The Complete America’s Great Trails Act

American Hiking Society constantly monitors legislation that could enhance or protect the hiking experience. A new bill, HR 1912 - the Complete America’s Great Trails Act - has the potential to significantly benefit some of the most spectacular trails in America. This proposed legislation would grant a tax credit to private landowners who provide conservation easements to certified National Scenic Trails – resulting in a low-cost incentive for willing landowners to donate easements that would increase trail connectivity. This means that private landowners have a new incentive to allow hikers to pass through their property, and trails get a guaranteed corridor that protects the connectivity and continuity of the hiking experience for years to come!

American Hiking supports HR 1912 and applauds Rep. Connolly (D-VA) and Rep. Lummis (R-WY) for introducing this forward-thinking legislation. We also applaud Rep. Blumenauer (D-OR) and Rep. Bono-Mack (R-CA), co-chairs of the Congressional Trails Caucus, and Reps. Kind (D-WI), Massa (D-NY), McMahon (D-NY), Lance (R-NJ), Polis (D-Co), Boccieri (D-OH), Pierluisi (D-RC-PR), for their original co-sponsorship of this important legislation.

American Hiking advocates for changes in policies that provide our partners with as many tools as possible to protect and manage our nation’s great trails. Thus, we work closely with regional and local organizations that protect, maintain and promote the various elements of America’s National Trails System. We also partner with Congress and the federal land management agencies charged with managing and administering our trail resources.

American Hiking has championed the protection and enhancement of America’s National Trails System since our founding in 1976. Our National Trails System consists of more than 7,000 authorized miles of National Scenic Trails, more than 36,000 miles of National Historic Trail routes, and more than 1,000 registered National Recreation Trails.

Take Action to urge your Representative to co-sponsor HR 1912.

Read the full text of HR 1912, and read the Dear Colleague Letter being circulated by Reps. Connolly and Lummis.

NG Atlas wins British award

By David Miller
Senior Editor, NG Maps

The "National Geographic Visual Atlas of the World" won the prestigious John C. Bartholomew Award at this year’s British Cartographic Society meeting near London. Rebecca Hill, international marketing director at National Geographic’s London office, accepted the award for the Book Publishing Group, which produced the atlas in 2008.

The award, sponsored by the Bartholomew family and HarperCollins, recognizes “originality and excellence in the field of thematic cartography with emphasis on effective communication of the intended theme or themes.” Now in its 30th year, the award includes an engraved crystal trophy and award certificate. Among the many entries, the "Visual Atlas of the World" was singled out for special praise from the judges: “This atlas lives up to its title, and through a large series of well-compiled, beautifully designed thematic maps presents a dramatic picture of today’s world and the issues it faces.”

The "Visual Atlas of the World," with 416 pages, 350 maps and more than 600 photographs, satellite images and illustrations, reveals a common planetary heritage by highlighting World Heritage sites.

“The atlas blends two of National Geographic bests—state-of-the-art cartography and brilliant photography, which together tell compelling stories across the globe," said Carl Mehler, director of maps and project editor for the atlas.

"The collective efforts, talent and innovation of the atlas staff made this project materialize into a uniquely diverse cartographic collection. We're honored and delighted to receive this recognition from the British Cartographic Society,” he continued.

Find more information on the atlas at http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/product/244/4461/120.html

President Obama Receives National Geographic Map Cabinet

This is "one gift I will definitely keep," President Obama said when he was presented with a National Geographic Society map cabinet at the White House.

Visit the NATGEO NEWS WATCH Blog by News Editor David Braun for the full story: http://tinyurl.com/ncmdqy












Photos courtesy of The White House

College Students Win National Geographic Map Awards

As college campuses across the country close for summer recess, we know of a few students heading home that are perhaps a little happier because their maps earned awards. National Geographic sponsors several map awards
(see http://natgeomaps.com/mapawards) to reward student innovation—so far six students have won this year:

Ben Coakley, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Scheduled Service on Small Airlines in Canada, Summer 2008.
Daniel Huffman, University of Wisconsin-Madison,
Rising Skyline: The Tallest Buildings in Europe, 1875-2007.

Mathieu Noble, Centre of Geographic Sciences (COGS), Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), King of Coal.




Wes Jones, Centre of Geographic Sciences (COGS), Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens.
Cindy Prostak, Centre of Geographic Sciences (COGS), Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Gregg Verutes, San Diego State University, Health, Poverty and Place in Accra, Ghana.

Check out http://natgeomaps.com/mapawards for more information and updates.

NG Maps Produces Online Geotourism Atlas for Greater Yellowstone

National Geographic’s Maps Division and Center for Sustainable Destinations teamed up to produce the first NG-developed Online Geotourism MapGuide to support sustainable tourism across the Greater Yellowstone region of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.

The site, http://www.yellowstonegeotourism.org/, which launched on March 31st, is open to anyone to discover and share information about unique features, tours, and businesses that best represent and sustain the natural and cultural character of the region. Visitors can also request a free print MapGuide.

Geotourism is the kind of travel that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place — its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents. Online Geotourism MapGuides are web versions of the print maps that National Geographic has developed for a number of regions around the world, including Crown of the Continent, Baja California, and Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom to name a few.

