Big Sur Pledge
Category: Tourism Tuesday
Geotagging & Meta Data
I am following up on yesterday’s Tourist Tuesday on geotagging. Many people are under the mistaken idea that if they simply don’t #hastag the photo with its location, they are doing their part to not #geotag. That is unfortunately, not true.
First thing you need to do, before following the advise below, is go to settings on your phone and make sure you are not broadcasting your position every where you are. You can turn off location settings for all apps except those needed. For example, I have location settings turned off for all but maps and a very few others that I use as maps, such as yelp. I don’t need facebook or twitter or whatever to know where I am. Do you?
Did you know that most cameras embed hidden information, called metadata, into every photograph taken? And when you share those images, say by uploading them to a social network, or instagram, or wherever you do, that hidden information often stays embedded? And that people can view said information for almost no effort at all?
This metadata is called EXIF data (Exchangeable Image File Format) and is harmless in most cases, but can be used for nefarious purposes (NSA uses it with OUR photos!) and to find the location where you took the photograph. So, in effect, you are geotagging every photo you upload, IF you do not “scrub” or remove the EXIF data or Meta Data.
If you use Windows (I do not) here is a link that explains how to remove the meta data via Window, GIMP, or even via mobile app: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-ways-to-remove-exif-metadata-from-photos-and-why-you-might-want-to/
If you take most of your photos on your phone, then it may make more sense to use an EXIF-removing app instead so you don’t have to involve your computer in the shoot-edit-upload process.
Before you install a third-party app, first check your Camera app’s settings to see if you can disable EXIF data generation. Some camera apps may only let you disable location inclusion, while others may not allow you to disable EXIF at all.
Still need an EXIF remover? You can try Exif Eraser for Android or Metapho for iOS. Both are free to download, but Metapho requires an in-app purchase to unlock the ability to remove metadata, edit date and location, and share safely to social networks.
Download — Exif Eraser for Android (Free)
Download — Metapho for iOS (Free, Premium for metadata removal)
I downloaded the Metapho for my iPhone, and then went ahead and paid the $3.99 cost for the ability to remove ALL meta data for any photos I will upload, unless it is clear I am posting about specific spots on Highway One that I am otherwise identifying. To me, it is worth that minimal cost to make sure any and all photos I post on WordPress, FB, twitter, and instagram are scrubbed of all meta data.
Was this post helpful? Let me know in the comments below
Geotagging is ruining natural landscapes
Starting with this Tourist Tuesday report, I am looking to only post ideas for dealing with the issues we face. We know what the problems are. We now know it is a world-wide problem, so we need to look at approaches and ideas. There is no one solution, there are only steps we can take to minimize the impacts. Being mindful of geo-tagging is one.
From a NY Times article by Laura M. Holson in the Travel Section on Sunday (thanks Ken Wright):
“Sorry, Instagrammers. You are ruining Wyoming.
Last week, the Jackson Hole Travel & Tourism Board asked visitors to stop geotagging photographs on social media in an effort to protect the state’s pristine forests and remote lakes. Explaining the campaign, Brian Modena, a tourism-board member, suggested the landscape was under threat from visitors drawn by the beautiful vistas on Instagram.”
A few years ago, one or two hikers a day would make the nine-mile trek up to Delta Lake. Now, he said, as many as 145 people are hiking there each day to shoot engagement photos and hawk health supplements. Little-known trails are heavily trafficked and eroding in some places, taxing park resources.
“We want people to have a real connection to nature,” Mr. Modena said, “not just a page with a pin on it.”
….
Six months ago, Colorado-based Leave No Trace, an organization that promotes ethical use of public lands, published new social media guidelines that discourage geotagging. In Jackson Hole, the tourism board has suggested that visitors use the generic location tag, “Tag Responsibly, Keep Jackson Hole Wild.”
