How has the Geography of the West shaped who we are?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Hi my name is Kaia! I have a really really really cute golden-Aussie puppy named Maruka. I love hanging out with friends and family. I do volleyball and basketball and I used to do track (before my knee problems got too bad). I like creative writing, movie-making and photography, watching Gilmore Girls, reading and listen to Taylor Swift! I also love French (weird, I know.) I learned a lot and have a lot of amazing memories from this trip and I hope you enjoy my book! For more about me, watch the video on the previous page! :)

<a href="https://youtube.com/@kaia_w?">LINK TO YOUTUBE</a>

This photo shows the theme of geography Location. I took this photo of a sign marking the last spike, in Craigellachie. I think that this photo shows Location, because the Last Spike is a very historically significant location. On my photo, I added relative and absolute location (the two sub-categories of this theme). To show absolute location, I added the exact coordinates of this sign.

Absolute Location is latitude and longitude (global location) or a street address (local location). Relative Location is described by landmarks, time, direction or distance. I think that Location is an important theme of geography because our Location, whether relative or absolute, affects us. For example, I live in North Vancouver, which is thought of as a pretty safe place to live, but for me the absolute location of my house is really close to a very sketchy house, so I don&apos;t think North Vancouver is as safe.

This is a photo of the sign marking the border of Alberta, that shows Regions. I think that this picture mainly shows the Formal Regions between BC and Alberta. On our trip, we also experienced the Vernacular Regions, specifically the Rockies.

There are three types of regions. Formal Regions are boundaries defined by the government or administration. Functional Regions are defined by a function and Vernacular Regions are defined by similar characteristics or people&apos;s perceptions. Regions have an impact on who we are, because of their laws, their functions and their characteristics. For example in BC or North Vancouver, we live near the ocean, which some people in Alberta have never seen. On the other hand, a similarity between BC and Canada is the mountains. Both the ocean and the mountains have shaped me and my value of them and nature in general. Another example, for Vernacular Regions is cell phone service, which I find important in this current era, so that I can communicate online, especially if I don&apos;t have wifi.

CONTENTS <a href="bookcreator://page/f7fvW7QYSkqKWaOpyqmI1A">Comic Life</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/5DmGMWz5TQWgRUAPNgiuTg">Location</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/_41k3F8JTNOiBy3yE7zVQQ">Place</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/rB_5vx4nSEyLAEVekU-aog">Human-Environment Interaction</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/Gaq5erPCQZeVlkrBF7rpRA">Movement</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/6isb5plAQA2768nS1Sz__A">Regions</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/sMB-aYbHQByw1eczVkm0LA">Last Spike</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/HvbI7RBdRx-q4F6PRleXiw">Roger's Pass</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/rY23lAwgRyC-A1fJ6OtIEg">Cave and Basin</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/7BLdOSKKS-CC0IjyxmPigw">Lake Minnewanka</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/-iriBrzkSkK5M9nmUxHZpw">Columbia Icefield</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/iP2OU8u1QpeIk0nQoAETWQ">Moraine Lake</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/n1hznKuPQ42sgPP_7dHDEw">Golden Skybridge</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/GQ39cYdwSq-1ojkAhZY_Tg">Revelstoke Railway</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/3YqFHiUwRXGjVaHF1DjUuQ">Silent Video</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/5WBvJh8jTzGgIdMM7Eu2sg">Investigative Video</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/UE608fLJQkmIxN8UdT2nFw">The Lakes Transition TikTok</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/pzrXg6dsQNWqQnNc6xSW4A">Camera Transition TikTok</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/G96pj_DsRSG3KvljpfLFjw">Cross Clap Transition TikTok</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/pJOhv_J8Ts2PytSfdmuKTg">What Inspires Me Video</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/3DZ53FtETRuyvWV5Wa4ffA">About the Author</a>

This a silent video that my group made for Maker, to tell a story through the moving image. We filmed this movie in the Three Valley Gap Ghost Town on our Alberta PLP trip. Making this silent video included brainstorming, creating a story spine, planning out shots and locations and then filming and editing it. We included two digital enhancements - music and a black &amp; white film filter. Because it&apos;s a silent film, we had to be able to tell a story without sound (either than music) so we had to over-exaggerate our movements and expression. As well, I (the woman) brought a dress for my costume and we used mascara to give everyone else a moustache/beard. I hope you enjoy this silent movie!

This is the last TikTok style transition video. Me, Aiya and Esther helped Alva make it. We filmed this transition at a lot of different locations throughout the trip, at least one each day. This shows the story of our trip, many places we went and the memories and learning we gained!

