AMERICAN GEOPARKS: FROM IDEA TO REALITY

The establishment of new geoparks worldwide has followed a rapid and highly successful trajectory in the short nine-year period since the first geoparks were established in Europe in 2000. There are now 57 geoparks worldwide; 33 in Europe, 20 in China, and one each in Iran, Brazil, Malaysia, and Australia. Many more localities have applied for geopark status and are awaiting approval from the entity that oversees the worldwide network, the Global UNESCO Network of Geoparks. There are, as of yet, no geoparks in the United States, although interest is growing within the geologic community in protecting unique geologic landforms from imminent, damaging development activities. This presentation will examine possible pathways for creating a new American Geopark network, informed by the history of the development of the European Geopark Network starting with the publication in 1991 of the International Declaration of the Rights of the Memories of the Earth. Key ideas, events, and synergistic efforts by geologists and ecotourism proponents which transformed the geopark concept into the creation of actual physical park units and a regional network in Europe will be highlighted and superimposed onto the idea of creating a system of geoparks in the United States. The idea of establishing a new American geopark in southern Oregon and northern California—the Klamath Knot Geopark—will be formally introduced. Film footage will accompany several segments of this presentation, including footage of the Klamath Knot region and several European geoparks.