In addition to producing print and/or web maps, these projects bring together diverse representatives from the local communities to collectively define what makes their region special and how best to communicate it to the rest of the world. NG Maps is excited to participate in these projects that help travelers and local communities discover and preserve special places around the world. Anyone interested in developing a Geotourism MapGuide for their region, or simply becoming a “Geotraveler” should visit http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/sustainable/.

To Earth with Love :: Take 20% off all World Maps!

Show your love for Mother Earth this Earth Day! For the month of April, take 20% off our entire line of World maps. All proceeds from the sale will go to support the Society’s many worldly causes. Use code EARTHLOVE09.

Take 20% off All World Maps!
1. Visit natgeomaps.com/vip
2. Register with your email address and the code above in the "New Member Registration" area.
3. Enter the required information and create an account.
BUY NOW ›

Supersize Your Map!

Did you know that three of our most popular wall maps are available as murals?

These super-sized maps will enhance any office, den, kid's room, school, boardroom, hallway or public space. They're approximately 9 feet wide by 6 feet high.

The murals come as three durable latex-coated panels which are hung like wallpaper. Directions are included.

Details and purchase info here.

This Spring Break - Head to the Yucatan! :: We've Got Your Map

While the weather here at the National Geographic maps offices in Colorado has been unseasonably warm, many cities throughout the country have seen record cold temperatures, feet of snow, torrential rain, and even a few rare February tornadoes. If you're one of the poor souls tired of walking past cold windy alleys, digging your car out from behind the snowplow berm, or excited when "spring fever" means 37 degrees - then turn your attention south to Mexico and the lush Yucatan Peninsula.

The Yucatan offers something for every tourist. For the resort set, Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and the rest of the Riviera Maya offer 5-star hotels, white sand beaches, warm Caribbean waters, and plenty of nightlife, restaurants, and bars to shake off your mid-winter chills. Those that enjoy a more adventurous vacation will find the Maya sites scattered throughout the peninsula (easily accessible via numerous tour agencies) an alluring attraction with their incredible architecture and historical significance.

In the case you're still undecided on the Yucatan as your spring break destination here are a few other compelling reasons:

* Current temperature in Cancun (11am, 2.27.09) = 79 degrees. Current temperature in Boston = 35 degrees.

* Current water temperature off the coast of Cancun = 78 degrees.

* $1.00 currently equivalent to 14.98 (MXN Pesos)

* Roundtrip airfare from Boston to Cancun the weekend of March 13th, $358.

Now that you're ready to start packing your bags and making the clicks to purchase hotel and airfare, make sure you pick up a copy of our brand new Northern Yucatan Peninsula and Maya Sites Adventure Map. At just $11.95, this is the perfect companion for your trip for both pre-trip planning and in-country navigation.

The front side of the map contains a carefully researched and detailed road layer with hundreds of place names, including the small rural towns that are scattered throughout the peninsula. Two inset maps provide street level detail for Merida and Cancun and include the locations of key infrastructure like post offices, hospitals, and bus stations, but also popular points of interest like parks and museums. Adventure travelers will benefit with the locations of prime snorkeling, surfing, and fishing spots plus Maya historical sites and federal and state protected lands.

The map's reverse contains a detailed guide to (7) of the most popular Maya Sites, complete with inset maps that highlight points of interest at each location. A cool new feature noted on this map are Maya sites with TekTrek multimedia destination guides available for download. These immersive audio and video programs include information on the history and significance of the sites and how to support local sustainability efforts. Sites detailed on the back of the map include: Chichen Itza, Ek' Balam, Tulum, El Rey, Uxmal, Coba', and San Gervasio. Downloadable TekTrek guides are available at their website.

Our new Yucatan map is available now at the NG Online Store and directly from National Geographic Maps. To place an order call 800.962.1643 Mon-Fri between 8:00am and 5:00pm mountain time.

To learn more and browse our Yucatan map - visit it's page on our website.

Quality

At National Geographic we've always prided ourselves on the quality of our cartography. But there's another factor that plays into the quality of our maps, and that is manufacturing.

National Geographic Maps production manager Dutch Holland accepts a "Benny" -- one of the printing industry's highest honors -- for the six-by-four-foot United States Executive map. The presentation was made by Janet Green, head of the board of Printing Industries of America and Graphic Arts Technical Foundation at a recent Premier Print Awards gala in Chicago. Dutch supervised the printing of the map done by National Print Group in Chattanooga, Tenn. The 70 "Benny" winners were chosen from a field of 5,200 entrants. NatGeo's Production Services VP Hans Wegner said maps are among "the most difficult thing to print well, and the primary reason our maps always look good is that we have Dutch at press side." 

Experience National Geographic in London

National Geographic has opened a Flagship Store on London's Regent Street. Of course, there are lots of maps, globes and atlases for sale along with apparel, African crafts, optics and much more. There's a cafe, event space, and the store is flush with video and more to make your visit an immersive experience. A second store will open next month in Singapore.


Retail Week: National Geographic opens on Regent Street, London from Retail Week on Vimeo.