Editorial Notes

Abstract

Editorial Notes Craig S. Revels In these uncertain times, it is my pleasure to welcome you to something consistent, the annual publication of the Yearbook of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers; this marks the eighty-second volume since our founding as an organization. Collectively, its contents showcase the vibrancy of our geographic community. Within these pages you will find original research, commentary, and reviews covering many aspects of our discipline, along with a full complement of abstracts, awards, and reports from our 2019 meeting in Flagstaff. In his Presidential Address at that meeting, Brian Pompeii reminded us that many of the large-scale events that impact our region often have hidden dimensions. In this case, the impacts of the recent Great California Drought went beyond managing a diminished water supply, revealing a process that magnified pre-existing socioeconomic and environmental inequities. Exposure to the worst aspects was channeled to the most marginalized populations, and thus is yet another example of the historical struggle between California's vulnerable citizens and powerful political interests. For many people, crawfish are associated with the Gulf Coast, where they are a prominent part of the cultural milieu. Klaus Meyer-Arendt and Martha Henderson bring to our attention the crawfish in a completely different landscape, the Pacific Northwest. Documenting the source areas and ecological frameworks of crawfish in Oregon and Washington, they consider the origins of both commercial and recreational crawfishing, and the current state of each. Recently, evolving culinary tastes and the increasing number of crawfish festivals have popularized and strengthened the crawfish as part of the regional culture. Our next two articles focus on techniques that approach the broad question of water and water availability. Using a water budget model, Christopher Woltemade examines the potential of small-scale conservation measures to improve summer flow in California's Navarre River. He concludes that increasing storage capacity for winter stream withdrawals and reducing stream diversions in the summer have the potential to improve the quality of salmonid habitat while at the same time meeting rising demand for domestic and agricultural use, a delicate balance that will be increasingly important in the future. Michael Lewis and his fellow authors present a model for improving the resolution of remotely sensed soil moisture imagery. They demonstrate [End Page 9] that a simple algorithm can be used to downscale low-resolution soil-moisture imagery to higher resolution data, while at the same time creating an easier, more accessible methodology for field applications at local levels. Ray Sumner shifts our gaze to a broader perspective, reflecting on connections between Australia and the United States. Steering clear of traditional geographical comparisons, she adopts a narrative focusing on the military relationship between the two countries, their shared histories of gold mining, and some of the biogeographical exchanges that have impacted each of them. Offering us a personal window into the last few years of the great radical geographer Bill Bunge, Clark Akatiff shares his perspective on both the man and his role in geography. In doing so, he reminds us that the history of geography is important, and that Bunge's contributions to it should not be forgotten. Finally, Heather Moll provides a timely consideration of the assessments used in online geography courses. Examining the role of student motivation on course success, she explores the idea of a point-accrual system based on gamifying the grading scale, turning it into a clear, achievement-based approach familiar to many students through video games. Early results have been promising, demonstrably reducing student anxiety over grades as well as motivating them to perform better in the class. Our association relies on the commitment and efforts of its members. I wish to express my thanks this year to all of the contributors, reviewers, and everyone who made this volume possible. Timelines and plans have certainly been completely upended in the last few months, and patience and persistence from all parties resulted in what I believe is a fine representation of our organization. Special thanks are due to Dave Deis, who once again produced our cover design, and to Rick Cooper, staying the course and doing so much to produce what you hold in your hands...