This is another photo from Craigellachie that represents Movement. Especially in the past, the CPR and trains were an important form of transportation for the 3 aspects show by my drawings: ideas, goods and people. Movement&apos;s sub-categories are those three things (ideas, products and humans).

I think that movement definitely shapes our perspectives and worldviews. One way that travelling changes our worldview is giving us something to compare and make connections to and also understand what it&apos;s like in other places. For example, if I went to a super unsafe country or city, I would probably think that North Vancouver is a very safe place to live. Or when we stopped in Merritt on our way home from the Alberta trip, I had to see all the people with drug issues, it made me think of the Downtown East Side and even of the house mentioned in Location. Movement doesn&apos;t just consist of people traveling and products being shipped, but also of ideas, whether they&apos;re shared in person, online or through the mail.

REFLECTION 1: THE LAST SPIKE PHOTO 1. What is geography through one or more of the Five Themes of Geography? I think that the main aspect that the picture shows is Movement, because obviously trains move, and they are also used to transport products and people. This photo could also show Human-Environment Interaction because railways are human made structures that we depend on to get to other places and move resources between regions, which is the other aspect this photo shows. The CPR connects the countries together (Formal Regions) and is one of the reasons that provinces joined Canada. Since the provinces that the CPR goes through all share the characteristic of the railway, it is also specifically Functional Regions. 2. What made and makes the West by how this photograph represents the physical environment influencing the nature of political, social, and economics in the West. The CPR shaped the politics of the west because the government was in charge of the railway. They wanted to connect the provinces together and also had to convince other provinces to join Canada. After the CPR was built, people were able to travel easier and connect with other people and see the nature and scenery. The CPR also meant that more resources and goods could be moved throughout the country, faster and more easier, which boosted the economy. 3. Your own connection and interpretation of the place the photo represents Almost every summer my family goes rafting on a section of the Thompson River in Lytton, where the CPR on one side and the CN on the other. A lot of the time trains would go by and blow their horns when we waved and one time the conductor stuck a broom out the window. As well, on the way to my grandparents house, we go over the train track, so whenever I feel the bumpity bump of going over, I know we&apos;re almost there.

This is a TikTok style video that I made on my PLP Alberta trip with my friends Alva and Aiya. We filmed these transitions at all of the lakes (except Peyto Lake) we went to during the trip. I used the song &apos;the lakes&apos; by Taylor Swift because she is my favourite singer and Folklore is my favourite album. I also thought it would be cool to show all the lakes and the heart hands kind of show our care and appreciation of the lakes and nature in Alberta. I hope you like it!

This photo shows the theme Place and represents both the physical or natural and the human or cultural characteristics of Lake Minnewanka and the surrounding area. The natural characteristics are shown by the Rockies mountains in the background, and also by the lake. The cultural aspects are sort of represented by the two red chairs. At all the Canadian National Parks there are two red chairs for people to sit and enjoy the scenery.

Like mentioned above, this theme has two sub-categories, physical and nature features like landforms, flora, climate and resources and human and cultural characteristics like politics, land use and daily life. I think that Place is one of the most impactful themes on who we are. In North Vancouver and Vancouver, we have natural areas like forests, mountains, oceans, rivers and lakes. My whole life I have spent a lot of time in these places and they have shaped my values and my worldview. Natural characteristics are affected by human characteristics, such as people going off trails and trampling on plants or littering. Across all of Canada our cultural characteristics have a strong Christian influence, for example, a lot of Christian holidays have been made statutory holidays. Another cultural aspect is the Indigenous peoples who were mistreated in inhumane ways, like having their land taken and being forced into residential schools (though that is very oversimplified). Nowadays, there is attempts for Truth and Reconciliation which is starting to influence our culture.

This is an investigative video that I made on my trip. To help answer both our driving questions, (how has the geography of the west shaped who we are for humanities and how might I tell a story through the moving image for maker), I interviewed a few people about their connections to nature. I also created my own thesis: People come to these unique natural places to experience the beautiful scenery and connect with nature and I think that I was right. My goal for this trip was to get better at talking to strangers and people I don&apos;t know very well, which I think I definitely improved on. My first interview was about 55 seconds, my second one was just over a minute and my last interview was 1 minute and 40 seconds! Thank you again to my interviewees!

