ABSTRACT NAMES AND GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES: AN INTERNSHIP WITH THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY by Justin Arthur Bedocs Place names are vital to orienting ourselves in the world. In ancient times, people must have had names for places like hunting grounds or berry groves. This act of naming roughly delineates geographic features which can be revisited and described to others, affixing an added cultural meaning to that place. Place naming has since come a long way. Official place names for the United States and its territories are managed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC). This report details my experience working in the Geographic Names Unit. As a Pathways Career Intern, my main duties were to manage the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), a database containing official place names for features outlined on federal topographic maps. Most of the work involved duplicate names; an issue where there are two name records for one feature, often indicating that one record is a copy and should be deleted. Sometimes the two records were not copies, and the correct locations were identified by visually analyzing historic and recent maps. The coordinates were then updated respectively in the GNIS. I gained valuable experience reading topographic maps, identifying features and managing a large database of geographic names. NAMES AND GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES: AN INTERNSHIP WITH THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY An Internship Report Submitted to the Faculty of Miami University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Environmental Science by Justin Arthur Bedocs Miami University Oxford, Ohio 2016 Advisor: Robbyn Abbitt, MS Reader: Suzanne Zazycki, JD Reader: Mark Allen Peterson, PhD ©2016 Justin Arthur Bedocs This internship report titled NAMES AND GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES: AN INTERNSHIP WITH THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY by Justin Arthur Bedocs has been approved for publication by The College of Arts and Science and The Institute for the Environment and Sustainability ______________________________________________ Robbyn Abbitt, MS ______________________________________________ Suzanne Zazycki, JD ______________________________________________ Mark Allen Peterson, PhD Table of Contents LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………………... iv DEDICATION………………………………………………………………………………….. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………………………..vi CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND A. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………. 1 B. The Board on Geographic Names…………………………………………………... 2 C. Denali Controversy………………………………………………………………….. 2 D. Record Keeping……………………………………………………………….…….. 4 E. Geographic Names Information System……………………………………………. 5 CHAPTER TWO: INTERNSHIP RESONSIBILITIES A. Organizational Structure……………………… ….………………………………. 6 a. United States Geological Survey…………………………………….…….. 6 b. National Geospatial Technical Operations Center……………………..…… 7 c. Denver Federal Center History……………………………………………... 7 B. Overview of Internship Duties…………………………………………………….. 8 C. Internship Projects…………………………………………………………….……. 10 a. Locating Alaska Streams…………..………………………………….……. 10 b. GNIS Duplicates and Feature Classes……………………………….….….. 13 CHAPTER THREE: REFLECTION A. Reflection………………………………………………………………………………….. 36 B. IES Preparation……………………………………………………………………………. 35 C. Career Aspirations…………………………………………………………………………. 36 D. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………. 36 APPENDIX A. BGN Principles Governing Commemorative Name Use…………………………….…. 38 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………………….. 39 iii List of Figures 1. Finns Point Decision Card……………………………………………………………............. 4 2. Kimikpeyat Creek Original Location………………………………………………………… 11 3. Kimikpeyat Creek Updated Location………………………………………………………… 12 4. GNIS Screenshot Kimikpeyat Creek…………………………………………………………. 14 5. Chocolate Bridge Photo………………………………………………………………………. 16 6. Oval Canyon Natural Bridge Location……………………………………………………….. 17 7. Devils Garden Area Google Earth Image…………………………………………………….. 17 8. Mollie Hogans Duplicates Google Earth Image……………………………………………… 18 9. Klondike Bar Topographic Map……………………………………………………………… 19 10. Shadbush Photo…………………………………………………………………………....... 20 11. Buzzard Bend Historical Topographic Map………………………………………………… 21 12. Buzzard Bend Flooded by Reservoir...……...………………………………………………. 21 13. Buzzard Bend Historical and Post-Dam Combined………………………………………… 22 14. Finns Point Topographic Map…………………………………………………………......... 23 15. Finns Point Decision Card…………………………………………………………………... 24 16. Quiver Falls Topographic Map...………………..…………………………...……………... 25 17. Quiver Falls Satellite Image………………………………………………………………… 26 18. Kings Island 1785 Map……………………………………………………………………... 