National Geotourism Council Leaders host Conference Call to Develop 2020 Strategic Goals
Members of the National Geotourism Tourism Council held a conference call on November 18, 2019 to discuss the FY2020 strategic plan and the planned migration by the individual geotourism mapguides to the Elebase platform. Elebase ‘s features will allow for more customization and user flexibility. Across the board, each of the mapguides plans to complete the migration in early 2020.
Board Chair, Sheena Pate, Crown of the Continent, opened the meeting by greeting all of the mapguide representatives. Seven of the twelve guides developed under the National Geographic partnership were in attendance, along with the Bureau of Land Management and mapguides currently under development. One of the unique attributes of these guides is the regional focus on iconic places, transcending political boundaries.
One of the topics of interest was publishing more case studies to qualify and quantify the impact of the projects. Jonathan Tourtellot, Destination Stewardship Center, talked about the organization’s upcoming newsletter and suggested potentially partnering with the Council for a blog spot to highlight activities among the partners.
The group will reconvene in January 2020.
https://crownofthecontinent.natgeotourism.com/info/about-the-geotourism-council/cot098af4cef13c67864
AL-MS-TN Rural Tourism Brings Together the Principles of Geotourism
Each October, rural community leaders and tourism professionals from Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee gather to share ideas, network, and learn about best practices to create opportunities for community and economic development. One of the constant themes is preserving what makes each of these communities its unique self. As Ed McMahon, Senior Resident of the Urban Land institute in Washington DC, has presented a powerful case for “Uniqueness” as well as cases for regionalism in rural communities. This idea of uniqueness is firmly rooted in the principles of geotourism.
This year, the AL-MS-TN Rural Tourism Conference was hosted in Natchez, Mississippi, a town with deep river roots, a strong sense of history, and shared pride in their heritage. ExploreTRV had a front seat to the conference that explored such topics as Keeping Your Downtown Vibrant, Tourism Trails Systems, and Culinary Tourism. The Conference provided an opportunity to ExploreTRV Board Director, Linda Lewanski to make a presentation for the Tennessee River Valley Geotourism project to the attendees. Linda also hosted a table to educate attendees about the project’s regional impact. The Board shares in Mr. McMahon’s sentiments that small communities need to work together and capitalize on the natural assets that so many rural counties share.
Next year’s event will be hosted in Sweetwater TN, a community steeped in Native American history and named by early settlers for the springs that are located there.
Protecting Native Habitats
The principles of Geotourism seek to protect and enhance destination appeal, which sometimes seem to be contrary goals. As more people explore the region, the waterways and forest lands face the risk of infestation from nonnative plants or species that can be introduced by boaters and hikers from their tents, shoes, and gear that may be carrying seeds or other organisms. Well-meaning businesses, homeowners, and agencies also contribute by planting nonnative ornamentals that can choke out the native species which serve as important habitat for wildlife.
Sometimes these nonnative plantings date back hundreds of years. It is not uncommon while hiking backcountry trails to see flowering bulbs or Yucca plants signifying the location of pioneer homesteads. European settlers often brought plantings from their homelands to the frontier. While these plants add to the heritage interpretation of the land, other plants such as honeysuckle, privet, and stiltgrass spread rapidly and can overtake native tree survival; a potential threat to the future of the forests.
Recreational boating and fishing are also impacted by the spread nonnative species. The Tennessee River system has experienced areas clogged with hydrilla or infested with zebra mussels. Most recently, portions of the Tennessee River have been invaded by several species of carp including the infamous “jumping” Asian Carp. The pressure to keep these invaders from crowding out spawning areas and food sources is an ongoing battle being managed by private and public agencies.
The appeal of the Tennessee River Valley is the incredible beauty, recreation, and heritage of the region. Managing the ecosystem is an ongoing effort. We applaud the work of the businesses and public agencies that educate visitors about simple ways to protect the watershed from spreading invasives.
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