tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11204276867114315152024-03-12T20:25:55.739-07:00IGERT's Austrian AdventureAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12602722234078932931noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120427686711431515.post-87929686049089145202013-12-11T14:14:00.001-08:002013-12-11T14:14:58.098-08:00Playing Games in Poland<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Written by Ilonka Zlatar and Shelli Hellman</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We arrived bright-eyed (albeit a bit disconcerted) in </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Wrocław</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> (pronounced vraht-suave), late to our first meeting, after learning that arriving trains can change platforms with no warning. After copious apologies we began discussing our plan for the following morning with Piotr, our collaborator (and life-saver) from the Centre for System Solutions. All of our training from the past month was to be tested in the next few days, as we finally observe what had come to be known simply as "the Game". </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We had played the game, observed ourselves in a video recording of a community meeting -- which in itself was an interesting learning experience; personally, I discovered annoying things I never knew I did, and that I can somehow come to conclusions that nobody wanted! -- learned to observe verbal and non-verbal communication, and discovered our unique personal bias toward how people interact (I'm definitely an optimist!). In Hungary we bonded with the land after which the game was modeled, and acquired a deeper understanding of the complex social-ecological system. We had discussed our research questions and had our observation sheets and materials ready to go. Were we really ready to do this? A bunch of culture-shocked natural scientists about to drop the calipers to pick up just a pen and paper, the tools of observation for this social experiment. I'm sure we learned more about ourselves -- our doubts, fears, strengths, and weaknesses -- than we ever imagined by stepping out of our comfort silos. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Our question seemed simple at first:</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Do relational activities affect content outcome?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In other words, does the way that people interact with each other change the financial and ecological success of the game? Does balanced leadership, having rules for communication, and sharing a common understanding of the problems produce more capital? More stable systems? </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The answers to these questions would be much more difficult than we thought.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The next morning, we took the trams to the Wrocław Research Centre EIT, where we observed our first game with researchers, students, and environmental professionals. I think each of us felt a bit overwhelmed trying to interpret what was happening, filling our evaluation sheets and furiously taking notes as the "years" kept rolling by faster than you could learn to pronounce </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Wrocław (wra...no, no vra...). </span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aOGp_1WBLsD5dBFzw2hVzAyY-o56Q7Rl0S-Wq5I1GsnfeLadWsijMuzVdnRIPvrofDy0IlRwfpPA24Q3JNlkO8reymm6CpKFWOyDRW0xjkTwlGn_Em2Ya6TcNMk6LWQ579dZRGuiVr0/s1600/_A140719+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aOGp_1WBLsD5dBFzw2hVzAyY-o56Q7Rl0S-Wq5I1GsnfeLadWsijMuzVdnRIPvrofDy0IlRwfpPA24Q3JNlkO8reymm6CpKFWOyDRW0xjkTwlGn_Em2Ya6TcNMk6LWQ579dZRGuiVr0/s320/_A140719+(1).JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Knee-deep in gameplay. Photo by Maggi Sliwinski</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6yshai9G7rxtzKooMUSouKHi8XBfz7BHiSMZkKtQzzsrx2VkFa5mDl99ivSz5C6FuqOLFIU5qLvgxgZAPD5iUI3pVl-EXcHoUDhfpiEurdr7CCdaStuoSyNlty95w57vnSZDQYOzTQE/s1600/DSC02871+(425x640).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6yshai9G7rxtzKooMUSouKHi8XBfz7BHiSMZkKtQzzsrx2VkFa5mDl99ivSz5C6FuqOLFIU5qLvgxgZAPD5iUI3pVl-EXcHoUDhfpiEurdr7CCdaStuoSyNlty95w57vnSZDQYOzTQE/s320/DSC02871+(425x640).jpg" height="320" width="212" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Pondering life and everything... Yep, the game does that. Photo by Noelle Hart</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> After an exhausting day of observation, which gave us a new respect for those who do this frequently, it was off to a fantastic Polish meal with our hosts. The next morning brought a tour of Wrocław, and we discovered the charm of a city that is still rebuilding itself after Poland broke away from the Soviet block in 1989. Many sculptures around the city are beautiful reminders of the struggles of a country with a complicated history of invasion and revolution. I was surprised by how beautiful Poland was. It's one of those countries that you don't really hear about much, not a tourist destination for most travelers I've known. I was enchanted by the architecture and the history that dripped out of the buildings. </span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge3qVGX1PIZdLpiM0Am8XAZ_4L96jbNfuRqI0feIi1LiaYaW9w5uGZO0QvPkFXag_JYeIy-zUqgSHKeFtEcPoszH_nH-I7aR8gB3bDt3Woln4Xxz4SEvfbGcUK64fXUCBpo7NgIHJi9QE/s1600/image+(4).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge3qVGX1PIZdLpiM0Am8XAZ_4L96jbNfuRqI0feIi1LiaYaW9w5uGZO0QvPkFXag_JYeIy-zUqgSHKeFtEcPoszH_nH-I7aR8gB3bDt3Woln4Xxz4SEvfbGcUK64fXUCBpo7NgIHJi9QE/s320/image+(4).jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Just a door. In Poland. Photo by Ilonka Zlatar</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uDaXXRQYR9n2U2FNWjms7hOPRkkiO5d5WX8kR8IRtrY4AB6vjYp2JiPYz_rg9809UZReHwdp1XcNjyej8tgS72JU6g2fWiFPhESKVD28zidBJxqwjHMtRBIrb2uGyOiZz2fgkLfMzQ8/s1600/Poland_Wroclaw+110+gnomes_VLC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uDaXXRQYR9n2U2FNWjms7hOPRkkiO5d5WX8kR8IRtrY4AB6vjYp2JiPYz_rg9809UZReHwdp1XcNjyej8tgS72JU6g2fWiFPhESKVD28zidBJxqwjHMtRBIrb2uGyOiZz2fgkLfMzQ8/s1600/Poland_Wroclaw+110+gnomes_VLC.JPG" height="228" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Gnomes are the emblem of the revolution in Wroclaw. Photo by Victoria Chraibi</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZn4WHxXbo8Vb5MO2c4zQ-b4CxIeQPZkJ_4B0zbhY-YPXRYyQ7kYgsySvN4oVX6nOyCs_MZuaDqDx1hQPbCbvK1ofb3tmK066LSgSn4GIB7KAMcWXK8t29iFT8XucHE6A-T8s3pPeLJ4/s1600/2013-10-14+19.22.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZn4WHxXbo8Vb5MO2c4zQ-b4CxIeQPZkJ_4B0zbhY-YPXRYyQ7kYgsySvN4oVX6nOyCs_MZuaDqDx1hQPbCbvK1ofb3tmK066LSgSn4GIB7KAMcWXK8t29iFT8XucHE6A-T8s3pPeLJ4/s320/2013-10-14+19.22.36.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner with our hosts, Piotr and Magda. Photo by Shelli Hellman.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jQaA-YR7DPG5QUy4AdPK09Sv_cuKEQyd0Lay1eZReJu2cHFRn2ysNj2ioqQkS16YRfcgiS3DFxgi8dCqJuG-IOuDAfWSw-v4N2cUM5zShnaN63B2J5IR4wPwcCgwGIA-NWwA4wo4csI/s1600/image+%25285%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jQaA-YR7DPG5QUy4AdPK09Sv_cuKEQyd0Lay1eZReJu2cHFRn2ysNj2ioqQkS16YRfcgiS3DFxgi8dCqJuG-IOuDAfWSw-v4N2cUM5zShnaN63B2J5IR4wPwcCgwGIA-NWwA4wo4csI/s320/image+%25285%2529.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A statue, commemorating the efforts of students who carried books out of the library that was flooding by the historic flood of 1994(5?). Photo by Ilonka Zlatar</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> As the week went on, we visited Rzeszow and played another game at the University of Rzeszow. The participants were mostly students studying for a Master's degree in Economics. Having previously worked with participants who study or work in policy and natural resources, the economics students offered a refreshingly new outlook on the problems presented in the game. During the lunch break many of the IGERTs had the opportunity to chat with the Polish students about the differences in graduate education between Poland and the U.S. The university and the students were exceptional hosts, and the experience gained in the second game made us all more comfortable with the observational process.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6jELneqhKsoXgdfcHoGW0oNXWZxX0thPsI0S7VVR2OfPeagg1_xqHMbC9ECzdtjTw0nOghACNLAKZrtheFLoS1VUe3Lowml8KDtDND2Iz5D7kF0TCMwV-AbdDLwAlxHJ6IjmMISHRq18/s1600/Poland_Rzeszow+237_VLC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6jELneqhKsoXgdfcHoGW0oNXWZxX0thPsI0S7VVR2OfPeagg1_xqHMbC9ECzdtjTw0nOghACNLAKZrtheFLoS1VUe3Lowml8KDtDND2Iz5D7kF0TCMwV-AbdDLwAlxHJ6IjmMISHRq18/s1600/Poland_Rzeszow+237_VLC.JPG" height="228" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Participants discussing their game plan. Photo by Victoria Chraibi</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Once again we had to bid farewell to another city and after a near-death van ride, we arrived at the last destination on our Polish itinerary. We observed our third and final iteration of the game at the University of Science and Technology in Krakow. The game was lively and kept us on our toes. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNJ7O-ggYJ5OeGYbSjmzmdc8gCbl_zE_i2RUrG34aR61L28kgxcgmmxH40ZzDWw51zNnm5wYvZPnMTieimRZHFcH9my_j1o4LT0avU5fGB35u7d9j9N-nANG9kexuU-1PxZfdvz1dMC1Q/s1600/2013-10-17+11.10.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNJ7O-ggYJ5OeGYbSjmzmdc8gCbl_zE_i2RUrG34aR61L28kgxcgmmxH40ZzDWw51zNnm5wYvZPnMTieimRZHFcH9my_j1o4LT0avU5fGB35u7d9j9N-nANG9kexuU-1PxZfdvz1dMC1Q/s320/2013-10-17+11.10.14.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The participants convene for a community meeting. Photo by Shelli Hellman.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Our hosts arranged another tour the following morning. The enthusiastic tour guide went well beyond the original scope of the tour and some of the IGERTs were treated to more than five hours of history, architecture, and culture in Krakow. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsoUU_lEdenqku5TZzgf_S6rONDKGlmuKLLC3QXOUep-HIgHPwW5R0T1U5t48YvRUiZRQRSZyYy2Osyc7VCzqgDDBpTSY-w5leu3JKlY3kwTmXbZva6aqYPQhKdlmy6TsKNqvCtc2kmo/s1600/DSC02359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsoUU_lEdenqku5TZzgf_S6rONDKGlmuKLLC3QXOUep-HIgHPwW5R0T1U5t48YvRUiZRQRSZyYy2Osyc7VCzqgDDBpTSY-w5leu3JKlY3kwTmXbZva6aqYPQhKdlmy6TsKNqvCtc2kmo/s320/DSC02359.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">IGERTs touring Krakow. Remnants of a fortress in the background. Photo by Ilonka Zlatar</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRyo4pnAcrD7iEbtgKBHgrL0cc-bvK-H5mMqCMFeNl4u6eUA18oiX7TCn1qzLWNlb7z8NWjFrr6loVxTlkJae-H-Ql1UvqWgOI9_djm28X1YevtADaRoKCHNhN5h0T8QFLTS4nXfui2c/s1600/DSC02364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRyo4pnAcrD7iEbtgKBHgrL0cc-bvK-H5mMqCMFeNl4u6eUA18oiX7TCn1qzLWNlb7z8NWjFrr6loVxTlkJae-H-Ql1UvqWgOI9_djm28X1YevtADaRoKCHNhN5h0T8QFLTS4nXfui2c/s320/DSC02364.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the old town, within the ancient city walls. Photo by Ilonka Zlatar</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00F6PRSmq5NuEtgdMdheYol8zjFDAK5lupVZ9U8whrQ_JLrCDw3Rusqxz5qsKulbYmEl6gNGwf3FBVXZr_glRBD_fL5wK09Ua-bkJ1qtQh-sbzcIiEqy0GEoEdycDz5zK9prxwKesbgM/s1600/DSC02392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00F6PRSmq5NuEtgdMdheYol8zjFDAK5lupVZ9U8whrQ_JLrCDw3Rusqxz5qsKulbYmEl6gNGwf3FBVXZr_glRBD_fL5wK09Ua-bkJ1qtQh-sbzcIiEqy0GEoEdycDz5zK9prxwKesbgM/s320/DSC02392.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Awesome buildings everywhere. Photo by Ilonka Zlatar</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAW4vqStt5TBiDwt8wd4jXZJepNhAubD3ZU5xVZ5mdYNYPj2hm4ltkMuviYJpOEoCzHDccgn4ESvrE9txke5RPmxKszasHd8kJxNjfixvty7l4vE-JfUtMC0kJ29uicxPi5wm5YYVLdQA/s1600/DSC02397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAW4vqStt5TBiDwt8wd4jXZJepNhAubD3ZU5xVZ5mdYNYPj2hm4ltkMuviYJpOEoCzHDccgn4ESvrE9txke5RPmxKszasHd8kJxNjfixvty7l4vE-JfUtMC0kJ29uicxPi5wm5YYVLdQA/s320/DSC02397.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Beauty abounds in Krakow. Photo by Ilonka Zlatar</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMtugOZKEt82pRjnRuNSG5f5-kpwkfULM7swZBAt3ta0cRV4aThDBSHE4orGh5YCYIjsQOb2X63yAnhyphenhyphen-8Rwf5GK5BJX9VuMr8wpu07qX_1x-SKN_hdgs3bQrLHAQpcsldGDkHn1eceg/s1600/DSC02408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMtugOZKEt82pRjnRuNSG5f5-kpwkfULM7swZBAt3ta0cRV4aThDBSHE4orGh5YCYIjsQOb2X63yAnhyphenhyphen-8Rwf5GK5BJX9VuMr8wpu07qX_1x-SKN_hdgs3bQrLHAQpcsldGDkHn1eceg/s320/DSC02408.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Castles everywhere. Photo by Ilonka Zlatar</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bKIr2rl5QxuZg02GNGctuiReR6WkBPB_A2mqSLLPlaJuqaf2aUK9psXDwyY9ijjFb382vuypiR_Ut4uO_cE6aNPWI-Gn_iJDUl6taGv_DYyQ8KHGrta_GOzj0HfxHO6lYEF9iOVt70M/s1600/DSC02415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bKIr2rl5QxuZg02GNGctuiReR6WkBPB_A2mqSLLPlaJuqaf2aUK9psXDwyY9ijjFb382vuypiR_Ut4uO_cE6aNPWI-Gn_iJDUl6taGv_DYyQ8KHGrta_GOzj0HfxHO6lYEF9iOVt70M/s320/DSC02415.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The underground museum next to us, the chapel in the main square behind us. Photo by Ilonka Zlatar</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> After our game observations concluded, the IGERTS parted ways. Some returned to Vienna while others spent an extra day in Krakow and made a trip to Auschwitz. Being there, in a place where millions of innocent people were robbed of their lives, will stay with me forever. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCQxgZjxqvgouJ9-5kiPUixZTUY2z3DXWx5rcx4KiBy2mBssrSKJAEJUd9MSqXzuvvyyKFPmeJcgXBfHkBKrJ-aoiQiwzFWNly5r3tg9J6ua2CUlLztbBo13R_UbKNtGcwkWIoUpVXpg/s1600/DSC02446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCQxgZjxqvgouJ9-5kiPUixZTUY2z3DXWx5rcx4KiBy2mBssrSKJAEJUd9MSqXzuvvyyKFPmeJcgXBfHkBKrJ-aoiQiwzFWNly5r3tg9J6ua2CUlLztbBo13R_UbKNtGcwkWIoUpVXpg/s320/DSC02446.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few from the mountain of glasses taken from the victims. Photo by Ilonka Zlatar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaw56jIgnLZSOeQCJGmkUJxIjVDf13ASsV7wK8-6pCG0tB2pwqlv0S9R-IN-GYnteR2MbYTMSyE9oleG3wm_43plAHlVXt8AMDClSLbWqvpV9EeTNHJrAcLkN6vVbnFgUGULPL1-yVaUg/s1600/DSC02467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaw56jIgnLZSOeQCJGmkUJxIjVDf13ASsV7wK8-6pCG0tB2pwqlv0S9R-IN-GYnteR2MbYTMSyE9oleG3wm_43plAHlVXt8AMDClSLbWqvpV9EeTNHJrAcLkN6vVbnFgUGULPL1-yVaUg/s320/DSC02467.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Auschwitz. Photo by Ilonka Zlatar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_71hLLlWOMmkCh_AmdkTMcLjlzIG94efCLPb0IAnHP3unRrDxNIIm08TRcfsBcXkgHb1H2r3-AzU4obGTqzau50-ehfw3ip2m7G3J5hzHQznofCbj3ZcZ8U6hPIaKOzslKbKmVEL-8Q/s1600/DSC02493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_71hLLlWOMmkCh_AmdkTMcLjlzIG94efCLPb0IAnHP3unRrDxNIIm08TRcfsBcXkgHb1H2r3-AzU4obGTqzau50-ehfw3ip2m7G3J5hzHQznofCbj3ZcZ8U6hPIaKOzslKbKmVEL-8Q/s320/DSC02493.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Auschwitz. Photo by Ilonka Zlatar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Poland was a beautiful surprise. The people were warm, the architecture beautiful, and the cities charming. I had no expectations when I arrived, but I left knowing that someday I will return.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span>
<br />
<div>
<a href="http://www.crs.org.pl/en/news/19-09-2013/lords-of-the-valley-igert"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">http://www.crs.org.pl/en/news/19-09-2013/lords-of-the-valley-igert</span></a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12602722234078932931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120427686711431515.post-80983448507053341112013-11-01T08:10:00.004-07:002013-11-01T09:09:55.100-07:00Companion Modeling In Montpellier, France (Written by Hannah Birge)<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style>
<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>2269</o:Words>
<o:Characters>12935</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Colorado State University</o:Company>
<o:Lines>107</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>25</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>15885</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>12.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Sand Hills reach up and
take hold of you. Rooting from deep in the earth, through the bottom of your
feet and anchoring your heart to their depths. The landscape is at once strange
and achingly familiar. It rolls and falls away from you forever, a million
secrets in its shadows, ghosts slowly wandering the hills. The grass is an
endless sea, ebbing and raging in silvery green torrents against their roots
and the wind. It’s a place where,
when the wind drops, you can almost hear the cells shuttling through your brain.
