(Alphabetical by presenter's last name) Index of Presenters
|A| |B| |C| |D| |E| |F| |G| |H| |I| |J| |K| |L| |M| |N| |O| |P|
|Q| |R| |S| |T| |U| |V| |W| |X| |Y| |Z|
A
GIS and Resource Analysis for Archeological Sites in the Cedar Valley
Presenter: Cristy Abbott (University of Northern Iowa)
In 2008 and 2009 UNI conducted field school at Hartman Reserve, Cedar Falls, Iowa archeological site 13BH164. Part of the project was to understand the context of the region's landscape 1000-5000 years ago using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Inferences have been made about the foragers' utilization of and reliance upon naturally occurring resources at site locations based on prior excavations. The analysis was performed by first, constructing site forage catchment zones and, then, overlaying varying resource zones within GIS to produce maps illustrating combinations of naturally occurring resources in areas adjacent to the selected archeological sites. This poster presents updates to the geoarcheological analysis that broadens our understanding of prehistoric natural human habitats in the Cedar Valley. (POSTER)
Biogeography of Epilithic Lichen on a Sandstone Outcrop in the Thunder Bay Region
Presenters: Matthew Adams and William Wilson (Lakehead University)
Cliffs of Northwestern Ontario provide an abiotic environment well suited and often dominated by epilithic lichen. Many of the cliffs are also sites for recreational climbing, which poses a possible impact to the lichen community from indirect and direct damage. To better understand this local lichen ecology and the possible impact of climbing, we examined Pass Lake Outcrop, a cliff composed of Sibley Group sandstone, located on the Sleeping Giant Peninsula, across from Thunder Bay, ON., and popular with local climbers. A total of 149, 1 m^2 plots were assessed. Six abiotic characteristics were recorded at each plot: aspect, bedding thickness, fracturing, height from pediment, size of ledges, and amount of available light. Each plot was also assessed for any impact from climbing. Using a grid system composed of 1 cm^2 cells, lichen richness and cover per plot was recorded. Richness and cover were statistically different between climbed and unclimbed plots. Richness varied with changes in aspect, ledge size, amount of available light, and height of the plot from the pediment. Cover varied with climbing influence, amount of light, and the size of ledges. Richness and cover are highly correlated, suggesting impacts to cover from climbing may decrease richness. (PAPER)
Berlin's Airports--Developments and Missed Opportunities
Presenters: Heike Alberts (University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh), John T. Bowen (Central Washington University), and Julie L. Cidell (University of Illinois)
The story of Berlin and its airports is unique, as no other city has experienced such dramatic political changes over the last century. In the early 20th century, Berlin's Tempelhof airport played a preeminent role in the development of civilian aviation. In 1948, the Berlin Airlift required the building of an additional airport in Berlin (Tegel), and the subsequent division of Germany resulted in the construction of a third (Schoenefeld), resulting in a fractured airport system. This system was further complicated by the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 and Cold War allied policies. The fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago offered an opportunity to reclaim Berlin's status in the international airline system. However, its fractured airport system, political disagreements over the planning for Berlin Brandenburg International Airport to replace the three established airports, and wider shifts in the airline industry meant that Berlin missed its chance to become more than a secondary hub in the global airline industry. Although Berlin's history is unique, we argue that larger economic and political forces affecting all airports have also contributed to the city's continued marginalization within the world's air transportation system. (PAPER)
"Race" and environmental disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Chicago Heat Wave
Presenter: Ashley Ambuehl (DePaul University)
This paper analyzes ways in which Hurricane Katrina and the Chicago Heat Wave of 1995 unfolded and debunks the assertion that these individuals were victims of chance. This paper addresses racial discrimination and how it determined which geographic locations were hardest hit due to factors such as lack of transportation, inadequate health care and isolation. This paper addresses how social systems are structured, which reveals why certain social groups are politically, economically, and physically marginalized. This paper aims to display how racialization influenced the way in which disasters unfolded specifically addressing the lack of mobility available to communities with a large black concentration. This is done by paralleling the impact the disasters had on nearby communities with a larger concentration of privileged individuals. The idea of boot strap individualism was created out of the shift toward a less restrictive government. With Neo-liberal urbanization the communities affected by the natural disasters were unrepresented in decision making, which ultimately made them victims of environmental racism. This paper addresses the perspective of the politically, socially, and economically marginalized, the neglected and the racialized all of which coincidentally were victims of chance when natural disaster struck. (PAPER)
Religious Influence in Damascus Urban Planning
Presenter: Farran Arnold (DePaul University)
This paper focuses on the city planning of Damascus according to religious power structures that governed the city. Located at an oasis in the desert, the geographical location especially contributes to its importance and frequent shifts of power. The Region itself is a hot spot for religious activity and Damascus contained the variant religions in autonomous districts. Specifically the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Umayyad to Ottoman Empires contributed the most to the look of the city, however only Islamic architecture is noticeable today. Much of the city planning focuses on reuse of buildings as needed, fluctuating with religious and cultural changes. Many structures were also built to show the current ruling class grandeur and power over the city. Not only did these continuing projects change the look of the city, the streets also changed with the introduction of suqs and disintegration of Greek and Roman roads into a more organic structure. Religious tolerance and representation in government are studied to grasp the influence of many religions on the overall look of Damascus. Lastly, religious tension and conflicts are described to show how politics use the city structure to create conflict. (PAPER)
A Statistical Snapshot of Extreme Midwestern Blizzards
Presenter: Christopher Atkinson (University of Kansas)
Between September 1, 1966, and May 31, 2008, there were 145 extreme blizzards that crossed the Midwest. Twenty-three of these storms resulted in federal emergency or disaster declarations. Utilizing logistic regression analysis, these storm events were classified according to seven independent variables to ascertain which certain meteorological characteristics most often result in federal declarations of damage and subsequent monetary assistance. (PAPER)
B
National Science Foundation Funding Opportunities and Proposal-Writing Strategies
Co-Presenters: Thomas Baerwald (National Science Foundation) and Ezekiel Kalipeni (National Science Foundation and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
This workshop will be presented by program directors from the National Science Foundation's Geography and Spatial Sciences Program, who will discuss the opportunities for funding that exist at NSF and strategies that researchers can use if they choose to write proposals to seek grants from NSF. The presenters will discuss a number of related items, but they will leave time for questions, answers, and discussion between themselves and workshop participants. (PANEL/WORKSHOP)
"Machine Guns Destructive of Life"
Presenter: Mikeal Blackford (Louisiana State University)
Two techniques from historical geography are examining a region horizontally--a large area at a single time frame--or vertically, a smaller region over a longer period of time. By combining these two approaches into a single fractal lens to look at a specific event from different geographic scales, what insights might be gained?
In my paper, I look at the opening months of WWI in Europe as seen through small town newspaper from Louisiana, Donaldsonville Chief, then History of the World War , a book sold nationally days after the armistice, and Barbara Tuchman s 1962 Pulitzer-winning history Guns of August .
World War I is the singular event that shaped world history in the 20th century and brought about what has been called The American Century. In 1914, Donaldsonville was uniquely positioned to be representative of America and Europe. Census data indicates that over 30% of the Parish (County) surrounding Donaldsonville were foreign-born, with the largest two groups of immigrants being French and German. Of the French and German immigrants, the majority were from either Alsace-Lorraine, or Prussia two areas that would become the principal theaters of war. Donaldsonville can be seen as a microcosm of Louisiana and America in 1914. (PAPER)
Phytolith assemblages and opal concentrations from modern soils differentiate temperate grassland vegetation of different types in an experimental study at Cedar Creek, Minnesota
Presenters:
Mikhail S. Blinnikov (St. Cloud State University); Co-Authors: Chelsea Bagent (St. Cloud State University) and Paul Reyerson (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
We assess difference in phytolith concentration and diversity of morphotypes under controlled conditions of the Biodiversity II experiment (E120) at Cedar Creek Historical Natural Area, where mixtures of C3 grasses, C4 grasses, legumes, non-legume forbs and woody plants (Quercus) were grown for a period of eight years. Sixty plots used in the study have been manually maintained to contain primarily the selected species, and thus provide a unique opportunity to test numerous hypotheses regarding phytolith production patterns under different functional groups of plants.
Overall, species’ composition was well reflected in phytolith assemblages, especially with the grass-dominated plots: it was very accurate at determining if and where grasses were present and at distinguishing between C3 and C4 grasses. Although the majority of phytoliths were from grass, less than 5% were from forbs and woody plants. A weak positive relationship between the biomass and the species’ composition in the modern soil phytolith assemblages was also apparent, but was not as strong as we expected. (PAPER)
The Other Side of the Loch: Edinburgh's New Town
Presenter: Daniel Bochman (University of Wisconsin - River Falls)
In the years following 1765, the construction of New Town began. Adjacent to Edinburgh, Scotland, it acted as a segregated urban environment for the city's wealthy citizens. This research investigates how the development of New Town factored into the retention of wealthy citizens, decline in urban population density, and affected the future economic vitality of the region. Methods include analysis of archival maps, cartographic comparison, and quantitative data computation. Results indicate that the development of New Town helped Edinburgh retain its wealthy citizenry and helped ease the city's extremely high
population density. (PAPER)
Islamic Practice and Kazakh Identity in Transition: A Case Study in Bayan-Olgii, Mongolia
Presenter: Namara Brede (Macalester College)
Americans often think of Islam and 'The Muslim World' as monolithic, homogenous, and dominated by Arab culture. In reality, however, the ways Islam is practiced and the ways Islamic identity is employed in political and social discourse vary significantly from place to place. In Central Asia, where Islamic beliefs and practices were suppressed for most of the twentieth century, such regional variation is evident in the ways that people choose to return to Islamic practice and perceive their own national, ethnic, and religious identities. This preliminary report uses ethnographic data collected this summer in the Kazakh Muslim minority community of Bayan-Ulgii Province, Mongolia as a case study to examine the changing local perceptions of Islam and Muslim identity in post-Socialist Central Asia. We examine these issues by asking the basic questions: 1) What is the nature of Islamic practice in Bayan-Ulgii and how is it changing? And 2) What role does Islamic identity play in the daily lives of Kazakhs in Bayan-Ulgii? (POSTER)
Pedaling for a Better City: The Midtown Greenway and the Reuse of Deindustrialized Urban Space
Presenter: Aaron Brown (Macalester College)
In an era of reinvestment in American cities and a heightened political awareness of urban transportation alternatives and public spaces, the academic field of geography has much to contribute to the discussion about the viability, effectiveness, and success of projects such as Minneapolis’ Midtown Greenway. The Greenway is a five-mile bicycle and pedestrian corridor that replaced a grade-separated railroad line in 2000 and expanded to its current length in 2007. My research explores if and how the landscape of south Minneapolis has changed with the construction of this bicycle trail.
