The regular meeting of the Washington Geographic Alliance (WGA) Board of Directors was called to order at 6:44 p.m. by Tim Scharks in the home of Richard Kennedy and Heidi Morgan, 18825 6th Avenue SW, Normandy Park, Washington.
Present: President Tim Scharks of Green River Community College (GRCC), Vice-President Meghan Hoyer of St. Philomena School, Treasurer Heidi Morgan of the National Geographic Society's (NGS) Grosvenor Council, Secretary Richard Kennedy of the NGS's Grosvenor Council, and Director Pat LeRoy of St. Francis of Assisi School.
A motion to approve the draft minutes of the Board of Directors meeting of February 17, 2009 was made by Tim and seconded by Meghan. The motion passed unanimously.
Tim submitted a course description for our Summer Institute to Seattle Pacific University but it was not in time for a listing in their catalog. He had GRCC process Meghan's airfare, lodging, and registration for the National Science Teachers Association Conference. In the future, we need to give GRCC at least a month's notice for booking airfare. Tim emailed the WGA membership on February 21 announcing the availability of the grant traveling Asia map. The draft of the Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship Program nomination for Kyle Dye is on the agenda. The NGEF has yet to reply about support for the International Baccalaureate program. Tim confirmed adequate arrangements with Wolfgang Puck Catering through GRCC for our reception. Richard created an entry on our web site talking about the giant traveling Washington State map. Tim brought 75 maps to the board meeting. The job description for WGA Steering Committee and the NGS Live! reception are on tonight's agenda. As the bill for our endowment was not submitted this legislative session, there is not current need to contact George Scarola of the League of Education Voters. Tim will make contact after the current session. The meeting with Judy Hartmann, Executive Policy Advisor for K-12 Education, is on the agenda. The survey of state community colleges to determine which Advanced Placement tests they accept for credit is in progress. The Assessment of Geographic Knowledge for 5th, 8th, and 12th grade students has been cancelled due to the problems inherent in surveying minors.
Pat is still awaiting replies from Oklahoma and Texas on the Geography Awareness Week postcard/poster contest. The possible activities for the giant traveling Washington State map and list of persons to be invited to the WGA reception are on tonight's agenda. Pat is having photos of students on the giant North America map placed on CD. She will give the disk to Tim at the next board meeting.
Heidi attended the giant traveling Washington State map bid opening along with Richard. This is on tonight's agenda. Shoe protectors for use at the Puyallup Fair are also on tonight's agenda.
The list of persons to be invited to the WGA reception, including those from Woodland Park Zoo and Washington State Council for the Social Studies, and possible activities for the giant traveling Washington State map are on tonight's agenda. Meghan brought 75 Mapping the Americas toolkits to the board meeting. Meghan contacted the NGS and requested a large number of World and Middle East maps for distribution at the Puyallup Fair. She is awaiting their reply. The repurposing of the WGA brochure and the Newspapers In Education Program are pending.
Richard emailed all board members a copy of their action items. He attended the giant traveling Washington State map bid opening along with Heidi. This is on tonight's agenda. The Puyallup Fair issues and Wolfgang Puck Catering are on the tonight's agenda. The Boeing Company donates in-kind resources and services such as printing. In-kind printing requests must be for items that adhere to the following: (1) Items with a shelf life of at least a year or more such as educational materials, general brochures and posters, and (2) Items that can help organizations publicize their programs, educate the public regarding organizational details, or serve as an overall report to maintain accountability to the community about organizational resources and priorities. Boeing typically does not print items such as auction catalogs, tickets, invitations, event programs, letterhead or newsletters. The list of persons to be invited to the WGA reception is on tonight's agenda. Replies from Chris Shearer of NGS on the D&O insurance and accepting gifts for the WGA are still pending. The proposed revisions to the travel and expense policy are pending.
The checking account balance as of February 28, 2009 is $464.01. There was one withdrawal during February:
There was one deposit of $10.00 from the Secretary of State as overpayment for our registration under the Charitable Solicitations Act.
Richard is still awaiting Chris Shearer's answer if NGS could accept and have Boeing match gifts designated for the WGA.
The Alliance Winter Meeting was held February 25 (Wednesday) - 28th (Saturday) in Washington, DC. Tim and Richard represented the WGA.
On the first day, Danny Edelson described a new direction for the Alliance Network. The new path is to enact large-scale educational reform. The central activity will be a strategic planning process that will create 5 - 10 year plans for NGS, for each Alliance, and for the Alliance Network.
