Freshwater geographies: Experimenting with knowing and doing geography differently

The fair and effective governance of freshwater is an increasingly prominent issue in New Zealand. Emerging from a complex of cultural, economic and biophysical narratives, freshwater geographies are multiple, varied and increasingly acknowledged as worthy of interdisciplinary scrutiny. In this commentary, we reflect on a series of generative spaces that we – as group of postgraduate geographers (plus supporting staff) – created to engage with the multiplicity of freshwater meanings both within and beyond the academy. Through this evolving epistemic‐political project, we significantly reframed our own understandings about what freshwater ‘is’ and how it ought to be governed. By pursuing a deeper understanding of how the world gets made, we expand our ability to know and make it differently.     

Economic Filters Applied to Quantitative Mineral Resource Simulations

The U.S. Geological Survey has developed a technique that allows mineral resource experts to apply economic filters to estimates of undiscovered mineral resources. This technique builds on previous work that developed quantitative methods for mineral resource assessments. A Monte-Carlo calculation uses mineral deposit models to estimate commodity grades and tonnages of undiscovered deposits. The results then are analyzed using simple estimates of capital expenditures and daily operating costs for a mine and associated mill. The daily operating costs and the value of the ore are used to calculate the net present value of the deposit, which is compared to the capital expenditures to determine whether the deposit is economic. Repetition of these calculations for many deposits produces a table that can be interpreted in terms of the probability of there being deposits that have anet present value exceeding some specified amount. Sample calculations indicate that applying economic filters to simulated mineral resources might change the perception of the results compared to presenting the calculations in terms of the expected mean gross-in-place value of the minerals.     

Preview of Films

Abstract

Physical Geography. By Arthur N. Strahler. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1975. Pp. ix + 643, $15.95.

The American Landscape: Map And Air Photo Interpretation. By C. L. Blair and B. V, Gutsell. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1974. Pp. 62.

Geography: A Modern Synthesis. By Peter Haggett. Second edition. New York: Harper &; Row, 1975. Pp. xx + 620, $13.95.

Student Study Guide To Accompany Geography: A Modern Synthesis. John R. Healy and Larry K. Stephenson. Second edition. New York: Harper &; Row, 1975. Pp. 205, $4.50.     

Preview of Films

Abstract

MEKONG… A RIVER OF ASIA, Public Relations Dept., 50 West 50th Street, New York, New York, 30 minutes, 16mm, sound, color, no date. Free loan.

DAIRY—FARM TO DOOR, Charles Cahill and Associates, 5746 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, California 90046, 10 minutes, 16mm, sound, color and black and white, 1965. $120 and $65.

NORTH AMERICA: THE CONTINENT, Coronet Films, 65 East South Water Street, Chicago 1, Illinois, 14 minutes, 16mm, sound, color and black and white, 1965. Collaborator: Earl B. Shaw.

MODERN FRANCE: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE (Second Edition) Coronet Films, 65 East South Water Street, Chicago 1, Illinois, 14 minutes, 16mm, sound, color and black and white, 1965. $120 and $60. Collaborator: Clyde F. Kohn.

LIFE ZONES OF THE CENTRAL ROCKIES, International Film Bureau, Inc., 332 South Michigan Ave., Chicago 4, Illinois, 21 minutes, 16mm, sound, color, 1965. $195. Produced by Walter H. Berlet.

WATER HARVESTING, LeMont Films, P.O. Box 63, Northridge, California 91323, 15 1/2 minutes, 16mm, sound, color, no date. $168.     

Preview of Films

Abstract

BULLDOZED AMERICA, Carousel Films, Inc., 1501 Broadway, New York, New York, 10036, 24 minutes, 16mm, sound black and white, 1965. For prices inquire of distributor.

THE COMMUNITY AIRPORT, Sigma Educational Films, P.O. Box 1235, Studio City, California 91604, 11 minutes, 16mm, sound, color and black and white, 1966. $125 and $75.

MODERN EGYPT, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Text-Film Department, 330 West 42nd Street, New York, New York 10036, 18 minutes, 16mm, sound, color and black and white, 1965. For price inquire of distributor. Produced by Audio Productions. Curriculum Consultant: Kate P. Miamo.

TERRA NOVA, Sterling Educational Films, Inc., 241 East 34th Street, New York, New York 10016, 19 minutes, 16mm, sound, black and white, 1963. $100. Produced by the National Film Board of Canada.

THE GREAT CENTRAL VALLEY OF CALIFORNIA, Cypress Films, P.O. Box 4872, Carmel, California 93921, 17 minutes, 16 mm, sound, color, no date. For price inquire of distributor. Collaborator: Howard McGregor.

A COUNTRY CALLED EUROPE, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Text-Film Department, 330 West 42nd Street, New York, New York 10036, 21 minutes, 16mm, sound, color and black and white, no date. $260 and $1 20.