Where you could lay down a square of your soul and stitch it into earth, a
piece of you forever quilted into the land. You can never truly leave this
place once you give yourself over.<br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_NKvZLH98EpjbAy7TZWomA1RsCSiwfK1vpmO2E6laWobVXv8ZDMvONunytEEPYzBeBDD-vNesX6ukTYshwOaYZem4RdzDBH1DlhdOQqlnZLE76HFfH_MaJt4SSGg-2dVXHpYzdcM6y8/s1600/IMG_3182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_NKvZLH98EpjbAy7TZWomA1RsCSiwfK1vpmO2E6laWobVXv8ZDMvONunytEEPYzBeBDD-vNesX6ukTYshwOaYZem4RdzDBH1DlhdOQqlnZLE76HFfH_MaJt4SSGg-2dVXHpYzdcM6y8/s640/IMG_3182.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Overlooking the Niobrara
River in Lynch, NE. Summer 2013. Photo credit Hannah Birge</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
When
I decided to run my first marathon I was living in Lynch, NE in the eastern
Sand Hills completing the first season
of my PhD fieldwork, and looking
forward to an academic semester abroad in central Europe. “Decided to run” might
not be the right phrase. Instead, following a successful field day (rare) and a few glasses of red wine (not rare), I felt invincible. So at 11pm on
a Wednesday in late June, I clicked “confirm” to deliver my 90 euros to the
organizers of the Athens Classic Marathon with nothing but ribald confidence. Immediately,
a tiny doubt-voice niggled at me: But you’ve never really run more than six
miles and it’s really, really, really hot here to be training for a marathon.
And hilly! Don’t worry; I told me, I got this. Yeah!; said the wine, she’s
totally got this. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It wasn’t until 6am the next
morning, five minutes into my second bird survey and miles from the nearest cup
of coffee, that I remembered. Not an unfamiliar feeling; my skeptical self is
no stranger to recovering a few steps behind my more optimistic self. And skeptical self is very persistent until its
been stifled with a combination of coffee, yoga and, of course, wine. Skeptical
self is <i>such</i> a downer. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So instead of my default glass
of wine and data entry (the latter desperately requiring the former), when I
got home that evening I laced up my running shoes. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSWWLj9S-IDb1nHENz3nBAG9EddKtAJ7TXwoiEBeIhkBU4X2mr5WUrmSkMkc5Mi7OXbv_WbAWdOBYt9SH2P8xHj_Tk4wmbQE8s4xcJlbmtC5MB5Q7xReqr4oaEGHoZ5cyqhlQAYWcXYL4/s1600/IMG_3071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSWWLj9S-IDb1nHENz3nBAG9EddKtAJ7TXwoiEBeIhkBU4X2mr5WUrmSkMkc5Mi7OXbv_WbAWdOBYt9SH2P8xHj_Tk4wmbQE8s4xcJlbmtC5MB5Q7xReqr4oaEGHoZ5cyqhlQAYWcXYL4/s640/IMG_3071.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;">Hills of Lynch, NE. Summer 2013. Photo credit Hannah Birge</span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sometimes the sun and heat
were relentless, beating down down until my legs felt were so heavy that dry
dirt road felt like it was sucking, ankle deep mud. And sometimes torrents of
rain turned the road into actual mud, creating an slick treadmill of every
upslope and a rock-filled slip’n’slide of the downs. Deerflies, ticks, chiggers,
gnats. Poison ivy in places where poison ivy should never be. Illeotibial band
syndrome. Foot pain. A particularly unpleasant mid-season migraine. Every time
I laced up my shoes I was preparing for battle. Marching against the weather,
the road, the weight of the hills and my body. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What’s funny about the wars
we wage is how they change us. The victory, the answer, is often in our own
defeat, our own transformation. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, very slowly, my body
relented. The rain cooled my face, the sun eased my shoulders. My legs and
heart grew strong and light, and I moved deeper into the hills, closer to some
answer I didn’t know I needed. Moving through the achingly beautiful landscape
with nothing but my own strength. Stuck with my own thoughts. Stitching the
rhythm of my feet into the flow of the earth, joining a million cadences of
life that create the beautiful, chaotic orchestra of July. Tumbling into to a
place where patterns emerge and dissolve like waves falling back on themselves,
without purpose, but forever moving and rising, a story told in ephemeral
scraps of seeming nonsense. How do you find answers and meaning from that? From
something that refuses to reveal any single answer for more than a fleeting
moment? Do I stand still and try to capture something before it recedes, or do I
chase it over the next crest, hoping that the truth I glimpsed is still there,
waiting for me in perpetuity as long as I never stop running?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IGa6YmNyePj5gjwXZVhM_mzEP6xX9Gm_Qs9BViXKpIj4RxfNiGeujdGAjh8fxLKLQHTLp95OPrBGvyWLrqxFy5i0-Y6OLrROpv-g6GmeEbCp3zVbgn5uiLyHRfw_vGaplS5h_QElyBQ/s1600/photo-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IGa6YmNyePj5gjwXZVhM_mzEP6xX9Gm_Qs9BViXKpIj4RxfNiGeujdGAjh8fxLKLQHTLp95OPrBGvyWLrqxFy5i0-Y6OLrROpv-g6GmeEbCp3zVbgn5uiLyHRfw_vGaplS5h_QElyBQ/s640/photo-2.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
L'Arc de Triomphe at dusk. Fall 2013. Photo credit: Hannah Birge</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Walking the streets of Paris
in the rain, I find myself moving backwards in time. I’ve been in Europe for
nearly two months, and pushed my body to limits I didn’t know possible (20+ mile runs!?). That familiar tattoo of my feet growing stronger and faster,
the new landscape slowly rooting up through my feet, holding and showing me its
own tightly held little secrets.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I walk along the Seine in
Paris, I’m transported to my 16-year-old self, on an exchange program with one
of my closest friends, Kara*. We were young, lost, innocent, and tangled up in
our own myopic egos, like nearly every 16 year old in the history of 16 year
olds. I remember laughing and
crashing around the city, experiencing the terror and thrill of being abroad
for the first time together, giddily planning our futures over our first
in-public experience drinking wine (high school in rural Vermont doesn’t offer
much in the way of entertainment). I think it was the first time we were forced
to be something new, and it suited us. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then life swallowed Kara up. Within two years, Kara lost her
mother to Lou Gehrig’s, her sister to mental illness and her father to that impossible
type of depression that comes from losing your high school sweetheart and the
mother of your children. She dropped out of college to care for her mother
during the worst stages of the disease, her sister gave birth to a little girl
whom she promptly abandoned to Kara’s care, and she watched her father slide
away into helpless despair. We lost touch, and I’m not proud of it. I’m back here
in Paris, and all I can think about is how her life spiraled so hard away from
our plans. I can only guess why she
turned to crystal meth. Maybe as her once-tight family dissolved around her,
meth offered her the support, comfort and escape that was ripped away by her
mother’s death and its fallout.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The last I heard of Kara,
she met a boy in rehab and they have a son together. I hope she doesn’t blame me
for being so wrapped up in my own college experience and leaving her to fend
for herself, but I can’t imagine why she should. It’s funny how being here
brings her back to me somehow, looping back around to remind me of the bitter
and pointless things that happen. That no matter how you plan and prepare and
think you’re finally chasing the right answers, it can all be made to feel so
small and silly in light of catastrophe. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLkh-8rw_ssLkBB4wC_K_lZ_K8lQWrtL6cX9Hc0NVpz3HDPcQU16AbPN-0Rr-OIuMt8PZmKOBazgDOZidXBHIqVXG9kSpisBiunt1LCOVFlyEHU7oqzMlv3aJeR7qt-C2QqMUPv7xFpvM/s1600/2013-10-06+13.15.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLkh-8rw_ssLkBB4wC_K_lZ_K8lQWrtL6cX9Hc0NVpz3HDPcQU16AbPN-0Rr-OIuMt8PZmKOBazgDOZidXBHIqVXG9kSpisBiunt1LCOVFlyEHU7oqzMlv3aJeR7qt-C2QqMUPv7xFpvM/s640/2013-10-06+13.15.18.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Schönbrunn gardens in Vienna, Austria. Fall 2013. Photo credit: Hannah Birge</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To be a traveler, you need
to experience a journey within and beyond yourself. You need to learn when to
move and when to let yourself be moved. To expose your deepest answers to a new
sun, letting them shimmer and fade, swell and fall in on themselves as they're challenged under a different light. When you truly travel, you fall into an endless,
iterative tide of growth and collapse, slowly careening towards a gleaming
pearl of universal meaning, expanding beyond who you think you are.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGEk1aij0lAgHrh8WCldIKoKlgaL0mFpFTubT_C70wf8bUdqw9MZ1H4fYE-HsrGsrkYF4w2WaU68a3Z8z8zJh75hluLxomFib1h0pHuYps2R6jpMfkGraP9b456HvjDpCtAhCca_QBrg/s1600/2013-10-15+09.15.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGEk1aij0lAgHrh8WCldIKoKlgaL0mFpFTubT_C70wf8bUdqw9MZ1H4fYE-HsrGsrkYF4w2WaU68a3Z8z8zJh75hluLxomFib1h0pHuYps2R6jpMfkGraP9b456HvjDpCtAhCca_QBrg/s640/2013-10-15+09.15.18.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Sculpture in Wrocław, Poland. Fall 2013. Photo credit: Hannah Birge</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Any single “-ology” can
provide us with an elegant, simple explanation of life. It can give you answers that
you can really hang your hat on. That resonate and make you want to shout them
to the world. But just as ecology cannot explain the idiosyncrasies of the free
market and economists can’t explain the chemistry of love, no one –ology
captures the essence of reality. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But this is sticky: as we
combine individual -ologies to get at a more whole story, they rapidly lose their elegance and simplicity. Their answers
start to collide with other answers, and nothing is deliciously easy anymore.
You start to question your answers, where they came from, what constrains them,
at what point they break down. And this is a problem, because the innate desire
for a powerful, simple solution is highly successful in human history. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xzxfTTW1NbiAJXRY-lKJug3dMJKkBTMUdBnkr7cVtdNzNjIza270wo_QOwuXMlAY1W0tBervxdwuMUkY_OLKTt2WYJHT7ctSYHypG3q6ulCd_IrnXNgLO9wtF7k2L3kIwb21QQGYNzk/s1600/photo-3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xzxfTTW1NbiAJXRY-lKJug3dMJKkBTMUdBnkr7cVtdNzNjIza270wo_QOwuXMlAY1W0tBervxdwuMUkY_OLKTt2WYJHT7ctSYHypG3q6ulCd_IrnXNgLO9wtF7k2L3kIwb21QQGYNzk/s640/photo-3.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Mediterranean Sea 60km outside of Montpellier, France. Fall 2013. Photo cred: Hannah Birge</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fossil fuel exploitation, synthetic
crop fertilizers and stream engineering, to name a few, are triumphantly
effective to furthering human civilization. And yes, these simple, powerful answers
inevitably bring with them smaller, negative tradeoffs. But these are historically ignored
at no great consequence. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yet, the problem with life,
again, is that it doesn’t always do what we want or expect it to do. Our planet and its systems are
wildly complex, and exploitation of one thoroughfare in that system is only
successful to a point: as the smaller reverberations began to slowly erode the
integrity of the system, we approach a threshold where the system begins to
breaks down. Only then is the true complexity of the system revealed: as it starts
yielding catastrophic and unpredicted outputs. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For example, damming streams
produces electricity, prevents major floods and ensures water availability during
droughts, all of which impart undeniable benefits to society. However, river
engineering also disrupts wetlands, natural flow variability, sediment
transport, and ground water dynamics. And with this ecological disruption comes,
for example,:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 3.0pt;">
1) a significant loss of natural hazardous waste
removal (e.g. fertilizers, heavy metals, etc) by microbiota who rely on
saturated soils for their habitat, <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
2) decreased
soil fertility as intermittent floods are repressed and the land becomes
ecologically disconnected from the river, and <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
3) increased
risk of crop-debilitating soil salinization as ground water tables drop. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
That
these ecological side effects are ignored should come as no surprise: the
economic boon of river engineering is overwhelming against the effects of
ecological degradation in a cost-benefit analysis to society. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-bxZSW9FCH6Fl9NFKQ8uA5w6y08okSE1rLmfomMS-5avk7mclXPvyYItCrg7rIh8MyP4iCbaRtsj5m9WoBJnGh-3jdLbt_LNnetBpV0m9pzvw2lGfbgyQHm-0Jqhrkf2xPdDdgWjCDQ/s1600/2013-10-20+21.53.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-bxZSW9FCH6Fl9NFKQ8uA5w6y08okSE1rLmfomMS-5avk7mclXPvyYItCrg7rIh8MyP4iCbaRtsj5m9WoBJnGh-3jdLbt_LNnetBpV0m9pzvw2lGfbgyQHm-0Jqhrkf2xPdDdgWjCDQ/s640/2013-10-20+21.53.46.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<o:p>St. Stephens Cathedral illuminated at night in Vienna, Austria. Fall 2013. Photo credit: Hannah Birge</o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But as more rivers are
dammed and swelling human populations put increasing pressure on already over-appropriated
rivers, the ecological costs mount. And as they smaller costs add up, there begins a more rapid degradation of the
system as a whole. And we are simply running out of the capacity of complex
social-ecological systems to absorb these costs. Even more daunting, at some threshold, it will
be impossible to reinstate all of the moving parts required for the system to return
to its original, reliable functioning (an effect known as hysteresis).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some find it
helpful to use the Humpty-Dumpty analogy to explain this concept: keep adding king’s horses and men to
the case, but he’s never going to look or act like the original Humpty-Dee.
