9 replies to this topic

[erik]

I'm a sucker for "food maps", particularly of specific foods. One of my earliest maps (ca 1990) which made me locally infamous at my job was a coffee map showing every coffee/espresso provider for miles around.

A map which seems unlikely to be found online anytime soon:

"A map of the best huckleberry picking patches in the Pacific Northwest" or for that matter, mushroom picking.

and not that I'd really want to see such a map online. Typical discussion on the topic might result in the classic line "We're just a tad too selfish to say exactly where we go picking". Certain locations are too famous not to have some citations online, like Sawtooth and Priest Lake. But are there even rumors that anyone has compiled any huckleberry maps?
Having just spent a few hours building a map of reputed locations in the service of my huckleberry gelato recipe, I'm now in the selfish mode myself.

Maps of the plant's distribution can be found at http://plants.usda.gov/ and http://www.swsbm.com...parvifolium.gif
Its one of those topics like petroglyph locations which if you ask the right person nicely, you might get some information. But clearly posting accurate data on the Internet will lead to abuses. Large numbers of commercial pickers seem to know about the Sawtooth fields which arguably are some of the best huckleberry fields in the US. One day at Sawtooth recently I saw groups of 10-20 day workers emerging from the use trails with big multi-gallon buckets full of ripe huckleberries.

When you ask the Forest Service office, sometimes it turns out they have a paper map they can give you with large huckleberries symbolizing good picking spots. But I've found some of these symbols are either misleading or way out of date.

A good environmental reason for wanting to have better information has to do with shorter trips using less gas. I started this topic as a possibly humorous sidenote, but I'm almost thinking this could be a good GIS project. Some of the challenges include the slow regrowth of burned or cut forest areas reducing the density of bushes.

erik

[cubswinn]

I don't know much about huckleberries, but it sounds like you need to engage in a campaign of "huckleberry disinformation" in order to deceive your ruthless huckleberry competitors. Perhaps lead them to the Andes or some other remote huckleberry-less location.
Good Luck,
john

[MapMedia]

I don't know much about huckleberries, but it sounds like you need to engage in a campaign of "huckleberry disinformation" in order to deceive your ruthless huckleberry competitors. Perhaps lead them to the Andes or some other remote huckleberry-less location.
Good Luck,
john

lol

In case you missed it, in the July issue of Huckleberry Perspectives was an article on the ethical code of berry pickers. Maybe the 1st code is "Thou shall not proclaim any knowledge, good or bad, of berry picking sites" Here in Italy, it is mushroom picking season and people are pretty sly about where exactly it is they go to find them.

The Plight of the Commons is a good reason to be hesitant about making a berry picking map. Though your point about huckleberry patches closest to suburban/urban areas = less gas use may be valid. But more on the behavior of berry pickers: do they make sole berry picking trips, or in conjunction with hiking a good trail just outside of the city?

I think you are on to something, as long as you can balance helping people while not hurting the berries.

[MapMedia]

I don't know much about huckleberries, but it sounds like you need to engage in a campaign of "huckleberry disinformation" in order to deceive your ruthless huckleberry competitors. Perhaps lead them to the Andes or some other remote huckleberry-less location.
Good Luck,
john

lol

In case you missed it, in the July issue of Huckleberry Perspectives was an article on the ethical code of berry pickers. Well, no, but maybe the 1st code is "Thou shall not proclaim any knowledge, good or bad, of berry picking sites" Here in Italy, it is mushroom picking season and people are pretty sly about where exactly it is they go to find them.

The Plight of the Commons is a good reason to be hesitant about making a berry picking map. Though your point about huckleberry patches closest to suburban/urban areas = less gas use may be valid. But more on the behavior of berry pickers: do they make sole berry picking trips, or in conjunction with hiking a good trail just outside of the city?

I think you are on to something, as long as you can balance helping people while not hurting the berries.

[rudy]

Not a yet a fan of the esteemed berry, I can see the validity of not providing accurate mapping information as to the best patches to pick. This recalls to mind a previous employer who knew of the exact locations of endangered species and mapped them - but generalized the information sufficiently s oas not to provide directions, as it were, to the exact location of such species. some were prized for their medicinal qualities; others were a nuisance to developers. Mapping hte exact location of such species would do more harm than good.

Hold on to those huckleberry locations for yourself!

[GoldeneAdler]

In general, if food maps were a big in thing, then we would all end up being larger than we need to be, as many of us would get carried away.

On the food map note:
Lets say you decided to do a coffee map for a province, and on this coffee map, you also decided to include fast food chains that supply expresso coffees, would it than not also be safe to assume, that you would then have to add coffee shops that are within a shopping centre??
SO
Moral is, when would one no longer mark up a coffee shop on a map? what would determine the pre requisites?

Anyway, in more realistic terms, a food map, can be useful true, but only if well made, and limited to only the good and finer food shops/cafe shops.
Having said that, who's to say that the person mapping, is actually correct to say that one cafe shop deserved to be on the map, in comparison to another, is it not personal taste here??

OVERALL:
I know I am being a little bit extreme here, good idea from ERIK, but perhaps a set of guidlines would need to be reached for all food type maps in the future, when it may become a reality due to crowded provinces being so crowded, that one may get lost and can't find a food/cafe shop that one had been too(doubtfully though)

CONCLUSION:
I am more of a fan of inner city maps, that show basic symbology for food courts and other attractions, while at thesame time, allowing the user to define where and what location they are in relation to their desired destination.

[frax]

One series maps that do feature foods (in addition to others) are the products from the Green Map System, where local NGOs/partners prepare maps with "environmentally friendly" places - like where to get organic foods, cafes with a green profile and also parks and other green spots.

Strange that we don't have any people that has been involved with that here on CartoTalk, it is quite a big movement.

Green Map System

[Sam Pepple]

This summer I created a Green Map. The term Green Map is actually a registered term, and to use it you must pay a registration fee and use at least 50% of their iconography. Their symbols are poorly made and do not represent the uniqueness of the place; so I decided to create all my own and was required to call my map something else (Green Guide).I found the Green Map system to be very limiting and I felt that the maps were made with poor cartographic considerations.

Anyway, I feel that the Green Map idea is wonderful and encourage others to consider mapping sustainability.

To view a pdf of my creation go to:

www.athenscyclepath.com

it should be on the front page "Athens Green Guide"


I would love to talk about Green Maps (Green Guides) with anyone.

cheers
SAM

[MappyB]

Hey there,
I haven't logged in to CartoTalk in a few weeks, but happy to see a discussion going about Green Maps (although off topic from the huckleberries, apologies). I've been wanting to start a Green Map up for a few years, and I'm actually in discussion now with some 'Green' people in town and a few others about compiling data for a Green Map of Savannah, GA.

You mention you found the icons to be limiting? Personally, I love the look of their icons, but, like I said, I haven't actually started to create a map with them yet, so I'll keep my mind open about them, thanks for the heads up. I'm sure it all depends on what you're trying to show with the map.

I am going to attend a Green Drinks function in town to network with some people for information! I just want to make the map - someone else can give me the data.

[Matthew Hampton]

All I can think of is Huckleberry Gelato...

Yummm!


I would consider "wild crafted foods" somewhat of a scarce global resource whose location should only be given in person...