As a linear park, the Midtown Greenway connects many neighborhoods and communities along Minneapolis’ Lake Street corridor. This research addresses how the creation of this facility has played a part in political, economic, physical and social changes in these neighborhoods. I use Hennepin County parcel data to analyze how property values have changed along properties adjacent to the Greenway, and city data to analyze how usage of the trail has changed over time. I am currently completing asurvey that collects data on Greenway users' demographics, residential proximity to the trail, and purpose for using the facility. Along with analysis of racial demographics in neighborhoods near the Greenway, and semi-structured interviews with various Greenway stakeholders, these methods provide a picture of an emerging urban form poised to reshape American cities. (POSTER)
Intersecting values in historic landscapes
Presenter: Lisa Brownell (University of Kentucky)
The Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary in St. Paul, MN is a unique crossroads of contexts: at once it is a site of ecological restoration, industrial ruins, historic preservation and interpretation, recreation, and Native American sacred significance. Experiences in compromise and community responsiveness at the Vento Sanctuary are instructive for other historic preservation and recreation sites. Using a four-part framework for landscape analysis devised by Rich Schein, this paper explores the many disparate discourses that intersect through this site and the ways that their different meanings are played out on the landscape. Keywords: historic preservation, rails to trails, landscape. (PAPER)
Making Sameness in Milwaukee: Reconciling assimilation and transnationalism in immigration studies
Presenter: Jonathan Burkham (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
As with many cities throughout the Midwest and beyond, Milwaukee, WI has seen a steep rise in its Hispanic population over the last two decades. This dramatic demographic change and the strong transnational ties that many new migrants maintain to their homelands have instigated a new round of questioning about immigrant integration into host societies. This paper engages with the literature on immigrant assimilation and transnationalism to argue in support of a redefined concept of assimilation that is attentive to the process of defining what is mainstream society. This concept necessarily incorporates an understanding of the transnational social field with which migrants are interacting. This argument is supported by archival evidence, and interviews and participant observation in Milwaukee s Latino community. These findings illustrate the ways migrants are assimilating into the host society while maintaining transnational social and economic ties. (PAPER)
Assessing urban planning performance for curtailing sprawl on the metropolitan edge: The case of Kane County, IL
Presenter: Melissa Burlingame (Northern Illinois University)
Kane County, IL has a strong record of planning for development pressures and considering environmental impacts. As a means to evaluate the success of Kane County's planning efforts, the NASS (USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service) data set is used to assess patterns of forest, wetland, and pasture land cover change in Kane County from 1999 to 2008. FRAGSTATS, an ecological metric tool, provides the basis for analyzing the landscape configurations and the changes in the ecological value of these configurations over time. (PAPER)
Geography of Minnesota High School Hockey
Presenters: Evan Byers, Dr. Ezra Zeitler and Dr. Ryan Weichelt (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire)
Ice hockey is synonymous with Minnesota and is an important source of place-based pride. It is the state's official sport (Salisbury 2009), and each year, 19,000 fans pack the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul to watch the state high school championships (Minnesota State High School League 2009). This research utilizes win/loss records and socio-economic data to examine the geography of high school hockey in Minnesota. Research questions include: which high schools consistently produce the best boys and girls teams? Do socio-economic variables such as income, dominant economic sector, and race/ethnicity influence win/loss records? Do wealthier school districts that can afford frequent access to ice rinks produce better teams? T-mode, s-mode, and spatial autocorrelation are utilized to answer these questions. (POSTER)
C
How does promoting urban-edge agriculture affect different people's sense of environmental agency?
Presenter: Valentine Cadieux (University of Minnesota)
Landscapes, it has long been pointed out, are the site of constant negotiation between environmental ideals and environmental practices. In everyday experience, many people experience this negotiation most appreciably in their residential landscapes and in many metropolitan regions, the cumulative effects of these residential land use negotiations present considerable environmental management challenges. At a moment when shifting housing markets have called into question orthodoxies of urban development and growth, we have an unusual opportunity to examine the way that landscape ideologies and practices play out often outside of, and in tension with, the explicit policies proposed by smart policies for governing residential land use and planning. This talk considers the relationship between different forms of urban-edge agriculture activism and discourses and practices of residential land use planning in a number of U.S. and international cases. I lay out this relationship across different sites to explore broad themes in the way that people are using environmental ideals related to food and housing to frame the possibilities for and exercises of their own agency in the everyday landscape as well as in related broader policy and cultural arenas. (PAPER)
Effects of Land Use Change on Lyme Disease Incidence in Connecticut
Presenters: Eric Carter and Daphne Lang (Grinnell College)
Many studies have used GIS to examine the dynamics of Lyme disease, but they have focused mainly on creating regional "risk maps" based on modeling environmental factors (soils, vegetation, etc.) that determine the habitats of tick vectors and mammal hosts of Lyme bacteria. Such spatial-ecological analysis suggests that environmental change (especially regeneration of deciduous forest from former agricultural land) creates environments favorable for vectors and hosts. Yet, such analysis has a major shortcoming, namely that the spatial distribution of Lyme disease risk has not been linked to actual health outcomes, i.e. Lyme disease incidence rates. Using incidence data for 169 townships in Connecticut from the state Department of Public Health, along with the 1992 and 2001 National Land Cover Data sets, preliminary results from our spatial-statistical analysis reveal strong associations between certain kinds of land cover change and Lyme disease incidence. We find that densely forested townships have higher rates of Lyme disease, an expected result based on the literature. However, we also find that townships undergoing rapid rates of development, especially conversion of forest to developed land, also have significantly high rates of Lyme disease. Finally, we suggest possible pathways linking land use change and increased incidence. (POSTER)
Transplanted: Environmental Values of Latino Immigrants in the United States
Presenters: Eric Carter and Chloe Sikes (Grinnell College)
The United States is in the midst of a long-term demographic shift: by mid-century, ethnic minorities will comprise a majority of residents, with Latinos projected to represent 29 percent of the population. At the same time, America faces continued environmental challenges that require public interest and engagement to support environmental policymaking. Environmentalists and resource managers have expressed concern that nature conservation fails to appeal to "the changing face of America." While Latinos are expanding in numbers and political influence in the U.S., relatively little scholarly work addresses their attitudes towards environmental issues. Even less research examines how Latino immigrants perceive U.S. cultural norms about environmental attitudes and behavior, how immigrants adapt to these norms, and immigrants' influence on shaping these norms in the long run. In this paper, we outline the theoretical and methodological foundations of a proposed long-term study that seeks to address the following questions: What is the state of environmental values among Latino immigrants in the United States? What role do place-based cultural ecologies, in the home country and the U.S., play in shaping these values? How do these values shift or become modified during the process of acculturation in the U.S.? And, What is the effect of transnational life on the development and expression of environmental values? To answer these questions, we will apply ethnographic methods and theoretical insights from geography, political ecology, migration studies, and environmental justice. (PAPER)
Preventing Gun-related Youth Violence in Northside Minneapolis; Descriptive and Analytical Epidemiology
Presenters: Sandolsam Cha (Macalester College) and Matt Petcoff (University of Minnesota)
The Minnesota Department of Health and Northside community partners have come together to tackle the problem of gun-related youth violence in Northside Minneapolis. The objective of this study is to first characterize the nature of gun violence, identify risk/protective factors and risk markers (demographic information) associated with gun violence, and help empower Northside community partners with quantitative data with which they can take action to prevent gun violence. The methods in this study is two-fold: 1) abstraction and analysis of firearm-related injury and fatality data and universal billing data from hospitals in Minneapolis, with the addition of death certificates, and 2) crafting and applying a community, door-to-door survey tool that measures perceptions of safety, gun ownership, gun violence perpetuation and victimization, and risk/protective factors in the Northside community. Abstraction of approximately 500 firearm-related injuries and fatalities between 2003 and 2007 were done on site at major hospitals in Minneapolis and merged with pre-existing data from 1998 to 2002. The African-American Men Project is in the process of conducting the community survey tool, with the aim of collecting 1500 responses. Through both descriptive and analytical epidemiology, we will be able to conclude where gun violence is clustered, trends over time, prevalence of injury, and risk/protective factors and markers. (PAPER)
Water Crisis in Nairobi
Presenter: Nikki Chaffin (DePaul University)
Limited access to a safe, sanitary, adequate water supply is a huge problem for urban areas of Africa such as Nairobi, Kenya. City residents need access to clean water for drinking, cooking, washing, and producing food. If safe water and proper sanitation are not present diseases can take over, resulting in lower overall productivity for the individual and community. Kibera, a slum of over two hundred and fifty thousand people crowded into less than two square miles lying on the edge of Nairobi is experiencing such problems. These problems stem from social inequality left in place by British colonization. The issue of clean water in Nairobi is not technical or financial, but rather political and institutional. (PAPER)
Agent-based modeling and simulation of emergency evacuations
Presenter: Xuwei Chen (Northern Illinois University)
Because of the uncertain nature of emergency situation, it is advantageous for decision-makers to anticipate possible outcomes of different response and evacuation strategies under different situations and assess the range of options available. The evacuation managers in a community can use computer modeling techniques to simulate different what-if scenarios, use the results from these simulations to inform the public, and generate different evacuation plans under different circumstances. Among the factors to be considered in different scenarios, the dynamics of evacuation traffic has an importation role in assessing the performance of an evacuation plan. Comparing to macro-based modeling approach, agent-based modeling technique provides an effective method to model and simulate evacuations at finer scale. When properly used, agent-based modeling creates a reasonably realistic and workable forecasting model that emergency managers and planners may use to improve the effectiveness of evacuation procedures. This study demonstrates how agent-based modeling can be applied to estimate the total evacuation time, assess different evacuation strategies, and plan hypothetical routes for evacuating the elderly from a nursing home on Galveston Island, Texas, based on network dynamics during an evacuation. (PAPER)
The Cultural Landscape of the Hmong in Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Presenter: Jenna Christian (University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire)
The arrival of the Hmong to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, over the past thirty years has introduced the city to its first significant ethnic minority population since the initial settlement of the city. Despite being small in numbers, the Hmong have formed a unique ethnic landscape, rich with a mixture of both newly adopted and traditional cultural features. Through examination of the spatial patterns of residential, commercial, and religious, and agricultural spaces, it is possible to learn about the Hmong, as well as about ways in which small ethnic groups evolve and adapt to life in places which had previously been without much cultural diversity. The result is a landscape that is new and vibrant, yet incredibly subtle, thus challenging us to look beyond the most obvious conceptions of ethnic enclaves to examine the smaller and more obscure aspects of cultural landscapes. (POSTER)
"That's not what we came here for": the place of railroads in Chicago and its suburbs
Presenter: Julie Cidell (University of Illinois)
Conflicts over transportation have long revolved around the siting of new infrastructure. In response, transportation provision has recently focused on more efficient use of existing infrastructure via more frequent usage, technological upgrades, or pricing schemes though not without potential objections from nearby residents. Going beyond NIMBY concerns, the ways in which residents frame their complaints reveal deeper understandings about the appropriate place of economic, social, and environmental activity within the metropolitan area. In other words, residents construct their own geographies of the region.
In 2007, Canadian National (CN) began the process of purchasing a beltline railroad around Chicago to ease the passage of containerized freight from Asia for North American distribution. Residents expressing concerns over emergency vehicle access, water supply contamination, and delays at crossings argued that only certain types of infrastructure and vehicles were appropriate in their communities. In particular, freight trains and their associated pollution should stay within the cities that had already adapted to accommodate them, while suburban rail lines should be designated for commuter trains. This paper explores the geography of the Chicago metropolitan area as constructed by suburban residents based on the appropriate location of economic activity as enabled by rail transportation. (PAPER)
Human Trafficking in Central America
Presenter: Amanda Colegrove (Grand Rapids Community College)
Human trafficking is a worldwide issue, and in Latin America it is particularly pervasive. For example, both Mexico and Belize have experienced an increase in this activity since the relatively recent implementation and enforcement of laws in other global regions, and here it has been shown to diffuse broadly within the framework of interregional migration. This paper examines this issue and discusses the underlying factors that are unique to the region and those it has in common with the global community. (PAPER)
Trinidad Carnival: an Exhibition of a true Carnivalesque Landscape
Presenter: Johnny Coomansingh (Minot State University)
The world-famous pre-Lenten carnival staged in Trinidad and Tobago, is the most photographed, the most copied and most imitated of all carnivals. Among the countries of the Caribbean, and possibly the world, it is the carnivalesque landscape that gives to Trinidad its cultural distinctiveness. Tied firmly to the carnival is Trinidad s sense of place and national identity. The Trinidad Carnival is the glue that directly or indirectly holds the society together; a literal amalgam of the cultures of several ethnic groups. Trinidad Carnival has graduated to the point of being a cultural product packaged not only for local masqueraders, but also for tourists who wish to participate in the bacchanal. The annual ritual reveals largely what is Trinidad in terms of its power of place. The carnival continues to experience cultural sanitization with the concomitant loss of masquerading originality. Dominating the landscape today are droves of skimpily clad women who now wine dong di place to the music of steelpan and calypso in large bands. Foreign tourists have added a certain texture to the celebration. With the use of calypso lyrics, films, personal observations, and photographic analysis, the research aims to portray the carnivalesque landscape of Trinidad and Tobago.