Granted, eliciting help from a horse to repair an anthropomorphized bird egg
can’t be the most thoughtful approach. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So how can humans, whose
linear problem solving approach to complex problems is successful and efficient,
ever hope to manage the complexity of social-ecological systems to maintain
their function and relative predictability? First we need to get rid of a singular
–ology. Economics, ecology, psychology, sociology and hydrology all give us
their own, clear picture of the system, but all are limited to a narrow slice
of the truth. But when combined, different –ologies don’t neatly fill in the remaining pie. Instead, they clash with other –ologies, losing their clarity and power
of explanation as their fundamental assumptions are wildly undermined, ignored
or even directly opposed. Think of it as trying to fit mismatched, randomly
shaped slices into a pan without a shape. Yeah, it’s messy.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjhRrTUIoK8mw9RaMvWo4Zr88sCO0aEn5j97WWGQiJ9wT3sXoS5_Tzm4K5ZI2O_d3F2C8QgEXlhAulmD8XiN9T6CmTDkDI4Zh-hit-7n3NYoHcnlp4Yc6D28zhYGHns-ssnzM03bRbjc/s1600/2013-10-08+07.12.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjhRrTUIoK8mw9RaMvWo4Zr88sCO0aEn5j97WWGQiJ9wT3sXoS5_Tzm4K5ZI2O_d3F2C8QgEXlhAulmD8XiN9T6CmTDkDI4Zh-hit-7n3NYoHcnlp4Yc6D28zhYGHns-ssnzM03bRbjc/s640/2013-10-08+07.12.06.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p> Defending his turf. Rural Hungarian village. Fall 2013. Photo cred: Hannah Birge</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And that’s where we come in,
we who adopt this ugly, cumbersome, intellectually uncomfortable mess as our
–ology. Think about this: we’re scientists by training, trying to understand
reality using a structured, analytical approach, and the basic tenant of our
work is that uncertainty is intrinsic to all complex social-ecological systems.
And no matter how hard we work, fight, discuss, yell, sob or write, we only
reduce uncertainty to a point. Who wants to listen to the answer that there<i> is</i> no clear, reliable answer? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Experts like Drs. Francois Bousquet
and Olivier Barreteau, whom my NSF IGERT cohort had the
incredible pleasure of meeting at CIRAD-IRSTEA in Montpellier, France, are some
of the foremost experts inhabiting the bizarre intellectual space. Their
approach to selling the-answer-is-that-there-is-no-answer conundrum is to make
proverbial lemonade (or some uncertain yellow drink; users beware!). They make
use of an iterative, fluid process called “Companion Modeling”, whereby they
constantly readjust and fine tune their questions as they learn. They
effectively let the goalposts meander as their questions and assumptions shift. They gather information by casting a wide net, glean small truth fragments from wherever they can find 'em: experts and
data from the different –ologies, anecdotal data from non-experts, and the robust meanderings of their own
brilliant minds. And even though their approach is satisfying to a new PhD
student grappling with the discomfort of uncertainty, it’s still really, really
uncomfortable and doesn’t emotionally stack up to a singular –ology. Moreover,
human institutions are in no way set up to handle the uncertainty of companion modeling.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In fact, the societal institutions
that drive civilization are intrinsically designed to war against uncertainty.
And so far, that war has worked to our advantage. But things are changing. The
wild spaces that buffer the worst of our ecological assaults are shrinking as
human demand is growing, and the systems we inhabit
are starting to grumble under our weight, threatening reveal the depths of their
complexity as they breakdown.<br />
<br />
At some point, we will cross a threshold and those systems we heavily exploit will cease to function in the way we've come to expect. Maybe then we’ll relinquish the need for simple answers and
certainty, turning instead to the creativity, strength and adaptability that
also define us. And as spaceship earth careens through outer space, maybe we’ll
embrace the uncertainty and endless learning required to reveal those precious pearls of understanding from within the chaos. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Or perhaps we’ll reject uncertainty and repeat our mistakes, spiraling off onto a new iteration of the past. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSbjDHnuWAH4DjsHVcT41AH5kAqikJN6j2Zc-N-VK042boKUb9x5WZnFF1ZGzRNJez-EmU8ZJLLVMCQkMpuYAbdJtxlf_1YP-HaGHNVHNf1bfH7RoHPAIPkrgODYiYwExW_vWoiVEMQE/s1600/photo-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSbjDHnuWAH4DjsHVcT41AH5kAqikJN6j2Zc-N-VK042boKUb9x5WZnFF1ZGzRNJez-EmU8ZJLLVMCQkMpuYAbdJtxlf_1YP-HaGHNVHNf1bfH7RoHPAIPkrgODYiYwExW_vWoiVEMQE/s640/photo-4.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
Central Cemetery of Vienna, Austria. Fall 2013. Photo Credit: Hannah Birge</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The power of work like that of Drs.
Bousquet and Barreteau is that the groundwork is being delicately laid: we are
beginning to understand how to study complex social-ecological systems in all
of their messiness. And as humans grabble with failing systems, this work will
be unmatched in its value to society as we begin to look for answers in a new
way. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK0Y-olnU-rEbGJa9G2qQepaWj-N5HZr7ZhZERJ2bWXYuj2K6fa6l0Kn9b2zkMvWdXSmoqZ-cPP7uRsSEEHHzMlldiq4jvzeDNAufbpEDZvqSUjKE4eL6mPkf2eWCPu4EIfOmv8PZK1kU/s1600/2013-09-27+22.36.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK0Y-olnU-rEbGJa9G2qQepaWj-N5HZr7ZhZERJ2bWXYuj2K6fa6l0Kn9b2zkMvWdXSmoqZ-cPP7uRsSEEHHzMlldiq4jvzeDNAufbpEDZvqSUjKE4eL6mPkf2eWCPu4EIfOmv8PZK1kU/s400/2013-09-27+22.36.49.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
Standing on Lovelock Bridge in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Fall 2013. Photo credit: Hannah Birge </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The reality is that I haven’t been
very faithful to my marathon training program. I ran a lot over the last five
months, but probably not enough. Injuries, traveling for the program and an
annoyingly time consuming statistics class are neat excuses. I have no idea
what the marathon is going to be like. I have no idea how long it’s going to
take me. I have no idea if it’s going to really, really hurt after mile 22 (ok
I have some idea that it’s going to really, really hurt). But I do have a good idea
that I will finish. And I have a good idea that as I carry myself those 26.2
miles, I’m going to move across boundaries within myself that have never been tested. And that’s ok, because afterwards I’m going to sit back and let some
answers chase me for a change. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
*Name changed for privacy <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12602722234078932931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120427686711431515.post-2400840676533647572013-10-30T04:14:00.003-07:002013-10-30T04:14:30.789-07:00Tisza River, HungaryOver three days, from Oct. 7th-9th, the UNL-IGERT group learned about the Tisza River and the Great Hungarian Plain from our hosts/guides/teachers, Péter Balogh, and Béla Borsos. The Tisza River is the basis for a case study of a complex social-ecological system. Here's some more insight into its physical geography, hydrology and geomorphology, and a bit more discussion about the "shadow network's" story to re-connect the floods with the plain. <br />
<br />
This post compliments the one previous (Nagykörü, Hungary).
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="height: 273px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; width: 412px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oJFs67D03rp8MBINjRVTChBUHb23vOEfJm_eBU2Y1c7vH1lxKmYlnP8EubCF1s7dBtUPldS2QObosVtWdNhLsOq7VhLRBXSNoh6PkzmWUgPK5gAoKHUeUalpgSO0F99z6psheeC3zoI/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oJFs67D03rp8MBINjRVTChBUHb23vOEfJm_eBU2Y1c7vH1lxKmYlnP8EubCF1s7dBtUPldS2QObosVtWdNhLsOq7VhLRBXSNoh6PkzmWUgPK5gAoKHUeUalpgSO0F99z6psheeC3zoI/s400/1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h4>
Béla
(left) and Péter (right)<o:p></o:p></h4>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Tisza River is a large tributary of the Danube River (both are major rivers in Central Europe). The river basin (156,000 km<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">2</span></sup>) covers five countries (Hungary, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, and Serbia), but the Tisza is considered to be mostly a Hungarian river ("Hungary is bordered by itself" since the Hungarian Empire was separated after WWI).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The shape of the basin is exceptionally important for flooding, since the arc-like shape of the Carpathians causes stormwater flowing from the tributaries to converge on the main river channel after storms in near unison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mountains receive 3-4 times the amount of rainfall as the plains (2000 vs. 600 mm/yr).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These factors make the Tisza "flashy" with flow rates changing by a factor of 50 or more, accompanied by sudden (24-36 hours) and extreme (up to 12 m) rises in river stage.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="height: 387px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; width: 651px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><h3>
<img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SKCNkEFgsVTEXDI7eG3OuW0E4wn6usQyktFWyvCcmh7aQZlVdfqVgAQelh0MmHNklr4j-7C7ReMmC4nb1GWHtg5UBp73k5_J_BDxh5-fTf1MR1CooBRPpPDzVydrNF7WObC38hJShvQ/s400/eunewlnd.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></h3>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h4>
Geographic
setting of the Great Hungarian Plain, surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains to
the north and east (image from WorldAtlas.com)</h4>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Humans have a long relationship with river engineering
along the Tisza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometime during the
Medieval period (c. 1100-1200), a Fok-system of dikes (with sluices) was built
to control inundation of floodwaters onto specific areas of the floodplain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the 1700s, Hungarians used the floods as a
means to fight against invading Ottoman soldiers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also during that time, the Tisza was deepened
and shortened (by 400 km) and more dikes were built to prevent flooding of
wheat fields and settlements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From 1860
to 2000, a series of seven construction phases occurred, in which the dikes
along the Tisza were expanded and raised as a means of flood defense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, the dikes are 4-6 m above the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The seven phases were required for at least
two reasons: 1) The headwater regions in the mountains were largely deforested
leading to less storage of water and more runoff; and 2) The floodway (within
the dikes) continually aggrades (rises) over time due to sedimentation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The latter process has continued as a
positive feedback until the dikes (earth embankments) reached their physical
limits and now they cannot be raised any further (as evidenced by dike breaks becoming
more frequent).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Currently, 2700 km of
dikes "protects" 17,300 <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">km<sup>2</sup> </span>of land along the Tisza within
Hungary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In total, dikes within the
Tisza River valley stretch 4500 km, and have reduced the area of the active
floodplain by 90%. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuw5187c6362GOa2daJzW7470Cx1kIdNBsTVANDnnEyAKHB0c9JqEjxNP0gIXlTj61uAGZ5B9_Frvx-yPWRIb53s13u5jEzt5SxpOu5xC-isG14B4KHdQ1MQ6d2Kgh214aOGY8fF3U3vs/s320/2.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="450" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h4>
Map of
historic (c. 1700s) areas inundated by floods within large sections of the
Hungarian plain (right) and neighboring Danube River valley (left). Péter is pointing to his village, Nagykörú
(big circle). He explains to me that the
village would not, in fact, have been inundated by floods during this time
since it was built on a high natural terrace (relict of an older floodplain). <o:p></o:p></h4>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Historically, settlements were situated on high
lands—only later with man-made dikes did these areas become inundated by
floods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today ~$39 billion is in risk of
damage by floods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over the past 20
years, rising high waters have been overtopping the dikes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The largest and most damaging flood was in
2010. Therefore, there are real consequences, and the issue of flooding is pressing. </span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="height: 288px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; width: 654px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0EKPH2sNDmkZfg5mRKueewFqsUqFPkx-dlZ3E_BYLsrIgNjtp7_KCVqaHSKtGciI2DDv9kF3WKoW4opzTfXXUaL5RJvePDcUVaBRBoJOpCz-GXHZ7Cpnjcs0dJzVjRJXqb2J12d0i0W4/s1600/9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0EKPH2sNDmkZfg5mRKueewFqsUqFPkx-dlZ3E_BYLsrIgNjtp7_KCVqaHSKtGciI2DDv9kF3WKoW4opzTfXXUaL5RJvePDcUVaBRBoJOpCz-GXHZ7Cpnjcs0dJzVjRJXqb2J12d0i0W4/s320/9.JPG" width="450" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The rise
that the road follows is only 1-2 m higher than the surrounding land, but this
is enough to be considered on "high" land, which was historically
safe from floods.<o:p></o:p></span></h4>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0n3kx0yJU76E-mVhZCqL529we3A3KnQJ9BRoi64alhEfbVAafOC3S-0dHOGxqJKSeZ4rQALZ8MPNrVFCScjW-eYDKR5wiXb2aK3KIS-Hn8OXFZ6S2EiGptHSSHsMNPBxm5kDX3sXvCJE/s1600/8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0n3kx0yJU76E-mVhZCqL529we3A3KnQJ9BRoi64alhEfbVAafOC3S-0dHOGxqJKSeZ4rQALZ8MPNrVFCScjW-eYDKR5wiXb2aK3KIS-Hn8OXFZ6S2EiGptHSSHsMNPBxm5kDX3sXvCJE/s640/8.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Péter
explaining the physical geography/geomorphology of the region and the potential
for a Fok-polder system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Low elevations
on this Digital Terrain Map (DTM) are in dark blue, and high elevations are in
red-orange.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Polders are natural
depressions, or "old river beds" that have been preserved as the
meandering river has migrated. <o:p></o:p></span></h4>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The situation for the Tisza River valley is
quite bad now as the potential for devastating floods increases. Also, the river channel has degraded (lowered)
its bed, thus lowering the water table during dry periods; but the dikes
contain many large flows in the active floodway, and thus raise the water table during wet periods. Because of these processes, and because of
the spatially varying capacity of the floodway to transmit water, during any given time there
can be areas within the Tisza valley flooded and other areas in agricultural drought. Cash crops continue to be subsidized, and
subsistence farming is rare to see (but it still continues to some degree).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>The vision explained to us by Péter and Béla
(of the Fok-Polder system), is to adapt human infrastructure and our own
desires so they balance with the provisions of the natural environment, and to stop
adapting/engineering nature to fit human needs by continuing to protect against floods with dikes alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All that would be needed are strategically
located sluices in the dikes, and appropriate land use changes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">One last statement offered by Péter: "What do you need to break a dike? ... a dike."</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="height: 343px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; width: 489px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRw2Gw1c0AfXrLRH3q_5hSlDpzTpBg06ld1J_0lyMmk4l7xpvNcIpbVLaQ6jl-c1RWtqOerB1ISIX968SH6yOM-vw3ZNUP5G9ApYC0Bjz3X3lGh7pkIxwaYJm1qvsN0XKvw6GVUwXwHE4/s1600/13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRw2Gw1c0AfXrLRH3q_5hSlDpzTpBg06ld1J_0lyMmk4l7xpvNcIpbVLaQ6jl-c1RWtqOerB1ISIX968SH6yOM-vw3ZNUP5G9ApYC0Bjz3X3lGh7pkIxwaYJm1qvsN0XKvw6GVUwXwHE4/s400/13.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
Tisza River looking downstream (SE) from the ferry on the way back to Nagykörú.