This is just a beginning, but we must get the message out. New Zealand has adopted one program which I urge MCCVB, Visit California, and See California to also adopt, spending some of the millions of dollars of advertising monies on plans and programs to ensure the survival of the natural areas in California – particularly in Big Sur. I will post about one thing New Zealand does which we can easily adapt here next Tuesday,
Tourist Tuesdays – Dutch Hit Back, 12/4/18
“Nineteen windmills occupy the village of Kinderdijk near Rotterdam. A quintessential structure of Dutch iconography, this is one of the most photographed destinations in the Netherlands.
Filing out into the misty rain, the tourists pop open their scarlet umbrellas expectantly and a tour guide brandishes a red marker sign in the drizzle, explaining the significance of this unique Unesco-recognised site.
Constituting a masterpiece in water management, the mills once drained the water from the land, preventing flooding since around 1740.
But this is not a museum, the mills are full of life.”…
“I have many, many bad experiences with the tourists,” says Johan Velthuizen, a 56-year-old robot programmer. He’s lived in Kinderdijk his whole life and runs the “liveability” local action group that’s been petitioning the mayor to better manage the mass tourism.
“They run through my garden with their whole families. We’re sitting drinking tea in the sunshine, then we look up and there’s a Chinese family trampling through my flowers.”
“I produce some coffee mugs and coasters for a hobby,” Mr Velthuizen complains. “But the tourists are just coming to take photos not to spend anything; they get all their food on the cruise ships.”
For all his frustration, he disagrees with a recent initiative by local millers to hand out postcards to tourists that suggest their presence is part of the problem. The postcards convey a a simple message:
We’ve lived here for centuries. We get 600,000 tourists a year and there are 60 of us. Ratio 10,000:1 #overtourism”
Although intended to be posted to friends to ward off other potential visitors, the postcards are perhaps more likely they will be kept as souvenirs.
Local miller and Instagram enthusiast Peter Paul Klapwijk makes the point: “It’s a world heritage site, not Disneyland. And it should be treated as such.”
And yet, it costs €20,000 (£17,000; $23,000) a year to keep a mill turning so the tourism income that comes from the Kinderdijk heritage foundation that runs the site is a vital source of funding.
“We are part of the heritage,” says Mr Klapwijk. “We don’t hate tourists but the heritage foundation treats us like the goose that laid the golden egg.”
For the rest of the article, see: ‘Not Disneyland’: Dutch hit back at ‘over-tourism’ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46194330
Tourist Tuesday – Crisis in our National Parks, 11/27/18
Here is the link for the full article:
I urge everyone who cares about our natural places, including Big Sur, to read the entire article. I offer a few tidbits to entice you to do so:
“Social media is the number one driver,” said Maschelle Zia, who manages Horseshoe Bend for the Glen Canyon national recreation area. “People don’t come here for solitude. They are looking for the iconic photo.” Advertising is no longer needed. The visitors do it on instagram, twitter, facebook, and other social media, and yet organizations continue to spend huge sums to advertise places that are already overcrowded.
Big Sur is not the only natural landscape suffering, but it is one with unique challenges. One of many issues that Big Sur faces is that there are many agencies responsible for Big Sur: USFS, State Parks, County Parks, UCSC, a few non-profits, businesses and private landowners. Like-wise, there are several entities who are responsible for exploiting Big Sur: Visit California, See California, Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau and the California Film Commission and Monterey County Film Commission and others. These entities spend tens of millions of dollars each year on advertising Big Sur to bring in revenue for their member businesses, the organizations, and themselves. This is money that could be better spent on working together with residents to find the balance that protects the environment, the community, the local businesses, AND the visitors. It is time to preserve the area before it is completely destroyed.
From MCCVB’s Chief Marketing Officer, Rob O’Keefe on Monterey County as a travel destination: “It’s smaller, it’s more intimate, it’s authentic,” O’Keefe says. “You come to Monterey County and you feel like an invited guest.” (As quoted in the SFChron, 11/21/18.)