NGS is asking Alliances to:
The new direction of the Alliance Network and the current economic climate will change NGEF grant guidelines. This will result in a shift of focus away from programs and toward strategic planning and capacity building. The top priorities for use of NGS funds (50%-80%) will be:
The second tier of priorities will be activities that create climate and capacity for reform, specifically policy advocacy, teacher outreach, and teacher leadership development. Reduced levels of funding may limit the number and scope of second tier activities that NGEF will be able to fund in 2009 – 2010.
There is still uncertainty about the amount of money for which we will be eligible to apply. NGEF will establish a minimum amount that will enable an Alliance to engage in he planning and capacity-building activities that NGEF is prioritizing for 2009 - 2010.
NGEF will be flexible about the use of remaining 2008 - 2009 funds. We may carry forward money without penalty.
On Thursday, February 26, Tim and Richard met with:
The Friday was spent in an Alliance Coordinators meeting; including sessions with our alliance liaison Emily Schell, Ed.D.
On Saturday, February 28, we discussed the various strengths and weaknesses of Alliances. Several ideas were discussed:
Only four firms responded to our RFQ for printing the map:
The bids were opened on March 2 in the office of Patty Sikora, Purchasing, at GRCC. Dynamite Digital was eliminated by Ms. Sikora because their bid package was incomplete. The lowest remaining bidder was Barry and Homer, Philadelphia, PA.
The GRCC awarded contract #F413315 to Berry and Homer for the production of three maps for $10,005.00 including shipping plus $900.45 sales tax for a total of $10,905.45.
One of the maps will be strengthened for vertical hanging at an additional cost of $295. The WGA will pay this amount directly to Berry and Homer.
Meghan and Pat are still creating a plan for developing the activities for the Giant Traveling Washington State Map. Pat offered to look for suitable pre-printed maps of the state to be used in conjunction with the Giant Traveling Washington State Map.
Richard notifiedStan Cross, Educational Building Superintendent at the Puyallup Fair, that the WGA will take booths 6-8 and 13-15 in first floor of the Educational Pavilion on Sept. 13 (Sunday) through Sept. 15 (Tuesday).
The booth would need to be staffed from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday). The Fair will provide half-walls to protect the map. We may place a banner on the exterior of the building advertising the giant map.
Stan asked if we could have shoe covers available for those who did not want to take off their shoes. Office Depot does not offer shoe covers. Heidi found a case of 300 individual shoe covers (men's size 6 - 10) at http://www.palmflex.com/shoe_covers/poly_shoe_covers.htm for $19.98.
Meghan contacted the NGS to see if they can supply maps and other handouts and she is awaiting their reply. Last year the World map was very popular and there were requests for Middle East maps.
Stan said that we would not be able to place any literature in the packets of free tickets that are distributed to students.
A list of persons to staff the booth must be made. Three shifts of volunteers per day are recommended. We need to tell Stan the number of tickets needed in early August.
At the January 13 meeting, Kyle Dye was nominated for the Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship Program. The deadline for submitting nominations is May 1. Tim will be interviewing Kyle and Kyle's vice principal on Friday, April 3. When Kyle's nomination package is completed, Tim will email it to the board for its review and comment.
On Friday afternoon, Tim and Richard met with Chris Alejano, Executive Policy Advisor for Higher Education, in the Governor's Executive Policy Office. Due to a last minute conflict, we were unable to meet with Judy Hartmann, Executive Policy Advisor for K-12 Education. Tim gave the following report.
"On Friday, March 27, Secretary of the Board Richard Kennedy and I traveled to Olympia to meet with gubernatorial Policy Advisors Judy Hartmann (K-12) and Chris Alejano (Higher Ed). Unfortunately, Ms. Hartmann was unable to attend the meeting. However, we had a wide-ranging discussion with Mr. Alejano about the activities and goals of the Alliance. Mr. Alejano indicated that many of our goals were in common with Governor Gregoire's educational goals. In particular, he indicated that the following themes were the most germane to the Governor's goals:
Mr. Alejano also asked about whether other state alliances had received state funds. We replied that there were many examples and Richard Kennedy followed up the next day with an email detailing those state alliances that had endowments and/or line items in the state budget.
Richard showed some examples of the giant map of Washington currently in production and extended a verbal invitation to Mr. Alejano to attend the NG Live! reception on May 11.
Our meeting was purely to provide Mr. Alejano with information about the Alliance and offer our expertise in assisting with education policy if needed."
