Abstract Geoparks and the valorization of sites with a strong geoheritage component is a new frontier for sustainable tourism. A UNESCO special recognition was established in 2015, and much work has been undertaken in establishing sites in Europe and Asia, yet only five localities have been recognized by UNESCO in North America. This paper discusses three sites relevant to geoheritage – Pulpit Rock in Massachusetts, Montmorency Falls in Quebec and Niagara Falls in New York and Ontario – which were visited in 1863 by the newly appointed professor of geology at Bologna University, Giovanni Capellini. During his four-month journey across northeastern North America, he made sketches, took notes and collected more than 2000 specimens that together provide a depth of perspective on the importance of the geoheritage of the sites he visited. We chose these sites, among the many visited by Capellini, because Niagara Falls is now seeking UNESCO recognition, and the other two, though no longer fully accessible, remain important tourist sites and areas of geological interest.

ABSTRACT The glaciated terrain along the northern edge of the Appalachian Plateau in the eastern Finger Lakes of central New York has long been recognized as an important location for meltwater routing and for proglacial lake development in the Great Lakes region. Despite recognition of multiple ice margins formed by the Ontario Lobe of the Laurentide ice sheet during the late Wisconsinan, numerical age control of several margins has been elusive, particularly in regard to regional readvances of the Port Bruce (ca. 16,980–18,000 cal [calibrated] yr B.P.) and Port Huron (ca. 14,300– 16,000 cal yr B.P.) Phases. Utilizing light detection and ranging (LiDAR) terrain models in the eastern Finger Lakes area, we identified and described the Mapleton, Tully, and Labrador Hollow moraines. Associated ice-marginal landforms include push moraines, fans, and hummocky topography. In places, these features intrude into the northern heads of through valleys. Coring of three basins directly associated with these landforms yielded more than 20 samples of boreal tree needles and twigs, and Dryas leaves. Accelerated mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon assay results indicate that poststadial lacustrine sedimentation began at ca. 15,000 cal yr B.P., consistent with ages of the Port Huron Phase.

Unlike other informal sites, fossil parks provide visitors collecting opportunities that result in ownership of a small number of fossils. In 2003, we investigated the first three identified U.S. fossil parks at Hamburg, New York; Sylvania, Ohio; and Rockford, Iowa. Case study analyses determined the opportunities to learn geobiology at each site. Data collection proceeded through lived learning experiences, and included field notes, photographic records, informal conversations with park participants, brochures, and on-site signage. Through constant comparative methods, six variable categories converged for fossil park development: (1) informative previsit Web site, (2) authentic collecting in situ, (3) authentic collecting tools, (4) accessibility, (5) fossil identification, and (6) visitor education. These variables were optimized in a model of fossil park design. In 2005, fossil parks at Sharonville, Ohio, and Fossil, Oregon, were investigated in phase 2 of our study, and in 2006, our third case study researched fossil parks in Aurora, North Carolina, and Republic, Washington. Analysis of the seven U.S. fossil park data sets resulted in the emergence of key variables that affected the visitors' opportunities to learn geobiology concepts at fossil parks: (1) authenticity of experience, (2) age of fossils, (3) fossil-collection training and facilities, (4) availability of on-site paleontological mentors, (5) fossil identification via signage and brochures, (6) site organization and wayfinding signs, and (7) accessibility of site, including safety. The seven U.S. fossil parks were ranked against these variables according to their effectiveness as informal science education sites. We conclude that fossil parks can provide valuable informal geobiology education that can contribute to the public's geobiological literacy.