</span></h4>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Posted by Nathan Rossman</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12602722234078932931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120427686711431515.post-16566097179989023812013-10-12T06:20:00.003-07:002013-10-12T06:24:26.667-07:00Nagykörü, HungaryPost written by Maggi Sliwinski <br />
<br />
On October 7th, we began the first of our three big IGERT trips. We left
our hostel at 6:15am and headed to the train station, where we would
begin the half-day journey to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagyk%C3%B6r%C5%B1">Nagykörü</a>,
a small town in Hungary where we would spend 3 days. We traveled to
Budapest, where we caught a train to Szolnok, where we were picked up by
our hosts Peter and Bela, plus Motszi the dog. Motszi was not too happy
to have new people around, but he got used to us eventually!<br />
<br />
Our first quick stop was at a flowing well that was tapped into the
aquifer over 1000 feet below ground. The water was hot and sulfury, but
Peter filled up six jugs to take home for drinking water. The sulfur
smell did wear off, and it tasted good. The water in Nagykörü was
chlorinated, so that's why Peter wanted the fresh aquifer water. There
are apparently lots of hot springs throughout Hungary, and also some
geothermal electricity capacity. The spring was also near our first view
of one of the tributaries to the Tisza River, the river our trip would
be focused around. The tributary was channelized, and was almost empty.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoByK8EZpN1w2QaF126ChuVWkuen1gv9fh4RDMg41Ks7a0m5UV57BtVNuFzvDc0nMlSWV4LKrlk8oMZf2CXwtZHuZUMRWQAOEqplndBLxr9boiT_lf-EujnoGi5Gcu2I23Xul8zHhrZln_/s1600/IMG_6702.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoByK8EZpN1w2QaF126ChuVWkuen1gv9fh4RDMg41Ks7a0m5UV57BtVNuFzvDc0nMlSWV4LKrlk8oMZf2CXwtZHuZUMRWQAOEqplndBLxr9boiT_lf-EujnoGi5Gcu2I23Xul8zHhrZln_/s400/IMG_6702.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flowing well</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4BJTOM6HUfLruVaEJzM_BK4zMg1j2-8dwY8UvPKgYnObK3tGmIXi15ZfXYkvuc3KDdyc9WeMvdDDsLsgp_ZvfixwQPELA2PhX8N80g_gHM9HAXshwqiBjB_tWyT-tpcAfZ1q8MBjIlYR/s400/IMG_6707.JPG" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of a tributary to the Tisza River</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We
arrived in Nagykörü where we had our lunch at the local restaurant. We
were served tomato soup and fried fish and potatoes. It was a really
yummy meal, but there was lots of food to eat. Lots of us couldn't
finish, I just hope our hosts and the chef weren't offended by our small
stomachs. After lunch we dropped our stuff at the guest house,
Gazdasági Ellátó, and had a bit of free time to relax before evening
workshops. The evening workshop took place in the local community
center, which was
a really nice building. To start us off, they served shots of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A1linka">Palinka</a>,
a local fruit brandy, to us all. Apparently this is a traditional
practice before meetings.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDXUhxApd3n2OlABGFIOvK-pjJ-LdOkD1-LUE_dXEILLNr4EgqIqTYxOg9qDJNwT04bQCm0D7UccHoYv4YXzP69S9JmL0xILnRs92IFS4Xvagg4uDD6zI1hJfQo2apIRGCdJlKllGk3X6/s400/_A090691.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Community center</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjkqwplZDAxxFlnha-w478YaNpJol3nMwP2rXBCIm2zvAkLMkZZKppbn8AYQnv7U9Qc27KOYtb2Fa4Q-6PLsxr6hi_4mcxF_9xitTqtjBnZesSZkS_R5uXhzQRJ04debRDKQNT4r9_o-Q8/s400/IMG_6722.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palinka being served before our first meeting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikT-mqKIDH2vQX_pI__aZQTkDPInddutlmfQdZ0xEfKRY6oEDIt9YW-VpVDQHiJn89URP90YpAI84vXjyxRIZG7S4E3YMM6jkogdCeVoTd4K38pbnu8a-9EgE6E6FAIHfHdt4W-Y_FVMdS/s320/IMG_6720.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our cute guest house rooms.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
The
Tisza River is able to rise 10m (30 feet) in just a day or two during
spring time with snow melting. Historically, the water would flow onto
the flood plain, where it would scarcely be above my hips and only in
the lowest lying areas at that. The yearly flood of the river would
reinvigorate that land with nutrients and soil moisture, and would allow
fish to spawn. Before the river was managed by humans, the region was
widely known for its highy productive fisheries, and its huge variety of
hardy fruit trees. The region was also well suited to raising cattle
and pigs, since they can wade through shallow floods and consume native
vegetation. What is not well suited to this periodic flooding is
monoculture crops of corn and wheat.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgjt3701YR9L5zHPxXyzncw-kGTwx9U4QA8gU1EYN2mLE18X0IRNOPGVI-WebegOBmKO_ZScBaEqcb0FH96ZMjV3IvQPFUe_AjS0zPk5NducUar4A9KmmOOz2jfOhG7x98AAY8WjnjqDj/s1600/_A090681.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgjt3701YR9L5zHPxXyzncw-kGTwx9U4QA8gU1EYN2mLE18X0IRNOPGVI-WebegOBmKO_ZScBaEqcb0FH96ZMjV3IvQPFUe_AjS0zPk5NducUar4A9KmmOOz2jfOhG7x98AAY8WjnjqDj/s400/_A090681.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The town was full of flowers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKkGfmObnqBTFM1TSNN11abW4MGZL0a8CUmhAAm8IHPeUhpwA-652OSIEXJiF39F03PLbTL5kUESOiJuwoPLw_BFvtZwtudhgghSzSgpv81Kc-g_rMulXmsUvNjZbBFcnKU3fvCt1fgKA/s1600/_A090683.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKkGfmObnqBTFM1TSNN11abW4MGZL0a8CUmhAAm8IHPeUhpwA-652OSIEXJiF39F03PLbTL5kUESOiJuwoPLw_BFvtZwtudhgghSzSgpv81Kc-g_rMulXmsUvNjZbBFcnKU3fvCt1fgKA/s640/_A090683.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The town also had lots of fruit trees, which would<br />
have been abundant in the landscape before <br />
monoculture cropping was introduced.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The river has been heavily managed since the mid-1800s because someone then decided
that the region should be used to grow wheat, because of high demands
for wheat coming from expanding cities and frequent wars. Today, the
people in the region depend on the government to protect their farm
fields from the river, and fear river flooding, even though it used to
be the life blood of the region. There is no memory left, accept in
historical records, of how the Tisza River used to be. This region is
also impoverished because there are a lot of absentee landowners and
corporations run the farming enterprises from afar.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigEvCP_b2g_nQY4ZFAKNHDgF5nJPQXMBN7wf2DaDrlWFrasKBdyEe29EJ_FGCqndJ3bB6Ls3GsCOQeGjOJzDfqAnAYR6Igi_tHq03MmMDyPJbo2z5ECID6DMSiyB5yfLK5YQOLOl6rlnXp/s400/IMG_6731.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the dikes and Motszi the dog</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Our
first speaker was Atilla Lovas, the water
engineer for the local water district, responsible for managing the
Tisza River in this region. He told us about the establishment's way of
managing the Tisza River, which involves dikes, dams, and emergency
reservoirs. The emergency reservoirs are low-lying areas on farmers'
fields, which can only be used when the river is at dangerously high
levels. The farmers are compensated if their fields are flooded. Atilla
was quite proud that his agency had moved away from simply continually
raising the dikes to trying to figure out how to lower the water levels
through the use of emergency reservoirs.
The dynamics of the river make it particularly important to manage well,
although we heard from our hosts that there are other frameworks
through which to view water management.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-s_I5biw4nQeDonTpBgln1XX8oi7R_eV5agf35t30HvcrYjnOu64dJ4bB8kVvUDVzNeoW_sQwarpFjNhAEWaf3ooYK-7-NlGoG3KccvcR1-CPR6dp3Iamwj9e7dtWcYSMin0i1c7VJCeO/s1600/_A080608.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-s_I5biw4nQeDonTpBgln1XX8oi7R_eV5agf35t30HvcrYjnOu64dJ4bB8kVvUDVzNeoW_sQwarpFjNhAEWaf3ooYK-7-NlGoG3KccvcR1-CPR6dp3Iamwj9e7dtWcYSMin0i1c7VJCeO/s640/_A080608.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the control structures leading into an emergency reservoir.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Our
hosts Peter and Bela, both geographers, are sifting through historical
records to determine what the region used to be like, and using
sophisticated models and theories to determine what the region could be
like in the future. If the river were allowed to flood more naturally,
and people were more flexible and adapted to the river rather than
adapting the river to their demands, it could change the region for the
better. Floods would not be a surprise, but a welcome re-invigoration for the land,
and a locally based economy could be a means to relieve poverty. Peter
and Bela are part of a "shadow network" of people who are making sure
that everything is in place (research, models, planning, support) when
an opportunity arises to actually shift the region to this new way of
sustainable thinking and acting.<br />
<br />
Our second day was spent at the Tisza Lake, which is actually a
reservoir formed by a dam for flood control. It's a beautiful reservoir,
but it's being clogged with sediments falling out of the river, making
it less capable of holding high water levels. However, this makes the
area a prime spot for migrating and nesting birds. The government is
trying to establish eco-tourism around the lake--we were joining in a
small meeting of service providers who were working on establishing more
"complex" programs--such as birding tours. It was nice to be outside
and it was really warm, so we enjoyed our few hours around this place. I
asked Peter if this lake and tourism center fit with his vision for the
Tisza River, it does not. The reservoir is part of the unnatural river
regime, and it would probably not survive if the river's natural
flooding regime were to be restored.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY1dHFtp_Yav4b8PSxs2UjTDNBPabHdTTNTOkHvdPwib7LJ4YD6yuzZk-RpnynyzwWdm9g9B_dElBRZyywWxnbHmKYHbz6UCWtnulCD_48-H23O7iPMtrEGyQtfHNvDkDidBsXiwiApAjJ/s1600/IMG_6744.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY1dHFtp_Yav4b8PSxs2UjTDNBPabHdTTNTOkHvdPwib7LJ4YD6yuzZk-RpnynyzwWdm9g9B_dElBRZyywWxnbHmKYHbz6UCWtnulCD_48-H23O7iPMtrEGyQtfHNvDkDidBsXiwiApAjJ/s400/IMG_6744.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new building at the Tisza lake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMDeUenBX4q0pgLbJ6z5woVewC32aHtdrQ0QCJ8j5H4WTSRuU8GnpIPf0mDh0EYFJI5ms_YzXqUV4BpEcPDTC5bYz4pvySUZFkABBkhyphenhyphenf5fgm2BPTqfJO4oULPajuhciIVQ-fW8oAO7LIW/s1600/_A080520.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMDeUenBX4q0pgLbJ6z5woVewC32aHtdrQ0QCJ8j5H4WTSRuU8GnpIPf0mDh0EYFJI5ms_YzXqUV4BpEcPDTC5bYz4pvySUZFkABBkhyphenhyphenf5fgm2BPTqfJO4oULPajuhciIVQ-fW8oAO7LIW/s400/_A080520.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tisza Lake dock.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh02VOD2C356SANqrGfM1Eq8T21SygG1Kwp1oRH5jfNOeiyLSo8gs2dSdH0e4uzz0tje9DeY54ZWLPdhfHyKWKWmGtDzY_WFw_wTUdRKbCGmi4D-Mek5W-Bb9sAPz6YvG-i_SHgyfjaWYV/s1600/_A080558.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh02VOD2C356SANqrGfM1Eq8T21SygG1Kwp1oRH5jfNOeiyLSo8gs2dSdH0e4uzz0tje9DeY54ZWLPdhfHyKWKWmGtDzY_WFw_wTUdRKbCGmi4D-Mek5W-Bb9sAPz6YvG-i_SHgyfjaWYV/s400/_A080558.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tisza Lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9c8atxErs7ysRsFmgQt2EpT4iStWW172hR2087VCFsy9sWjRBFXQL6WEb68cwhgg6SwHGvrM_-wrThlCFRqemk9W4uFY4DYpjdbduQnmCX_upym1NFVMawhSp_AjW6gLe7QbRi_CCNPQG/s1600/_A080562.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9c8atxErs7ysRsFmgQt2EpT4iStWW172hR2087VCFsy9sWjRBFXQL6WEb68cwhgg6SwHGvrM_-wrThlCFRqemk9W4uFY4DYpjdbduQnmCX_upym1NFVMawhSp_AjW6gLe7QbRi_CCNPQG/s400/_A080562.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me searching for birds....not the right time of year!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
After our trip to the lake and through the new tourism centers animal
exhibits, we headed out to see two oxbow lakes--one that was cut off
from the flooding river and one that is still flooded periodically. The
one that is flooded periodically is much healthier looking.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblrjrMTqCrlTgzk7IG-UHUCIXhiaefgv6bH6oBdFAF1PKuQJmGpcl6dVZ8LBEJqEN_vLYj_zgFqSo3_7-amBpXt3Vbm5JKXFJpexPY6bMC8NCIxGswxSxC1kkbwAQSRp5USQkZxaurlB2/s1600/_A080599.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblrjrMTqCrlTgzk7IG-UHUCIXhiaefgv6bH6oBdFAF1PKuQJmGpcl6dVZ8LBEJqEN_vLYj_zgFqSo3_7-amBpXt3Vbm5JKXFJpexPY6bMC8NCIxGswxSxC1kkbwAQSRp5USQkZxaurlB2/s400/_A080599.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cut-off oxbow lake, more clogged with trees.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1G7TpWA5tET_xQXsPBebIrbfWxQE6b_xRqfomLuDkzl9iaNZf48VlnJGuj9d4Fm_EvAy63N7eeEkUAonwzOQW2eD-W4GBbpXXudGJZstjuRD3mu5EqAXwl1yllKWOkdgYNGe0qY6KerH/s1600/_A080624.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1G7TpWA5tET_xQXsPBebIrbfWxQE6b_xRqfomLuDkzl9iaNZf48VlnJGuj9d4Fm_EvAy63N7eeEkUAonwzOQW2eD-W4GBbpXXudGJZstjuRD3mu5EqAXwl1yllKWOkdgYNGe0qY6KerH/s400/_A080624.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flooded oxbow lake, less clogged with trees.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On Tuesday evening, Ilonka, Shelli, Hannah, and I took the opportunity
to go see Peter's horses and help him move them to a new spot. We all
also got a chance to ride bareback. Two of Peter's kids came along too,
although they know English they seemed very shy to talk with us. But it
was heartwarming to see Peter interacting with his children, it's clear
that he loves his family and his home, which is probably why he wants to
see the Tisza River restored to what it used to be.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25Cji79W2uQbMwcKqv1p2p0gSVelLcF6Zlbn2Qxfo59eVCxJoBa5CM3ugwnvxf83iTIazAkZw3IOXw7WaM8R4hbXqvA_u7X5-PJFBC9owNzruJ7x69L1ykVrDRfy9FJK0mlWpihxWAuDZ/s1600/_A080645.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25Cji79W2uQbMwcKqv1p2p0gSVelLcF6Zlbn2Qxfo59eVCxJoBa5CM3ugwnvxf83iTIazAkZw3IOXw7WaM8R4hbXqvA_u7X5-PJFBC9owNzruJ7x69L1ykVrDRfy9FJK0mlWpihxWAuDZ/s400/_A080645.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peter and his son, plus the wild horse (that I did not ride)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8acjdKKRvEFgvD2CDD9mTz4GtG3TrL_kRnq4K-tv_J2Pp-nrIYqj7G4o_mXyeuZ4Q2gLUaTn-xLlggBG-tdyzH2PZ6rAnO4ZpvczbAsMaObjYJGOt-bH4pPG3NxBKUIOShUgmI2StJZlU/s1600/on+horses.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8acjdKKRvEFgvD2CDD9mTz4GtG3TrL_kRnq4K-tv_J2Pp-nrIYqj7G4o_mXyeuZ4Q2gLUaTn-xLlggBG-tdyzH2PZ6rAnO4ZpvczbAsMaObjYJGOt-bH4pPG3NxBKUIOShUgmI2StJZlU/s400/on+horses.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ilonka and I on horses at sunset with a crescent moon behind us.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On Wednesday morning we had a couple more presentations from Peter and