At the Alliance Winter Meeting, we were told that each Alliance must assume responsibility for locating resources and partners. In short, we must fund our own programs.
Richard is putting together a monthly donor program to be premiered at the Seattle Live lectures of May 11-12. This can also be used where the map is displayed. Attendees will be asked to donate $5 or more each month via an automatic deduction plan.
Richard has also registered the WGA with the Employees Community Fund (Boeing employees) and the Combined Fund Drive (Washington State employees) so their members can make direct contributions.
Many organizations categorize donors based on their contribution level. Note that the lower levels have the least appealing names. Here are some examples in descending contribution order:
5th Avenue Theater
Friends of the Columbia Gorge
White River Valley Museum
Oregon Shakespeare Festival
We need to determine categories and amounts for different donors levels. Tim said that GRCC can print B&W fundraising literature for us given 10 business days notice.
Richard has also enrolled the WGA in MissionFish. This allows us to:
Richard has placed four old NGS World Atlases for sale on eBay with all of the proceeds to be given to WGA.
Meghan presented the following report on her attendance at the National Science Teachers Association Conference in New Orleans from March 19-22, 2009.
Crittercam is a camera that is suctioned, glued, or strapped to an animal depending on its habitat and physical characteristics that allows scientists and the general population to see animals in their natural habitat without outside disturbances. The Crittercam was originally designed in the late 1980s to record film and data from marine animals. It changed the way we think about many species that we assumed things about when we did not really know. For example, Emperor Penguins were always thought to dive for their fish, when in actuality, they go deep into the water and with their excellent eyesight, look up underneath the iceberg to see fish in the ice then they dart up like an eagle going after its prey. Crittercam, with National Geographic's help, has had the funding and resources to make Cams that are very light weight, streamlined, and allow research in addition to the animals behavior, that also learns about things like dive depth, temperature of the water, etc. Crittercam footage can be seen on select NGS films, and are soon to be available on the web.
WildCam is a 24-hour a day live streaming video of different locations in Africa. A favorite is Pete's Pond. This is a watering hole frequented by various species of animals. Interactions between animals of the same species and between different species can be watched any time of day. This is a great way for teachers to allow their students to observe behavior of animals in their natural habitat — right in their own classroom! Note: YouTube has captured video of events from Pete's Pond. For example: "elephant baby slips" and "impalas vs. wild dogs." http://www.nationalgeographic.com/crittercam/
Google Earth has come a long way! One day oceanographer Sylvia Earle was talking to one of the creators of Google Earth and told him that he should have called it "Google Dirt" because that is all you get to see - only a small portion of our Earth. This got him to thinking and last month Google Earth revealed the Oceans part of their site.
In the Oceans folder of Google Earth, you can turn on different layers such as: underwater features, sea surface temperature, ocean expeditions, and shipwrecks (a very popular choice). Some examples of what you are able to see are:
Throughout the Oceans are different icons that when clicked on give you more learning and information. Some examples include: Big Balloons are Crittercam videos, NGS rectangle leads you to geo quizzes and info from NGS explorers, and red/white squares are clips from Planet Earth videos.
In addition to the Oceans section of Google Earth, you can also explore the Sky and Mars! Many more wonderful new features and amazing pictures from the Hubble Telescope and the Mars Rover help seeing things like constellations, satellites and galaxies. You can even track the International Space Station as it travels in orbit around the Earth.
Another exciting feature is the cloud layer and other weather you can see. These layers are updated regularly and allow you to see hurricanes and other features.
