From: [log in to unmask] (Duncan N Smeed) Newsgroups: scot.general,scot.environment Subject: RFC: John Muir Conservation Centre and the Internet Date: 30 Mar 1994 19:38:52 +0100 Keywords: conservation,wilderness,Muir,national parks,Internet,Gopher,WWW Several people have suggested that I cross-post this from uk.environment,talk.environment and others. The main reason for scot.general is because our site does not (yet) get scot.environment. The purpose of this posting is to canvass opinion/support/facts for the concept of using the Internet as an enabling technology for a conservation centre. In particular, a conservation centre that promotes the life and work of John Muir and that will be established in his birthplace - Dunbar, Scotland. In the first instance, I would like some immediate feedback - solely in terms of "I saw your posting [at least to this point]"-type e-mail response so that I can demonstrate to unbelievers that the Internet community is alive and well and 'out there'. Even if you do not read any further, please send that e-mail now. If you read further you'll eventually see an even neater idea for registering an acknowledgement to supplement the e-mail. If you _are_ reading further, here is some of the background to this proposal. Firstly, the local (East Lothian) district council have recently attempted to railroad through a 'John Muir Environmental World' on a green field site in the middle of a coastal area that happens to be designated as an area of Special Scientific Interest, several miles outside Dunbar. Needless to say, conservation groups such as the John Muir Trust, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Sierra Club, National Heritage, and (most) local residents were vehemently opposed to the idea on the grounds that it was the complete antithesis of everything that John Muir stood for. Secondly, the district council withdrew their proposal in the face of these objections, leaving the John Muir Trust and local people to pick up the pieces and produce their own proposals for a 'John Muir Centre' (JMC) that would be worthy of the man. Thirdly, last week saw the first meeting of the new John Muir 'champions' and a steering committee has been established to oversee and advise the study team of the John Muir Trust - who have taken over ownership of the overall concept - and who will draw up the detailed proposals for the JMC. This is where I come in. Having been converted to the conservation cause by the written works of John Muir and his influence in establishing the National Parks in the USA - not to mention the sheer awe felt when camping in Yosemite - I would like to make a small contribution to this project. As a computer scientist, what small contribution I can make may best be focussed on 'selling' the potential of the Internet and developments like the World Wide Web and Mosaic as mechanisms that could be used to enhance the interpretive aspect of the JMC. Of course, having JMC connected to the Internet offers possibilities only limited by our imagination for disseminating his work, establishing a 'virtual community' of conservationists, and so on. IMHO, it would also make the JMC an interesting and exciting centre to go and 'visit' in both a physical and a virtual sense and would relate especially well to the school and college students who are our future conservationists. There is little point in my second-guessing your imagination. Suffice to say that I would be delighted to hear your thoughts and ideas. When the JMC gets established I'll make sure that appropriate acknowledgements are made. I would be especially pleased if you have information on similar initiatives and innovative uses of the Internet in conservation. For example, are there any Gopher or Web sites out there that have media of interest to a JMC? On a final note - and with thoughts on a PR/Exhibition/Acknowledgement angle - I would be most grateful if you could spare the time (and the stamp if posted outside the UK) to also drop me a postcard of your favourite local 'wildness'. The purpose of this is, like the e-mail, to demonstrate the potential of the Internet for reaching as wide an audience as possible - don't forget to include (at least) your name. Duncan Smeed c/o FREEPOST JOHN MUIR TRUST Musselburgh Midlothian EH21 7BR Scotland, UK Thanks for reading this far and I would encourage you to distribute this posting as widely as possible. Duncan Smeed -- Department of Computer Science Tel: (+44) 41 552 4400 x3587 Strathclyde University Fax: (+44) 41 552 5330 26 Richmond Street E-mail: [log in to unmask] Glasgow G1 1XH Scotland, UK "Do something for wildness and make the mountains glad", John Muir