Reflection 3: Cave and Basin National Historic Site 1. What is geography through one or more of the Five Themes of Geography? I think that Cave and Basin&apos;s geography is represented by Place and both it&apos;s physical and cultural characteristics. For physical characteristics, Cave and Basin has unique landforms, like the name says, caves and hot springs, as well as the snails. In the past, there were Indigenous peoples who lived on and valued the environment and hot water, used for rituals, around Cave and Basin (though this is a very over simplified description of their interactions and values of the land), which shows the Cultural connections. 2. What made and makes the West by how this photograph represents the physical environment influencing the nature of political, social, and economics in the West. The government took this land for themselves, away from the Indigenous peoples. Cave and Basin was made into the first National Historic Site, and people weren&apos;t allowed to swim in the Basins anymore because the oils were killing the endangered snail species that can only be found there. Even after that, it is still a popular tourist attraction, which you have to pay for to see. 3. Your own connection and interpretation of the place the photo represents Before Cave and Basin, I had never been to a hot springs before, so I was very excited, even if I couldn&apos;t go in. My brother went to a hot springs when he was little and I remember hearing stories about it so I have always wanted to go to one.

Reflection 5: Lake Minnewanka Boat Cruise 1. What is geography through one or more of the Five Themes of Geography? I think that Lake Minnewanka is best represented by the theme Human-Environment Interaction. Like most places, before other people and settlers came, the Indigenous peoples lived here. Later on, once they had started a small town, the government tried to build dams multiple times. Children also had to help build the dams and were payed a dollar an hour. The last dam resulted in the city flooding and is still underwater these days, which draws scuba divers here to dive down and see the town. 2. What made and makes the West by how this photograph represents the physical environment influencing the nature of political, social, and economics in the West. The government was responsible for wanting to build dams and forcing children to do it since most men were off fighting in the war. Lots of tourists come to Lake Minnewanka, like the scuba divers as mentioned above. There is also a boat cruise on this lake, which contributes to the economy. 3. Your own connection and interpretation of the place the photo represents There is a story of a Lake Monster at Lake Minnewanka, which makes me think of when I went camping at Okanagan Lake in Vernon, where it&apos;s known for the Ogopogo. (Whenever I was swimming or out on the lake, my brother would tell me to watch out for it or grab my feet underwater and pretend he was the Ogopogo.)

Reflection 9: The Revelstoke Railway Museum 1. What is geography through one or more of the Five Themes of Geography? This photo is of a model of the railway, which I think shows Movement. The railway was built not just to connect Canada, but for transporting resources and products, people, and ideas (whether as thoughts inside these people&apos;s head or letters/mail.) 2. What made and makes the West by how this photograph represents the physical environment influencing the nature of political, social, and economics in the West. The government was responsible for wanting to build the CPR to connect Canada and convincing other provinces to join the country so that they could build through these provinces. The railway meant that people could travel to see the amazing views in other parts of the country, possible visit family or friends that lived far away and share ideas with other people. The trains also transported goods, which supported the economy. 3. Your own connection and interpretation of the place the photo represents Though I already connected to the CPR in my first reflection, another connection I have to the railway is that on the way to my grandparents house in Agassiz, we go over the train track, so whenever I feel the bumpity bump of going over it, I know we&apos;re almost there. As well, my Papa (grandpa) was a signal maintainer for the (CN) railway, which means he fixed any electrical problems.

How has the geography of the West shaped who we are?

Reflection 7: Moraine Lake 1. What is geography through one or more of the Five Themes of Geography? I chose to reflect on Moraine Lake because I actually thought it was more beautiful than Lake Louise, though it could have been the lighting. I think that this photo represents Place. The water is turquoise, which I noticed that a lot of lakes in Alberta are more turquoise than in BC. In the background there are also the big Rockies mountains, which are a key and well known characteristic of Alberta. Moraine Lake is a super popular tourist site, you can rent canoes/kayaks and go onto the lake. There is also Larch Valley beside it, so people often go see both those beautiful sights. 2. What made and makes the West by how this photograph represents the physical environment influencing the nature of political, social, and economics in the West. Both Lakes are part of Banff National Park and are protected by the government. The vibrant turquoise water and amazing scenery makes it a very popular place for tourists and for photography and social media. To come to these lakes, you have to book a shuttle advance, which contributes to the economy. 3. Your own connection and interpretation of the place the photo represents Lake Moraine has probably the most pretty and turquoise water I&apos;ve ever seen, since I don&apos;t travel much. When I was younger we used to go camping at Alice Lake every summer, so here was an incredible contrast to the murky water there. Seeing people out on the lake reminds me of when we&apos;ve rented a canoe or paddle-boards at Alice Lake.