NGS had a message to attendees at the end of the presentation:
Dr. Enric Sala an explorer for National Geographic is heading out to explore the Line Islands — Pristine Coral Reefs from March 26 - April 26. He is asking teachers to follow his expedition on-line and ask him questions during his expedition. (There will be a 2-3 day delay in receiving answers to the questions due to his limited time with satellite feed. His on-line site will include videos, pictures, and blogs to track his progress. (http://www.ocean.nationalgeographic.com/)
Geothentic is an online learning environment for geography educators developed by professors at the University of Minnesota and partnered with National Geographic. This site includes modules for 4-12 grade teachers to use in the classroom and/or assign their students to follow a "Mission" on their own. Modules include: Climate Change, Population Density, Building a Hospital in San Francisco, Avian Flu, and the Best Place to Build an NFL Sports Arena in the USA. Each module includes a "Your Mission" video to introduce students to the problem, and then resources with Google Earth for students to start building their justifications and arguments for the best answer to the "Mission." Everything is completely on-line and free. All you need is Internet access, Google Earth downloaded, and a Flash Player. It also comes with "light" versions to modify the length of teaching the modules. Geothenitc's URL: http://www.ltspaces.com/geothentic/
The Delaware Geography-Health Initiative is a high school geography curriculum created by the Delaware Geographic Alliance to help high school teachers teach geography using all the standards in an inquiry based way. Students adopt real-life roles and are presented with a research problem requiring a defensible solution. The 8 curriculum units come on a DVD that is navigatable w/o prior instruction. (5 of the 8 activities are Delaware based)
The NGS mission is to teach how to care for their planet, its resources, and inhabitants. The many resources for science/geography educators include:
FieldScope is National Geographic's usage of GIS in a student friendly application. Completely online at http://www.fieldscope.us/, it is currently in its pilot stages with the first project focusing on the Chesapeake Bay. The program allows students to use layers to display different types of data, for example: water depth, land cover, physiographic provinces, and boundaries. One way students can use this map resource is to study watersheds. They can learn about the water and where it flows into an area and then out of the area. This allows for the study of pollution travel and water resources. Data was compiled from NOAA, Google Earth and NGS resources. Other applications of FieldScope include: Globe Project and Indiana Dunes. Eventually, 2-3 years, free use of software for all over. We will be able to upload our own data from measurements our own students have taken and compare them with pre-set data lists using the FieldScope software.
The National Environmental Education Week (http://eeweek.org/), the week before Earth Day, is the largest organized Environmental Education Week in the country. They have a new theme each year: 2007 Energy, 2008 Carbon Footprint, and 2009 Water Wise. They have K-12 curricula correlated to standards accessible on-line. They also have a carbon calculator that kids can answer!
ClassroomEarth — (http://www.classroomearth.org/) has teacher grants for high school teachers for professional development and grants for high school students for green careers and green colleges. Classroom Earth also has a teacher website for subject area content and a resource search that includes videos and lesson plans.
BioBlitz (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/bioblitz/) is a 24-hour survey of an area and all its living organisms. The goal is to build knowledge and awareness. Kids are bussed to destinations that are located near metropolitan areas where they work with NGS people, scientists, and other volunteers to survey the area. Plans are to have a BioBlitz every year until 2016 (the centennial of the National Park Service). The reason stems from students not getting out into the environment enough.
BioBlitz also has an on-line site that has two programs, one for grades 3-5 and one for High School grades so teachers can hold their own BioBlitz in their local community. The 3 to 5 program includes: How to identify species, classifying, mapping, observing and recording using senses, along with data sheets and a pocket guide. The high school material includes the same materials at a higher level and will be released later this year in PDF downloadable format.
An example of a lesson is Identifying Species
(Note: BioBlitz works with FieldScope software.)
Two Problems:
IT IS… the ability to use information about space and place to solve problems, make decisions, and construct plans.
What It Requires…
Geography compares better to science than social studies in many ways, especially through the use of systems: Geophysical Systems, Biological Systems, and Human Systems - and the interactions among these systems.
Why is geography important?
"We Are Not Alone."
The Jason Project (http://www.jason.org/) mission is to inspire and motivate students and teachers and use enhanced technologies. Their strategy is to "create the spark" and keep students engaged enough to stimulate self-motivated achievement. Some of the elements of The Jason Project are: Core Science Curriculum Units, Standards Based, Printed Student and Teacher Editions and DVDs, and it is all FREE on-line at the Jason Mission Center!
Current Jason units include:
Each curriculum has 5 missions~ 1 and 2 are core foundations, 3 and 4 are applications, and the 5th mission is a "Mission of Hope." In the Student Editions, each mission has a host researcher, briefings with scientific content, hands-on labs, and inquiry-based field assignments. The teacher's editions include lesson plans, online resources, answer keys, interdisciplinary connections, supporting content, pre/post assessment tools, authentic assessment, and critical thinking. Multi-media resources include curriculum, videos, games, digital labs, animators, interactive events, live events, lesson builder, and alignment/assessments. Teachers and students need to register, but all content is free.
Our reception is scheduled before the Monday, May 11, 2009 NGS Live! Lecture by Mattias Klum entitled "Borneo: Paradise Under Siege." Guests will be in the Founder's Room between 6:15 p.m. and 7:25 p.m.
On March 26, Richard invited Senators Cantwell and Murray, Representative Smith (WA-9), and from the state's 33rd legislative district, Representatives Orwall and Upthegrove and Senator Keiser. On March 28, he invited Governor Gregoire.