Bela to talk about shifting the river out of its current management
regime and to a new, more sustainable one (we also had another shot of
Palinka--at about 9am!). One thing that spoke to me was Bela's portrayal
of the the nested hierarchy. People often show the three-legged stool
for sustainability, with society, economy, and ecology contributing
equally to sustainable thinking. Bela's diagram looked like this:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmgw-il-WYySo48pCDk39WNRL8wn3QbfCZxfmhzE4MJrM5BQZ-c5HM6DOqpp0cERKJYrcu7DphvNVd1-Wj7-eBlQ21iOdWpR38qdaeBpDkWRsFiwtwzVrtCDIUSGFpPV42Qml_vRf5P-N/s640/Picture1.png" width="640" /></div>
<br />
This diagram is very similar to something I had come up with on my own
about a year ago because I am dismayed that people think the environment
is only one leg of a three-legged stool. Everything that humans need
and manufacture starts somehow from the environment. This diagram makes
much more sense and should help people to re-frame how they think about
sustainability.<br />
<br />
After our morning presentations, we had a chance to meet with a local
goat farmer who makes hand-crafted goat cheese. We took a walk to the
Tisza River and then had to head to Budapest. This trip was really
awesome because we met two actors in the "shadow network" that we've
read about in papers, and had a chance to see the landscape that the
role-playing game is based off of first hand. It will be helpful to have
this in mind when we see the game played again in Poland this coming
week.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9ZnPIq-QZdHhwFyYEZPp91iBWrs-XwHeTpKjwLX4gw3AwFcJg4raSpyFgcRH7icnzplPlw79Q02xUcxRY249jxm48Y6F_LsnFi4kU8zOxEBsxxcq8kEwBmaVfkk9_BPOnVRsYdEk3YA_/s1600/IMG_6820.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9ZnPIq-QZdHhwFyYEZPp91iBWrs-XwHeTpKjwLX4gw3AwFcJg4raSpyFgcRH7icnzplPlw79Q02xUcxRY249jxm48Y6F_LsnFi4kU8zOxEBsxxcq8kEwBmaVfkk9_BPOnVRsYdEk3YA_/s400/IMG_6820.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This young man sold us locally produced and hand-made goat cheese.<br />
He milks his herd (about 15 goats) every morning, by hand, by himself.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUO3kRa8tq8Fi-dHaX3fKwZqNWNzTGxXTFNPFuIn0gK-i3rqqeKU95Yy7IYmN7y2s7VHPDSWvQaDcSg8ImKvaqZrbySF6RAVDqzFA03huMT9N5jvbi4m4YhWlgPM9jto9KHNNDaWXYoDro/s1600/_A090699.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUO3kRa8tq8Fi-dHaX3fKwZqNWNzTGxXTFNPFuIn0gK-i3rqqeKU95Yy7IYmN7y2s7VHPDSWvQaDcSg8ImKvaqZrbySF6RAVDqzFA03huMT9N5jvbi4m4YhWlgPM9jto9KHNNDaWXYoDro/s640/_A090699.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The group (minus Marie--sorry!) with our hosts Peter and Bela.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12602722234078932931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120427686711431515.post-59062402509377377722013-10-06T12:21:00.001-07:002013-10-06T12:21:11.754-07:00Neusiedler See<div style="text-align: justify;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->The saline systems discussion group visited the National
Park of Neusiedler See – Seewinkel, one hour to the east of Vienna and near the border with Hungary. The trip
focused on the management and loss of saline waters, one of two threats facing
saline systems into the near future. (The other threat is the unnatural
salinization of freshwater systems, for which we visited Hallstatt – see previous
post).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The park was the first national park in Austria, established
in 1983. It is an agricultural region that has changed from pasturing cattle to
cultivating vineyards; it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural
Site. It has also been designated a Bird Heritage Site because 340+ bird
species migrate through the small region every year, attracted by one of
largest reed belts in Europe. </div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1iVm9QmJ0ulYh4GZ_61k1Af2WAoQYmqlr7H6uBGSb9SGpfogfC6DEDQGwPl_nI4fdRTwJGdfYLITHJhHD7fUNaS2pk-sU4NGaj_WuIyDza3qGccbKbgytId73Byhlie1u9xELdrg59ew/s1600/Neusiedler+See+038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="91" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1iVm9QmJ0ulYh4GZ_61k1Af2WAoQYmqlr7H6uBGSb9SGpfogfC6DEDQGwPl_nI4fdRTwJGdfYLITHJhHD7fUNaS2pk-sU4NGaj_WuIyDza3qGccbKbgytId73Byhlie1u9xELdrg59ew/s320/Neusiedler+See+038.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Neusiedler See on the horizon, fringed by the second largest reed belt in Europe.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0dbuhr1xnZE8E46qJdVc0qw32kMuT5capt3csUpooUx4cAIcsASeB6357_42qAFf31ofa3lcsGV7oZirwIzddoqv7HVxRZLG2zTmaBCZMRFwQ1dpfbTugIkPRgKyxLDEJ9QXyVGZI6mo/s1600/Neusiedler+See+047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0dbuhr1xnZE8E46qJdVc0qw32kMuT5capt3csUpooUx4cAIcsASeB6357_42qAFf31ofa3lcsGV7oZirwIzddoqv7HVxRZLG2zTmaBCZMRFwQ1dpfbTugIkPRgKyxLDEJ9QXyVGZI6mo/s320/Neusiedler+See+047.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reeds are still traditionally harvested for roof thatching.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We met Alois Lang, who has worked at the park since its
inception. Using a large, high-resolution topographic model of the region, he
explained the physical characteristics of the area that make it so unique.
Neusiedler See is a very shallow (max depth 2.2 m, average depth 0.8 m). It is
endorrheic, fed by precipitation and regulated by evaporation, though nowadays
a weir ensures that the lake does not completely dry up or flood anymore,
drastically changing its hydrology.
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgToYRdsIuL_dRk3INJSXr7zFmeg3pVuzTDanMoCnK3PkVr5lWklzpwXBf3a5XSMlQ5ljMITYJnOpUN36-6nlCwu7buEKoateDVyaCxQIx4FFX7I3UNoZHLb5evtFHDaERDEY2RRshS5pQ/s1600/DSCN3689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgToYRdsIuL_dRk3INJSXr7zFmeg3pVuzTDanMoCnK3PkVr5lWklzpwXBf3a5XSMlQ5ljMITYJnOpUN36-6nlCwu7buEKoateDVyaCxQIx4FFX7I3UNoZHLb5evtFHDaERDEY2RRshS5pQ/s320/DSCN3689.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alois Lang explains the morphology and hydrology of the Neusiedler See - Seewinkel region.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same strong winds push sand out of the lake onto the
eastern bank, creating sandy soils that proved perfect for vineyards, changing
the land use from cattle pasturing and haying to family-owned wine production
70 years ago. We saw hundreds of neat rows of grapevines on our way to the
park, covered in nets, passed over by biplanes, and enveloped in a noisy ambiance of automated gunshots, all in an attempt to keep the migrating birds
out of the vineyards during the concurrent grape harvest.
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY58Hu617XoUsTyLgFG72UmjJBxMkC9dN8NVaLn3PUd-oiBxwXTAx9hhbDC9hk-u5AE_2aEFLQz-MCvoUhq1_qBuLxKsd1SeEgBDBYW0xJxDJXtZejG2nl_aKW3C5I24plxoMey-mBMqo/s1600/Neusiedler+See+189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY58Hu617XoUsTyLgFG72UmjJBxMkC9dN8NVaLn3PUd-oiBxwXTAx9hhbDC9hk-u5AE_2aEFLQz-MCvoUhq1_qBuLxKsd1SeEgBDBYW0xJxDJXtZejG2nl_aKW3C5I24plxoMey-mBMqo/s320/Neusiedler+See+189.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sandy soil and climate of Neusiedler See are perfect for vineyards.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Next, we met with Prof. Alois Herzig, the former director of
the park and biological station, and Harry, who is in charge of park education.
They animatedly discussed the park’s management successes and challenges.
Rather than owning land, the park annually rents the land and the right to
manage it from the local landowners. In this way, the park is composed of
10,000 hectares of little islands of land surrounded by agriculture and linked
together by plots of land that have gone fallow as part of a
government-subsidized program, adding another 3-4,000 hectares.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfq9TmbutUxxhARnR0qKpIXvbG7cxSFa6WlJYHDv24r60OJU4lAAOjZ00s_l5FeauRyojwefcYmuaur11uG1YsApNolEfcxBsH8JxKE_drEhm5dT70pnP5gAVyysVFSqX-GBMumLz_W4/s1600/DSCN3684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfq9TmbutUxxhARnR0qKpIXvbG7cxSFa6WlJYHDv24r60OJU4lAAOjZ00s_l5FeauRyojwefcYmuaur11uG1YsApNolEfcxBsH8JxKE_drEhm5dT70pnP5gAVyysVFSqX-GBMumLz_W4/s320/DSCN3684.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map of Neusiedler See; the green areas show the national park.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTbg91_eVLgd57XnpL4zBXLChKXzIIW47wdfEIBeoxL0vlqSa9KAZEGBWwmrso-lYm_CiSBAoYtqgm6AT7t9OMBE9H3bf4RT5S9H_ENf-5H6AWjJ1DfdkquVQRAHAodJlfUWzoVmi3_FM/s1600/Neusiedler+See+116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="81" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTbg91_eVLgd57XnpL4zBXLChKXzIIW47wdfEIBeoxL0vlqSa9KAZEGBWwmrso-lYm_CiSBAoYtqgm6AT7t9OMBE9H3bf4RT5S9H_ENf-5H6AWjJ1DfdkquVQRAHAodJlfUWzoVmi3_FM/s320/Neusiedler+See+116.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fallow plot in between two vineyards.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The management of the land depends entirely upon the
decisions of the 28 national park staff; they are not dictated numbers by
government entities, such as bird population numbers or hectares conserved. If
they notice something that works, they continue to do it. For example, they
noticed that cattle-grazed land provided more bird habitat than mowed land or
untouched land, so they paid to borrow traditional grey cattle from southern
Austria and Hungary. In this way, they reintroduced a traditional land use
practice in the region which also serves an ecological function. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XXG1GZFOatYz5yDD3wpriDhMGRecc5BeOOZJWAGyYf1nQefVxVVO_LMrHmB2Yo02e0Rof8KdcyelfVyo1dSubS23_g31Q6rRXQ_yrPls7ZPBzqfxgoaDuY-5eOWrE80rYMM0os0ZRXM/s1600/Neusiedler+See+088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XXG1GZFOatYz5yDD3wpriDhMGRecc5BeOOZJWAGyYf1nQefVxVVO_LMrHmB2Yo02e0Rof8KdcyelfVyo1dSubS23_g31Q6rRXQ_yrPls7ZPBzqfxgoaDuY-5eOWrE80rYMM0os0ZRXM/s320/Neusiedler+See+088.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcsqdWG1Bqsd3hyphenhyphen_6-pOhQIi4zJy24ewlhfpDZUsO-hG-MKYz8Ml2a_qmYc16l02g0h54B0VTH3B-cqToZuPUxL6Z4WPCPMmmNtQD3C24xmZs85-jeJWzeVd4-Y_-BWitR0YCsxMKA5Y/s1600/Neusiedler+See+071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcsqdWG1Bqsd3hyphenhyphen_6-pOhQIi4zJy24ewlhfpDZUsO-hG-MKYz8Ml2a_qmYc16l02g0h54B0VTH3B-cqToZuPUxL6Z4WPCPMmmNtQD3C24xmZs85-jeJWzeVd4-Y_-BWitR0YCsxMKA5Y/s320/Neusiedler+See+071.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The national park has enjoyed other successes in addition to
recovering grasslands. The lake was once used as an eel fishery, introducing an
exotic species that decimated the local fish population. In order to become a
national park, the government required this industry be stopped, helping to
recover the lake’s natural species assemblage. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0AhpI9Fib3hIYzAEzkDo237VhkDS_G8OsVFzLmrr3AQ0-nUatGXE7arJj6i5_4KgtpBr4AREpn_QiIRKIgPy3kMWM5RbQ8C2UkEoqpyeWxCItZWJ6PdvccqmvthWyLUDryJxJ_z4mCFo/s1600/Neusiedler+See+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="77" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0AhpI9Fib3hIYzAEzkDo237VhkDS_G8OsVFzLmrr3AQ0-nUatGXE7arJj6i5_4KgtpBr4AREpn_QiIRKIgPy3kMWM5RbQ8C2UkEoqpyeWxCItZWJ6PdvccqmvthWyLUDryJxJ_z4mCFo/s320/Neusiedler+See+012.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
They also count successes within the community of Neusiedler
See. The national park serves as a role model for sustainable land use and
through the years there has been a change in the way locals value and use their
land. So much of the land is now rented to the park or allowed to go fallow
because it is of economic value to the whole community because of the
ecotourism it brings, which supports stable jobs so young people can afford to
stay in the community.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQGVyhI-fhx7IXpaxpZ3yl_BN-XLlRQjxQ9RwthkZ15mdOrno72kqU5j6Z13s0ZMNA66r1lnB7qSHlFiFPlbfcymal8r7G19QL6GbhYdEgju_PgVmnIEgKOTIi3io0Iw2lJC4LpfJpHY/s1600/Neusiedler+See+240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQGVyhI-fhx7IXpaxpZ3yl_BN-XLlRQjxQ9RwthkZ15mdOrno72kqU5j6Z13s0ZMNA66r1lnB7qSHlFiFPlbfcymal8r7G19QL6GbhYdEgju_PgVmnIEgKOTIi3io0Iw2lJC4LpfJpHY/s320/Neusiedler+See+240.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birds and wine draw tourists to the region.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCvuKXXDc6KQtXj0IIjXr0DcqYrQEnJoo3P5LtGMzTvFt_Pt4NS2DcX6PZbaJg8DPfrE0coYH8vUPqxnjLun5GbgQOPhEcSZl_97d4H9qk_hgeAHUU8k-PnwWWlsSe-Xhn_3sd5zgLyQ/s1600/Neusiedler+See+183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCvuKXXDc6KQtXj0IIjXr0DcqYrQEnJoo3P5LtGMzTvFt_Pt4NS2DcX6PZbaJg8DPfrE0coYH8vUPqxnjLun5GbgQOPhEcSZl_97d4H9qk_hgeAHUU8k-PnwWWlsSe-Xhn_3sd5zgLyQ/s320/Neusiedler+See+183.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The town of Illmitz near a saline pond.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The national park faces challenges ahead. The first is
money. The current budget is based on a contract between the regional and
national governments, each paying 50% of a budget upon which the governments,
without consulting the park, decide every year. The budget for 2014 is
uncertain as both governments consider defunding both the national park and the
fallow land subsidy. Should the park be unable to pay its rent to landowners –
which already requires 60% of the budget – the landowners may choose to
redevelop the land. The budget restrictions also leave only 3% for monitoring
and 2.5% for education. The park does not receive revenue from tourism, so its
land management, tourism advertising, and monitoring data rely solely on
personal agreements it has made with local landowners, industries, and
university researchers in Vienna.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppmoAsPX8AgiOesXNplaMT_xlEFWjP-rbCL5YRy4uckKdi4ysHvA0ieezPZoaHbWav0mlrxN4P_N4WbHmsCLGPfCsD1oiy1gycd0ZQMZJDYHh756TBulM1f27nhGICQNYvXXnmkIGjro/s1600/DSCN3698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppmoAsPX8AgiOesXNplaMT_xlEFWjP-rbCL5YRy4uckKdi4ysHvA0ieezPZoaHbWav0mlrxN4P_N4WbHmsCLGPfCsD1oiy1gycd0ZQMZJDYHh756TBulM1f27nhGICQNYvXXnmkIGjro/s320/DSCN3698.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IGERT saline systems group with Harry and Prof. Alois Herzig of the National Park.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Ecologically, the main challenge is now water retention.
