Duncan and I created "The Hudson River and its Watershed" for the Beacon Institute, a non-profit environmental organization located in the river town of Beacon, New York. Here’s how the Beacon Institute described the project: "As part of its interdisciplinary approach to river and estuarine research and education, [we] commissioned the map to commemorate the Hudson River Watershed’s rich biological and cultural heritage and to feature it in the Institute’s education programs."
Collaborating with educators, historians, and environmentalists from the organization, and using an array of cartographic sources, we delineated the river, its surroundings, and—most importantly—the watershed. To provide a sense of the ecology, history, and culture of the Hudson, we surrounded the map with relevant images. It was a challenging and rewarding project for us.
To introduce the map and celebrate the process of mapmaking, the Beacon Institute mounted an exhibit entitled "The Hudson & its Watershed: The Making of the Map" (March 10, 2007 through Octover 7, 2007) in which the map and all our resource materials were displayed.
This little map celebrates my mastery of the “My Maps” feature on Google Maps, introduced to me by my son Greg, who also happens to be my webmaster and computer guru. Obviously, he's a huge burrito fan. The text at the bottom("I like burritos") is a nod to Greg's wife Yenari, for whom he is learning essential Korean.