Tim will be inviting:
As of March 31, Governor Gregoire, Senator Murray, and state Representative Nelson have declined, Representative Smith will be sending Debra Entenman (education community liaison), and State Representative Orwall will be attending.
In addition, we need to get a list of the persons attending the lecture with the Woodland Park Zoo. Additional invitees will come form the WGA membership, the Washington State Council for the Social Studies, and the Association of Washington Geographers. Meghan offered to invite representatives from the Seattle Archdiocese.
Richard has notified Benaroya Hall about the size and weight of our giant traveling Washington State map and our desire to display it on both May 11 and 12.
Richard contacted Wolfgang Puck Catering and gave them the list of menu items the board selected at its last meeting:
Ben Thompson, Wolfgang Puck Operations Specialist, will be contacting us within the next few weeks to go over the floor plan for our event and to further discuss the timeline for our event (when we will be arriving, any stop in service requested, etc.) If we have any questions in the mean time, we may contact him at 206-336-6606.
Meghan will be developing display boards detailing WGA activities for use at the WGA reception on May 11.
The 2009 Basic Summer Institute will be held July 6-10 (M-F). No Advanced Summer Institute will be offered. Tim has made the necessary arrangements with GRCC for classrooms and transportation. Lodging needs to be addressed. In addition, the institute application form needs to be updated.
Seattle Pacific University wrote that they would be "pleased to partner with WGA on your summer institute." The credit that we offer through the Center for Professional Education is 5000 level — that is graduate level so cannot be used by students pursuing an undergraduate degree but is very helpful for the K-12 educator.
Tim presented a course syllabus for review and comment by the board.
Washington Geographic Alliance
2009 Summer Geography Institute
July 6-10, 2009
Course Syllabus
3 credits available through Seattle Pacific University ($X.00) or 40 clock hours (free)
Institute Coordinator: Tim Scharks, president@washgeo.org
About the Coordinator: Tim is President of the Washington Geographic Alliance and a tenured geography instructor at Green River Community College. He has degrees in geography from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks (BS) and Western Washington University (MS). Tim has taught a broad range of geography courses, from introductory physical geography to a course on Canadian urban geography. He has served as a reviewer of and written supplementary material for popular college-level introductory human and physical geography texts.
Course Description: The Summer Geography Institute is a continuing education opportunity for current and pre-service teachers. We address the Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) and Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) for geography education and the National Geography Standards established by the National Council for Geographic Education. Emphasis throughout the Institute is placed on integrating geography as a social and physical science throughout the curriculum, bringing greater relevance to the study of science, reading, history, and other subjects.
Course Objectives: After completing this course, participants should:
Course Outline: Attached [NB: 2008 Summer Geography Institute agenda attached; 2009 will differ in speakers and some content according to the summary below]
Day 1: Introductions, goals, and survey of geographic science and inquiry through short lectures and group discussion; learning and applying the State GLEs through small group breakouts by grade level, reporting back at end.
Day 2: Field work in the suburban fringe of King County: Land use, planning, development, sustainability, environment, and the economy. Visual landscape interpretation of the cultural and natural landscape. End of session debriefing in small groups and application by creation of lesson plans.
Day 3: Integrating geography into the curriculum: presentations on integrating geography GLEs with reading, math, and science. Roundtable discussion on the Balkanization of subjects, especially at higher grade levels, and potential benefits to integrationist approaches. Afternoon session on working with giant map.
Day 4: Field work in urban geography: methods geographic data collection including observation and descriptive inquiry applied to varying scales and urban structures. End of session debriefing in small groups and application by creation of lesson plans.
Day 5: Applying lessons learned: solving a "big problem" in geography in small groups using concepts and skills from the previous four days. Teams analyze the problem, create solutions, and generate a lesson plan incorporating their learning process from the exercise. Review of the week, a charge for the coming school year, course evaluation and goodbyes.
Course materials: Participants will be provided with course packets on the first day of courses. Additional readings and homework will be made available via a secure website only accessible to enrolled students. Readings will include topical newspaper and magazine articles on geographic issues and the book Teaching Geography by Phil Gersmehl.
Assigned work: Teachers participating for clock hours pay a refundable $100 deposit (by check) to the WGA. The check will be returned upon satisfactory completion of:
Participants taking the course for credit must satisfy the above requirements as well as:
Grading: Grades will be assigned according to the following scale for individual assignments. The final grade will be based on the number of points earned according to the total number of points possible.