Keywords: carnivalesque landscape, sense of place, national identity, cultural product (PAPER)
The Situation with Geographic Education in the United States
Panel Chair: Johnny Coomansingh (Minot State University)
Panelists: Dave Lanegran (Macalester College), Gregory Vandeberg (University of North Dakota), Jeffrey VanLooy (Radford University)
In today's society, there is much more to be desired with regard to Geographic Education in the United States. Although this is not an attack on the American junior/high school curriculum, almost all high schools in the United States expose their students to just a seventh grade social science course in which geography forms a unit. For over 50 years, the discipline of geography factored as just a small part of the broader social studies school curriculum. This Social Science situation provides the answer for the scant attention that geography has been given in the United States. According to the literature on geographic illiteracy, American students continue to underperform in assessments and other international examinations in geography. It was absolutely appalling to hear the response given by one of the 2007 Teen Miss America contestants when asked why a fifth of Americans cannot locate the United States on a world map. Headlines such as Global Goofs: U.S. Youth Can't Find Iraq are as well, not too pleasant for any first world country. The presentation will attempt to foster discussion on the present situation with Geography as a discipline, the re-establishment of the dire need for a more serious approach to geographic education in K-12 schools, the relationship between Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the discipline of Geography, and put in perspective the true direction of the discipline of Geography in the United States in terms of what the future looks like for Geography and geographers. (PANEL)
Twenty Years of Change in Wisconsin's Dairy Industry
Presenter: John Cross (University of Wisconsin Oshkosh)
Today Wisconsin has a third as many dairy herds as it had twenty years ago, and it is no longer the nation's number one milk producer. Wisconsin has 483,000 fewer milk cows than in 1989. Utilizing dairy producer license data, the pattern of loss of 22,536 dairy herds since spring 1989 is examined. Over the past two decades, the number of towns without any dairy herds has grown by 112, with the greatest proportional losses occurring within the cutover region of northern Wisconsin, the central sand plains, and the Milwaukee metropolitan area. In contrast, the greatest numerical losses occurred within the heart of Wisconsin's dairyland.
During this period significant growth occurred in both the number of megadairy operations and in the number of small herds operated by Amish and Old Order Mennonite families. Together, these Old Order groups account for at least half of all dairy operators within 22 towns and at least a quarter within 68, with their greatest concentrations in southwestern Wisconsin and within portions of central Wisconsin. While megadairy operations are located adjacent to Amish farms in Marathon County, megadairies are concentrated within portions of southern and east central Wisconsin. (PAPER)
D
The Shift to an Efficient Suburbia
Presenter: Eric DeLuca (St. John's University)
Residential buildings account for 21% of the primary energy consumption and 20% of the carbon emissions in the United States. Roughly half of the homes that the US will require by 2030 have not yet been built; therefore, increasing energy efficient design techniques in the residential construction sector would drastically decrease our nation s carbon footprint. The state of Minnesota has recently adopted stricter energy codes in the hopes of producing more efficient houses, but codes alone are not proving to be effective. To better understand which energy-efficient techniques are typically being incorporated and which ones are not, I conducted a study of suburban model homes on the Fall 2009 Minnesota Parade of Homes. My research consisted of visiting a sample of typical single-family homes, filling out a checklist of energy-efficient design techniques for each home, interviewing builders and realtors about market trends and consumer desires, and consulting other scholarly and governmental research on the topic. In order to encourage the wide-scale implementation of energy-efficient homes in suburban Minnesota, neighborhood developments and plot layouts need to be designed to maximize southern exposure in more home; both consumers and builders need to become more interested in the socially responsible and money-saving aspects of efficient design; and more emphasis needs to be placed on overcoming the large upfront costs and long payback rates of renewable energy technologies. (POSTER)
E
Lifting Gridlock in Milwaukee: The Potential Effects of Bus Rapid Transit Implementation
Presenter: Laura Eash (Macalester College)
Departing from a period of deindustrialization, Milwaukee is a city in transition. Progressive infrastructure projects constructed in recent years are physical examples of the change in the city's identity promoted by many of Milwaukee's just over six hundred thousand residents. A prime example is the Milwaukee Intermodal Station, the downtown Amtrak stop that reopened in November 2007 after significant renovation. Although the improved facility now accommodates several regional bus and rail carriers, the Milwaukee County Transit System is lagging in service inside the city limits. For nearly twenty years, ridership on and service hours of city buses decreased and fares and problems increased, while $91.5 million from the federal government, marked for capital improvements to the transit system, was argued over by local officials. Although the funds were recently allocated towards construction of a downtown streetcar loop and purchase of standard buses with improved fuel efficiency because of economic stimulus programming, this paper examines Milwaukee s best mass transit options in a typical fiscal environment. Taking short and long-term economic, environmental, and social factors into consideration along with comparative analysis, the ideal way for Milwaukee to update its public transportation network is through implementation of a bus rapid transit (BRT) system. (PAPER)
The Places of Birth
Presenter: Hannah Emple (Macalester)
Through qualitative research in the Twin Cities and a literature
review, this paper seeks to illustrate how women, their families, and
health care providers view and construct various places of birth. Over
four million births occur annually in the United States, making birth
the most common reason for hospitalization amongst women. Although 99%
of women give birth in hospitals, a small but vocal minority seek
alternative places to birth - primarily at home. Because the
spatialities of birth are highly contested, the issue of where to
birth is increasingly politicized. In light of this, this paper asks
the following types of questions: What is seen as most important in a
place of birth? What factors motivate women and providers to favor
particular places over others? What efforts have hospitals made to
appeal to their patients as consumers? What relationship do these
efforts have, if any, to the homebirth movement? Informants cite
themes such as a desire for choices, control, and a feeling of safety
in whatever place they birth as well as continuity of care and respect
from providers. (PAPER/POSTER)
Foreclosures across Chicago, IL
Presenter: Philip Erickson (DePaul University)
Many economists believe the downturn in the housing market was key to causing the current recession. One of the most public symptoms of the recession is the increased number of foreclosures across the United States. The number of foreclosures is so high that political action has been taken to help out the housing market and to reduce the number of foreclosures. This paper will examine the issue of foreclosure in a specific area of the U.S., the City of Chicago and its 77 community areas.
There are many factors that contribute to the cause of foreclosures. This paper will examine two variables: race of the individual and the type of tenure of specific housing units within each community area. By its conclusion, the paper will show if there is any correlation between the two variables and the number of foreclosures within each community area. The data will show the impact of foreclosure on racial groups and what areas of the city are most affected. (PAPER)
F
Glacier Retreat in Glacier National Park, Montana: a climate-based review
Presenter: Trent Ford (Illinois State University)
Climate change is a hot-topic issue in every region of the world, especially in the numerous national parks of the United States. Of all the preserved areas of the nation, no park reflects the consequences of regional climate change as clearly as Glacier National Park in Northern Montana. The Park provides refuge to over 1,100 species of plants and animals as well as a popular recreation for its annual one to two million visitors. The glaciers provide melt water for several watersheds, and these magnificent glaciers are shrinking at unprecedented rates. This work provides a synthesis of research efforts that have explored the link between fluctuations in climate and mass balance of the glaciers in Glacier National Park. Key contributors to the general retreat of these glaciers include variable climate patterns like the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and Pacific North American (PNA) pattern as well as microclimatic conditions such as solar irradiance and regional topography. (PAPER)
G
The U.S., Mexico, and Free Trade
Presenter: Ben Gerlofs (Aquinas College)
Since 1994, the United States and Mexico have been operating under the umbrella of free trade policies set forth in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). These policies were birthed into a political and social climate dizzy with anticipation for their arrival and subsequent scrutiny, and have continued to be of significance in economic debate since. This paper examines NAFTA, and draws pertinent conclusions regarding the agreement s aims, attempts and consequences. (PAPER)
Gentrification in Lincoln Park, Chicago
Presenter: Ashley Gold (DePaul University)
Gentrification is a large and complicated topic that has graced the geography world with its presence since the early 1960 s. In the following pages the definition of gentrification is thoroughly discussed as a process of dislocating a vulnerable population in aims to renew a particular urban area that will bring to it a certain upper-middle class population. The definition is looked at more in depth with a case study on the gentrification of Lincoln Park on the North side of Chicago. Using this specific example of a successfully gentrified neighborhood it becomes possible to identify the negative outcomes that happen with the process of dislocating whole communities. The loss of diversity and culture from Lincoln Park are perfect examples of how gentrification negatively affects a neighborhood. The culture of Lincoln Park is severely affected due to gentrification leaving its greedy bite marks on what soon is now a largely overdeveloped and unaffordable area.
The Planned Capital of Abuja
Presenter: Jon Gustin (DePaul University)
This paper focuses on how Abuja, the planned capital of Nigeria failed to achieve its goal of creating an effectively planned city that offered the people of Nigeria a better quality of life. The livelihood of the people living in the area where Abuja was created were sacrificed in order to create a flashy city that could prove the modernity of Nigeria. Abuja functions more as a symbol of wealth and power than it does as a city for the common man. Due to a lack of affordable housing, inadequate planning and inconsistent policy implementation, the Abuja Master Plan sacrificed the livelihood and general well being of its own inhabitants, specifically the poor masses, in a blind effort to create a beautiful city designed for the upper-class and elites. (PAPER)
Effects of Bendway Weirs on Channel Geomorphology, Ten Years After Installation, 1999 - 2009
Presenter: Vincent Gutowski, Steven Di Naso, and Daniel Osterman (Eastern Illinois University)
An experimental bank stabilization technique, a Bendway Weir field, was installed along a half mile segment of the Embarras River near Toledo, Illinois. Bendway weirs are a network of barbs angled upstream, designed to reduce cut bank erosion by forcing the thalweg away from the cut bank. The site was mapped in 1998, before installation of 21 weirs. After construction, surveys were performed each year from 1999 to 2002 and again in 2009. A shallowing of the scour pools has occurred along the majority of the reach, while between the first 6 weirs the entire pool structure changed, from a 7 foot deep pool to a flat, sandy channel approximately 2 feet deep. In 2009 some of the pools in the downstream part of the reach were found to have deepened, while the highest rates of stream bank recession (over 20 feet) were found in these areas. In most areas along the study reach erosion of the cut bank slowed. It was stated that the weirs would enhance the local fish population, however, species richness, the IBI, and species diversity all showed decreases between pre-construction status and when surveyed again 4 and 8 years later. (POSTER)
H
An Enduring Nation: A Case Study of Chickasaw Media Discourse
Presenter: Jack Hanney (University of Missouri)
A growing area of research within geography is the use of media as a source for cultural interpretation. Since all media is produced within a culture, it is socially constructed within places, describes places, and diffuses to places, it has relevance to geographers. Many cultures produce their own media to communicate with the rest of the world, especially in areas of the world where multiple cultures interact. As minorities in a Western culture, Native Americans have been using technologies to bring their culture to the mainstream or to build a stronger nation within. A prime example of this can be seen within the Chickasaw tribe whose development of multimedia affairs has significance to its relationship within the greater community of Oklahoma. An Enduring Nation: A Short History of the Chickasaw Nation, a video produced by the Chickasaw tribe, with Chickasaw funds, provides an opportunity to analyze the messages being communicated to the desired audience, whomever it may be. Using an inductive approach and discourse analysis, the researcher will attempt to deconstruct this example of Chickasaw media to uncover underlying discourses within Chickasaw Nation media sources. (PAPER)
Community Gardens of Chicago Neighborhoods: The Role Community Gardens Play in the Local Food System
Presenter: Jessica Hayes (Northern Illinois University)
Local food systems are gaining interest across the country, and urban gardens in particular are recognized as a way to improve local food supplies (Block et al., 2008). However, data which reveal the amount of production and consumption of locally grown food are lacking (Timmons et al., 2008). It is difficult to evaluate whether and how local food systems affect access to food in a community. Existing community garden data require assessment, a better understanding of how community gardens can be used to alleviate food insecurity is necessary, and effective policies and practices must be identified. This study provides an overview of community gardening in Chicago and investigates access to fresh healthy food via community gardens and food policy. This research uses case studies from Chicago neighborhoods to quality control existing data, qualitatively assess the functionality of community gardens, and determine what policies and practices employed by community gardens may be effective at increasing access to healthy food among traditionally underserved populations. Case studies of three diverse neighborhoods include: Pilsen, a west side, predominantly Latino community; Englewood, a south side, predominantly African American neighborhood; and the Portage Park area, a north side, predominantly Caucasian community with a growing Latino population. (PAPER)
Maintaining Authenticity and Integrity at Cultural World Heritage Sites
Presenters: Helen Hazen (Macalester College) and Heike Alberts (University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh)
To be considered for listing as a World Heritage site, properties must meet the conditions of 'integrity' and/or 'authenticity' and be of 'outstanding universal value'. Identifying and maintaining authenticity and integrity at cultural heritage sites are challenging goals, however. The concepts are difficult to define, and are open to different interpretations in different cultural settings. Additionally, the diversity of sites and wide variety of influences on them require individualized approaches to preservation in many cases. Nonetheless, authenticity and integrity are useful guiding concepts in striving for a systematic approach to preservation across a diversity of contexts. Here we discuss preservation approaches appropriate at a range of sites, paying particular attention to the tensions that arise when balancing the need to maintain authenticity and integrity with the needs of the people who live in or visit these sites. (PAPER)
A Geographical Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Election in the Northern Battleground States
Presenter: John Heppen (University of Wisconsin River Falls)
The 2008 presidential election was closely fought in Northern battleground states stretching from Pennsylvania to Minnesota. Obama's electoral vote margin nationally was larger than Bush's margins in 2000 and 2004 as Ohio, Iowa, and Indiana switched. Obama's margins in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota grew by approximately 8-10 percentage points from John Kerry. Ohio gave Obama a 6 point turn around; Iowa rebounded to the Democrats by 7 points; and Indiana saw Obama wining by 1 point where Kerry had lost by 10 points. A geographical analysis at the county-level revealed that higher voter margins in urban and industrial areas contributed to Obama's victory in Ohio, Indiana, and Iowa. Those same forces led to Democratic gain in the other states. The results of spatial and statistical analysis showed that the urban, suburban, and rural divide in the Northern Battleground states still exists and could be a partial explanation of the heated rhetoric recently shown in debates over health care, taxes, and other social issues. (PAPER)
Aboveground Carbon Potential in Deforested Minnesota Lands
Presenter: Renee Huset (University of St. Thomas)
One way for institutions to offset carbon emissions is to replant forests on degraded land. The ability of Minnesota s landscape to sequester carbon dioxide varies widely -- some areas are already heavily forested while others have limited potential to support future forests. Thus, reforestation will not be a viable offset project in some parts of the state.
