Community Assistance - Crown of the Continent
Crown of the Continent Geotourism MapGuide Project
The Geotourism MapGuide Project is a collaborative effort of the National Geographic Society and local partners to elevate the profile, appreciation and stewardship of the Crown of the Continent region.
Geotourism is defined as tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents.
National Geographic’s Center for Sustainable Destinations has partnered with the Montana Department of Commerce, the Alberta Geotourism Consortium, Kootenay Rockies Tourism of British Columbia, the National Parks Conservation Association, and the Chinook Institute for Community Stewardship to produce the MapGuide. The partners will spearhead a community-based process to develop the map. An associated Web site will serve as a portal, or clearinghouse, for all matters of interest in the transboundary region, including strategies to sustain regional assets. The MapGuide will be completed and publicly available in early 2008.
At a workshop held January 2007 in Montana, regional and local participants established a Crown of the Continent Stewardship Council to advise National Geographic, to oversee the public process for creating the MapGuide, and to continue coordinating the region’s geotourism policies and assets into the future.
The Geotourism MapGuide is intended to promote geotourism principles to visitors and also be a catalyst for local communities to discover their own distinctive tourism assets and provide an economic incentive for protecting them. The National Geographic Geotourism MapGuide is: a two-sided map-brochure of superior quality, conveying geotourism information in the map and accompanying text blocks, can be adapted digitally for web-based distribution. Co-branded with the destination and requiring participation from local communities. Map content will be determined by National Geographic with advisory support from the Stewardship Council. Nominations criteria, posted on the web site, will guide site selection.
The Region
The Crown of the Continent features more than 10 million acres of plunging valleys, sparkling waters, dramatic mountains, native prairie and distinctive small towns in southeastern British Columbia, southwestern Alberta and northern Montana. The region includes the Rocky Mountain Front Range in Montana and Alberta, south of Calgary and northwest of Great Falls. In British Columbia, it includes the Elk and Flathead River watersheds and the Rocky Mountain Trench to Columbia Lake, including the communities of Kimberley and Cranbrook. In Montana, the region includes the entire Flathead and Blackfoot River watersheds. The map will include the communities along Montana’s scenic loop around the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. The map may include outlying gateway communities that serve as visitor entry points into the Crown of the Continent region.
National Geographic Society
Founded in 1888 the National Geographic Society is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world. It reaches more than 300 million people worldwide each month through its official journal, National Geographic, and its four other magazines; the National Geographic Channel, television documentaries; radio programs; films; books; videos and DVD’s; maps; and interactive media. National Geographic has funded more than 8,000 scientific research projects and supports an education program combating geographic illiteracy. For more information, log on to www.nationalgeographic.com
Center for Sustainable Destinations (CSD)
As part of NGS Mission programs, the mission of CSD is to save, restore, and enhance the world’s distinctive places through wisely managed tourism and enlightened destination stewardship. CSD uses the economic leverage of responsible tourism to help protect and revitalize Earth’s great places. For more information log on to: www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/sustainable.
Partners
National Parks Conservation Association: Project Coordinator Steve Thompson is based at NPCA’s Glacier Field Office in Whitefish, Montana.
The Chinook Institute for Community Stewardship: Executive Director Carole Stark, based in Canmore, Alberta, will facilitate public involvement in Canada.
Kootenay Rockies Tourism of British Columbia: President Chris Dadson will lead community outreach in British Columbia. Kootenay Rockies has contracted with National Geographic to co-purchase the map.
Montana Department of Commerce, Promotions Division: Also known as Travel Montana, the Department has contracted with National Geographic to co-purchase the map. Additional support has been provided by Glacier Country, Russell Country, Gold West Country Tourism Commissions, and Whitefish Convention and Visitor Bureau.
Alberta Geotourism Consortium: This alliance, including Trail of the Great Bear, Waterton Lakes National Park, Waterton Chamber of Commerce, and Southern Alberta Historic Sites, has contracted with National Geographic to co-purchase the map.
USDA Forest Service: The four national forests in the region (Flathead, Lolo, Helena, and Lewis and Clark National Forests) have provided funding to Montana Scenic Loop and NPCA to support the community-based mapping process.
National Park Service: Glacier National Park has provided funding to NPCA to support the community based mapping process.
Bureau of Land Management: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has provided funding for the Sonoran Institute to assist with community outreach.
Alberta Ministry of Tourism, Parks, Recreation & Culture: The Department of Tourism Development & Services has provided funding to the Chinook Institute to support the community-based mapping process.