Geotourism unveils Web site

About three-dozen people attended a workshop on a geotourism Web site in Minden on Monday.

Sponsored by National Geographic, the Sierra Business Council, and the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, portal editor Becky Bell said the goal of the geotourism project is to provide travelers with information about local attractions.

"Travelers want to know about local culture," she said. "They want to plan for a trip that doesn't necessarily include the homogenous branded place. They want to go to the mom and pop place."

The project encourages residents to write about locally operated businesses, trails, attractions or anything else they can think of that someone visiting the east slope of the Sierra might be interested in.

Material is submitted through the www.sierranevadageotourism.org Web site, which Bell showed to workshop attendees on Monday.

Visitors log on to the site then fill out a questionnaire about their nomination for the geotourism site.

"We're looking for descriptions that are soulful," Bell said. "We don't just want to say there's something there."

Along with the description, there's the means to upload a photograph, video, or other material related to the nomination.

All submissions are reviewed and then posted online, where they can be searched.

Carson Valley is in the Tahoe Emigrant Corridor. The corridor ranges across the Sierra and includes Reno, Carson City and South Lake Tahoe.

Events, services and places that are centered in the area are eligible for nomination.

Nominations are being taken through August for inclusion in the project in September.

Bell said that residents are welcome to continue to submit nominations after August.

The project includes the Sierra from Tehachapi to the Cascades.

Information gathered from the site may be used by National Geographic to build a geotourism atlas.