Water management in the area focuses on maintaining stable lake levels and
avoiding floods. Water is also free and unlimited, so sloppy water use among
the farms is common. This inefficient consumption lowers the water table so much
that the smaller Seewinkle saline ponds, which naturally tend to dry up in the
summer, are drying up permanently because the groundwater that feeds them is
now too deep. The park has lost 60 ponds in this way, and now focuses on
educating the importance of saving the remaining forty ponds in its area.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaQG_52zoEV5SELCaSy-xNbtjOZ4zrlGkY3RGapp74cwvDW4ikqI5NJVlHOTX1-twUQdbxlzHOdmXWG0BEa6AqcnYkiWedgrcXLIa35dOtFOTZc6W6kR3s1pN4-grwZitt_PdVArgmUM/s1600/Neusiedler+See+134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaQG_52zoEV5SELCaSy-xNbtjOZ4zrlGkY3RGapp74cwvDW4ikqI5NJVlHOTX1-twUQdbxlzHOdmXWG0BEa6AqcnYkiWedgrcXLIa35dOtFOTZc6W6kR3s1pN4-grwZitt_PdVArgmUM/s320/Neusiedler+See+134.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birds at a Seewinkel pond.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyESKQiNscGXmtQblKQOudXU94BU1jZjgw2J3b1Xohc5XpqsMuji8GvV0pIQycVKFJ6JG3i-gjyXHvCDHgzO2i959MtTMnABiZnrV6tzrhsOAKcmey0yQvMUbb5v_IQGPLCB_cSrm5tc/s1600/Neusiedler+See+136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyESKQiNscGXmtQblKQOudXU94BU1jZjgw2J3b1Xohc5XpqsMuji8GvV0pIQycVKFJ6JG3i-gjyXHvCDHgzO2i959MtTMnABiZnrV6tzrhsOAKcmey0yQvMUbb5v_IQGPLCB_cSrm5tc/s320/Neusiedler+See+136.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seewinkel saline pond.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Many of us were struck by how similar the region was to the
Nebraska Sandhills in appearance and ecological function. This will lead to
many interesting future discussions in the saline systems group about how
saline systems are understood and managed.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2do-VfpA8K9CUnXMi7x27dxB7tWSWfmyAg5C_cJIwgkeVYzfF_jGM2fgfJbTNqR7wYWWnhPNVkEKMTpkljOYtcBW_jVZ91VxZQ5D14n3aujKgE0uquKOG7hNoBq4aefCzQHj1Cvomk98/s1600/Neusiedler+See+254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2do-VfpA8K9CUnXMi7x27dxB7tWSWfmyAg5C_cJIwgkeVYzfF_jGM2fgfJbTNqR7wYWWnhPNVkEKMTpkljOYtcBW_jVZ91VxZQ5D14n3aujKgE0uquKOG7hNoBq4aefCzQHj1Cvomk98/s320/Neusiedler+See+254.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading back to the city, marked by Vienna's "Home Mountain"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
(Post written by Victoria)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
(Photos by Victoria and Nathan)</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12602722234078932931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120427686711431515.post-77638099942673163612013-10-06T10:26:00.000-07:002013-10-06T10:35:55.910-07:00Hallstatt<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Some IGERT members have formed a small paper discussion
group on the resilience and management of saline systems. These unique systems
exist both in Nebraska and Austria, and we are curious about how the two
compare. Two different threats related to salt and aquatic systems are
predicted to become more serious in the coming decades: the loss of naturally
saline lakes, and the anthropogenic salinization of freshwater lakes. We will
visit examples of both of these situations in Austria. First, we visit a
freshwater system influenced by salt.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Members of the saline systems discussion group travel to
Hallstatt, in the western part of Austria near Salzburg. Hallstatt is part of
the Salzkammergut, or “salt kingdom,” where salt has been mined for thousands
of years, providing the region with economic stability and a vital natural
resource. The region is also characterized by several freshwater lakes. Our mission
is to learn more about how these two natural resources coexist and their
socio-economic connection.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLoMsH7gwP0G2NjHv946hfq79Jt9jayW1j6_yzvIycoppj-hpDQH2c6ZEwP5BAiM3MM5z2dPX8shm9aXT26SK1qlAeG8KRuXfjRDvZROfpyQn7REGCYk8-dF4GjepCzUxNzZAWIDMyrns/s1600/Salzkammergut+465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLoMsH7gwP0G2NjHv946hfq79Jt9jayW1j6_yzvIycoppj-hpDQH2c6ZEwP5BAiM3MM5z2dPX8shm9aXT26SK1qlAeG8KRuXfjRDvZROfpyQn7REGCYk8-dF4GjepCzUxNzZAWIDMyrns/s320/Salzkammergut+465.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The town of Hallstatt seems tiny from the ferry, hugging the
shores of the lake Hallstättersee and creeping up the surrounding mountains.
The town has about 1,000 permanent inhabitants. Every morning, two fishermen
cruise the lake with nets and return with the catch of the day for the locals
and restaurants to prepare for dinner. Swans, introduced to the lake to please
Empress Elisabeth when she would vacation here; today they cruise the lake
looking for handouts from the peasant tourists.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTysk6zOwDo6TgUexLBOCcJR2yp-YfQKcBHpJ9b2JVYZrxuIj-vNngHqdx4ju1hNrFPhy0LNqnxX7n5s-QEOBio88pwbbsC0lm81eiucM6Cw7hK-F5v9pE4YMdcvq4WCA_AWAsYO8iox4/s1600/Salzkammergut+612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTysk6zOwDo6TgUexLBOCcJR2yp-YfQKcBHpJ9b2JVYZrxuIj-vNngHqdx4ju1hNrFPhy0LNqnxX7n5s-QEOBio88pwbbsC0lm81eiucM6Cw7hK-F5v9pE4YMdcvq4WCA_AWAsYO8iox4/s320/Salzkammergut+612.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRZmIXjuJkcTvGdNt9ZSYMrvEe9_4XhB7kVaWjUbcyzEAG5gu9GlkOLcepngNRpC3AnKx1P-13mLwseuQE3hkOhNK4XBpRYoofCNK9XdlD67rwjjkKUsXXQ6qulJEHYo-nR03lpJqe5f8/s1600/Salzkammergut+614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRZmIXjuJkcTvGdNt9ZSYMrvEe9_4XhB7kVaWjUbcyzEAG5gu9GlkOLcepngNRpC3AnKx1P-13mLwseuQE3hkOhNK4XBpRYoofCNK9XdlD67rwjjkKUsXXQ6qulJEHYo-nR03lpJqe5f8/s320/Salzkammergut+614.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We ascend a nearby mountain to visit the local salt mine.
Hallstatt has been a mining center since about 7,000 years ago, and this is
thought to be the oldest salt mine in the world. Neolithic people mined the
salt to preserve meat; this area became one of the first known human
settlements, and its archaeological importance is recognized by an era of time
named after it (Hallstatt Era 800-400 BC).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3_7PEP5ySIEns2C3kmO6l_F8XH1SrQmCA1UJCeAq644loS4lJclSeCJqMH8JC5rINx0oK89Qszf8l_IqXJnpbg0RMxfekgT7Pa2IMqFvHdMY6iF3oc7y6bGBmN49jKLS4b-LP8vZgKM/s1600/Salzkammergut+557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3_7PEP5ySIEns2C3kmO6l_F8XH1SrQmCA1UJCeAq644loS4lJclSeCJqMH8JC5rINx0oK89Qszf8l_IqXJnpbg0RMxfekgT7Pa2IMqFvHdMY6iF3oc7y6bGBmN49jKLS4b-LP8vZgKM/s320/Salzkammergut+557.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roman ruins underneath a sports shop in town.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We enter the salt mine through a tunnel dug in the 1700s,
and descend to where the salt is located. The salt was deposited in layers from
seawater periodically evaporating during the Mesozoic Era. The deposit is rich
with iron from the seawater, giving the salt a red color. (Thanks to the guide
for being so patient with all of our geology questions!)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XvZcKXN1JDz-qZxVUCfZWw_R7Z_hyAH3BWIUa6lkyaAKfRAHAQQOS41hsYD13xBChTsSrz3vECVUpOEggMhea4CHe-z8U2ye1QsgGtSO_0sa15rhSPDaW4SEREA2Q4VVOp1N2_HfDIs/s1600/Salzkammergut+718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XvZcKXN1JDz-qZxVUCfZWw_R7Z_hyAH3BWIUa6lkyaAKfRAHAQQOS41hsYD13xBChTsSrz3vECVUpOEggMhea4CHe-z8U2ye1QsgGtSO_0sa15rhSPDaW4SEREA2Q4VVOp1N2_HfDIs/s320/Salzkammergut+718.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to the salt mine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifu5dT275uzOqUpj5t1_qDRdBZz0nfY4Mf5Fk6ZIp5WUq3jq2H0S1OcQoAJ5z2yF3Pt5_rEgnxm7lk_fmHpAGsGE1XUBgPDZeogWApPjSk1rzA_eCWfx0Ls0asF9cQRoj1zWNS4tmz2qY/s1600/Salzkammergut+738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifu5dT275uzOqUpj5t1_qDRdBZz0nfY4Mf5Fk6ZIp5WUq3jq2H0S1OcQoAJ5z2yF3Pt5_rEgnxm7lk_fmHpAGsGE1XUBgPDZeogWApPjSk1rzA_eCWfx0Ls0asF9cQRoj1zWNS4tmz2qY/s320/Salzkammergut+738.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salt deposits in the mine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The mine has continuously functioned through the millennia. The
mining techniques adapted with technology, and today the salt is mined by being
dissolved into water under pressure. The salt is then transported as brine
through pipes 40 km to the town of Ebensee, where it is placed in evaporative pools
to extract the salt. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJH96xlxnaUx3TChBkFK4pMxvB9uxMhAETof01i9zAq6sS6sQYhNyr8I8kbOAQFBqH5NAeQ-HL_d-8dVJhrOomCJInboagWm5hb5iKwNv1-ZTMkMfKyI46DuuYrjqJ_bErWkDmHpbIfX0/s1600/Salzkammergut+814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJH96xlxnaUx3TChBkFK4pMxvB9uxMhAETof01i9zAq6sS6sQYhNyr8I8kbOAQFBqH5NAeQ-HL_d-8dVJhrOomCJInboagWm5hb5iKwNv1-ZTMkMfKyI46DuuYrjqJ_bErWkDmHpbIfX0/s320/Salzkammergut+814.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The evolution of brine pipes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdyfHzTLAXNs-jldk4NvTUjINzuwMV-SfqFlgfQklW5f2RFPzvUj9dz5Pmu6qO8BDhnAuin01XvXwk-JfhgvARssUeo7gPgBDXmCle61Gbuku6IN_eVsPcLYe0n3YomoohQVGp99_kzwA/s1600/Salzkammergut+815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdyfHzTLAXNs-jldk4NvTUjINzuwMV-SfqFlgfQklW5f2RFPzvUj9dz5Pmu6qO8BDhnAuin01XvXwk-JfhgvARssUeo7gPgBDXmCle61Gbuku6IN_eVsPcLYe0n3YomoohQVGp99_kzwA/s320/Salzkammergut+815.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An old brine pipe.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The system is so efficient that the mine only employs 28
workers total. Because of the loss of jobs in the mining industry, young people