Reflection 6: The Columbia Ice Field 1. What is geography through one or more of the Five Themes of Geography? I think that The Columbia Ice Field and the Athabasca Glacier also show Human-Enviroment Interaction. A lot of tourists go on the ice-trucks up to go see and stand on the glacier. As well, while we were there NASA was also there testing out a robot for Mars. The glaciers here are a very important water source, but with climate change making the ice recede, the glaciers could be gone completely in as soon as 30 years. On the way to the Athabasca Glacier, the ice-trucks have to make sure that their tires are clean so that it doesn&apos;t affect the ice. 2. What made and makes the West by how this photograph represents the physical environment influencing the nature of political, social, and economics in the West. On way that the political side is shown is because NASA, a government agency was on the glacier doing research and tests. The government also made the glaciers a protected area which affects the social and economic aspects because there are a lot of tourists who come here on the payed tour bus, or go to the skywalk. There is also an information centre and a short film. 3. Your own connection and interpretation of the place the photo represents When I was little (and even now) my favourite stuffed animal was a polar bear and so I have always cared about polar bears and how the ice where they live is melting. Though polar bears don&apos;t live where we were, being on the ice and hearing about the receeding ice made me think of how the ice around polar bears&apos; habitat is also melting. As well, I love the snow so it was fun being there while it was snowing, though we couldn&apos;t see very far away on the glacier.

This is another TikTok style video from the Alberta trip that I also made with Alva and Aiya. We took the first clip in school and the second one at the top of Sulphur Mountain. This video tells the story of starting at home in Deep Cove, going from BC to Alberta and summiting the mountain.

Reflection 8: The Golden Skybridge 1. What is geography through one or more of the Five Themes of Geography? Since I wasn&apos;t able to bring my phone with me to take photos here, I did a little drawing instead. I think that The Golden Skybridge shows Human-Environment Interaction. For the ropes courses, they adapted to the forest and modified it by adding platforms onto the trees and making obstacles. Being up in the trees means that you&apos;re interacting with them (especially when you get sap on your hands :P). For the mountain coaster, they also modified the environment to build it and adapted to the hills. 2. What made and makes the West by how this photograph represents the physical environment influencing the nature of political, social, and economics in the West. The Golden Skybridge brings a lot of people there or to the surrounding areas which affects the tourism and popularity of Alberta and Canada. This is a very popular and fun attraction compared to a lot of the historical or nature stops in Alberta, so this place brings tourists and is a good place for younger children. All the tourism here gives them profit. 3. Your own connection and interpretation of the place the photo represents This place reminds me of several places I&apos;ve been to before. The suspension bridge is similar to the Lynn Canyon suspension bridge, where I&apos;ve gone a lot. Last year in Oregon we went to Highlife Adventures and went zip-lining, so it reminded me of that, though we didn&apos;t get to do the main zip-line. The ropes course reminded me of the one on Grouse Mountain that I did once.

The theme Human-Environment Interaction is represented by this photo of a bridge near the start of the Loop Brook Trail. This photo shows Human-Environment Interaction because the bridge was not there naturally, it was something that humans built. I added the words &apos;modify&apos; and &apos;depend&apos;, because bridges are a modification we make to the environment and especially bigger bridges like the Lions Gate, we depend on to get across unsafe terrain.

Humans interact with the environment in three ways, adapting to it, modifying it and depending it. I think that Human-Environment Interaction is also one of the themes with the most impact on us, because it literally involves us. One main example is climate change, because our interactions with the environment are causing negative impacts. That impacts the way I interact with environment, for example eating local and organic food, get clothes made of more eco-friendly materials, turning off lights and carpooling when possible.

Photo 3: Cave and Basin National Historic Site

Reflection 2: Rogers Pass 1. What is geography through one or more of the Five Themes of Geography? I think that human environment interaction is the most relevant theme for Roger&apos;s Pass. While trying to find a route for the CPR Major Roger&apos;s had to retreat due to the terrain, avalanches and harsh weather. About a year later they returned and build the railway through there. By building the railway they modified the environment and started to depend on it for transport. They also had to build snow tunnels to protect the railway, which shows how they adapted to and then modified again the environment. 2. What made and makes the West by how this photograph represents the physical environment influencing the nature of political, social, and economics in the West. Major Rogers was directed by the government to find a route, which led to the CPR being built and connecting Canada. This allowed people and ideas to travel across the country and to transport resources and products to other places. Nowadays, people also come to the centre to learn about Roger&apos;s Pass. The economy is affected by the centre and from the past, the profits from people taking the train and from the goods. 3. Your own connection and interpretation of the place the photo represents I think that Roger&apos;s Pass is an important place, because without it the railway wouldn&apos;t be connected, or it would have been a worse route. The avalanches and mudslides here also show what Alberta weather and conditions can be like.

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