By Jeffrey P. Mayor

More than 1,000 places, events and sights have been culled down to the best 150 to 200 as National Geographic moves forward with its plans for a Central Cascades geotourism map guide.

In January, the magazine’s Center for Sustainable Destinations announced plans to produce a guide that would cover the Cascades from Mount Rainier south to Crater Lake.

“We want to celebrate what makes your place special, what makes it stand out,” said Jim Dion, associate director for the center, when he was in town in January to announce the project.

As part of the effort, a Central Cascades Stewardship Council was created. Members represent geotourism perspectives from Oregon and Washington, including community leadership, historic preservation, natural resources, public lands management, indigenous peoples, traditional and local arts, agriculture, tourism and local businesses.

The council met earlier this month to reduce the list of more than 1,000 nominations to 150 to 200 nominations that capture the essence of the Central Cascades, said Mary Kay Nelson of Visit Rainier.

That list is being sent to National Geographic for the final selection.

Nelson said the nominations were sorted by topics or themes that will help tell the story of the Central Cascades: abundance/bounty; Native American; geography – fire and ice (weather and water); Our Roots; scenic recreation; adventure recreation; people today/lifestyles and events.

National Geographic plans to release the map this fall.

June 18, 2009

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