have left town for opportunities elsewhere; the population has shrunk by half, and
many of the houses have become rental properties for tourists.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIpaJLR7W_MHZGdj9ZfH_M5yRAiR-VUAHgLDUVaxReeKGsAbOqMh00EFnBnVKpnwlf_QXnyLSC5WchRQ-rK8vnGHSzCGOsOemQ9PP_Mjk6fkqnwnPgkjLHuUh5mban55Mr-UU_fL_FTlo/s1600/Salzkammergut+485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIpaJLR7W_MHZGdj9ZfH_M5yRAiR-VUAHgLDUVaxReeKGsAbOqMh00EFnBnVKpnwlf_QXnyLSC5WchRQ-rK8vnGHSzCGOsOemQ9PP_Mjk6fkqnwnPgkjLHuUh5mban55Mr-UU_fL_FTlo/s320/Salzkammergut+485.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginjHGHVD6BMwkcG5Jn96MJZtpcV1THHGh1A8daInHDXah1f2XQdNgLkOIEgEFGppHYJ3WbP_EhIvIzPcKbxcZiS3gofs2kjI8BPF6ClbKlydu_WI0fJy2IPBcuD4kU9B6asihKBYOHig/s1600/Salzkammergut+524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginjHGHVD6BMwkcG5Jn96MJZtpcV1THHGh1A8daInHDXah1f2XQdNgLkOIEgEFGppHYJ3WbP_EhIvIzPcKbxcZiS3gofs2kjI8BPF6ClbKlydu_WI0fJy2IPBcuD4kU9B6asihKBYOHig/s320/Salzkammergut+524.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Hallstättersee receives wastewater discharges from the mine
through one of its tributaries. On two occasions in the last few decades, the
brine pipes burst leaks, releasing large amounts of brine into the lake. News
reports suggested that the brine sank to the bottom immediately and therefore had
no impact on the lake; we were interested in the effects of sudden intense
additions salt on the benthic ecosystem. Our discussion papers found that the
brine spills caused ectogenic meromixis (the lake stops mixing during “turnover”
periods) and hypoxia (low or no oxygen) in the deeper regions of the lake which
showed temporary die-off of benthic fauna. Even though one brine spill was much
larger than the other, the lake took the same amount of time to recover from
the shock by flushing the salt out of its basin (3 years, or 6 times its water
residence time).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhB1rsGAuZsDeabfXV7feWEvKbXS3Uvn8SYI6CEhWCEX60vA441aFso35ruad9bCN1cdmnYZYKL0ZldYYvtMOfgAR2-CTM9FFFKCwnXwQtBUU8SpN20yo92HkdwZGo4_Ya3uRYp8R_w28/s1600/Salzkammergut+918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhB1rsGAuZsDeabfXV7feWEvKbXS3Uvn8SYI6CEhWCEX60vA441aFso35ruad9bCN1cdmnYZYKL0ZldYYvtMOfgAR2-CTM9FFFKCwnXwQtBUU8SpN20yo92HkdwZGo4_Ya3uRYp8R_w28/s320/Salzkammergut+918.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hallstattersee</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As far as we can tell, culturally and economically, though
the lake is beautiful, here salt is king. The lake is lucky that it has the
natural ability to respond quickly to the occasional “oops” of large brine
spills, because the salt isn’t going anywhere soon.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZYAVkLEFlpvjllaq-B8FPD-ObK2dpwbR2jOoPlMJ3LrT9BwjkGYALLwWexUJQl8o75mzXsKqQlKw6EPFxC57hVXFU-yltlBUXFig7qJryv6L8aQbLJzzMyRV0tYYfl7tbB35nFnYeyA/s1600/Salzkammergut+955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZYAVkLEFlpvjllaq-B8FPD-ObK2dpwbR2jOoPlMJ3LrT9BwjkGYALLwWexUJQl8o75mzXsKqQlKw6EPFxC57hVXFU-yltlBUXFig7qJryv6L8aQbLJzzMyRV0tYYfl7tbB35nFnYeyA/s320/Salzkammergut+955.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqRfqEq-kcMGr1sjiC-jquqM_RZusbDVLWA2ztUwdx36A-ZGqPJJ-64eZzZedL1NhWPleYMy9CJV7547xeKd5JWoAuUJbbh0g06ySknSnYzab04JPuc8vxq15IrhebA65ZS6mtMwnZik/s1600/Salzkammergut+885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqRfqEq-kcMGr1sjiC-jquqM_RZusbDVLWA2ztUwdx36A-ZGqPJJ-64eZzZedL1NhWPleYMy9CJV7547xeKd5JWoAuUJbbh0g06ySknSnYzab04JPuc8vxq15IrhebA65ZS6mtMwnZik/s320/Salzkammergut+885.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
(Posted by Victoria)<br />
(Photos by Victoria)<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12602722234078932931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120427686711431515.post-84293475319631682402013-09-26T11:01:00.004-07:002013-09-26T11:01:56.628-07:00BOKU and IIASA<u>BOKU</u><br />
<u><br /></u>
BOKU = Universität für Bodenkultur Wien = University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna<br />
<br />
On September 19th, we made a trip to BOKU for a series of lectures presented by one of our international collaborators, Dr. Jan Sendzimir. We were joined by a couple students from Burkina Faso and another professor from the university. Jan gave us three presentations: 1) Adapting to Global Change: Integrating Science and Policy in River Basins, 2) Participatory Processes to View Consequences of Assumptions about Social-Ecological Systems, and 3) Ignoring Climate Science: Some 'soft' explanations.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pjrKXNDp7RM20hQbHT4UdZnNoXOKI8TWxVR_Uf6hKvlc56isxHe6tyXl8JtVq8Zg1YsnsKTECeC8wCnf7R4vLQSPZ4YBSkKuulzYuPWNgNeZSXT7VhJq9POtsWgGHv8Bpd_p5uOb8C8/s1600/_A190001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pjrKXNDp7RM20hQbHT4UdZnNoXOKI8TWxVR_Uf6hKvlc56isxHe6tyXl8JtVq8Zg1YsnsKTECeC8wCnf7R4vLQSPZ4YBSkKuulzYuPWNgNeZSXT7VhJq9POtsWgGHv8Bpd_p5uOb8C8/s320/_A190001.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: Maggi Sliwinski</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qXEIaUjnmONcwfqYWVi2jNwOFXjjMvRqxgHmkTM6-qyxyKoBZHdWcf-pYvm8wB_yAXzKbElvIsOu6LA6vb1lpVIlxKIU0KNJisiSKrWbJWnl6vMOqG43Y-dWOZPrUIUvOzDUDkfJKmQ/s1600/_A190014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qXEIaUjnmONcwfqYWVi2jNwOFXjjMvRqxgHmkTM6-qyxyKoBZHdWcf-pYvm8wB_yAXzKbElvIsOu6LA6vb1lpVIlxKIU0KNJisiSKrWbJWnl6vMOqG43Y-dWOZPrUIUvOzDUDkfJKmQ/s320/_A190014.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: Maggi Sliwinski</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIIbyseUn2IYUk2WIztGolNW6ZqrpTU0Bsku-EfR38KmodQ30zjVEGLyaLCzK_EahCq9N66aCvgvOtjROs9GzGEJMXtIwXDnCcPbVOxIq9wOOc_EDmKZeezKGlAc1qZoA4sIIuGZRcHUs/s1600/_A190023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIIbyseUn2IYUk2WIztGolNW6ZqrpTU0Bsku-EfR38KmodQ30zjVEGLyaLCzK_EahCq9N66aCvgvOtjROs9GzGEJMXtIwXDnCcPbVOxIq9wOOc_EDmKZeezKGlAc1qZoA4sIIuGZRcHUs/s320/_A190023.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: Maggi Sliwinski</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><u>IIASA</u><div>
<u><br /></u></div>
<div>
IIASA = International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Laxenburg, Vienna</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This morning, September 26th, we traveled a short way outside Vienna to Laxenburg for a meeting with another international collaborator, Dr. Piotr Magnuszewski. We discussed our plans for Poland, where we will get a chance to observe other people playing the role playing game as part of an exploratory study. We will be sure to provide more details following our experiences in Poland next month. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoBoRJ0nx0lwoalTd8Tw72W-ZycEfsVARzbpTk-PtQr8Lr9ltdImEJ6eVpPkHwqDg-0GtNjfT0-vtUzKGzfY_t8iSl9vs3eSAuUq9hfVVgCcHxdqXQvu9lpj9HScZiENz6oCr0MuSKfs/s1600/DSC01750+(640x425).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoBoRJ0nx0lwoalTd8Tw72W-ZycEfsVARzbpTk-PtQr8Lr9ltdImEJ6eVpPkHwqDg-0GtNjfT0-vtUzKGzfY_t8iSl9vs3eSAuUq9hfVVgCcHxdqXQvu9lpj9HScZiENz6oCr0MuSKfs/s320/DSC01750+(640x425).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the bus to Laxenburg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ctQu4cukhxtyMs2bLiekWXS_2ADe_IUnX3oIEpVkT6Ee2MmhZdqmVpsSfM9XAtZp26DoB5Xwi4n_tvm4KibtG7hMTqY6k3XBZEef_eRB7f0t7f0Uy1chsonCfYqbDdwuqtfMeMH4zw0/s1600/DSC01764+(640x425).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ctQu4cukhxtyMs2bLiekWXS_2ADe_IUnX3oIEpVkT6Ee2MmhZdqmVpsSfM9XAtZp26DoB5Xwi4n_tvm4KibtG7hMTqY6k3XBZEef_eRB7f0t7f0Uy1chsonCfYqbDdwuqtfMeMH4zw0/s320/DSC01764+(640x425).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside IIASA</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVgatMF0F6VZZSQxtrBYIoDS8dJtOAFnE4dwHGiQXJmYHvWJiI5sFUVR0_0XMuQorVIZ_XwweG_iIYXuRuAdEM-QE1gHp0c22bcvGpZR-6ZZS8fHvuK_LAg643J2_D2tL48Ot-4yiEkk/s1600/DSC01776+(640x425).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVgatMF0F6VZZSQxtrBYIoDS8dJtOAFnE4dwHGiQXJmYHvWJiI5sFUVR0_0XMuQorVIZ_XwweG_iIYXuRuAdEM-QE1gHp0c22bcvGpZR-6ZZS8fHvuK_LAg643J2_D2tL48Ot-4yiEkk/s320/DSC01776+(640x425).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWsMZadCKJfG8mmhNJ9qZn6B_Lx9b0UbpyuMOT24kHEY11UCeuP2gI6PXxAL0JCkaX6eDehT-AwpZyErVgAhLhippT3oi36fvlNqtZfYCxkkk1ciXkdRPeEngyJup-w27DGo117Waqnw/s1600/DSC01787+(426x640).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWsMZadCKJfG8mmhNJ9qZn6B_Lx9b0UbpyuMOT24kHEY11UCeuP2gI6PXxAL0JCkaX6eDehT-AwpZyErVgAhLhippT3oi36fvlNqtZfYCxkkk1ciXkdRPeEngyJup-w27DGo117Waqnw/s320/DSC01787+(426x640).jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piotr</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12602722234078932931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120427686711431515.post-26445103862891397022013-09-14T01:40:00.002-07:002013-10-06T10:40:02.077-07:00Maggi's take on the Game<br />
As you know, the IGERT group spent Tuesday morning playing a game, titled "Lords of the Valley". Although this may sound like some fantasy-laden
video game, it is in fact related to our training as IGERT students.
Lords of the Valley is also known as "Floodplain Management Game". If
you know that our IGERT is titled "Resilience and Adaptive Governance in
Stressed Watersheds", then you can see the connection.<br />
<br />
This game is based on work conducted in the Tisza River Valley, in
Hungary. The Tisza River Valley is an area with agricultural development
in a flood-prone area. There is a local town government that sets land
prices and tax rates, a water control board, which is in charge of
maintaining either dikes or irrigation structures, as well as a bank and
non-governmental organizations. In real life, there are likely many
more stakeholders, but for the purposes of the game, this is plenty.
