AGRiPP Workshop

Dr. Josh MacFadyen, CRC, presenting some of the UPEI GeoREACH Lab’s findings during a breakout session

The UPEI GeoREACH Lab, alongside the ACLC program, was happy to host a conference on Applied Geospatial Research in Public Policy (AGRiPP) on October 3rd, 4th, and 5th, 2019, sponsored by Canada Research Chair Dr. Josh MacFadyen.

The conference kicked off on Thursday night at the beautiful Beaconsfield Historic House by Dr. Ed MacDonald of UPEI’s History department. His talk, entitled “Designing Change: A Semicentennial Review of the Comprehensive Development Plan on Prince Edward Island,” analyzed 50 years of the CDP on PEI and its broader implications for the region and beyond.

Dr. Jim Clifford presenting his talk to a full room on Friday, October 4th, 2019.

Dr. Jim Clifford of the University of Saskatchewan’s Department of History and hGIS lab opened up our Friday morning with a keynote about London’s 19th-century ghost acres. He explained the complex and expanding the global market of the nineteenth century, where large and rapidly industrializing cities could no longer be supported by the local environment and had to turn to overseas “ghost acres” for resources.

As the day progressed, we heard from Deputy Minister Paul Ledwell, as well as other researchers and professionals. In the afternoon, we held a breakout session to discuss topics addressed by the conference so far. Open and accessible research and incorporating research into policy were among the discussion topics brought up.

Dr. Tina Loo presenting “Moved by the State.”

The afternoon closed off with a talk from Dr. Tina Loo of the University of British Columbia, based on her book “Moved by the State: Forced Relocation and ‘a Good Life’ in Postwar Canada.” Dr. Loo examined the case studies of Newfoundland, the central Arctic, and Eastern Quebec, looking at spatial justice through state intervention and forced relocation to bring the people to the services.

The conference continued with academic discussions on Saturday morning. Overall, it went exceptionally well, and the GeoREACH Lab would like to thank Dr. Ed MacDonald, Dr. Jim Clifford, DM Paul Ledwell, and Dr. Tina Loo for their keynote presentations, as well as all other contributors and participants in the 2019 AGRiPP Workshop.

Glen Property Visit, July 2019

An area of Bill Glen’s woodlot. The nut orchard is slightly visible in the background.

On Wednesday 18 July, some of the GeoREACH Lab team members took a trip into the field (literally) to visit Bill and Elizabeth Glen’s land in the Bonshaw area of Lot 30, Prince Edward Island. Bill and Elizabeth are well known in PEI genealogical and historical circles, and Bill was formerly a forester with the PEI Provincial Government. He now serves as a forest and woodland consultant, and he co-authored a chapter with Josh MacFadyen in the University of Calgary Press collection on Historical GIS Research in Canada. The Glens have been on their property since the early 1980s, and they were able to provide some real insight into how the land has changed over the last forty years, including how they managed the forest, fields, and hedgerows!

Bill Glen, GeoREACH Lab Director Dr. Josh MacFadyen, and research assistants Nolan Kressin and Abby Craswell.

The team has studied Lot 30 extensively using aerial photos and historical maps on GIS. We were excited to explore the real area that we have been examining from above for the last several months. It reminded us that our research is much bigger than just a computer screen! We could see the changes that have occurred in the land since the aerial photos that we are currently studying were taken in 1968, before the implementation of the Comprehensive Development Plan (for more on that see this post). Some of these changes include hedgerow planting, the appearance of new homes, and a new nut orchard on the property.

Research assistants Nolan Kressin, Nick Scott, and Abby Craswell (L-R) in the field.

While on this excursion, we learned about hedgerow and woodlot composition, as well as the importance of biodiversity and climate change adaptability in wooded areas. White spruce (what we use to plant most of our hedgerows) is incredibly vulnerable to slight shifts in climate! Bill also showed us a hydraulic pump that dates back to 1890, which he still uses to pump water to the tank for his nut orchard. The GeoREACH team would like to thank Bill and Elizabeth Glen for having us to their home and sharing their knowledge of land-use change on Prince Edward Island.