One may ask: What do geographers do? Do they study capes and bays like in the old days? No…but, because the field is so diverse, the question is difficult to answer definatively; and it changes according to the times and regions. Certainly, in general, they approach human problems with a spatial point of view- horizintally across a surface (mapping) and vertically in interaction with the existing physical landscape and biome of a place or region (ecology) and occassionally venture into other fields (GIS in business applications). But if you really want to know, the best way is to watch them work.

One method of watching practicing geographers from public and private sectors and from universities is to follow the conference sessions of their professional organizations and the papers presented in their professional journals. Following is a brief survey.

Educational Trends:

The Ontario Association for Geographic and Environmental Education (OAGEE) holds spring and fall conferences plus summer institutes and reports back by way of its professional journal, The Monograph. The 2011 spring conference was held at the Ganaraska Regional Conservation Authority in Peterborough and focused on:

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