PAPER SESSION ABSTRACTS
ILLINOIS GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY MEETING
GLEN ELLYN, ILLINOIS
29 APRIL 2006
(Abstracts appear in alphabetical order, by last name of first author.)
Paras Acharya (Western Illinois University) Rural Development Problems in Nepal. Nepal, situated in the middle of the Hindu Kush Himalayan region, is a country having both physiographic and climatic contrast compared to its small area. Two-thirds of Nepal’s population lives in the rural area, but the existing rural condition has not undergone any kind of remarkable change in the last ten of years. The rugged physical condition, lack of infrastructure, and poverty all account for the hindrance of rural development. This paper will address issues that have been hindering the rural development of Nepal and further discuss the approaches to overcome those problems.
Anastasia Asare (Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville) Geographic Impacts of Akosombo Dam on Downstream Channel Patterns of Lower Volta River, Ghana. This study focuses on the long-term geomorphic impacts of Akosombo Dam in downstream channel pattern of the lower Volta River, Ghana. Stream channel patterns before and after the dam construction in 1965 were compared using topographic maps produced in 1958 and 1974 on a scale of 1:50,000. Initial analysis showed that stream channel patterns, including straight, meandering, and braided patterns, were significantly modified by the construction of the dam. A more recent and detailed analysis of channel pattern changes using TM satellite images of 1990 and 2000 further confirmed the earlier observations. The dam has significantly modified the channel pattern of the lower Volta River. The initial rapid rate of change observed in the topographic data set contrasts sharply with the lower rates of change gleaned from the relatively recent TM data set and a tendency towards long-term stabilization. The wider implications of the current findings for planning are also examined.
Mouhama Bourai and Stephane Leblond (Western Illinois University) African Migration in Western Illinois. The arrival Africans, from West Africa, brings diversity and new migration concerns to the rural communities of western Illinois. The purpose of this study is to address those concerns by analyzing the socio-economic characteristics of African migrants and the impact they have on rural western Illinois. The methodology will be based on reports from the meat packaging company (Cargill), from the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (WIU), from the US Bureau of the Census, and from a survey conducted in Rushville. The analysis of those socio-economic characteristics and impacts will show that their presence may fill the needs and desires not only for the local communities but for the migrants themselves.
Susan Casey (Northeastern Illinois University) Understanding the Wind Energy Opposition. Wind energy is promoted as a “win-win” situation benefiting both the environment and struggling rural communities, yet many wind projects have faced strong local opposition. This paper focuses on the opposition to the Crescent Ridge Wind Project, located in Bureau County, Illinois. Drawing on public hearing transcripts and interviews, the oppositional narratives are critically examined in order to better understand opponents’ perceptions. Aesthetics, inequity, and mistrust in the developers were dominant themes in the opposition, ones that flow from opponents’ mental construct of what it means to be rural.
Jongnam Choi, Darrel Barker, and Su-yeul Chung (Western Illinois University) Public Knowledge and Perceptions of Wetlands and Wetlands Mitigation Policy: A Study of Four Illinois Counties. This study determines current public knowledge and perception of wetlands and wetland mitigation policies by demographic and socioeconomic factors of respondents and proximity to wetlands. Two counties with the highest percentage of wetlands, Alexander County and Clinton County, and the lowest percentage of wetlands, Ford County and Warren County, were included in this study. Illinois residents appear to be very familiar with wetlands and wetland mitigation policies. Differences in perceptions and knowledge of wetlands and wetland mitigation policy across demographic and socioeconomic groups are greater than those found between study areas.
Michael Cornebise (Eastern Illinois University) and Ola Johansson (University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown) Andersonville: A Slice of Sweden in Chicago. As the focal point for Swedish immigration to the United States, Chicago developed several neighborhoods with a strong Swedish constituency, most located on the city’s north side. One such neighborhood was Andersonville (on North Clark Street), an area that has since become known as the center of Swedish Chicago. This paper will explore the rise of Andersonville from unincorporated farming community to distinctive Swedish “enclave.”
Yongxing Deng (Western Illinois University) Development of a Continent-Wide Landform Reference System for Environmental Modeling. This presentation describes an on-going research project that seeks to link “across-the-country” landforms by incorporating landform semantics, fuzzy landform classification, and multi-scale/multi-context landform characterization. Two prominent, opposing landform types–peaks and valley bottoms–are delineated across multiple scales to construct a simple topographic reference system, in which each landscape point is distinguished in terms of its relative similarity to typical mountain peaks and valley bottoms. In this way, remote places can be directly compared. Landforms of the intermediate area are then characterized and classified with special attention to topographic positions and contexts.
Ahmed Elsheikh (Western Illinois University) Hispanic Communities in the Rural Midwest. Hispanics are the fastest growing segment of the American population, and this growth is especially striking in rural midwestern communities. The purpose of this study is to examine the origins of the Hispanic migration and the consequential impact of the influx to the affected communities. The study will utilize statistical and cartographical analysis. The result will illustrate that the Hispanic immigration was precipitated by the communities seeking cheap labor force, and the need for employment opportunities by Hispanic population.
