BRIDGING KNOWLEDGES - USING GEOSPATIAL TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT PLACE-BASED GEOHERITAGE LEARNING

The underpinning geology of the Keweenaw region of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on Lake Superior has fostered deep and enduring relationships with place shared through stories and interpretations that express our varied cultures and heritage. Stories of the recent copper mining boom and European copper exploration are visible and well documented in this place. Less interpreted stories surround the long passage of people to this region who have fostered meaningful relationships with landscape including the oldest metal workings in the Western hemisphere and 11 Lake Superior Bands of Ojibwe who retain rights and responsibilities to hunt, fish, and gather in the Ceded Territory of 1842. A recent summer internship for local tribal and non-tribal youth explored how both Western and Traditional Knowledge have enriched our understanding of our geological history and Earth System processes. These stories of our shared geoheritage offered a lens to observe landscapes through braided knowledge sets while developing skills in geospatial technologies. During the field component of this place-based learning experience participants collected and documented teachings and reflections by collecting photos, audio recordings, and drawings; sacred Anishinaabe knowledge was not sought or shared during these experiences. ArcGIS Survey123 was used to create a simple and intuitive data gathering app to support deeper learning of our varied relationships with geology. This enabled participants to engage in pre-built survey form containing a mixture of text responses, picklists, and prompts for media capture. Survey123 allowed data collection and media capture whereby responses were cached locally on participants’ devices in the field. Once connected to a stable Wi-Fi connection, surveys were uploaded to a server as a geodatabase containing GPS locations tethered to captured media. Survey questions were specifically designed to deepen our understanding of the intersection of geology, people, and environmental issues with an emphasis on what stories are present and what stories are missing. These served as the foundation for the development of StoryMaps that reflect meaningful learning moments and participants’ own relationships with geology during the geospatial component of this learning experience.