This project was focused on targeting optimal sites for reforestation by using data on aboveground biomass, Geographic Information Systems technology, and geographically weighted regression. To target areas with the greatest potential for carbon absorption, processing was focused on creating a model that best predicts aboveground carbon in currently-forested land using both physical and human variables. After applying the same model to deforested land, residuals were used to calculate the amount of carbon that should be found in the landscape according to the model and locate areas containing considerably less carbon than expected. These findings were then used to analyze the amount of land that would need to be reforested to offset the University of Saint Thomas s carbon emissions. (PAPER)
I
J
Mapping and Comparing the Historic Floods of 1961 and 2008 in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, Iowa
Presenters: Kevin Jacque
and Munshi Khaledur Rahman (University of Northern Iowa)
The purpose of this project was to compare and contrast the historic
floods of 1961 and 2008 in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, Iowa to see if
appropriate zoning and planning precautionary measures had been taken
since the flood of 1961. Investigating the historic floods might help in
flood protection and zoning decision making and in reducing
flood-related losses. The 1961 maps were developed by digitizing the US
Army Corps of Engineers aerial photographs. Digital maps for the flood
of 2008 were provided by the GeoTREE Center. Using these datasets we ran
tests to compare the two flooding events. Our main objective was to
identify urban areas, where post-1961 flood protection and loss
minimization measures succeeded and where they failed. Our results
indicate that the historic flood of 1961 has not been carefully
considered in urban planning. Some infrastructural developments,
including housing and roads, have been developed in the areas that were
flooded in 1961. Although flood protection measures have been undertaken
since 1961, they were unable to eliminate flooding problems. Even though
they are rare, historic floods should be more carefully considered in
urban planning to reduce flood losses. (POSTER)
Yellowstone Embodied: Truman Everts' 'Thirty-Seven Days of Peril' on the Upper Yellowstone
Presenters: Gareth John and Christine Metzo (St. Cloud State University)
In September, 1870 explorer Truman C. Everts, a member of the Washburn-Doane expedition to the then little-known region of the Upper Valley of the Yellowstone River, became separated from the main party and found himself without his horse and supplies alone in the 'wilderness'. Everts spent 37 days struggling to effect his escape from his increasingly painful and life-threatening predicament before being rescued by a two-man search party. The news of his separation, conjecture as to his possible fate, and reports of his subsequent rescue caused a sensation both locally and nationally and consequently earned celebrity for Everts and, crucially, for the place where the calamity occurred. Using a phenomenological approach to understand the multiplicitous presence of the body in the experiential and representational practices of everyday life, this paper revisits Everts' perilous misadventure to examine the various ways in which his experience of place/landscape was embodied and became inscribed on the region that would, in March, 1872, become Yellowstone National Park. (PAPER)
Gender-based reversal in life expectancy in southern Africa
Presenter: Poonam Jusrut (University of Illinois)
In this poster, a geographic perspective has been used to shed light on the social inequalities in health between men and women in southern Africa. Keeping in mind the reality of data scarcity that show male and female differences in mortality, this poster uses life expectancy data to illustrate the widening gender inequalities in access to health. This poster has two main objectives: the first objective is to show the trends and geographical patterns in life expectancy in southern African countries, particularly the reversal of life expectancy in favor of men during the past 30 years or so. Secondly, the poster briefly explores the underlying factors behind the presence of drastic differences between male and female life expectancies. The results of this depiction show a worrisome trend in life expectancies with regard to gender. The advantage in life expectancy that females had over men before 1980 has all but disappeared during the past 25 years. To make matters worse, life expectancy declined dramatically for both males and females, and in some cases the declines were more than 10 years. Women experienced greater declines in life expectancy lowering them to below those of men, a condition contrary to what existed before the 1980s. The upsurge in HIV infections and the attendant high female mortality rates as well as other factors have combined to result in the unequal gender realities in as far as life expectancies are concerned in the countries of southern Africa. (POSTER)
Artificial reefs and tourism in Mauritius: a symbiotic relationship
Presenter: Poonam Jusrut (University of Illinois)
The Republic of Mauritius welcomes almost one million tourists annually, the majority of whom are attracted to the combination of sun, sand and sea . Since Mauritius is not the only country offering such a package to tourists, it has to diversify its product. It can do so by tapping the niche market of artificial reef scuba diving to maintain the viability of its tourism industry, which is one of the most important pillars of the economy. In spite of the challenges, artificial reefs not only allow the creation of tourist attractions but also posit as one of the sustainable reef management methods, especially by reducing tourist pressure on natural reefs. While tourism must abide by the rules of nature conservation for its own survival, tourism can also act as a catalyst for environmental conservation and embellishment.
The objectives of the poster are: 1) to describe the artificial reefs found in Mauritius e.g. the predominant type of reef, locations and implementation, 2) to explain the success of artificial reefs in benefiting both tourism industry and the marine environment, 3) to present the factors affecting the artificial reef dive experience and the multiple outcomes of the interaction between divers and artificial reefs. (POSTER)
K
Finnish food: It's what we eat for lunch
Presenter: Paul Kaldjian (University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire)
With the rise in popularity of local foods and regional food systems, critical studies of what such foods and systems actually are, mean and imply have grown. Though the benefits are assumed, they are not automatic and differ by geography. The ability of different places to effectively tap those benefits varies due to environmental, political economic, historical and cultural factors. To date, and in contrast to the excitement that local foods have generated in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe, the Finnish response is reserved. This paper explores the implications of eating locally in Finland and examines factors and forces influencing the popular embrace of local and traditional foods. The paper considers practices and perceptions, situates local foods within greater food systems and highlights the intersection of food, place and culture. (PAPER)
Urban renewal and the politics of dispossession in Istanbul
Presenter: Ozan Karaman (University of Minnesota)
In its attempts to market Istanbul as a 'global city' and attract international business, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) which is presently controlled by the Islamic Justice and Development Party (JDP) is spearheading an ambitious campaign of 'urban transformation'. The two main pillars of the urban transformation are the clearance of squatter settlements in the outskirts of the city for lucrative re-development and the enforced gentrification of the inner-city slums. This paper uses the IMM's urban transformation agenda as a lens to examine the shifting dynamics of disenfranchisement and poor people's mobilization in Istanbul. I focus on two neighborhoods: Basibuyuk, a site of squatter redevelopment project located on the Asian side of Istanbul, and the historic neighborhood of Sulukule--home to one of the oldest ethnic Roma communities in the world dating back to the Byzantine Empire--which is currently being demolished as part of the Municipality's renewal project. Drawing from my comparative ethnographic study of these two sites, I look at multiple aspects of the 'urban transformation' agenda and how it is being contested by communities in settings with different cultural and political dynamics. (PAPER)
Shifting Peripheral Visions
Presenter: Brenda Kayzar (University of Minnesota)
Throughout the past decade and a half, populations have doubled in the communities of Farmington and Rosemount, located in the periphery of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. As a result, each community has experienced a boom in residential and ancillary development. At the height of this boom Farmington and Rosemount initiated efforts to update their long term comprehensive plans. The plans, produced by each city's planning staff, and now vetted by the general public, project growth through the year 2030. Yet in light of the current downturn in the housing market and the high rate of home foreclosures experienced by each municipality the projections may be problematic. This paper explores what each community might learn from the sudden shift in development expectations, and makes suggestions for how these peripheral communities can re-envision housing futures by reexamining the structural imperfections in housing provision. (PAPER)
Rangeland to cropland conversion in the Arid West
Presenter: Thomas Kazmierczak (Northern Illinois University)
The patterns of agricultural and urban land use change in America s heartland were analyzed to determine if we continue to replace lost farmland to urban conversion with cropland converted from rangeland. We used data from the 2001 National Land Cover Database and NASS 2007 Cropland Data Layers to map the changing location of these conversions. An earlier study found that approximately 11 million acres of U.S. cropland were converted to urban land between 1982 and 1997 which coincided with an equal amount of arid rangeland converting to cropland. We find evidence to suggest that the trend identified in the earlier study has continued. Similarly, we find that the new cropland replacing the high quality cropland lost to urbanization was planted in more arid regions of the U.S. and therefore relied heavily on irrigation calling into question the sustainability of this new cropland given competing demands for water. (PAPER)
Minnesota's CRP Lands: Criteria Development and Effects of Current Corn Prices
Presenters: David A. Kelley and Ms. Abigail Krause (University of St. Thomas)
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) works to protect environmentally-sensitive farmland voluntarily submitted into the program. Participants apply and compete to secure their land in a ten to fifteen year contract with the CRP, during which they are financially compensated for the land they have volunteered. To determine which lands are eligible, the CRP uses an Environmental Benefits Index (EBI), which scores a parcel of land on various criteria for suitablity for protection (proximity to water, rare or endangered species, slope, etc.). This study examines the EBI criteria as they pertain to current and historic CRP land in Minnesota to determine if there are imperfections in the EBI, and if so, what factors would be more suitable. Of particular note is the effect of large-scale ethanol production in Minnesota in the last 5-10 years, particularly the effect the price of corn (post-ethanol) has had on CRP land protection. Comparing pre-ethanol CRP lands to recent post-ethanol CRP lands gives an indication of whether farmers are not renewing their contracts in order to replant corn, or if the financial compensation of the CRP is still more beneficial to them. (PAPER)
Analysis of Streamflow Change in the St. Croix River: A Hydrological Model
Presenter: Stephanie Kleinschmidt (Macalester College)
In 2004, the USGS published findings about the St. Croix River water flow based on two different measuring stations: Danbury and St. Croix Falls. The data, available until 2001, from these stations revealed that the stream flow at St. Croix Falls, the downstream station, was significantly higher than that at Danbury. The USGS ruled out differences in climate between the stations as a cause of this disparity because the sites are in close proximity to each other, but said that the trends of increased flow between Danbury and St. Croix Falls may be related to factors other than climate, such as hydropower operation, population growth, changes in agricultural practices, or changes in land use.