Dennis Grammenos (Northeastern Illinois University) The New Latino Metropolis: Geographies of Race, Ethnicity and Class in Chicago. Chicago has emerged as a mid-continental Latino metropolis with the second largest concentration of Mexicans in the United States. The dramatic influx of Latino migrants has reconfigured the racial, ethnic, and class geographies of the city and the suburbs. This paper examines the various socio-spatial dimensions of Chicago’s transformation and explores the implications of Latino urbanism.
Brant Herrel (Augustana College) A Spatial Analysis of Disc Golf in the Chicagoland Area. This study examines the distribution and impacts of disc golf sites in northeastern Illinois. The rapid growth of disc golf in the Chicagoland area is shown through a number of time series maps. The trend is to develop courses in existing municipal parks, cutting costs for development to a minimum. The study also considers the benefits (both social and economic) that this form of recreation has upon the communities, the environment, and the players themselves.
Mitch Horrie and Dagmar Budikova (Illinois State University) Aging in Place: A Study of Vermilion County, Illinois, Using GIS. This GIS project, using 2000 census data, is part of a continuing study initiated by the East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging (ECIAAA). The project analyzes areas within east central Illinois whose populations of older adults represent a significant portion of the total population or whose older adult population is expected to grow in the future. By identifying these particular locations, the ECIAAA hopes to improve such services as transportation, housing, and access to and choice of medical care to allow successful aging in place. My presentation focuses on Vermilion County, Illinois.
Rebecca Johnston (Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville) Rwanda: Growing in the Shadow of Colonialism. The focus of this paper is how nationalism, colonialism, and European-constructed identities all played vital roles in setting the stage for the 1994 massacre that took place in Rwanda, killing close to 800,000 people in only a matter of months. The ultimate goal of this research is to show that the massacre was not simply “another tribal conflict in Africa,” but actually came about because of previous European, or Western, involvement in local affairs.
Moneen Marie Jones (Northeastern Illinois University) The Distribution and Habitat of the Multicolored Asian Ladybird Beetle in Illinois. The range of the Multicolored Asian ladybug, Harmonia axyridis, has been increasing throughout the United States and Canada. Growing concerns include the risk of displacement of non-pest organisms, and the introduced biological becoming a pest to agricultural growers and humans in general. To discover the current distribution and habitat in Illinois for H. axyridis, a survey was conducted across 93 Illinois counties. GIS methods were used to determine H. axyridis presence and abundance in correlation to number of vineyards, aggregation in rural and urban areas, the matrix of beetle habitat, nearby agricultural crops, quarterly weather conditions, and building size of aggregation site.
T. Kuhlman, A. Asare, E. Aganbi, D. Awadzi, and S. Nelluta (Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville) A GIS-Based Mapping of Soil Erosion Risk Following Changes in Crop Rotation and Tillage Practices in Richland Creek Watershed, Illinois, USA. Since the 1985 Farm Bill, farmers in Richland Creek watershed, Illinois, have gradually moved away from three-crop rotation with tillage to two-crop rotation with no tillage in order to reduce soil erosion on highly erodible agricultural fields. Today, two-crop rotation with no till has become the norm in both highly erodible and non-highly erodible fields even where crop residue cover seriously compromises farmers’ choice of crop types planted. This study presents the results of a comprehensive methodology that integrates the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation modeling and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques for mapping water erosion risks associated with the recent changes in crop-rotation and tillage practices at the watershed scale.
Peter Landreth (Westmont High School) Start a Geography Club and Make Geography Real. Take Geography out of the classroom and into the real world. This presentation will give high school teachers ideas on how to start a Geography Club and make it the most popular club in the school. If you are looking for low-cost field trip ideas around Chicago, come to this presentation.
Samantha Lax and Dagmar Budikova (Illinois State University) Aging in Place: Demography of Aging across McLean County, Illinois. The East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging (ECIAAA) aims to preserve the ability for citizens to remain in their homes during their later years, through the development of livable communities where citizens can age in place successfully. ECIAAA, in collaboration with the Geography-Geology Department at Illinois State University, determined areas that satisfy the five components of an “aging in place” community: choice, flexibility, entrepreneurship, mixed generation communities, and smart growth. This project includes the initial research necessary to gain insight into the geographic dimensions of the demographic characteristics relevant to the Aging in Place initiatives across McLean County, Illinois.
Debby F. Mir (Northeastern Illinois University) Are Environmental Agencies Targeting Service Micro-enterprises as Neighborhoods Gentrify? US policy encourages voluntary action and private investments to manage environmental impacts and promote sustainable growth. This vision is exemplified by Chicago’s Environmental Action Agenda with its emphasis on government-commercial partnerships. Another example is gentrification, where neighborhoods are renovated through private investment and government support. While the advantages of gentrification are evident, the flip side is an exodus of local residents and firms due to rising taxes, rezoning, and changing expectations. A recent study suggests complaints aimed at vulnerable service micro-enterprises (MEPs) are triggering regulatory pressure from environmental agencies in gentrifying and gentrified neighborhoods. Therefore, regulatory pressure on three service sector MEPs (vehicle repair, dry cleaning, filling stations) was assessed in five gentrifying, gentrified, and non-gentrifying Chicago neighborhoods. The gentrifying neighborhoods were subject to almost double the number of complaints, inspections and violation notices compared to gentrifying neighborhoods, with few service MEPs and little or no regulatory attention in the non-gentrified neighborhood, suggesting a gross misuse of enforcement resources to drive out local businesses and a lost opportunity to provide positive intervention.
