Connecting People to Place: Stories, Science, Deep Maps, and Geo-Quests for Place-Based Learning

Cynthia A Hagley1, Janet Silbernagel2, George Host3, David A. Hart4, Richard Axler3, Rosanne W. Fortner5, Matthew Axler2, Vincent Smith6, Annette Drewes7, Will Bartsch8, Nick Danz9, Jim Mathews10 and Mark Wagler10, (1)Minnesota Sea Grant, Duluth, MN, United States, (2)University of Wisconsin-Madison, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, Madison, WI, United States, (3)University of Minnesota-Duluth, Natural Resources Research Institute, Duluth, MN, United States, (4)University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin Sea Grant, Madison, WI, United States, (5)Ohio State University, Retired, Oak Island, NC, United States, (6)Southern Oregon University, Environmental Studies and Sociology, Ashland, OR, United States, (7)Leech Lake Tribal College, Department of Natural Sciences and Technology, Cass Lake, MN, United States, (8)Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, US EPA-MED, Duluth, MN, United States, (9)University of Wisconsin-Superior, Natural Sciences Department, Superior, WI, United States, (10)University of Wisconsin-Madison, Games, Learning, and Society, Madison, WI, United States
Abstract:
The St. Louis River Estuary project (stlouisriverestuary.org) is about connecting the stories with the science of this special place to enhance spatial awareness and stewardship of the estuary. The stories, or spatial narratives, are told through vignettes of local resource activities, framed by perspectives of local people. The spatial narratives, developed through interviews and research, target six key activities of the estuary. The science is based on stressor gradients research, incorporating factors such as population and road density, pollutant point source density, and land use. The stressor gradient developed based on these factors was used as a basis for sampling water quality and plant and macroinvertebrate communities, with the intent of quantifying relationships between land-based stressors and aquatic ecosystem indicators of condition. The stories and science are interwoven, located in place on a Deep Map, and played out in GeoQuests to illustrate the complexity and multiple perspectives within the estuary’s social, economic and ecological systems. Students, decision-makers, and Lake Superior enthusiasts can engage more deeply in the complexity of the stories and science by challenging themselves with these GeoQuests played on mobile devices. We hope these place-based learning tools will be valuable in advancing spatial literacy and conversation around environmental sustainability in coastal communities.
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