I looked around the downtown area of Monterey from the 2nd floor of the Conference Center a few months back, and saw the double parking garages, the commercialization specifically geared toward bringing in more and more visitors. Maybe because I remember it from 35 years ago, but I do not find this “authentic.” I noted the Custom House Plaza, the walkways. It is not natural, it is not authentic. The culture of the working wharf, working people and the fishermen has been lost. Is this what we want for Big Sur? I ask, because that is where we are headed. The more visitors we bring in, the more we have to alter the natural environment to accommodate them. We need only look to my last article on Horseshoe Bend.
“Across America, national parks and public lands are facing a crisis of popularity. Technology, successful marketing, and international tourism have brought a surge in visitation unlike anything seen before. In 2016 and 2017, the national parks saw an unprecedented 330.9 million visitors, the highest ever recorded. That’s not far off the US population itself. (This bears repeating, the National Parks in 2016 and 2017 brought in almost the same number of visitors as the population of the ENTIRE United States.)
Backcountry trails are clogging up, mountain roads are thickening with traffic, picturesque vistas are morphing into selfie-taking scrums. And in the process, what is most loved about them risks being lost.”
“Dealing with human waste has become a herculean undertaking for parks, one that is often hidden from view. In Zion, two outhouses near Angel’s Landing that were described by one writer as reminiscent of “an open sewer”have to be emptied by helicopter at a cost of $20,000 annually. In Colorado, Rocky Mountain national park churns through more than 1,800 miles of toilet paper a year. Yellowstone spent $28,000 on hand sanitizer last summer alone, according to a park official.
As waste mounts, finding someone to take care of it becomes more difficult.”
Big Sur cannot continue on its current path, or it too, risks losing what is most loved about this area. We must find ways to work with those who would exploit us, so that we can achieve the balance which we must. Watch for a notice of The Big Sur Pledge, modeled on the one Kauai instituted. It is long past time we pledge to honor and protect our home and help our visitors to do the same. It will take all of us.
Now, if you are interested, here is the rest of the article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/20/national-parks-america-overcrowding-crisis-tourism-visitation-solutions
Tourist Tuesday, 11/13/18 – Photos are harming the Natural Landscape
With the rise of digital photography, social media, and geotagging, picturesque natural landmarks that were once relatively undisturbed are now swarming with more and more visitors every year. Voxmade this 5-minute video on how geotagged viral photos are having a huge impact on nature.
One of the examples cited by Vox is Horseshoe Bend near the town of Page, Arizona.
To view the video, which I highly recommend, visit here: https://petapixel.com/2018/11/05/how-geotagged-photos-are-harming-natural-landmarks/
Tourist Tuesday, 10/30/18
This is a very short piece today, as I picked up my new van yesterday, and we are getting acquainted.
This is a very appropriate quote that ALL our representatives and partners on this coast need to take seriously to heart and apply here:
Author of the famous book, Sustainable Tourism on a Finite Planet: Environmental, Business and Policy Solutions, Megan Epler Wood, describes ecotourism as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people”.
I just ordered 5 of this book on Amazon. I will keep one to read, and share. and pass one on to Mary Adams’s office, and one on to Bill Monning’s office, one to Jimmy Panetta’s office, and finally, send one to MCCVB. If you can think of anyone else who really needs one of these, would you buy it and send it to them? I am at my spending limit for gifts with all the political donations I have made in the last few months all over the country.
If I could figure out how to link to it, I would, but it is beyond me, so here is a screen shot instead:
Tourist Tuesday, 10/23/18
From my friend, Kelly O’Brien:
Below, and by link, is an article you may find interesting from The Garden Island (tgi), the local Kaua’i daily paper, and a link to an earlier article. It’s a citizens view of how government should act, based on both the Master Plan and a recent Tourism Report by the Kaua’i Tourism industry. It is a view, based on frustration with both government’s, and the tourism industry’s, inattention to what really matters, and what the writer suggests is the true ‘gold’ involved: conservation, and in some cases, preservation, of the natural beauty and resources of the area. This is, of course, why tourists come to an area in the first place.