This project uses hydrological modeling in a GIS to analyze the relationship of factors expected to be influencing the flow rate of the St. Croix River. Of primary focus are the effects of land use changes, urbanization, land cover and agricultural practices, as well as other sources of increased runoff. Data used originate primarily from state and federal agencies, and several models were evaluated for their appropriateness. This project seeks to explain how stream flow is affected by anthropogenic changes to the environment, looking specifically at the St. Croix River. (POSTER)
Situating Sound in Geography while Listening to Selby Ave
Presenter: Jennifer Kotting (University of Minnesota, Twin Cities)
The potential for using sound in the ethnography of place is especially lacking in geography and other social sciences. Consequently, a geographer using experimental sonic methods must be deliberate in practice and technically proficient in this method for both gathering and representing qualitative data. There are three major objectives at stake in my argument: first, to show sound works through perception to help the human mind discern characteristics of an environment; second, to make use of sound as a virtually untapped resource for ethnography of place; and third, to show how changes in place can be captured and represented using sound without necessarily sojourning into the visual. For this study, I chose a place that was accessible and demonstrative of the becoming (and disintegrating) of place using sound - a ten block area on Selby Ave. in St. Paul, Minnesota. I used a portable recorder, microphone, and headphones not just to perform ethnography, but to better understand sound as a method and an integral part of place. The method has dictated the form of this paper, which is available as a document with sound files embedded in the text as part of the narrative of change on Selby Ave. (PAPER)
L
Using Ohio’s Scioto Marsh to Teach Pattison’s Four Traditions
Presenter: Chris Laingen (Department of Geology & Geography,
Eastern Illinois University)
Ask ten geographers to define geography, and you would have ten different answers, but at the core of their responses would be key themes that would link even the most disparate practitioners together. Defining geography to students can be an even more daunting task. As we know, geography’s great breadth is also one of its greatest challenges. In “The Four Traditions of Geography”, William Pattison set out to dispel that which divides us in a world of ever-increasing emphasis on specialization. Using Pattison’s framework, this poster shows geography as what it truly is – a multifaceted, inter- and intra-disciplinary study of understanding what is where, why it is there, and why we should care. This poster uses a case study of the Scioto Marsh in Hardin County, Ohio to describe how these traditions can be used to illustrate a holistic approach to a geographic study. It links geomorphology with historic land use. It links the cultural and economic traits of the inhabitants with contemporary environmental issues. Most of all, it shows students that to understand geography, one needs to have an appreciation for the “traditions” that link us all as geographers. (POSTER)
Welcoming the Wind? Determinants of Wind Power Development Among U.S. States
Presenter:
Christopher Lant and Christiane Bohn (Southern Illinois University)
Although currently supplying less than 1 percent of consumption, wind is the fastest growing source of electricity in the United States. This article analyzes the emerging geography of wind energy on a state-by-state basis. Rather than physical wind energy potential, the primary determinants of wind energy development among U.S. states are human geographic factors of population distribution, and resulting geography of electricity demand and transmission line accessibility, together with state-based energy policies, including electric utility restructuring, renewable portfolio standards, and procedures for siting and permitting wind farms. Although simplified state-level siting and permitting procedures that minimize opportunities for local opposition show a statistical advantage in wind energy development, examination of U.S. examples of local opposition to wind farms and the European experience in wind energy development show that community acceptability of wind farms depends on procedural legitimacy in siting decisions and a perceived aesthetic fit between wind farms and the local landscape. (PAPER)
Alternative Cartography: Dasymetric Mapping of Pheasant Population in Northwest Iowa
Presenter: Jonathon Launspach (University of Northern Iowa)
Accurate mapping of pheasant population in Iowa is necessary for managing conservation and hunting activities. The dasymetric mapping approach was used to produce more accurate pheasant population density maps of the Northwest corner of Iowa, which has the largest pheasant population in the state. Dasymetric mapping uses underlying statistics and ancillary data to better represent spatial distributions. Dasymentric mapping is usually used for mapping population densities, not typically applied to birds or animal populations. In this project the dasymetric method is deployed to more accurately demonstrate where the pheasant population is more prone to be found. Two dasymetric techniques were implemented: binary and population fraction. The binary method was used to refine pheasant density maps by identifying the feeding and nesting areas of the pheasants, which make up their habitat. The population fraction method used inhabitance probability weighs to calculate expected pheasant densities within the specific land cover type based on suitability of each land cover type for pheasant habitation. The pheasant population and land cover data were obtained from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Both dasymetric maps are more consistent with the inhabitance preferences of pheasants and, thus, provide more accurate information on pheasant population density to hunters and conservation specialists. (POSTER)
Bigger Isn't Better: Rust Belt Proposals for Planned Shrinkage
Presenter: Will Levin (Indiana University)
While disinvestment and deindustrialization have been issues for many American cities for decades, it is only recently that officials in those cities have started telling the hard truths that their once-great towns may never re-attain their full glory, and that their best hope for revitalization may lie in a concept called de-urbanization or planned shrinkage. Specifics vary but the principles are the same: former industrial towns have more infrastructure, in poorer condition, than they can handle, and that rather than trying to maintain city services and resources at past levels over the same area it would be better to shrink the city through policy, legislative inducements and other means. A city with its former density over a smaller area allows for more efficient allocation of resources, healthier communities, and, hopefully, renewed civic pride and meaningful urban renewal (not the Robert Moses variety).
I examine the efforts of several Rust Belt cities to shrink and revitalize themselves. In particular I compare the methods proposed (eminent domain, sources of funding) and the desired ends (a city shrunk around existing dense corridors or a more uniform contraction) Youngstown, Ohio and Flint, Michigan are two cities of particular interest. (PAPER)
Consuming Queer Tacos in the Entrepreneurial City
Presenters: Laura Levy and Ian Tobin (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
In the City of Chicago the promotion of diversity, tolerance and identity has become an important part of city planning strategy. This paper illustrates the significance of these principles in the construction of the urban neighborhood. The authors expose the ways that culture and identity have been appropriated and redefined by elite groups serving the interests of the entrepreneurial city. Using two case studies of neighborhoods in Chicago, the authors argue that the place-marketing of culture relies on overly simplistic and hegemonic views of identity which, in turn, produce exclusionary urban landscapes. (PAPER)
Finding An Effective Re-Mitigation Support Tool For Superfund Sites. A Case Study of Tar Creek, OK
Presenter: Lynnette Li (Missouri State University)
There are more than 1,675 superfund sites in the United States. Millions of tax dollars are used to rectify the environmental and social problems associated with these sites. However, superfund sites are a local problem, and restoration relies heavily on local governmental agencies. The Tar Creek superfund site is located in Ottawa county, Oklahoma, where lead and zinc were mined between 1904 and 1970. The Comprehensive, Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) has spent more than $167 million within the past 18 years to clean up the 3,700 acre mining site. In addition, restoration and buyout programs add to the complexity of the site s problem. Ecosystem Management Development System (EMDS) was developed for the U. S. Forest Service to provide decision support for landscape analysis and planning. EMDS analysis combines a logic model and Netweaver with GIS software, and Arc Maps. EMDS as a decision-supporting tool has the potential to assist superfund site managers in addition to increasing the local government s effectiveness in mitigation planning. This study shows the effects of CERCLA s intervention on Tar Creek through a before and after hazard analysis. The objectives of the study are the following: (1) to describe Tar Creek before it was listed as an EPA superfund site in 1983; (2) to describe Tar Creek after EPA concluded the clean up process; and (3) to evaluate the effectiveness of EMDS to aid in decision making. The expected results will evaluate the entire Tar Creek project, present alternatives in planning and hazard mitigation. This research is important in decreasing the cost incurred by superfund clean up projects. (PAPER)
Renewable Energy and Landscape-Scale Change: How Sustainable is our pursuit for Sustainable Energy?
Presenter: Paul Lorah (University of St. Thomas)
Today, technological and financial barriers limit the transition to renewable energy. In coming decades, however, a combination of innovation and policy changes are likely to make renewable energy cost competitive with fossil fuels. This paper argues that the long-term constraints on renewable energy production will not be economic - they will be geographic. While the amount of sunlight powering renewable energy is virtually unlimited, the amount of land available for solar and wind energy production is not. One way to explore the environmental externalities associated with large scale solar and wind facilities is to estimate how much land would be altered by a complete transition to renewables. Data from the National Land Cover Database on impervious surfaces are used to estimate the amount of power that could be generated from all Minnesota rooftops using solar panels. Data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory on current energy demand, solar insolation and wind speed are also used to explore the spatial limitations (and opportunities) associated with large-scale solar and wind energy projects. (PAPER)
Seattle Parks and Planning: Changing needs of a growing metropolis
Presenter: Darcy Lydum (DePaul University)
This paper traces the development of urban parks in Seattle, focusing on how changing urban needs designate new directions for planning parkland. Three case studies narrate how city 'needs' change over time, and how park planning introduces different forms of parkland to serve new functions. An historical perspective of traditional, community-serving public parks outlines the John C. Olmsted plan for Seattle and proves the integral role of public parks in shaping the development of Seattle as a 20th century city, as well as the viability of this comprehensive park system within a modern context. A focus on Gas Works Park is a case study on how to integrate an obsolete urban form (disused industrial space) into a relevant urban form (a new city park). The final case study examines the neoliberalization of park space: the new Olympic Sculpture Park evolved from a public-private partnership that now serves the needs of the City as a political entity rather than urban residents. Whether through serving the community, brownfield redevelopment or private ownership, parks in Seattle represent a dynamic urban cycle that integrates the changing needs of a growing metropolis. (PAPER)
M
Relationships between Snow and Wintertime Minneapolis Urban Heat Island Intensity
Presenter: Steven Malevich (University of Minnesota)
Urban heat islands (UHI) are one of the best-recorded incidences of anthropogenic climate change. A number of studies have examined this phenomena across the globe, but few have focused on cold-winter cities and the effects of snow fall. This study uses a collection of local scale, high-resolution air temperature observations to develop a representative sample of Minneapolis' wintertime UHI, with the intent to understand how snow relates to this phenomenon. This study has that snow cover has a significant influence on the wintertime UHI, generally increasing ΔTu-r. Snow fall, also has a significant influence, decreasing ΔTu-r to larger degrees with increased snow fall intensity. Land cover types do have a significant influence on wintertime ΔTu-r, however, this study has yet to find a distinct pattern to describe the variation within this influence. (PAPER)
The Political Economy of Affordable Housing Development in Suburban Hennepin County, Minnesota
Presenter: Patrick Malloy (Macalester College)
Policymakers and researchers widely recognize that increasing the suburban supply of housing units affordable to low- and moderate-income households would have huge benefits for metropolitan areas. However, while some suburbs see ample development, those where the benefits would be greatest often see little or none despite efforts by higher levels of government to encourage it. One reason for the policy failure is that policies are based on an unclear understanding of the political economy of affordable housing development at the metropolitan scale, with debate between whether economic constraints or resident opposition to affordable housing are to blame. This paper addresses the debate with an analysis of both forces in 39 suburban cities in Hennepin County, part of the Twin Cities, Minnesota metropolitan area. Statistical analysis of affordable housing production and fiscal and demographic characteristics of all 39 cities and qualitative case studies of eight reveal that, unsurprisingly, economic constraints and a desire to keep taxes low have the biggest impact on the geography of development. However, it also reveals the surprising conclusion that resident opposition has very little impact. Accordingly, public policy could be more aggressive and should aim to make the incentive structure for affordable housing development more targeted to high-need areas. (PAPER)
Environmental Justice in Cook County
Presenter: Alexandra Diana Maties (DePaul University)
This paper deals with the uneven distribution of pollution among the population. I have focused on environmental justice through the correlation between high levels of minority and low income groups in relation to proximity and emission levels of pollution. The focus is Cook County and pollution emitted from TRI data as the environmental factor that is disproportionately distributed among the African American population and low income groups. The use of GIS has highlighted a large African American population that is exposed to pollution much larger than the norm. The Cook County area is indeed experiencing environmental injustice in the Southeast and Western part of the City of Chicago within the county. The comparisons of the variables individually and together display that within areas of clustered low income populations; there are also high levels of pollution. The larger the minority rate, the more pollution existed in that specific geographic area. Environmental injustice not only damages the health of the population that is forced to experience the pollution but also society as a whole. Cook County contains one of the largest urban areas in this nation and, thus it is crucial to examine whether this sort of injustice is taking place. (PAPER)
Computing a Farmland to Urban Conversion Rate for Illinois: Benefits of NLCD 2001 and NASS CDL 2007
Presenter: Alexis Maxwell (Northern Illinois University)
Previous models of farmland loss have relied on the Census of Agriculture, the National Agriculture Lands Study, and USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service surveys to generate urban planning and policy initiatives. Data for these projects have relied on producer responses and ignore changes in crop rotation, conversion to urban land and the total production of major crops (corn, wheat and soybeans) as a measure of food security. The inability to consistently define farmland leads to questions of quantity and quality. In order to accurately assess the threat of urbanization to farmland quantity and quality, it is necessary to accurately generate a conversion rate.
