A New Form of Civic Journalism
By integrating the latest communications technologies widely used in journalism, public relations, marketing, and digital media, Cliff & Redfield Interactive (CRI) has created a digital space to bring together topical experts, students, and editors in telling compelling stories supporting heritage tourism and community development in Warren County.
In the 2022-23 academic year, we're inviting students to collaborate with the Warren County Planning Department, Warren County Historian, and Warren County Historical Society in producing StoryMaps and GPS tours using ArcGIS and STQRY. Expanding a publishing agreement announced last February, the Warren County Occupancy Tax Committee has allocated $32,000 for a 16-month initiative aimed at producing:
“How Skiing Came to North Creek” will be a major focus of our fall term. We’ll publish this series in synchrony with the Winter FISU University Games, which begins on January 12 in Lake Placid.
A series of articles to launch in January: How Skiing Came to North Creek;
A feature on Paul Schaefer's Cataract Club, which camped for nearly 30 years in Diamond Mountain Meadow during the first week of deer-hunting season;
A StoryMap on Colonial Warren County, the precursor to a series of StoryMaps and GPS tours we will propose to produce in connection with the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War;
A StoryMap on The Underground Railroad in Warren County;
A GPS tour, the Warren County Historic Scenic Route, that follows the same route as our 12-town Historians' Challenge;
A compact printed map of Cabin Country, a story we told 30,000 members of the Adirondack Mountain Club through this article in Adirondac.
Renaissance man Don Rittner has just joined the Warren County Historical Association as its new Executive Director.
Through these projects, we're demonstrating a new form of civic journalism that supports heritage tourism and community development in Warren County, while giving students challenging and creative assignments in performing a public service.
Our initiative has just been joined by Don Rittner, the newly named Executive Director of the Warren County Historical Society and noted historian, archeologist, anthropologist, environmental activist, educator, author and film maker. Don is a storyteller extraordinaire whose works span a dizzying array of multimedia. In one way or another, we're plugging him into each of the projects we've listed above.
Special Thanks
As we embark on this next stage in the development of CRI, we offer special thanks to Warren County Planner Wayne LaMothe, whose vision in creating the First Wilderness Heritage Corridor near the beginning of his 40-year career makes all of this possible. We salute him on his upcoming retirement.
We also extend our thanks to Sara Frankenfeld, the county's GIS Administrator and big supporter of this initiative, and to Don Lehman, county Director of Public Affairs, for his assistance with our external communications efforts.
