Overview:

The CarTours Foundation and the Ice Age Floods Institute, separate non-profit organizations, propose to jointly produce and distribute a series of high quality, authoritative and entertaining audio driving tours for the area known as the Ice Age Floods Geologic Region. Initially three volumes are proposed.

Volume One: Glacial Lake Missoula and the Ice Dam area
Volume Two: The Scablands and Coulees to Wallula Gap
Volume Three: The Lower Columbia to the Willamette Valley and the Pacific Ocean.

Each volume will be released on audiocassette and as an web-enhanced compact disc. Each will contain an audio program loosely timed for portions of the Flood route. Each CD volume will also contain CD-ROM data such as

• Viewpoint sound segments
• Extended length interviews (compressed audio and video)
• Graphics and Tables
• Maps and Routes
• Ariel photographs and photos of distant features
• Flood animations w/ sound
• Web-links to other relevant resources

The audio content for both the audio driving tours and the CD-ROM component will primarily be the voices of recognized experts. The CarTours technique of presenting experts discussing complex ideas in layman's language make these volumes educational and entertaining. In addition to the voices of the experts, we will include readings of selected material by Bretz, Pardee as well as reenactments of the Geo Soc proceedings of the time.

CarTours Foundation effort will be coordinated and reviewed by the Ice Age Floods Institute Board of Experts and the Ice Age Floods Task Force. And will be released with the Ice Age Floods Institute Seal of Approval.

The graphic and statistical resources and data gathered by Jones and Jones will be skimmed and selected maps, graphics, study results and other main information will be included in the CD-ROM.

To facilitate future updates, the IAFI (with financial and technical assistance from CTF) will establish a website which will contain the latest Floods discoveries. Perpetual funding for this Internet component will be secured during the initial phases of R & D.

Protecting sacred and sensitive sites vs. Exploiting the Opportunity

The CarTours Foundation wishes to work with native tribes and local communities to encourage desired impacts. We respect that some groups and private landowners prefer to not be affected by this initiative and that other communities and groups see this as an economic or educational opportunity. CTF will endeavor to accommodate both points of view. As with all of our programs we will continue to be respectful of sacred and sensitive sites.

The CTF will integrate it's content with that of other accessible interpretive Floods story providers, such as websites, brick and mortar Visitor Centers and other interpretive/learning opportunities along the route and on the Internet.

Native American Involvement:

In addition to our wish to encourage respect and protection of sacred areas, there is local native cultural history around the Floods Story in the oral tradition of the tribes of the northwest. It is our wish to work with the tribes to tell that part of the story to whatever degree any or all of them may choose.

Open Request to the tribes of the areas: Please help us direct the public away from your sacred areas and help us teach the public respect for all Indian lands in the area.

If you are interested in also exploiting this opportunity, set aside a good Floods feature and find a way to charge folks to see it, sell tours, put a gift shop and sell your own products.

This is an opportunity to tell tourists and students about your cultural history, if you so choose. The CarTours Foundation stands ready to involve any who choose to participate with a letter of support and subsequent interaction, including script and content review. We will pay honorariums for native speakers and interviews. We will contribute 12.5% of the gross sales for each volume to the participating tribes we request that these funds be used for cultural preservation and education. We will donate 25 copies of each volume to each participating tribe Tribes are free to distribute in any manner they see fit We will wholesale all CarTours products to participating tribes Participating tribes will get the maximum discount.

Plan and Strategy
With two unproven assumptions

• The Missoula group is ready to do something about developing the economic potential of telling this story.
• Funding can be fairly easily obtained for the self-guided, interpretive audio driving tour and CD-ROM product described above.

And seven known attributes:

• This is a story that can be discovered personally and in small private self-guided groups BY CAR and ON FOOT the by-air component will described and encouraged
• This product will increase public awareness about the Floods story.
• CarTours programs contain accurate information, often used as learning aids
• The Lewis and Clark bicentennial starts 2003, a significant increase in visitors is predicted.
• The NPS is very interested in this story.
• The DOI Director will address the Congress regarding designation in the spring of 2001.
• A CD-ROM about Glacial Lake Missoula which tells the story in the voices of the experts and tribes will be of significant value as the Congress looks at designation of the Ice Age Floods (National) Geologic Region.

1. Obtain initial outside financial support
   
2. Write overview and/or treatment for the entire three volume series
   
3. Accuracy Review for above
   
4. Prepare "Final Budget & Schedule" for Volume One and balance of project
   
5. Obtain funding and other support for Volume One, Phases Two and Three.
   
6. Produce and release Volume One in the late spring of 2001
   
7. note: with sufficient funding it could be a 'freebie," a value added premium
   
8. Use Volume One as a teaching tool for Congressional staffers and others to elevate the status of the designation to the highest possible level.
   
9. Use Volume One as a Tourist sales/freebie item
   
10. Develop relationships with the interested parties in the Areas covered by Volumes Two and Three.
    
11. Produce/release one volume each year through 2003, by which time we will all want to redo Volume One.
    

Marketing and Public Relations.

The titles will be marketed to the general public regionally. It will also target NYT Travel section, Sunset Magazine, AAA Travel and Tour outlets, and other traditional distribution channels. The Foundations will participate in a public relations program and some live tours to support the marketing effort.

A significant area of distribution will be through the Internet. Our cross-niches, Travel/Education and Audio CD/CD-ROM make this a perfect product for sales and distribution over the Internet. From this position it is an easy transition to GPS based downloading and streaming.

The Epic Story of The Ice Age Floods
Volume One: Glacial Lake Missoula and the Idaho Ice Dam

Budget

Start-up	$10,000
Research and Development	$25,000
Production thru Distribution (5000 units)	$160,000

Start up

CarTours Foundation - Estimate (Q1, '99 through Q4, '00)

$ 8,000

Research and Development Partners (Secured)
IAFI, USGS, NPS, USFS, BLM, Jones and Jones, Sensorware

Research and Development Partners (Proposed)
GSA, Microsoft, the experts, MT State Tourism, DOT and other agencies.

List of Current Supporters: as of November, 2000

Board of Directors, Ice Age Floods Institute	Secured
Richard Waitt, US Geological Survey	Secured
Keith Dunbar, NPS, Seattle Support Office	Secured
Jim Sheldon, USDA Forest Service & IAF Task Force Co-Chair	Secured
Maria Tia Mia, OR State Park & Rec.	Secured
Jim Sipes, Jones and Jones, IAF Study Architects	Secured
Reed Jarvis, Consultant Jones and Jones, NPS (ret.)	Secured