As you know, the Business School at CSUMB stands for the five principles of Responsible Business: Profit, People, Planet, Equity and Ethics. I think that Dean Shyam Kamath, and Drs. Roberta Atzori and John Avella would be true allies in helping to create a solution beyond one solely derived by government.
A few notes on the Hawai’ian words used:
Aina = land, countryAloha = welcoming, good-natured interaction and hospitalityIniki = 1992 Cat 5 hurricane. Direct hit on Kaua’i that devastated the islandKe’e Beach, Ha’ena = remote, but popular, spots on the North Coast, near the end of the two lane road.Malama = help, or ’take care of’Pilikia = problemsPono = to do the ‘right thing’, to do that which is in accord with the ’spirit’
By the way, the underlines in the text, below, are mine… (in addition, here’s a link to and earlier article on the same subject. Interesting to read the ‘comments’ section! http://www.thegardenisland.com/2018/09/16/hawaii-news/overtourism-on-kauai/).
Article, below, link:
http://www.thegardenisland.com/2018/10/21/opinion/overtourism-time-for-some-limits/
Overtourism: Time for some limits
Sunday October 21, 2018
William J. Fenandez
“Overtourism” is a word coined by the international news media after rebellions against tourism in several European cities occurred in the summer of 2017. There are many reasons for locals in cities like Venice, Barcelona, Dubrovnik and other localities to demand: “Visitors Go Home.”
Streets are overcrowded, the costs of rent, food and other essentials have exceeded what locals can pay, monuments are desecrated, and beaches are littered and polluted. In short, the benefit of tourism money is outweighed by its burdens.
The focus of the tourism industry has been on the numbers: how many visitors and how much money they spent. The tourism industry and government fail to focus on stewardship of the product that is being sold.
The product is the place: its natural beauty, its culture (here not only Hawaiian but of the many ethnic groups brought to work in the sugar fields), and the aloha spirit of the local population.
Overtourism describes destinations where hosts or guests, locals or visitors, feel that crowds and the quality of life in the area and quality of the tourist experience have deteriorated to an unacceptable level. (Kauai Tourism Strategic Plan 2019-2021, hereafter KTSP.)
What is acceptable for Kauai? The KTSP lists 25,000 visitors per month as the acceptable limit. Kauai County agrees with this sustainable capacity limit in its 2018 Master Plan (KMP). The reality is that in the first six months of 2018, the monthly number of visitors to the island averaged 29,300 with June at 33,300 (KTSP).
The KMP envisions an annual growth rate of 4 percent per year. This tracks with the expected growth of world-wide tourism. What is causing this? Cheaper flights, social media, marketing by the tourist industry and governments, increasing populations, and more affluence.
The Kauai Tourist Bureau recognizes the need to limit tourism. Their latest strategic plan states this. It is time “to refocus tourism to responsibly manage the economic activity of Kauai tourism in a sustainable manner while creating memorable experiences for visitors, improving quality of life for residents and ensuring the stewardship of our natural and cultural resources” (KTSP). To this I would add: responsibly manage our aina and retain its aloha spirit.
While this refocus must be applauded, it is the tourist industry’s main goal to increase the numbers: of visitors and the money spent by them. The primary motivator in effectuating management stewardship of this aina must be our local government.
Unfortunately, governments have ignored preserving the values of a place: its beauty, culture and local spirit. They chase higher numbers and dollars.
Tourism is cyclical. It can be affected by natural disasters (Iniki’s devastation as an example) and economic recession (2008). There is also the problem of trashing a destination by visitors. The internet has many examples of this.
Governments and industry often use the cyclical argument as an excuse to do nothing. The reality is that expert projections are that tourism numbers will continue to increase. In 2017, 1.3 billion visitors worldwide and by 2030, 1.8 billion. If government does nothing, we could lose what makes this place great to visit and live in.
