect places, but I knew some geologists didn't care for the alternate meaning. So when I accepted an invitation to keynote last week's international geological conference, I did so with some trepidation. The organizers wanted to "clarify" the meaning of geotourism. Would I be pelted with rock hammers? ...Keep reading this article here!

Photo Credit: Johnathan Tourtellot

Roni Jones is a liaison for the National Geographic Education Alliance program, and a teaching consultant with nearly 20 years of experience educating students and teachers. In her free time Roni likes to ride her bike, run, snowshoe, hike, and do just about anything outdoors.

Geography is a part of my everyday life.  Not only do I work for National Geographic and advocate for geography education, but I am constantly worried about booking travel, scheduling meetings, and participating in phone conferences across many different time zones.  A working knowledge of geography is vital to me in most situations.  However, today was different. Today I was inspired by geography, inspired by how beautiful my local community is!

Elizabeth Wolzak, an Instructional Designer for National Geographic Education, shared this map with our staff in honor of Geography Awareness Week. Elizabeth, whose parents are Dutch and American, was born in Guatemala and lived there until she was 19.


(From Fodors). "If you want to get the lay of the land before you head out to the country, this unusual relief map depicts Guatemala's precipitous topography. The layout is so immense--1,800 square meters, or 19,500 square feet--that your best view is from an observation tower. What makes it even more amazing is that it was completed in 1905, before satellite and aerial topography, and long before Google Earth. The flashy Spanish-language Web site focuses on the late-19th- and early-20th-century development and construction of the map, a labor of love of engineer (and amateur geographer) Francisco Vela (1859-1909). Altitudes are greatly exaggerated: horizontally, the map uses a 1:10,000 scale, but vertically, it's 1:2,000. The map lies several blocks north of the Old City, not far from the Cervecería Centro Americana and its brewery tour."

Elizabeth on her personal experiences with the Mapa en Relieve:

The Mapa en Relieve is one of the places my parents took all their foreign friends and family (mostly Dutch and American) that came to visit them. Writing about the Mapa en Relieve brings fond memories of the times that we climbed the tower to see the map. My father described the unique features of the Guatemalan territory. He used the map to explain the route we took every weekend on our way to the farm from Guatemala City to the Pacific coast, near Puerto de San José. I was amazed by the fact that there is a line of 29 volcanoes, one next to each other along the Pacific coast. One of the features that I liked the most was the Lake of Atitlán in the highlands of Guatemala. Three volcanoes surround the lake, it origin is volcanic and it doesn't flow into the ocean.  

This blog-a-thon submission is a summary of a series of Geography Awareness Week themed blogs from ESRI's GIS Education Community Blog. Special thanks to Joseph Kerski, the GIS Education Manager to being so enthusiastic and prolific about Geography Awareness Week! Follow this link to access each of these blog posting in full.

Collecting and Analyzing Field Data within a GIS Environment:
So many map, image, video, and data sources exist along with GIS tools these days that it is tempting to think we can "get by" without doing any fieldwork. Indeed, in these days of educational funding constraints when fieldwork involves high costs, permissions, and effort, these technological resources are extremely welcome and valued as virtual field trip substitutes. But are they truly substitutes?

We on the Esri education team work closely with the education community to promote active fieldwork. Our collaboration with National Geographic on the 2011 Geography Awareness Week promotion is just one example. We have collaborated with the American Geosciences Institute on Earth Science Week and with those promoting "No Child Left Inside" initiatives; we make use of the resources from the Place Based Education Initiative, and we promote the use of probes, GPS, and even smartphones to gather primary data to map and analyze within a GIS environment. Watch my video to examine why fieldwork is important. Even if you cannot get away from campus, you can still collect data right on your own school grounds. Dr Herb Broda's book SchoolYard Enhanced Learning provides excellent ideas on how to do just that.

Explore Your Community: It's Local to Global to Local...
As you celebrate Geography Awareness Week and its theme, "Geography: The Adventure in Your Community," take time to recognize the scale associated with the term "community"--from the intimate geographies of your local neighborhood, and your favorite places to explore there, to the Earth and the treasures and issues it holds for the current 7 billion human inhabitants living on it, and the stories we all share.

Esri, through the lens of several of our colleagues, Allen Carroll (former chief cartographer at National Geographic) and others, has created a place on the Web where Map Stories covering the range of geographies are coming to life and light. These geostories seek to relate to important issues of the moment and others that speak to more enduring, and at times, dismaying topics.

One Map Story that communicates the beauty of our human experience and the planet upon which we depend invites you to explore UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The nearly 1,000 locations around the world are a mix of cultural and natural areas and features of outstanding value and importance to past, present, and future generations.

This blog-a-thon submission comes from 12 year old Vikas Madhav.  Vikas writes about and photographs the Nilgiri Biosphere in Southern India.

I am more than proud that this is India's first International Biosphere Reserve. It gives me an elated feeling and sense of pride when I think that I have visited some of the reserve forests and national parks that make up the Biosphere.  The places that I visited lie in three southern states in India--the Nilgiri Biosphere lies in the tri-state area of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka in Southern India.

Through my blog and photographs I believe that I can bring about awareness to the rest of the world and to people in India that this vital mass of land needs to be preserved and protected. Any further damage will not just cause a minor change but a disaster, not just to the Western Ghats region, but to the tri- states too, which is something one cannot imagine.
 Through my blog I will try to describe what is common and what is unique to each of these national parks, forest reserves, and wildlife sanctuaries. 

1.    Nagarhole National Park or Rajiv Gandhi National Park - (Karnataka State) is located 94 kilometers (58 mi) from Mysore in Karnataka in South India. Geographical Coordinates of its location - latitudes 12°15'37.69"E and longitudes 76°17'34.4"N. Many patches have been deforested so that wildlife can be seen by tourists in the boat safari. Threats to the national park come from large scale cutting of sandalwood and teak trees, and overgrazing of cattle. Timber smuggling, especially sandalwood smuggling, happens quite extensively here.
Tribal communities- The Jenu Kurubas and the Koragas are the primary inhabitants of this forest area. The government is restricting their entry inside the National park and forest due to multiple factors. The cattle which the tribal people own are the main cause of over grazing; this is one of the primary threats to the grasses of the greener pastures.


Significant populations of the tribal community have adopted the civilized ways of life and have moved out of the forest in the last decade, thanks to relocation efforts by the Government of India and other NGOs operating in this region. For those still in the forest, health is one of the serious problems caused by unhygienic living conditions, lack of access to clean water, undernourishment, malnutrition and superstitious ways of life. Their food habits differ significantly from the civilized communities. They generally consume edible roots and tubers, while occasionally consuming wild animal meat as well.

2.  Wayanad Wild Life Sanctuary - (Kerala) - Is in the north-east of Kerala, which is in the southwest of India.  In its Northeast are Nagarhole and Bandipur of Karnataka and in the Southeast is Mudumalai situated in Tamil Nadu. Geographical Coordinates of its location: - 11°42'46.80"N 76°14'30.03"E.  Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is the second largest in the state of Kerala. The sanctuary is separated into two disconnected parts known as the Upper Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in the North and Lower Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in the South. The area in between the two parts was originally a forest region, but it is now occupied primarily by plantations.

This blog-a-thon submission comes from a class of third graders who participated in Geography Awareness Week by making projects that depict their communities and local experiences. To view this video on Youtube, follow this link.