The Power of Parks... Geography Awareness Week - Nov. 13-19, 2016

The New York Geographic Alliance is working with National Geographic to promote Geography Awareness Week 2016. The theme is the Power of Parks, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. There are now lessons and ideas to promote GAW on the NG website

We also recommend visiting the George Eastman Museum in Rochester to see their exhibit on historic and contemporary photographs taken in National Parks. This exhibit will end in early October, so hurry! Here are two pictures from the museum. The first shows George Eastman himself at the Grand Canyon and the second are some photographs from Millee Tibbs. The work of many other accomplished artists are included: Ansel Adams, Clarence Watkins, William Henry Jackson, Eduard Muybridge. 


Of course, you need to get out and visit the units of National Parks here in New York. There are 22 units in our state, including three heritage areas: Niagara, Erie Canalway, and the Hudson Valley. To find parks, visit the National Park Service NY page. To learn about the importance of New York STATE Parks, read the u-NY-que article on this website. 

We will be hosting our own GAW event on GeoFest 2016 at Monroe Community College on Saturday, November 19th. You will be able to register for this event in September. The New York Geographic Alliance has produced our own poster for Geographic Awareness Week. It features important parks in OUR state, both state and national. Some are natural parks (like the Adirondack Park) and others historical (like Saratoga National Historic Park, the site that won the Revolution). Printed posters (11" by 17") will be available at GeoFest, and they are now downloadable for this website. See below. 

To hold your interest, here is a short quiz about parks in New York State. If you send us the answers to these questions, you will receive a discount for GeoFest 2016!

1. This park was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead and it sits in the middle of Manhattan.

2. This is the oldest state park in the nation, and it features one of New York's most famous landmarks.

3. In the middle of Seneca Falls, NY there is a national park of historic importance. What is it?

4. At Montauk Point there is a famous lighthouse marking the end point on Long Island. What President commisioned this park?

5. This state park was recently voted the "Best in the USA." It's on the Genesee River. What is the name of this park?

6. There are several state parks on the Thousand Islands, on the border with Canada. These islands are found in the middle of what river?

7. In Oswego there is an important museum found on the grounds of Fort Ontario. It's called Safe Haven. What makes it significant?

8. You can find a surprising diversity of life at a national recreation area surrounding Jamaica Bay. What is the name of the gem near JFK Airport?

9. Many battles were found in New York during the American Revolution. The most pivotal was a victory over the British in 1777 near the Hudson River. What is the name of that park?

10. One of the newest historic landmarks commemorates a protest in Greenwich Village by the LBFT community in 1969. What is the name of this landmark?

11. Stretching from Buffalo to Albany and two the Finger Lakes and to Lake Champlain is a national historic corridor. It preserves the heritage of an important man-made waterway. What is it?

12. This village is famous for its NASCAR track, but it is also home to one of the nicest Finger Lakes gorges that you can walk through. Name the state park (same as the village). 

Contest ends on October 1st. Then we'll give you the answers. 

This collage appears on the New York GAW Poster. You can get a free poster at GeoFest. Members can request one by contacting the NYGA Office. 

You can download one here!