Recent studies have used a Geographic Information System (GIS) to predict future sprawl and development on farmland and characterize those potential losses for communities. Data for these projects have relied on federal land cover data, and due to classification time, have been out of date and are unable to provide real-time information. However, a new source of yearly land cover data, produced by the National Agriculture Statistics Service, details land cover every year for select states, making it possible to view current farmland conversion and assess the impact the housing boom had on urbanization rates. This study will use spatial analysis to compare the 2001 National Land Cover Data in Illinois set to 2008 NASS land cover data in Illinois to define farmland and the rate of conversion from farmland uses to urban. (PAPER)
Designing a Solar Photovoltaic System for Education, Research, and Public Outreach
Presenters: Bob McCallister (University of Wisconsin-Rock County) and Dale Buechler (University of Wisconsin-Platteville)
The objective of this presentation is to assist others who are interested in designing an educationally-oriented solar PV system. Details of our process will be presented: defining goals, finding funding sources, planning design criteria, and installation realities. UW-Rock County has nearly completed construction on our PV system aimed at education, research, and public outreach/promotion of sustainable energy opportunities. There are three separately-configured solar arrays. We will be comparing input and output data from each of the three arrays. Occasionally, the output from one array will be used directly by engineering faculty and students for projects. Otherwise, the DC power from all three arrays will be converted to AC and sent into the local power company grid as part of their green power buyback program. The system design allows for future additions of solar, wind, or other sources of green power. We will have a vivid informational presence on our campus website with near real-time solar data portrayal. (PAPER)
Hurricane Ike's Effect on Galveston Island
Presenter: Brian McCormick (DePaul University)
I focus on Hurricane Ike and its effects on Galveston Island. In order to offer up a full explication of the storm and its effects, I feel it is important to look at some theories behind the management and sustainability of developed coastal environments. From there I will focus on the effects of Ike on Galveston, and in particular I will focus on three areas of interest; firstly, I will examine the destruction of housing and ensuing displacement, secondly I will discuss the effect on The University of Texas Medical Branch -- Galveston's leading employer, and lastly I will explore Ike's effect on tourism. Then to provide an adequate and insightful conclusion, I will discuss some of the policies and issues associated with post-hurricane reconstruction, and the role of government agencies and programs such as FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development), and NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program) in the reconstruction process. Taking all of my research into consideration I intend to offer my outlook on Galveston's potential future. (PAPER)
“Nowhere to go but...”: Gambling on Gentrification in Elgin, Illinois
Presenter: Ed Miller (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Earlier field research definitively documented that gentrification, defined as the production of urban space for progressively more affluent users, is occurring in St. Charles, Illinois, a city that straddles the Fox River. The current research examined the spatial distribution of Home Mortgage Loan Act (HMDA) loans to determine if St. Charles is a unique case; the analysis of HMDA loans in the satellite city of Elgin, Illinois, suggested gentrification is also occurring there. After Elgin was identified as a potential site of gentrification, document and field research was conducted that confirmed the preliminary findings. This paper discusses these findings, reviews the findings in St. Charles, and compares the two cases to identify similarities and differences between the gentrification processes occurring in each place. Keywords: suburban gentrification, LISA, Home Mortgage Loan Act data. (PAPER)
Future Directions in Political Ecology
Panel Chair: William Moseley (Macalester College)
Panelists: Valentine Cadieux (University of Minnesota), Eric Carter (Grinnell College), Julie Cidell (University of Illinois),
Katherine Pratt (University of Minnesota and Macalester College), Matthew Pritchard (McGill University), William Rowe (Louisiana State University) and Ben Wisner (Oberlin College)
Political ecology is one of the most dynamic subfields of contemporary human-environment geography. With its roots in the cultural ecology of the 1960s and 70s, the field has evolved over time as it has been influenced by Marxism, post-modernism, feminism and land change science. Political ecology also has broadened its thematic reach by exploring urban, First World, health and energy dynamics. This panel explores these developments and contemplates where the field might go in the next decade. (PANEL)
How They Lie with Maps: Classifying Political Cartographic Manipulations
Presenter: Ian Muehlenhaus (University of Wisconsin-River Falls)
Though insightful, previous attempts to analyze politically motivated maps have largely been descriptive and anecdotal. This paper presents the results of the first systematic and large sample analysis of maps manipulated for purposes of political persuasion. Using quantitative content analysis, I coded over 250 overtly political maps looking at each map's context, data model manipulation, graphic manipulation, and cartographic layout scheme. I ran cross-tabulations to find significant correlations among different cartographic techniques used to make these maps. I then used two-step cluster analysis to identify whether these political cartographic manipulations could be categorized. Based on the results, I propose that politically motivated maps largely fall into one of four rhetorical categories based on the attributes of their composition. The four categories are: sensationalist, propagandist, understated, and magisterial. (PAPER)
N
O
Enhancing K-12 Geography Curriculum Through Chilean/Latin American Studies
Presenter: Alex Oberle (University of Northern Iowa) and Nancy Enger (Grandview Middle School, Mound, MN)
Effective geography curriculum development requires an understanding of evolving global connections and the ability to make these linkages meaningful to students. This paper describes how a Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad project engaged twelve Iowa/Minnesota K-12 educators in a four-week curriculum development project to Chile. Using population change as an organizational framework, we outline how the processes of rural depopulation, rapid urbanization, and international migration served as a basis for creating standards-based geography modules. (PAPER)
P
Thunderstorm Hazard Risk for the Atlanta, GA Metro Region
Presenter:
Marius Paulikas (Northern Illinois University)
Many U.S. city regions have experienced some form of urban sprawl, or the uneven, outward spreading of urban development from city centers. For city regions lying in areas prone to severe weather, the sprawl phenomenon exposes greater numbers of developed areas to thunderstorm hazards of different intensities (hail, damaging winds, tornadoes, and lightning.) One such region, the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) of Atlanta, GA, has experienced massive sprawl development since 1960, and lies in an area prone to thunderstorms year-round. This study will use three approaches to examine how the Atlanta area s massive development has affected its overall risk to thunderstorm hazards. First, spatial densities (in sq km) will be computed for population, housing, and median income values for all 28 Atlanta MSA counties to locate areas of greatest potential loss. Secondly, spatial densities and temporal intervals of hazard events will be examined for each county to determine if some locations of the Atlanta MSA may be more prone to hazard events than others. Lastly, archived census data will be used to assess overall impacts from hypothetical tornado, wind, and hail events occurring at different time periods in some of the more urbanized counties of the Atlanta MSA. (POSTER)
Influence of shallow water waves on wind profiles and onshore flow
Presenter: Patrick Pease (University of Northern Iowa)
Waves are the significant roughness component of water in regard to wind flow and are dependent on factors such as wind speed, fetch, and water depth. The effect of water waves as a roughness element over oceans is well documented, but difficulties in measuring air flow over water has limited understanding of the dynamic interaction between the fluid boundaries. Furthermore, few studies have examined shallow water, coastal waves as an influence on wind profiles which might affect aeolian sand transport in coastal dunes. This study examines the surface roughness of very shallow, estuary water near shore and the effect as wind transitions from water to land in a field study set up at Jockey's Ridge, NC. Determining roughness was more difficult than expected. Changing tide depth and the transgressive swash line created measurement difficulties, and changing wave conditions from mature to choppy obviated the distinction between wavelength and wave height as a primary roughness element. It is clear, however, that wave characteristics effect wind profiles and that this effect continues for some distance onshore. (POSTER)
Whose History? Public heritage and the production of meanings and contestation
Presenter: Paula Pentel (University of Minnesota)
A public art installation designed to celebrate the heritage of the labor battles of the 1930's was placed in the Minneapolis Hiawatha line's warehouse district station. The photos have been defaced with admonishments to end violence and questions of why these photos need to be enshrined. This paper explores the spatial phenomena at the intersection of heritage and geography in historical signification using case studies from Minneapolis and New York. (PAPER)
Redrawing Russia's Economic Map: An Alternative Approach to Regional Economic Differentiation
Presenter: Andrey Petrov (University of Northern Iowa)
This paper uses the idea of regional multichotomies to 'remap' the regional economic structure of Russia to better represent a contemporary regional differentiation in the Russia's space-economy. The methodology groups Russia's regions along the core-periphery-margin continuums based on a multiscalar, multiscale and multicenter model of regional polarities, in which each dimension (vector) of regional differentiation is associated with organizational logic or logics. The paper demonstrates that the core-periphery-margin multichotomies are multicentric and multivector and each is associated with particular logics of spatial differentiation governed by hegemonic inequities and competitive inequalities. Multiple core-periphery-margin continuums tend to converge in particular regions (i.e. act synergistically), producing multilayered 'supercore', 'superperiphery' and 'supermargin', although these 'supergroups' are internally not homogenous. The study identifies nine region-groupings in Russia: two supercores (Moscow and St. Petersburg), agro-industrial semi-periphery, resource-industrial semi-periphery, staple quasi-core, resource frontier, deep periphery, resource margin, and public dependants. The proposed alternative view of regional structure is a more accurate reflection of regional fragmentation under unevenly localized pressures of economic restructuring and globalization. (PAPER)
Land, power and peace: land and agricultural reform in post-genocide Rwanda
Presenter: Matthew Pritchard (McGill University)
Land tenure and agricultural reform are essential components of any postwar development effort. The ability to build and maintain peace is inherently tied to the resettlement of land and the re-organization of agricultural production. This is especially true in post-genocide Rwanda where eighty percent of the population depends on subsistence agriculture in a rural system characterized by declining production and increasing population pressure. Given these challenges, in 2005 the Government of Rwanda introduced the Organic Land Law, an ambitious set of tenure and agriculture reforms aimed at replacing subsistence farmers with a highly commercialized and monetized agricultural sector. While introduced as a 'pro-poor' policy, data from pilot sites demonstrate that the goals and application of the Land Law have severely restricted farmers' rights and undermined subsistence livelihoods. The ambitious goals and aggressive implementation of the land policy have decreased food security, increased landlessness and precipitated acts of resistance in pilot areas. While decreasing production and increasing conflict over land validates the need to reorganize rural Rwanda, the goals of government policy, rapid and forceful implementation of large-scale changes, and continued marginalization of the most vulnerable groups present a significant security risk and undermines the government's development framework. (PAPER)
Q
R
Fields of Care & Governmental Land Classification: Heuristics for GIS Practitioners
Presenter: Glenn Radde (University of Minnesota)
Why are some places more problematic than others to government?
We construct geographic information systems as conveniences to better manage our attention to places. Their content is to what we attend to in the world. How they are constructed determines how much effort is required to attend to them. As a way to discuss and to provide useful heuristics to the geographic information practitioner, I rely on the works of the geographer Yi-Fu Tuan and the sociologist Erving Goffman.
As special ensembles of history and meaning Yi-Fu Tuan's concept of 'fields of care' provide a way to discuss how problematic places develop. Erving Goffmans 'frames' are recursive heuristic devices rooted in how our brains assemble and reconcile current sensory information with what stored in our memories to answer a basic question, What is it that's going on here?