Morgan Troy Neely (Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville) Geographies of Tyranny: the Wilmington Race Riot of 1898. Southern historians regard the Wilmington Race Riot of 1898 as a pivotal event in the transition from Reconstruction to the Jim Crow era. Research examining this riot as a major turning point in race relations in the United States has only appeared in the last three decades, but research addressing the riot from a geographic perspective is essentially non-existent. In this paper I analyze the riot, and the white-supremacy movement that preceded it, using qualitative geographical approaches. I argue that black intrusion into spaces dominated by whites–such as economic, political, and social spaces–challenged white hegemony and led to the violence of November 10, 1898.
Charles Nuttall (Illinois State University) The Greening of Chicago: The City That Lives Up to its Promises. As the environmental movement passes through the United States, there has been an unlikely stop, Chicago, Illinois. In a publication released by Mayor Daley, the Environmental Action Plan 2005 has begun to address Chicago’s history of environmental abuse. Daley’s proposed vision would send Chicago into the forefront of the environmental movement by combining sustainable building practices, energy conservation, and the development of new technology. In this paper I outline the achievements thus far, and provide Chicago’s goals for the future.
Siyoung Park and Su-yeul Chung (Western Illinois University) School Districts and Residential Choices of Korean Americans in Chicago. The Korean Confucian cultural heritage, which emphasized the importance of education, was believed to greatly influence the recent residential shifts and the residential choices for Korean Americans. This study analyzed the spatial relationship between the area of Korean concentration in the Chicago metropolitan area and the so called “good school districts.” The study found that children’s education opportunities have been the most important determinant factor in residential choices for Korean Americans in the Chicago metropolitan area. Korean Americans’ search for the best school districts continued when choosing their homes in America.
Jared Reed (Western Illinois University) Effects of Prisons on Rural Development in Western Illinois Communities. The focus of this paper is on the effects of prisons on development in rural western Illinois communities. Small towns in rural Illinois often have little or no economic development. This paper will provide a background of small communities in western Illinois where prisons are located and how economic development and quality of life have been affected by the addition of prisons to these communities.
Nina Roberts (Northeastern Illinois University) Geographic Literacy at the Freshman and Senior Levels: A Survey of Students at Northeastern Illinois University. The purpose of this study was to determine whether an undergraduate education provides the geographic knowledge necessary for global awareness. A survey on geographic awareness, consisting of questions on basic locational geography, was conducted among freshman and seniors within the general student population in Northeastern Illinois University in 2005. The results indicated some improvement in geographic literacy during the course of a college education, but overall low scores suggest that an increased emphasis on basic world regional geography is necessary in the undergraduate curriculum if the level of geographic literacy is to be raised.
Christopher Sutton and Brock Terry (Western Illinois University) Constructing a 3D Map of Western Illinois University. During 2005-2006, the authors began a project to construct a 3-dimensional map of Western Illinois University utilizing the ArcMap, ArcScene, and SketchUp software packages. In this presentation, we will demonstrate the project methodology and discuss the advantages and challenges of multi-platform 3-D map construction.
Richard L. Wolfel (Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville) Vergangenheitsbewältigung, Nazism, and Sport: German Nationalism as Seen in the Olympics of 1936 and 1972. An important recent development within geography has been an engagement with the idea that the landscape is not just a stage on which actions occur, but is part of the process of societal development. The goal of this research is to track the development of German nationalism through an analysis of the architecture and themes in two summer Olympiads hosted by Germany. The 1936 Olympics were dominated by the classically influenced monumentalism of the Nazi era, while the 1972 Olympics sought to show a progressive West German nation, one that emphasized the alpine environment surrounding Munich as a dominant architectural theme.
Neil Yeager (Institute for Technology Development) A Summer in Fifteen Minutes: Ground-truth Data Collection and Image Pre-processing. As the senior intern at the Institute for Technology Development during the summer of 2005, I aided several interns through the process of implementing and maintaining an accurate ground-truth data collection system. Upon completion of the collection of ground-truth data, it was then used along with image processing software to straighten and geo-reference hyper-spectral imagery. The work completed during last summer spanned several fields, several locations, and multiple flight-lines, bringing another year of field work to completion.
Keith Yearman (College of DuPage) Deconstructing Juárez: Fairytale Neoliberalism and Maquiladora Myths. Since 1993, the Mexican border town of Ciudad Juárez has exploded in population, becoming Mexico’s fifth-largest city. It is the city of la mano de obra barata, or cheap manual labor. Its factories (maquiladoras) are known the world over for low-cost production. Yet the city is known for much more, including the murders and disappearances of more than 5,000 women since 1993. This presentation explores the creation of the Juárez we know today, and its roots in the fairytale of neoliberal economic policies.