These stakeholders are thrown into a situation where yearly rainfall is
unpredictable, and they must act out a series of years, making decisions
about what to grow on the land, how much land should cost, whether they
should work with an NGO, or if they should take out a loan to fund any
of these activities. Essentially, this game represents a complex system
in which all actors are linked together in sometimes unclear ways,
exactly how real life is.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDNpBrGtBHw24eqkJYG7taCPJRCfcADKUcn_OiHdNz43Fpe18LIzJY3VwEthhkz-tC-KOByMDUiYKnM4P_GwJEYPwGrpx0elVmx6DrJ6yub5ND2uCF8WDIUup9r0iBx5l3phczQVpIuXn/s1600/shelli+maggi+game.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDNpBrGtBHw24eqkJYG7taCPJRCfcADKUcn_OiHdNz43Fpe18LIzJY3VwEthhkz-tC-KOByMDUiYKnM4P_GwJEYPwGrpx0elVmx6DrJ6yub5ND2uCF8WDIUup9r0iBx5l3phczQVpIuXn/s320/shelli+maggi+game.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My partner and I trying to decide the best course of action.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There are a number of reasons for playing this game. One is to use it
as an educational tool. Real people that live in any complex system
(most humans live in a complex system without ever realizing it) can
play the game to learn how to discover linkages that are present in
their own lives. This can lead to better decisions for the whole
community. The game is also a tool to be used to learning how to
effectively communicate, since all players lack complete information--we
know a lot about our own situations, but very little about the
specifics of any other situations.<br />
<br />
Another way this game may be used is to educate real stakeholders about
other stakeholders' views. For example, you could take this game to the
Tisza River Valley and ask stakeholders to play. The trick would be that
you would switch their roles: the farmer would take on the role of
banker, the local government would take on the role of non-government
organization, etc. The hope is that the different stakeholders may start
to develop and understanding of and empathy towards other stakeholders
with which they may have been at odds. You can also develop games
specific to other areas and/or problems to be used in a similar manner.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UB7yGblxtNAJX8-JcDE-8cwrOzQFsfRpazqQNdqf8J9ePTE8ZPI1gyBfOAeoUhOEO4APRESIDoodR8RJfjlFJOgXVKs-Mvt5VjrZeTdhX1xCEHcn7TAWVvmaH7JSNXqB13t6QYC5eRAo/s1600/community+meeting+game.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UB7yGblxtNAJX8-JcDE-8cwrOzQFsfRpazqQNdqf8J9ePTE8ZPI1gyBfOAeoUhOEO4APRESIDoodR8RJfjlFJOgXVKs-Mvt5VjrZeTdhX1xCEHcn7TAWVvmaH7JSNXqB13t6QYC5eRAo/s320/community+meeting+game.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first "community meeting".</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Using the game as an aquarium is also possible. This has been done
once, in which students were asked to play the roles in the game, while
the real-life stakeholders sat silent in the room to watch the
interactions and outcomes. This is particularly useful when there is a
lot of animosity among the stakeholders. Watching others play the game
may also encourage the development of empathy towards other stakeholders
and help to facilitate discussions that were not possible prior to the
game.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSRBYQOFYdP1Nbfrfy8jJxJF3ngfcRaA9ErEF7Ljmuu6exf9tP4W4v0PKN2IVtllEsZ5iKn6GZh9IobxLxojdDGJa9w7-paZQDNWtpTyWwTQB_TyTsNp7cBrY0AobDmV6sQDwQbdbhk6v/s1600/studying+the+board.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSRBYQOFYdP1Nbfrfy8jJxJF3ngfcRaA9ErEF7Ljmuu6exf9tP4W4v0PKN2IVtllEsZ5iKn6GZh9IobxLxojdDGJa9w7-paZQDNWtpTyWwTQB_TyTsNp7cBrY0AobDmV6sQDwQbdbhk6v/s320/studying+the+board.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Studying the board.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Finally, the game may also be used to study social processes in complex
systems. Understanding how people behave in complex systems is an
interesting, if difficult, problem to study. Using a role playing game
such as "Lords of the Valley" may be useful, but how much this may apply
to real-life situations, when it's students acting out roles, is a
little unclear to me. For instance, if I was really a farmer, instead of
trying to fulfill the role of a farmer in the game, the outcomes may
have been different. But these are difficult questions to answer, and a
role playing game is one way to start answering them.<br />
<br />
(Post written by Maggi Sliwinski)<br />
<br />
(Photos by Victoria) Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12602722234078932931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120427686711431515.post-63522219398112873812013-09-13T08:14:00.003-07:002013-09-14T01:38:31.047-07:00One week inWe made it through our first workshop. Yesterday we learned how to observe the stakeholder simulations to collect data. This is essentially what we will be doing while we are in Poland next month. I think we learned so much this week - it has already been an invaluable experience. Here are a few pictures from yesterday's exercises. In the following few pictures, Vicky is a shopkeeper and Marie and Ilonka are customers. They are each looking to buy the same goods for different reasons, but neither of them have enough money to buy them on their own. This exercise was similar to material we covered in our Conflict Resolution short course, and we now also have the tools to take meaningful notes while observing the interaction taking place.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslzibpIelSTJ79QEr4bRyKddJL0g3jGvk2BTArQCu-plwloWyeMouGbMur_OQ9JllhJPAJcVLq-eeauAaww9iHF0vlUH7O5iPtsPvy67eYWHatVSNNKwvPJhDi5IV3viDa4e51qWKZDU/s1600/IMG_0832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslzibpIelSTJ79QEr4bRyKddJL0g3jGvk2BTArQCu-plwloWyeMouGbMur_OQ9JllhJPAJcVLq-eeauAaww9iHF0vlUH7O5iPtsPvy67eYWHatVSNNKwvPJhDi5IV3viDa4e51qWKZDU/s640/IMG_0832.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pet stores and pink frisbees</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBTSygLErS21CPKe64iiiC7kqiRjnoBcyu3NbxBiVCi1w6u_jUO4cwyCguwT59JCe6ZL06JX-uWm_q7H6yLz1AHNTPPJLj_6kZgn3Tv_Ozwt4SeTGIqz2B3-H_fqbCMUkalbtpaNr094U/s1600/IMG_0833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBTSygLErS21CPKe64iiiC7kqiRjnoBcyu3NbxBiVCi1w6u_jUO4cwyCguwT59JCe6ZL06JX-uWm_q7H6yLz1AHNTPPJLj_6kZgn3Tv_Ozwt4SeTGIqz2B3-H_fqbCMUkalbtpaNr094U/s640/IMG_0833.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVIhAjcfy90S4uNdtt_FoIyfZUPsVTc0K-Is90ghAWLXeD_iNWBSZwHz5XulOILCSY9p3URCHGYAyfmcwet79JZjpN0EVwHCsLZ-4xnClnfMSA-jnaPN2L01Uiod9gNMoQOjzFj1WfuU/s1600/IMG_0834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVIhAjcfy90S4uNdtt_FoIyfZUPsVTc0K-Is90ghAWLXeD_iNWBSZwHz5XulOILCSY9p3URCHGYAyfmcwet79JZjpN0EVwHCsLZ-4xnClnfMSA-jnaPN2L01Uiod9gNMoQOjzFj1WfuU/s640/IMG_0834.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
This exercise was structured more like the "community meetings" we have participated in as part of the stakeholder simulation. In this situation, Anil is an upset landowner, Maggi is a dairy farmer, Shelli is a city-slicker visiting her grandparents' farm, and Noelle is the town mayor. They each have their own problems and goals they'd like to achieve, and each has specific information about their role, causing them to bring different motivations to the exercise, unbeknownst to the other players.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bf3-Bd6W5YjfxKTbtkrDqp902bYlHxGo1KGGckeiPQXmfRjiZxDcOJvIGAjXoPMB6J3f1VrOHMK_yqaRPTB77Y_AzzTf8iyWv3NEgHpsc6xXMBmoqp8h3ZNji1OEwMNdwI5ILacrnX4/s1600/IMG_0836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bf3-Bd6W5YjfxKTbtkrDqp902bYlHxGo1KGGckeiPQXmfRjiZxDcOJvIGAjXoPMB6J3f1VrOHMK_yqaRPTB77Y_AzzTf8iyWv3NEgHpsc6xXMBmoqp8h3ZNji1OEwMNdwI5ILacrnX4/s640/IMG_0836.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here you see Joanna, our workshop leader, stepping in to help us walk through what we just witnessed. After observing the interactions, we discussed what we saw as a group, and noted moments of conflict, cooperation, and leadership.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoesU_DI0rqJ3ImTSXynfgXaOaLssAKincO3j-ENUqRjOh9JRM5vaNCSYpYCRGywQbraPxi7CryHX01FE5t-l7G3MDHUcS_v5tEVnZz8JyMUkEOCdTmZhyphenhyphenViuZ4on_ADP14JxghOybZ1A/s1600/IMG_0839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoesU_DI0rqJ3ImTSXynfgXaOaLssAKincO3j-ENUqRjOh9JRM5vaNCSYpYCRGywQbraPxi7CryHX01FE5t-l7G3MDHUcS_v5tEVnZz8JyMUkEOCdTmZhyphenhyphenViuZ4on_ADP14JxghOybZ1A/s640/IMG_0839.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In these pictures, you can also see the workspace at Plenum we have while we are working in Vienna. It's a nice meeting space, away from the hostel, where we can ideally be productive and work as a group. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This morning we met with Craig to go over possible manuscript ideas and discuss what we learned this week. He is leaving tomorrow morning, and we won't see him again until our trip to Montpellier, France next month. We have plenty to read and prepare for before we take any of our group trips, so even though the workshop is over, we're really just getting started! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12602722234078932931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120427686711431515.post-64371615499995428582013-09-10T13:19:00.000-07:002013-09-14T01:35:54.571-07:00Playing games in ViennaToday was our first full day of "work." A group of faculty members from IIASA joined us for our first day of the stakeholder simulation workshop. The group was split up into stakeholder categories and given background information on each role. Groups included a local government, an environmental NGO, farmers, bankers, and a water council, and we each had limited funds to start the game (100 euros). Farmers had to buy land and try to make a profit, the local government had to sell land and allocate money to the water council, who was in charge of controlling the river's water flow. The NGO's goal was to work with other stakeholders and promote sustainable land use (as determined by the descriptions we were given to start the game).<br />
<br />
The exercise was an excellent example of how important information sharing is when trying to reach a common goal. We learned the importance of transparency, trust, and open communication, as well as how difficult it is to balance policy and science. Part of the difficulty in these simulations is the speed at which we move through them. Today we covered 7 years of decision-making among 18 people in about 4 hours. Making decisions in the face of uncertainty and under pressure is difficult, and we all walked away with a greater understanding of how difficult it is to implement adaptive management in a complex system. We also learned how our cultural background influences how we view problem solving. Often, the solutions proposed by the IGERT students were very different than those proposed by our international colleagues.<br />
<br />
The next 2 days include more workshops where we learn how to observe the simulations, record meaningful qualitative data, and interact with a variety of stakeholders. This is a busy week for us, but we are learning the basic skills needed to implement these workshops with real stakeholders in Poland, which will take place next month.<br />
<br />
I apologize for the brief description, as I could go on about these games for pages, but I wanted to get a quick blog post out on what we have been up to. In addition to work, we have been on quite the culinary tour of Austria - though we haven't had any Viennese food yet (at least as a group). However, we have had delicious Greek, Chinese, Thai, and Nepalese meals. Our hostel is in a wonderful location, and conveniently, there are plenty of microbreweries, cafes, and gelato stands between work and home. We definitely won't starve here; we're much more likely to run out of money first. The restaurant we visited tonight was in a quaint neighborhood with narrow, cobblestone streets lined with cafes and stores set in buildings with beautiful architecture. Vienna is a wonderful city, and we are making sure we play just as hard as we work. Here are a few more pictures from around town - all were taken within walking distance of our hostel.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqGCeSkZNRGfs6wG3p4pT0kqFmA4ymFw7rqkircmIniAzpV0bXZQx9zl5pcwZMdkY0kpEkC5GG6vb0apGkJ0o9-8U3rEqctgdbYgcPTaIbbn2jUmgW_T5QPRvBBUNjlJdKseAzS_UY-o/s1600/IMG_0769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqGCeSkZNRGfs6wG3p4pT0kqFmA4ymFw7rqkircmIniAzpV0bXZQx9zl5pcwZMdkY0kpEkC5GG6vb0apGkJ0o9-8U3rEqctgdbYgcPTaIbbn2jUmgW_T5QPRvBBUNjlJdKseAzS_UY-o/s640/IMG_0769.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp4omCI8jhgjqpP7ag4BmMnv5tbyJx1ZLes3y8njslpI_4HuT26h_qMX3IhqjkZUrCiXFs7vaeWdF4is8urisoSh1pmje64CAWWp9d15pKh48FTOg9Ch1ZHS8mkioA2VkW2xZdY_eZudk/s1600/IMG_0776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp4omCI8jhgjqpP7ag4BmMnv5tbyJx1ZLes3y8njslpI_4HuT26h_qMX3IhqjkZUrCiXFs7vaeWdF4is8urisoSh1pmje64CAWWp9d15pKh48FTOg9Ch1ZHS8mkioA2VkW2xZdY_eZudk/s640/IMG_0776.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvzfiZ0FIXPIytYMxjKinjfJbf-ZAMHj-uaPGLHn34vtGkF3UZz3cTr6Qkp5jRydlwuUjjczgTj3S_c-2-zRtbsjK8Krw66ShokTftzxdCUr8-gj5pvPyQoSYEkUIu1hJ68nLCFLzMoI/s1600/IMG_0786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvzfiZ0FIXPIytYMxjKinjfJbf-ZAMHj-uaPGLHn34vtGkF3UZz3cTr6Qkp5jRydlwuUjjczgTj3S_c-2-zRtbsjK8Krw66ShokTftzxdCUr8-gj5pvPyQoSYEkUIu1hJ68nLCFLzMoI/s640/IMG_0786.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bPu9YAl-hoZ-iWorMcymfVDvCcAH7hBW5r6ZG_EAmnU5KiRkjG7-ZOmXohcHp2Oo_JMED1l9sXN0KfhKGKWTEYg_fTcZqy3ZImMH63bnRH8xlHodp2Mg7sUoDsZ9TxlAfhbt8sFIGkQ/s1600/IMG_0794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bPu9YAl-hoZ-iWorMcymfVDvCcAH7hBW5r6ZG_EAmnU5KiRkjG7-ZOmXohcHp2Oo_JMED1l9sXN0KfhKGKWTEYg_fTcZqy3ZImMH63bnRH8xlHodp2Mg7sUoDsZ9TxlAfhbt8sFIGkQ/s640/IMG_0794.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWKbTTIIC8O9FxQdTWAdesFoceqezL-jf8CNAh8VpaDgRM1zKs8Xzthaf56eqBc0xt_xWMr0ZMwfMgY0nEjwRyP8aTYBSBO6ooSY6aC_JVAjcFedkb2AaaQyf7WEmo2tYZLvIrYqRkLQc/s1600/IMG_0795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWKbTTIIC8O9FxQdTWAdesFoceqezL-jf8CNAh8VpaDgRM1zKs8Xzthaf56eqBc0xt_xWMr0ZMwfMgY0nEjwRyP8aTYBSBO6ooSY6aC_JVAjcFedkb2AaaQyf7WEmo2tYZLvIrYqRkLQc/s640/IMG_0795.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgtR7Z6ZMywaWaYVm46qY3kbyC-HlGScdv1WIPSRMXxRPSgIiCqGpECUzCI2_j1ymOqwOsEvAC60gW0rstCw9WCqOT2Ez2nkrxRAZBSwZJhZCrBaMqvK19eFgMRRstEXQ4Gfjh_j9-Na0/s1600/IMG_0825.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgtR7Z6ZMywaWaYVm46qY3kbyC-HlGScdv1WIPSRMXxRPSgIiCqGpECUzCI2_j1ymOqwOsEvAC60gW0rstCw9WCqOT2Ez2nkrxRAZBSwZJhZCrBaMqvK19eFgMRRstEXQ4Gfjh_j9-Na0/s640/IMG_0825.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPQ_lI0cbeK2OL9GealoCwndffnT52dm17k1tbS8IWCruCLADrDs7NQFAwbV-55wL52M-2KFvNOJDevF-09NOtB5Zxs5kvnAjWS6rU_p318BFF8dUQ4G6EH6orgiRwvK_RjeTFrTup6yg/s1600/IMG_0826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPQ_lI0cbeK2OL9GealoCwndffnT52dm17k1tbS8IWCruCLADrDs7NQFAwbV-55wL52M-2KFvNOJDevF-09NOtB5Zxs5kvnAjWS6rU_p318BFF8dUQ4G6EH6orgiRwvK_RjeTFrTup6yg/s640/IMG_0826.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12602722234078932931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120427686711431515.post-21291192653639295622013-09-08T10:55:00.002-07:002013-09-08T11:02:15.155-07:00Hallo!The IGERT group made it to Austria in tact (but very tired). Our day spent traveling was relatively uneventful and everything went smoothly. All of us and our luggage arrived in Vienna safely, and we made our way to the Happy Hostel to check in. The first day was spent trying not to fall asleep, as we landed around 8:30 am, Vienna time, having gotten little or no sleep on the plane. We met up with Craig, Alan, and our Austrian host Jan for a delicious dinner at Mythos and promptly came back to the hostel to get some much-needed sleep.<br />
<br />
Today we had another delicious meal with Craig and Alan and then split up to do some sight-seeing. A couple folks went to check out a couple of Vienna's many art museums, and the rest of us walked to St. Stephen's Cathedral (below).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8LARzA5jsbKlx_dPQQ1rR4fKA7DlH7kzArEaoxxGNZwO8heFDg1n3mxFZbYSV9A6rzsYOjpPWISytDDnEddLV8F_WHrljot8cd_JXny1Yb9yGBDohRFm7A1YDHTP-p91iZ_GplNZFrQw/s1600/IMG_0792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8LARzA5jsbKlx_dPQQ1rR4fKA7DlH7kzArEaoxxGNZwO8heFDg1n3mxFZbYSV9A6rzsYOjpPWISytDDnEddLV8F_WHrljot8cd_JXny1Yb9yGBDohRFm7A1YDHTP-p91iZ_GplNZFrQw/s640/IMG_0792.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIR6JmfN-30KKvtlxVtiFxXOMxtu5hvSW16gP7O81ChpRjubHArTjauWQ9qLjUFhPHAlckjB-uABufSQSM5IA5BAWPrlMdU6zZyLMKC3PTUMM77Air4d4jT1yIEV0iDxdf_NAFGJSV1E/s1600/IMG_0814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIR6JmfN-30KKvtlxVtiFxXOMxtu5hvSW16gP7O81ChpRjubHArTjauWQ9qLjUFhPHAlckjB-uABufSQSM5IA5BAWPrlMdU6zZyLMKC3PTUMM77Air4d4jT1yIEV0iDxdf_NAFGJSV1E/s640/IMG_0814.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Most Austrians have been very friendly to us, despite us not knowing much German. In fact, almost everyone has spoken at least some English, and we've been able to get along just fine. A couple of us even managed to figure out the underground train to get back to the hostel. Obviously, it's tricky not speaking the language, but hopefully we will pick up more as we are here longer. In any case, I'd say the first 24 hours have been spectacular, and we are all so happy to finally be here! </div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12602722234078932931noreply@blogger.com0