This is a review and appraisal of historical federal, regional (for the Great lakes States), and Minnesota land classification studies to demonstrate that geographic information matters more for certain places than others. (PAPER)
Rainwater Harvesting as an Alternative Option to Meet the Needs of Domestic Water Use in Bangladesh
Presenter: Munshi Khaledur Rahman (University of Northern Iowa)
Bangladesh has been suffering from arsenic contamination in ground water that has led to severe shortage of safe drinking water in rural areas. As one of the sources of pure drinking water, rain water harvesting has been gaining ground in Bangladesh. Using secondary sources and field experience, this paper analyzes this new water harvesting practices in rural Bangladesh. This analysis will review labor and gendering issues associated with traditional water harvesting, and discussing prospects of community-based safe water harvesting initiated by NGOs and INGOs. Rural residents in Bangladesh are already aware of alternative options to get safe water supply for drinking and domestic purposes. One may be optimistic that community rain water harvesting might see the light of success to meet the needs of domestic water crisis in rural Bangladesh. (PAPER)
Quantification of highly soluble silica in soils: Refining the method
Presenters: Paul Reyerson and Joe Mason (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Recent studies have focused on highly soluble silica (HSS) within soils and its critical role in the global silica biogeochemical cycle. HSS is defined as all forms of silica which exhibit higher solubility than silicate minerals. Pedogenic, geomorphic, and biotic factors have been shown to influence spatial variability of HSS within and between soils, which in turn can facilitate important feedbacks for all three. Therefore it becomes important to accurately and precisely measure silica within soils. The traditional density separation technique may underestimate the actual size of HSS concentrations within soils because it cannot extract dissolved silica or clay and fine silt-sized particles. Alkali dissolution of soil samples and subsequent measurement of silica in solution offers a well-tested technique which can account for all size fractions. We present findings of an ongoing study to refine an existing method for the extraction and measurement of HSS in soils using alkali dissolution and spectrophotometry. In addition, statistical analysis and future directions are discussed. (PAPER)
The role of livestock in the restoration of swidden cultivation in eastern Finland
Presenter: Julie Rosenthal (Lakehead University)
This research investigates the role of sheep within ecological restoration efforts that involve the traditional practice of swidden cultivation in eastern Finland. Swidden cultivation was a major anthropogenic influence on the boreal forest landscape in Finland in the 18th and 19th centuries, but had fallen out of practice in the early 20th century. As a result, fire-dependent ecological assemblages have almost entirely disappeared from the landscape. Since 1994, Koli National Park has re-established the practice of swidden cultivation as a means of restoring threatened vegetation communities in eastern Finland. Traditionally after two years of crop harvests, ash-fertilized soil in swidden plots could no longer support cultivation and the plots would be left to regenerate over the next 15 to 50 years. Traditionally, livestock would graze the in the fallow fields. Most current efforts to restore swidden cultivation to the landscape in eastern Finland exclude livestock. However, comparisons between swidden plots grazed by Finnsheep and swidden plots that have been left to regenerate without grazing reveal significant differences in tree survival rates and in the percentage cover of some herbaceous species, suggesting that swidden cultivation without livestock grazing may not accurately restore past ecological communities associated with traditional swidden practices. (PAPER)
Kitchen Gardens in Tajikistan: The Economic and Cultural Importance of Small-Scale Property
Presenter: William Rowe (Louisiana State University)
From the earliest days of the Soviet Union, the people of Tajikistan were allowed to have small kitchen gardens attached to their homes or in the vicinity of their apartment buildings in which they could augment their diets with fresh food and also keep a milk cow and perhaps chickens. Over time however, families began to produce far more than they needed and would sell the surplus in local markets, along roads, and even in nearby cities- an early example of market-oriented, investment agriculture in Central Asia. By the end of the Soviet era, as much as one third of food sold in the markets was from these markets. In post-independence Tajikistan, these gardens have allowed families facing civil war, drought, and de-modernization to feed themselves and earn some extra income. This presentation describes the historic geography, layout, and crops of kitchen gardens, and provides quantitative data on the economic importance of these gardens. (PAPER)
The School of the Americas and the Spatiality of Protest
Presenter: Zach Rubin (University of Missouri)
One does not need to look far for examples of protest and social unrest in the history of the United States. Segments of the population fervently opposed the Second World War and the Vietnam War, and, in another time, others battled for civil rights. The spatiality of protest, however, has changed over time as the state adapts to different threats from within and without. This presentation will focus on a specific protest-- the movement to close the now-infamous School of the Americas (SOA), which has been reoccurring annually for 20 years. Demonstrations at the SOA, which is located in Ft. Benning, Georgia, draw as many as 25,000 people annually. I will examine the spatiality of the actual demonstrations, and how that arrangement has changed over the course of years as political and cultural environments have shifted. Contemporary protests, I will show, are influenced by such forces as the Global War on Terror and by divergent ideologies of the state. (PAPER)
S
Gaming the system? The Republic of Georgia and the Doing Business report
Presenter: Sam Schueth (University of Minnesota)
Global indices of economic competitiveness, such as the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business index (EDBI), score and rank states according to the quality of local business regulations. Quantifying and indexing regulatory quality to a singular ranking constructs a 'best practice' model, which characterizes regulation in the highest-ranked states. States that outcompete others at adopting regulatory best practices are rewarded with an improved international reputation for having investor-friendly policies. This paper demonstrates how the government of the (post-Soviet) Republic of Georgia worked with USAID to implement a reform strategy targeted at raising the state's EDBI rankings. Georgia's resulting leap up the 2006-2008 rankings was used in an investor relations campaign, which accompanied strong inflows of foreign direct investment. Participant observation research in the USAID project revealed the emergence of power relations within the assemblage of organizations that used EDBI as a strategic resource for policy transfer and investment promotion. These power relations enabled the transfer of EDBI's best practice regulations in some areas, and disenabled it in others. The case study reveals how limits to policy transfer are created by geographic context, and how EDBI rankings can be exploited to obfuscate problematic business conditions overlooked by the index's measurement methodology. (PAPER)
Investigating Significant Geographic Variations in Perceptions and Preparedness in Greene County, MO
Presenter: Kimberly Schwendener (Missouri State University)
Numerous flash flood events and ineffectiveness of warning systems cause potential loss of life every year. Public perceptions of such events are rarely taken into account; the warning announcements are often misunderstood or ignored. Previous research on flood hazard perception examined the different social parameters, but a base line of flood understanding and risk for this region has not been achieved. This study focuses on analyzing public planning and perceptions of flash floods to understand how residents of Greene County define their risk in correlation with settlement type. Insight and integration must be included with data from state and federal agencies to improve the mitigation practices because no previous research on flood perception has occurred in the Ozark region. Tiered interviews in three Greene County towns with official stakeholders and residents will help to document dangerous areas of flooding and local system preparedness. Increase in public flood awareness, determining if flood perceptions and preparedness differ by location, and integrating residents perceived risk with the National Weather Service to improve the effectiveness of forecasting flash flooding are expected results. (PAPER)
Do Accessibility Measures Undermine the Spatial Mismatch Hypothesis?
Presenter: Qingyun Shen (University of Michigan)
The classic spatial mismatch hypothesis offers an explanation to the concentrated poverty among African Americans in central cities: as a result of disconnection between suburbanized jobs and the minority groups living in urban cores. However, recent studies using gravity-based accessibility measures found that central city areas are the locations with the highest accessibility to jobs within a metropolitan region. Such apparent contradiction between the two bodies of literature suggests us to raise the question: do the findings of high accessibility at metropolitan cores undermine the spatial mismatch hypothesis? This paper answers this question by stating that the conflict between the two is an illusion, which comes from neglecting or misunderstanding one or more of the four key elements in conceptualizing accessibility measures and spatial mismatch hypothesis. These four key elements are: 1) temporal versus spatial dimensions of the dynamics in accessibility; 2) accessibility as a personal characteristic versus accessibility as a locational characteristic; 3)occupational match in accessibility measures; 4) modal match in accessibility measures; and 5) the racial component of spatial mismatch hypothesis. (PAPER)
Talibanistan: from buffer-zone to border-empire
Presenter: Sami Siddiq (Washington University - St. Louis)
The Pashtun/Pukhtun tribal belt of the Afghan-Pakistan frontier has been transformed from its intended geographic function as a nineteenth-century buffer-zone, separating Afghanistan and former British India, to a border-empire in the twenty-first where pro-Taliban warlords emerged to exercise territorial control in rejection of Pakistani state authority. This paper traces the historical and strategic role that this transborder region has played in destabilizing geopolitical events since the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan up to the 2001 fall of the Taliban and ongoing Western military involvement in that neighboring country. The phenomenon of frontier warlordism is examined in order to explain how this isolated space was drastically redefined, making it a territorial base and recruiting ground for pro-Taliban militancy and expansion against Kabul and Islamabad as well as an ideal safe haven for transnational terrorist groups with international reach. (PAPER)
From Mills to landfills: The Changes in Landuse and Attitudes towards Hennepin County Creeks from 18
Presenters: Melissa Soderberg, Katherine Ross, David Crowe, and Joshua Parish (Breck School, Mpls)
This year's Advanced History Research (AHR) students are working with David Lanegran, PhD., John S. Holl Professor and Geography Department Chair at Macalester College, as historical researchers of urban waterways n the Minneapolis Metropolitan area.
In Phase I of the study they are analyzing the changes in land use and local attitudes towards each of their creeks. Phase II will consist of an analysis of the development of the creeks as they relate to urban growth, landownership, and environment with an eye towards predicting the existence of watersheds in modern urban communities. Students have interviewed landowners, historians, librarians and engineers. They have researched plat maps, historical county atlases, city plans, letters, personal accounts, photographs, and newspaper clippings. They have also created maps representing the changes they have found. (PAPER)
The Primary Role of Place Identity in Local Wind Energy Acceptance
Presenter: Jacob Sowers (Missouri State University)
Using the wind to generate electricity is alluring. It is abundant, renewable, relatively inexpensive and more environmentally benign than its alternatives. Despite these advantages, expansion of wind power is meeting increased local resistance. Detailed studies have identified the importance of various political and environmental barriers. No study, however, has been able to explain the root cause for (1) the near universality of intense local opposition and (2) the complete lack of opposition in a few other places. Identifying and adjusting to this primary causation is critical to the successful contribution of renewable energy in meeting the future needs of all humanity. I posit that the existence of a few places of overwhelming acceptance and the inability to mollify the other numerous instances of local protests is based on a fundamental interplay of place identity and the narrative and iconography of wind powered machines. This paper explores the dynamics of acceptance and opposition in Cape Cod, West Virginia, and Iowa. My research suggests that acceptance and opposition is not, as many believe, a matter of only aesthetics or environmental impacts. Rather, it is the result of an (in) congruity between wind energy landscapes and local place identity. (PAPER)
Order Upon the Land Revisited
Presenter: Rod Squires (University of Minnesota)
The impacts of the rectangular public land surveys on U.S. society and landscape is well-known. The manner in which the surveys spread across the United States has been curiously neglected by geographers. In this paper the general characteristics of their spatial diffusion will be described. (PAPER)
Greening the City: Reykjavik
Presenter: Madison Stolzer (DePaul University)
Reykjavik is unique in that it is the most developed and sustainable capital in the world, in large part due to its access to and utilization of renewable energy sources. The City Planning Committee must consider energy efficiency in all decisions it makes in the fields of planning and the local economy. An abundance of geothermal sites provide clean heating to many Reykjavik homes and businesses. This abundance is due to its location between tectonic plates on the earth. The City of Reykjavik s Action Plan includes the use of clean energy to reduce costs, increase efficiency and develop long term savings. The government has used clean energy to heat roads and sidewalks, making driving in Reykjavik a safer activity. Clean energy development has even moved to power plants and electricity production in Reykjavik. Hydrogen powered automobiles and vehicles have been made and are constantly being developed. Official Energy Authorities, like Orkustofnunn, are at the forefront of the clean energy development in Iceland. They've concluded that the used energy in Reykjavik is only a small fraction of its potential. In 2006, nearly all of the electricity and heat produced within the country was from renewable sources. (PAPER)
Midwestern Hydrology Associated with the 2008 Warm-Season Floods
Presenters: Shane Strope and Dagmar Budikova (Illinois State University)
This paper describes the hydrologic aspects of the warm-season 2008 Midwest flood event by analyzing discharge rates, stage data and calculated return periods for five states that experienced the most effects from this flood event. Primary hydrological datasets consist of historical daily and monthly discharge rates are used to calculate monthly and normal rates across the region. The 2008 discharge rates and stage data are also compared to those observed in 1993 to place this event in a historical perspective. Return periods were calculated from the historical monthly mean discharge rates offer a historical perspective on the impacts on the hydrologic system experienced during the 2008 event. Results displayed discharge rates and stage measurements that fell below the 1993 flood event. Not all flood events throughout the Midwest region will show the same exact extent or degree of devastation, but analysis such as this can help future generations of engineers, developers and planners to create proper mitigation plans to lessen the loss of life and property. (PAPER)
T
Pain, Painer, and Painest: A Review of Seventeen Years of Flooding at Devils Lake, North Dakota
Presenters: Paul Todhunter and Christina Cummings (University of North Dakota)