27 19. Kings Island Cold War Era Map……...…………………………………………………….. 28 20. Ukivokmiut Houses in Ukivok Village Photo………………………………………………. 28 21. Shumagin Islands Topographic Map……………………………………............................... 29 22. Little Round Pond and Big Round Pond Topographic Map...……………………………… 30 23. Cleveland Rapids Topographic Map...……………………………………………………… 31 24. Leatherwood Rapids Topographic Map.…...……………………………………………….. 31 25. Devils Backbone Topographic Map………………………………………………………… 32 26. Fleisch Run Topographic Map……………………………………………………………… 33 27. Fleisch Run Headwaters Satellite Image……………………………………………………. 34 iv Dedication To Alaskans whose long-standing fight on renaming Mount McKinley to its traditional native name, Denali, has finally succeeded. & To the professors who have inspired me to reach greater heights of achievement throughout my academic career. Denali, Alaska (Booker, 2015) v Acknowledgements I would especially like to thank the following individuals who have helped me during this internship experience and have provided valuable feedback on the editing of this report. MIAMI UNIVERSITY Oxford, Ohio Committee Members Robbyn J.F. Abbitt GIS Coordinator, GISci Certificate Advisor Department of Geography Suzanne Zazycki, JD Associate Director Institute for the Environment and Sustainability Dr. Mark Allen Peterson Professor and Chair, Department of Anthropology UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL TECHNICAL OPERATIONS CENTER Denver, CO Internship Supervisors Maria McCormick (Supervisor) Supervisory Cartographer, Core Science Systems Kevin Romero (Technical Advisor) Geographer, Core Science Systems vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Introduction The importance of standardized names for geographic features can be easily overlooked. How would we give directions or find our way to the berry grove, hunting grounds, or national landmarks if those places were not named? Humans may be distinct from other animals because we name places, creating delineated landmarks which can be revisited or used for orientation in one’s world. Naming a place and delineating its boundaries can also make it more tangible in our minds and communities, making it a place in the world with an added cultural meaning. From a cultural anthropology perspective, features that are “out there” in the world may seem strange with their “shapes and colors and contours of the land, together with the shifting sounds and cadences of native discourse,” thus highlighting the need for ethnographers to understand distant places and names associated with them (Basso, 1988). This understanding can dissolve the barrier between self and other. From this perspective, geographic features become more than just places with names; they have attached cultural value and significance, and become socially transmitted amongst members of that society and indicate their “way of being” in the world (Basso, 1988). In essence, naming local features can also provide a sense of belonging to the world and knowing one’s place within it. Names on maps often provide a historical account as well. Many names throughout the U.S. are of Native American origin or are reminiscent of the different languages spoken by early explorers and settlers (Orth, 1987). These names often symbolize the rough environment that explorers encountered during westward expansion. Naming features without a system in place led to confusion. For example, a name for a specific feature could be spelled different ways, there may be identical names for different features, multiple names for the same place, or a name can be applied to a feature in an unexpected way. This has become increasingly problematic as more and more people from greater distances have a reason to refer to a place (Campbell, 2014). Standardization of naming became ever-more important during the last century due to the development of natural sciences, transportation and communication systems, special land, mineral, and water rights and highly accurate large-scale maps and charts (Orth, 1987). As such, 1 the proper naming of features and places is beneficial for environmental science and other applications. For example, when there are two different names for a conservation area or island, a decision must be made to choose one name as the dominant and the other as a variant. When a river meanders over time and erodes an island, the island name should be marked historical so that maps can be updated, omitting the now absent feature. As a result of the confusion in naming discrepancies, President Benjamin Harrison (Miami University alumnus) signed an executive order on September 4, 1890 establishing the Board on Geographic Names (BGN) to ensure geographic names uniformity on maps and charts issued by federal departments and bureaus. The Board on Geographic Names (BGN) The BGN was established in