Points will be assigned as follows:
2 lesson plans, 20 points each:
Discussion board posting and participation
Summer Institute attendanne and participation:
Final paper
Total points possible
40 points
10 points
20 points
30 points
100 points
Point totals and assignments may be subject to change in the progress of the course.
References
The 2009 National Conference of the NCGE will be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico on September 23 - 27, 2009. As of January 4, 2009, the cheapest roundtrip airfare from Seattle to San Juan is $463 (traveling the day before and the day after the conference). Hotel room rates at the International San Juan Resort & Casino are $159/night for a single/double plus an 11% room tax. Early conference registration until June 22 is $295 for NCGE members.
The deadline for submitting presentation proposals is April 13. Both Meghan and Pat plan to submit proposals. Meghan and Pat will be the only persons attending the conference from the WGA. Tim will start the travel arrangements with GRCC after receiving travel dates from Meghan and Pat. Tim mentioned he possibility of offering $200 scholarships to our Teacher Consultants.
Tim and Richard met with Richard M. McWalters, Director of Exhibits at the National Geographic Museum, during the Alliance Winter Meeting about obtaining the remaining Earth Station One components. At the meeting, he said that a decision on the disposition of the remaining Earth Station One components would be made within a month. Richard emailed Mr. McWalters on March 26 asking if a decision has been made. To date, no reply has been received.
Tim submitted the following job description for Steering Committee members. Board members are asked to review and comment on it.
"Washington Geographic Alliance seeks Steering Committee Members
The WGA is seeking members for a two or three year appointment to its Steering Committee. The Steering Committee is open to all Washington State residents who have demonstrated an interest in advancing geographic literacy in our state.
The Steering Committee works in collaboration with the Board of Directors to plan and set Alliance goals from 1-year to long-range time horizons, develop partnerships to advance Alliance activities, and aid in fundraising efforts on behalf of the Alliance.
The Steering Committee should be composed of an approximately equal proportion of members from K-12 education, higher education, and the private and public sectors. Retired members are welcome and will be classified according to their previous career.
Responsibilities: Steering Committee members are expected to correspond when requested with the Board of Directors throughout the year and attend two annual meetings of approximately six hours in the state, one in the fall and one in the spring (approximately October and May).
Appointees to the Steering Committee shall not be financially rewarded and must follow the WGA's policies, including its Conflict of Interest policy. Travel expenses for participation in semiannual meetings will be compensated according to the WGA rules."
Tim offered to check with GRCC to get our current budget status.
Richard reported that representative Smith (WA-9) became a cosponsor of H.R. 1240 (Teaching Geography is Fundamental) on March 30.
GPS Adventures is at the Pacific Science Center from March 28-May 3, 2009. From the Pacific Science Center Web Site: "The GPS Adventures Maze is an educational traveling exhibition introducing GPS technology - its history, current uses and future possibilities. Visitors will learn the basics of traditional and modern navigation, see examples of GPS technology in use today, preview coming developments, and try their hand at designing future applications. They will simulate the sport of geocaching as they search for hidden caches and gain access to content rich educational galleries.
A 2,500 square foot maze simulates the experience of GPS and Geocaching in four environments: city, local park, back-country and historic site. Wall panels feature thematic graphics up to 12 ft long and 7 ft high of rivers and lakes, mountains and valleys, city streets and structures. Maze dead ends portray impassable obstacles such as waterfalls, cliffs and ravines.
Enticed by the lure of treasure hunting, visitors enter the maze through an orientation room where they will learn what they need to know before embarking on their treasure hunting adventure:
Floor graphics provide the direction and distance to all four satellite rooms. As is the case when traveling with a GPS unit, visitors have a reading of their location at all times, but it is not always possible to follow a heading as the crow flies.
After locating and gaining entry into each satellite room, visitors are engaged by hands-on interactives, educational displays, videos and touch panels that address the many facets of GPS technology, Geocaching, and the great outdoors.
In each satellite room, visitors stamp their Adventure Card with one of four mystery coordinates. Once all four are collected, they return to the World Map Station at the front of the maze, plot the coordinates, and discover their Treasure City to complete the adventure."
Tim offered to contact persons at Groundspeak about possible alliances.
The next regular meeting of the WGA Board of Directors will be held on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. in the home of Richard Kennedy and Heidi Morgan, 18825 6th Avenue SW, Normandy Park, Washington.
Respectfully submitted,
/ss/ Richard T. Kennedy
Richard T. Kennedy
Secretary
Approved April 28, 2009