Torrential rains that began in the summer of 1993 marked the beginning of an ongoing wet spell that has produced a pervasive and chronic flood hazard in the Devils Lake basin, a closed basin that ultimately drains into the Red River of the North. Since that summer Devils Lake, a terminal saline lake, has risen more than 27.4 feet, and experienced a 334% increase in lake area and a 502% increase in lake volume. Direct federal payments alone for flood-related damages have totaled more than $600 million. The hydrology of Devils Lake defines three physically-based phases of flooding. The first phase lasted until the Devils Lake water surface elevation reached the spillover elevation to Stump Lake, another terminal saline lake in an adjacent sub-basin. Phase two lasted until the Stump Lake water surface elevation reached equilibrium with Devils Lake. The third phase is marked by the rise of the merged lake system toward the eventual spillover elevation to the Sheyenne River. We review the hydrology and duration of each phase, their unique damage profiles, and associated mitigation histories. We conclude by summarizing general principles learned from this flood disaster that are relevant to other terminal lake shoreline environments. (PAPER)
Changing Conditions and Neighborhood Stablization in North Minneapolis Neighborhoods
Presenter: Peter Truax (Macalester College)
Prior to the economic recession of late 2008, a combination of factors led to a rise in foreclosures in North Minneapolis, Minnesota. These foreclosures have had a significant impact on the economic and social landscape of the area. In conjunction with the Minneapolis branch of the Federal Reserve Bank and the Folwell Neighborhood of North Minneapolis, this project was designed to analyze and map the impact of foreclosure. To do this, this project examined a range of data including housing values, absentee landlordism, school enrollment location, and housing demolition patterns. It overviewed the characteristics of the North Minneapolis neighborhood, trends in housing, trends in foreclosures, and finally post-foreclosure and vacancy trends. The final data was presented in the spring of 2009 to community members and members of the Federal Reserve Bank. (PAPER)
U
V
Spatial Distribution of Trace Elements and Nutrients in Sediments in the Vicinity of Lake Alice NWR
Presenters: Gregory Vandeberg (University of North Dakota) and Cami Dixon and Brian Vose (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Devils Lake, ND)
A study was conducted of Lake Alice National Wildlife Refuge, ND and surrounding areas to determine the baseline geochemical characteristics of surface water and sediments in 2007 and 2008. Sediment cores were collected from 5 locations in July 2007 and 7 locations in September 2008. The sediments were analyzed for select trace elements by ICP-MS. Sediments were also analyzed for NH3-N and NO3-N by KCl extract and total Kjeldahl N. Mean concentrations of As (4.92 mg/kg), Ba (105.0 mg/kg), Cd (0.92 mg/kg), Cr (13.77 mg/kg), Cu (15.8 mg/kg) and Pb (9.53 mg/kg) all exceeded the 50th percentile of concentrations for 87 sediment samples collected from selected ND lakes and reservoirs by the ND Department of Health. Mean concentrations of Zn (66.90 mg/kg) exceeded the 100th percentile for 87 sediment samples collected from ND lakes and reservoirs. Mean concentrations of nutrients in sediments included NO3-N (6.0 mg/kg), NH3-N (10.75 mg/kg), total Kjeldahl-N (2675 mg/kg), total N (2681 mg/kg) and P (513 mg/kg). Nutrient concentrations were highest in the lake sediments versus tributary sediments. (PAPER)
Estimation of agricultural land and revenue loss due to catastrophic flooding
Presenter: Jeffrey VanLooy (Radford University)
Despite the positive benefits provided to crops by rivers and river valleys, there are also potential hazards, such as severe flooding leading to a loss of cropland and agricultural revenue. This study incorporates Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), satellite and areal photography, as well as historical accounts of flooding along the Cimarron River, Kansas to determine the potential agricultural land and economic losses in the event of a catastrophic flood. The Cimarron River in southwestern Kansas experienced a large flood in 1914 which scoured the river valley, causing the channel to widen from approximately 15 m to as much as 182 m. By 2001, the Cimarron River channel had narrowed through a process of natural channel reconstruction to an average width of 37 m, but the possibility of another catastrophic flood still exists. A DEM was used to determine the 1914 flood height, which was intersected with agricultural lands determined from 2001 satellite imagery. Results indicate that 936 acres are vulnerable to flooding, and as much as $722,000 could be lost in revenue for one year as indicated by 2008 market prices. Over $18 million in revenue could be lost if crops were not able to be cultivated in the valley for 50 years. (PAPER)
Agricultural and urban land use change: Detecting the perimetropolitan bow wave for Chicago
Presenters:Cynthia Vogel and Richard Greene(Northern Illinois University)
The patterns of agricultural and urban land use change in the Chicago region were analyzed to determine if changes in their location supported John Fraser Hart's 1991 perimetropolitan bow wave (PBW) thesis. We used data from the 2001 National Land Cover Database and NASS 2001 and 2007 Cropland Data Layers to map the changing location of extensive (lower value) and intensive (higher value) crops and urban land use in one-mile buffer rings in the exurban area of the Chicago Combined Statistical Area between 2001 and 2007. Results show that the PBW was located and estimated to have shifted 20 miles from the urban rural fringe boundary. (PAPER)
Battle Creek Watershed: A Watershed Update of the National Wetlands Inventory
Presenter: Emma Volz (South Dakota State University)
The National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) is an essential tool in assessing the
condition of wetlands resources in the United States. The Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) mapped much of the NWI between 1978 and 1984, though there are areas that have yet to be mapped.
The Battle Creek Watershed, located in eastern South Dakota, was mapped in 1984. The existing wetland maps for the area are 25 years old and are not applicable to modern land use practices. These maps are used to make decisions that impact wetland resources. Outdated maps make for outdated decisions. A current map is needed to make timely decision on contemporary wetland issues.
This wetland inventory of the Battle Creek Watershed is an update of the NWI using the similar methodologies as outlined in the Cowardin Manual. Through the use of real-color aerial photography and GIS software, a new wetland inventory was created. Once the update was completed, analysis of wetland change within the watershed was completed using ArcMAP statistical tools. Various wetland types gained area, whereas others lost area. Also, many wetland areas transformed from one wetland type to another.
The results showed a total wetland loss of 4.23 sq. km (1.66 sq. mi.) in a watershed of 416.93 sq. km (160.98 sq. mi.). Although this is a little over one percent change in total watershed area, it is a 10.2 percent loss in wetland area. (PAPER)
W
The Geographical Dynamics of Political Polarization in Metropolitan Minneapolis-St. Paul
Presenter: Kyle Walker (University of Minnesota)
Scholars and popular commentators have hotly debated whether the American electorate is in fact 'polarized'; that is, whether there exist tangible differences between ideological sub-groups within the USA. Geographically, these debates around polarization frequently revolve around the significance of dissimilarities between 'red' and 'blue' states. Recent research, however, has demonstrated the persistence of such political divides at smaller scales, such as the metropolitan area. This research finds that metropolitan residents espousing left-leaning politics tend to prefer urban cores while conservatives settle on the exurban fringes. These political divides within metropolitan areas have led some commentators to claim that individuals have in fact 'self-segregated' along political lines, and are becoming less likely to live amongst people who are ideologically and politically different. In this paper, I use the Twin Cities metropolitan area as a case study to test whether political segregation actually exists through statistical and spatial analyses of electoral data from 2000 to 2008. I find that while segregation by electoral choice at the individual level is low, there exists substantial spatial clustering in voting patterns at aggregate levels. These distinct electoral divides between central city and exurb suggest significant challenges for consensus-building on regional policy in the metropolitan area. (PAPER)
The Change of Spatial Influence Scope in Zhengzhou City
Presenter: Siqin Wang (Northern Illinois University)
With the implementation of the national growth strategy in the Chinese central region and the dramatic growth of the Zhengzhou metropolitan area, Zhengzhou's radiative power to the surrounding areas is increasing daily. Lead by the political goal of improving Zhengzhou to the level of a national centrally located metropolis, this research focuses on Zhengzhou City and the surrounding central plain area. Based on the Central Geography Theory and City Interaction Theory, this study constructs an index system of the urban economical hinterland, measures radiative power of the surrounding cities by principal component analysis and uses the economical relation intensity model and the membership degree model. Using the approach of Geography Information System (GIS) and a combination of Zhengzhou's history and current social and economical development, this research analyses the changing trends of spatial influence scope comparing the data of 1990 and 2006, and distinguishes four different spatial relation circles: core circle, close circle, radiation circle and competition circle. Considering the possibility of Zhengzhou to strive for the competition circle, this research defines the central plain economical region and its scope, and proposes the parameters for Zhengzhou's future spatial growth. (PAPER)
Tennis Anyone? Urban and Social Segregation of Tennis Court Locations in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Presenters: Ryan Weichelt and Katie Haselwood (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire)
The recent success of African-American professional tennis players such as Venus and Serena Williams, has energized the United States Tennis Association (USTA) in the promotion of tennis programs targeting minority populations throughout urban centers throughout the country. Similar programs were enacted by the United States Golf Association in association with the Tiger Woods foundation to promote golf among urban minority populations. While both programs have been mildly successful in their approaches, the long term success of bringing increased numbers of minorities in traditionally white sports like tennis and golf is both a question of funding and geography. This paper will examine the spatial components of tennis court locations in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Though entities like the USTA have pushed more involvement of minorities in Milwaukee County, the lack courts in minority areas and support at the middle and high school levels is highly disproportionate compared to the surrounding white suburban areas of the county. (PAPER)
The Historic Flash Flood Event of 18-19 August 2007 in the Upper Mississippi River Valley
Presenter: Thomas Williams (Western Illinois University)
Previous research has shown that the typical scenario for heavy rainfall occurs when an abundant supply of tropical moisture is forced to rise by a slow-moving or quasi-stationary lifting mechanism. Other contributing factors include a persistent weather pattern, low pressure, moisture advection and convergence, instability, and topographic enhancement. The purpose of this study is to examine the synoptic weather pattern that led to the historic flash flood event of 18-19 August 2007 in the upper Mississippi River valley. This episode established a new state record 24-hour rainfall total (15.10 ) at Hokah, Minnesota, resulted in significant loss of life (8 fatalities), and caused widespread damage from washed out roads and bridges, massive mudslides, and flooded towns. Overrunning precipitation north of a warm front produced a long-duration stratiform rainfall event that proved optimal for soil saturation prior to the development of flash flooding. Heavy rains occurred along and north of the thermal boundary (stationary front) located over Iowa. A strong nocturnal low-level jet kept replenishing the moisture supply and supported recurrent development of thunderstorms which tracked repeatedly along the same path (training). Heavy rains falling on previously saturated ground increased runoff while steep-sided terrain concentrated flow into narrow stream valleys (coulees). (PAPER)
Finnish and Scandinavian Roots of Sustainable Local Communities along Northwestern Lake Superior
Presenters: William Wilson and Ashley Young (Lakehead University)
Based on a long history of recreational experiences, southern images of the North Woods often center on canoeing, trapping, and logging. Little is known of the rich agricultural heritage of the region from just north of the Pigeon River to Nipigon, along the northwestern shore of Lake Superior. This hinterland of Thunder Bay (formerly the towns of Fort William and Port Arthur) was colonized by large numbers of Finnish and Scandinavian farmers, who constructed a thriving local community from approximately 1890 to the early 1970s, based on a successful form of northern farming derived from centuries of agricultural traditions from Finland and Scandinavia. Such agriculture provided the roots to sustain a rich cultural life of sports, theater, politics, and heritage industry, including the production of wooden boats, looms, and farm structures. Much of the knowledge of this community has been lost in the industrial transformation of the area beginning in the 1970s. Our research has used archival material, particularly photographs, newspapers, private papers, and maps, to begin to reconstruct local agricultural knowledge, which is being used to help reconstruct local agriculture as a part of a local initiative to improve food security and sustainably re-inhabit the North Shore. (PAPER)
X
Y
Z
Thematic Mapping with Cartes et Données
Presenters: Kazimierz J. Zaniewski and Mamadou Coulibaly (University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Although major GIS software packages (ArcGIS, MapInfo) have some thematic mapping capabilities, there are several less well-known but equally, if not more, powerful mapping software programs designed for generating high quality thematic maps. One of them is Cartes et Données (C&D), a product of the French company Articque Informatique. This mapping software is capable of producing choropleth, proportional symbol, bar graph, several types of pie chart maps as well as cartograms, flow, vector, prism and 3-D surface maps. It also has a set of powerful statistical tools for producing regression and trend surface maps. The C&D tools for creating maps can be grouped into three categories: source tools for importing boundary (all major formats) and data (Excel and other tabular formats) files, operator tools for performing statistical and cartographic functions, and display tools for displaying thematic maps and graphs. The C&D cartographic output is of very high quality and can be exported to illustration software for final touches. A companion to C&D is Cartes et DonnéesNum, an equally powerful boundary creation and processing software. This paper presents cartographic and statistical capabilities of C&D by examining recent demographic trends in the United States and Wisconsin at various levels of territorial aggregation (states, counties, minor civil divisions) and displaying results in a series of maps and graphs. It also discusses the software's capabilities as a teaching and research tool. (POSTER)
The Past and Future of White Pine Forests in the Great Lakes Region
Presenter: Susy Ziegler (University of Minnesota)
Eastern white pine is an important species in the forests of the Great Lakes region. White pine forests were even more extensive two centuries ago before the logging industry of Euro-American settlers profoundly altered the species composition and structure of the pine stands. The white and red pine forest-type covers only 0.6 percent of its presettlement range. Pine forests of the Great Lakes region have not recovered from the logging era because multiple factors have impeded the successful establishment of pine seedlings and saplings. Herbivores, diseases, insect pests, fire suppression, and climate change affect the current distribution of white pine and will influence future management decisions. I have synthesized the biophysical and human geography that helps explain the dynamics of eastern white pine in the Lake States. (PAPER)