The KTSP, as well as international experts, urge that solutions to overtourism must come from collaboration between government, the tourist industry, environmentalists and other stakeholders.
In managing “the place” the local government is the key motivator and must take the lead in this stewardship effort to protect Kauai and make it sustainable. Government must not wait until there is a local citizens’ rebellion as has occurred in other “hotspots” of tourism. We must not lose the aloha spirit which makes Kauai a wonderful place to live and visit.
When I grew up on this island the sugar and pineapple economy dictated and regulated our lives. That economy is gone, replaced by the tourist industry. To keep our place unique, it must be regulated.
The KSTP, pages 16-17, outlines what should be done. (See also KMP pages 163 and 166.) These proposals follow formulas instituted by other jurisdictions.
1) Limit visitor numbers by caps on arrivals and visits to scenic spots.
2) Alternative transportation like shuttle buses to visit specific destinations, such as Haena and Ke’e Beach. 3) Tax tourists by permits to visit places, entry fees, rental car fees, etc.
4) Moratorium on new accommodations, and limit the number of Airbnbs, etc. (The KTSP reports that 1 in 8 Kauai homes is a vacation rental, compared to 1 in 24 statewide. Internationally, this is a huge source of local citizen complaints. Renting to visitors has raised rents and/or ended availability of affordable housing for locals. Other jurisdictions close illegal units, limit allowable usage to X number of days in a year.)
5) Encourage longer visits: statistics show that the stayover visitor spends 15-25 times as much as the cruise ship or tour visitor — and they spend at local businesses.
6) Visitor education.
One glaring problem often reported by destinations is that the visitor does not treat the place like his home. Trashing of a site is commonplace. (Review examples on the internet.) Respect for the people and locality is essential. Iceland has created a visitors’ video and extracted a pledge from tourists to be responsible and respectful. (The KTSP supports this idea.) Education is a two-way street, locals must be educated as to the importance of tourism. It “is the mainstay of Kauai’s economy” (KMP).
Fear that we will destroy the tourist economy by regulating it is often voiced by naysayers. It is a misplaced fear.
To do nothing will destroy the place that is the very product that tourism sells. If we as a community demonstrate by thoughtful regulation and marketing that we are making Kauai a quality place to visit, then people will come. People like to feel exclusive.
We just need to control the visits. It would follow that it will help solve many internal problems: traffic, affordable housing, etc.
I place great stress on local government to take the lead in protecting our unique island home. Too often lack of funding and will to accomplish has produced failure in implementing needed changes.
Though the tourist industry by its KTSP suggests a refocus from marketing to managing this place, there primary motivation in the past has been marketing. Because local citizens elect our local government, they are a prime motivator in ensuring that this place is protected.
By that I mean, we malama the beauty of Kauai, its culture and the aloha spirit of our people by motivating our county government to do so.
This effort to keep our island pono is not a “go it alone” project. Government must embrace and collaborate with the tourist industry, the environmentalists, other stakeholders and the community to avoid the pilikia of overtourism.
The travel industry must stop using our product just for profit. The industry must help protect the place. It appears from the current KTSP that our local bureau has a will to so. It is governments turn to join in the effort.
•••
William J. Fernandez is a resident of Kapaa.
Tourist Tuesday, 10/16/18
There is a good article re the changes to Point Lobos going on to deal with the issues of overuse in the SJ Merc by Lisa Krieger.
POINT LOBOS – Securing a spot at this famed coastal reserve will soon be like scoring a table at Mario Batali’s hottest new restaurant.
In an attempt to reduce crowds at one of California’s most scenic places, Point LobosState Natural Reserve will soon become the first state park to require visitors to obtain reservations at peak times, following the successful example set by the National Park Service’s Muir Woods parking reservation system last year.
Managers of the preserve, famed for its beautiful vistas and miserable parking, say it’s being loved to death. On weekends, as many as 6,000 people per day may visit – more than four-fold the 1,400 visitors envisioned by park planners three decades ago. Because it’s a reserve, not only a park, it is required to have greater protection.
