Travel history

I asked my Travel and Tourism Planning students yesterday to mark on a map where they have traveled ("green X's) and where they would like to go ("red question marks").  Here are the results.

Seeking Warmth?

Head south to the island of Martinique.

or to Tortola....

or maybe Turks and Caicos?

Or St. Lucia

or.....

Tourism and visitor management in protected areas

Author(s): Leung, Yu-FaiSpenceley, AnnaHvenegaard, GlenBuckley, RalfGroves, Craig

Organization(s): IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA)IUCN, Global Protected Areas Programme

Abstract:
Protected areas are a key component of any global conservation strategy. Tourism provides a crucial and unique way of fostering visitors’ connection with protected area values, making it a potentially positive force for  conservation. Protected area tourism’s economic benefits—which depend on beautiful natural areas, healthy wildlife and nature, and authentic cultures—can also be a powerful argument for conservation. Tourism in protected areas  is a major part of the global tourism industry—an industry whose scale and impacts are enormous. Such a high volume of visitors implies certain needs for fundamental infrastructure and requirements for employment and human services, all of which have ramifications for the economy, society, culture and the environment. These Guidelines provide guidance on key issues to help managers achieve sustainable tourism in protected areas.

to download.

Massachusetts Bicycle Plan

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing that the Draft Statewide Bicycle Transportation Plan is now available for public comment. You can review the plan and provide feedback by clicking the link below.

2018 Statewide Bicycle Transportation Plan

Respond soon, comment period ends 31 January 2019

Airport security screener absences

Traveled this past holiday weekend.  Was it slower to get through security, I mean slower than the normal slow?

"The TSA said unscheduled absences on Saturday reached 10 percent of its 51,000 officers, compared with 3 percent a year ago."  CNBC.

Can you blame 'em sine they are not getting paid?

Oh yeah, this is not a vacation!

Government Shutdown continues to hurt America and Public Lands

The American Hiking Society is another group pleading our public servants to serve our citizens.  Other Government services are shut down (recall LiDar) and this just stinks.

Come on children, no more temper tantrums!

Land Use & Natural Resources Planner in Greenfield MA Job

Land Use & Natural Resources Planner 

Land Use & Natural Resources Planner position, 30 hours/week (potential for 37.5 hours/week) in the Franklin Regional Council of Governments Planning Department. The position is responsible for working on zoning and land use regulations, including provision of technical assistance to towns on Special Permit and Site Plan Review applications. In addition, the planner will work on Open Space and Recreation, Watershed Resiliency, Multi-Hazard Mitigation, and Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Plans and projects related to the Green Communities Act.

Candidate should possess a Master’s Degree in planning or landscape architecture with at least one year of related work experience.

Hiring Range: $38,000 – $42,000 per year (30 hours/week), depending on experience plus benefits. Graphics experience desirable.

Submit a letter of interest and resume by mail to Kimberly Noake MacPhee, Land Use & Natural Resources Program Manager, Franklin Regional Council of Governments, 12 Olive Street, Greenfield, MA 01301. Applications should be received no later than January 28, 2019. This position will remain open until filled.

Weather (dot) gov

Perhaps a bit messy from the Great Plains to the Mid Atlantic this weekend.  Good thing the Weather.Gov is still working.

Bu about 700 federal employees from the National Weather Service could not make it to the

this past week due to the longest federal government shut down.  My thoughts go out to the furloughed employees and those without a paycheck during the cold winter months.

Government Shut down hasn't hit this site .... yet

A neat site to see old  USGS Topographic maps is found here.  For the most part the topo part (landforms) doesn't change that much, with the exception of mining and excavations from human activities.  What does change are the human elements like roads and such. 

Should the government shutdown shutdown this site, you can also visit this one.  Sponsored by our GIS friends at ESRI. 

Finally, while not "served" UNH has this website for you to download maps.

https://governmentshutdown.noaa.gov/

The URL says it all. 

"https://governmentshutdown.noaa.gov/"

Flights and the Great Circle Route

Ever wonder about the route your plane takes between two cities?   Since we are so used to looking a flat 2D maps, our view of a straight line is often skewed, especially if the distance is great.

You might have used one of the flight tracking programs where the thousand aircraft are enlarged so much it looks like there will be a crash over the more populated parts of our planet!  The planes are the size of Connecticut at a global view but reduce as we zoom in.

See also my 17 March 2010 report.

So first, fire up your copy of Google Earth.  Don't have it, download it today (it works on cellphones too).

From this program you can zoom out, just like you were in space, and because the earth is a globe, (sorry flat earth people) you will only see half the globe at a time. You will see for example that a flight from NYC to London takes you fairly close to Iceland.  From the flat map view, it would appear to to a arch across the Atlantic.

But sometimes, we can't take the shortest route.  Some countries don't like foreign aircraft flying over their territory.  See this interesting article about how flight paths can change.

So this might explain why a trip can vary in length.  Happy flying.