MIAMI — “A New Map of Cobre Valley: What Makes a Place?” The October Hardscrabble program sponsored by the Gila County Museum and Bullion Plaza Museum will be presented on October 18, 2017, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Bullion Plaza Cultural Center and Museum in Miami. Ashley Hullinger who is a part of the Water Research and Planning Innovations for Dryland System, and Susanna Eden, Assistant Director of the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center, will be facilitating the creation of a new interactive map of Cobre Valley.
Maps are an extremely important part of our lives. Not only do they help us get from Point A to Point B, but maps can affect how we think about new or unknown places, history, and countless other topics. Technology has not lessened our need for maps, but it has changed how we use them and what kind of information they convey. With the help of community members, the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension and Water Resources Research Center will lead an effort to record a map that shows the important facts about natural, political, and cultural wonders in Cobre Valley. To start the event, we will have large, mostly blank, printed maps and plenty of pens and markers for participants to identify political and physical locations of interest, importance, or challenges. Once the maps have been filled, everyone will be asked to share a place of interest with the group. Afterwards, University of Arizona personnel will populate an online, interactive map, combining local knowledge with place-based information. In the future, this map could help develop planning priorities and identify areas that need work, preservation, or improvement.
Doors open at 6 p.m. with light refreshments being served. There is no charge for the event, but donations are always welcome. The Gila County Historical Museum and the Bullion Plaza Cultural Center and Museum are partially funded by the United Fund Globe-Miami.