“There’s a finite amount of coastal prairie and tide pools. It can only sustain so much use,” said Brent Marshall, superintendent of California State Parks Monterey District. A test of the reservation system, described in a section of the State Parks’ new general plan, could be started next year.
For the rest of this article, go to: https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/10/10/want-a-day-at-point-lobos-soon-youll-book-online/
Tourist Tuesday by Linda Sonrisa Jones
For Kate, on tourists, 10/2018 – just a little something in response to your request for concerned journalism on the topic. xoxox Linda
(I will consider publishing any stories we might want to share with our tourists. Just email it to me at the email in the first post in purple.)
I drive down the road after a day of work, much of it spent talking to visitors. It’s always a kind of fan dance, what to share with guests, what not to share. Do I tell them about the cove, with all the details of the homesteaders who dynamited the tunnel through the mountain? Or suggest they stick to the overlook above the dramatic waterfall?
The road is good for contemplation, even with the traffic. I remember when I encountered my very first rattlesnake. It was a hot summer night and I was home alone. As I stood on my doorsill, sipping a glass of wine, contemplating life while listening to a chorus of pond frogs, I look down and to my left. There I spy the snaky beast, slithering past my rose bush, a mere foot from my bare feet.
I scream like I’m in a horror movie, and it buzzes, twisting its long body in the porch light. For the first time I understand the cliché, I can’t believe my eyes, because I definitely don’t want to.
I call my neighbor, who announces to her husband that they must come up right away to rescue me. When they arrive, her brave husband takes a rake and thumps it in the landscaping all around the house, until he hears the rattle. Then he expertly scoops the thing up onto the rake and into a cooler. Pop, the lid is on the cooler and the cooler is in the back of his pickup.
“Where will you take it?” I ask. “Well, down to the trailhead where the tourists go, of course,” he says with a sly smile. Then we all have a few shots of tequila, for the snakebite we dodged.
Down to the trailhead, ha ha. We love the tourists but not too much. They need to know, after all, what Big Sur is really about. It’s not a safe place, it’s not a pretend place.
My other favorite is all the folks posing for photos on the edges of cliffs. Particularly they like to climb over a certain dramatic rock, and perch on the crumbling stones that fall down to the sea, 500’ below. “Hey kids,” I want to say, “Guess what? That’s not a screensaver!”
It was Henry Miller who first realized the “plague of locusts” he had wrought by living here on the ridge. Lost bohemians wandering up to his house for wine and stories. Still happens today, despite a locked gate and a tricky road.
Over the years I have challenged visitors when I’ve seen them toss out cigarettes from their moving cars, when they’ve made absurd campfires in pullouts, when they’ve walked right up to oblivious and friendly condors for selfies.
In-your-face, diplomatically or not, wolverine-woman, that was me. Now, not so much. It would be too exhausting to confront them all. So I pray instead.
That day after work last week was comical, really.
I stop to get my mail, observing a van full of tourists spilling out onto the asphalt. One slender man smokes a skinny cigarette, flicking his ash here and there. Another lady, super-tiny, wearing a Hello Kitty T-shirt, go-go boots and enormous sunglasses, takes photos with her phone of her friends, the view, the mailboxes.
In an attempt at friendly conversation (something I’ve been doing all day) I begin to tell the story of how, I, too, was once a tourist, and took photos of these very same mailboxes. I get blank looks as the language barrier materializes. No matter, they seem to comprehend what I’m saying. At least, they laugh in high-pitched voices.
I open the door of my spray-painted baby-blue mailbox. Hello Kitty exclaims in perfect English, “Oh, those are real?” “Yeah!” I almost yell at her.
What on earth did she think? That the mailboxes were just some cutesy rural decor? Put there for their amusement? Too old-fashioned to actually be of real use?
I repeat what I’d said earlier. Once I photographed this, now I live here. “Oh, lucky you!” she replies. Then they climb back into their van and drive away.