Western's Stefan Freelan to Present 'The Story of the Salish Sea Map' Nov. 20

Cartographer and geographer Stefan Freelan will discuss the process for the ‘Salish Sea’ to be recognized as an official name, and the role that the map “The Salish Sea and Surrounding Basin,” played in that process at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 20, in the Map Collection at Western Libraries.

Maps help us understand our environment, and they may also serve political and cultural agendas. In this talk, Freelan will present a collection of maps to compare, contrast, and discuss alongside the map he created, “The Salish Sea and Surrounding Basin,” as he explores how this map differs from other maps of the area, and talks about the choices and creative process that went into its creation. This event is free and open to the public.

Freelan began sailing the Salish Sea as a teenager and has called the Salish Sea region home ever since. He created “The Salish Sea and Surrounding Basin” map for Bert Webber in 2008 as part of a campaign asking for the governments of Washington State in the U.S. and British Columbia, Canada for official recognition of the name ‘Salish Sea.’  Freelan is also the Assistant Director of the Spatial Institute at Huxley College of the Environment at WWU, and he teaches courses in GIS (Geographic Information Systems), GPS (Global Positioning System) and Cartography.

Co-sponsored by Western Libraries, Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment, and The Spatial Institute, this talk is part of the “Speaking of Maps” program, which are quarterly talks designed to highlight the use and value of maps in research, in teaching and learning, and in daily life. For more information, please contact Dennis Matthews, Map Collection Manager, at Dennis.Matthews@wwu.edu.