Each of the landscapes where OSI works has its own story, with histories that intersect different geologies, habitats and human lives. Today, the Open Space Institute is unveiling a multimedia Story Map (viewable here), harnessing the power of maps, narrative and video to capture some of these histories on one of our treasured landscapes.
The Southern Cumberland Plateau is a flat-topped mountain that once was the bed of an ancient ocean floor. Today, the region’s pressurized layers of limestone, shale, coal and sandstone support some of the most geologically unique habitat in North America — yet only 10 percent of the Plateau is protected. This vulnerability puts at risk countless communities, livelihoods, and climate-vulnerable infrastructure. OSI, through its Southern Cumberland Plateau Land Protection Fund and with its partners, is working to save the land, before it is too late.
By capturing compelling stories about the Plateau, OSI is capturing the importance of this invaluable landscape, and making the case for preserving it. Please view the Story Map with high-capacity Internet; contact Kelly Proctor ([email protected]) with any questions or feedback.
'Saving the Southern Cumberlands'
A Case Study of the Southern Cumberland Plateau and the Fiery Gizzard Trail