The project was unveiled in Cody Tuesday, and will be rolled out in Idaho and West Yellowstone, Montana this week. Yellowstone national park is an icon, the world’s first national Park. Millions come each year to see Yellowstone and Grand Teton Parks. And most visitors will see the hot spots, so to speak. But, National Geographic is producing the Geotourism Map Guide to help them see more.

The Associate Director of the Center for Sustainable Destinations for National Geographic, James Dion said, “It’s about the story about the people and the places, in order to tell the story to put in the hands of the traveling public, so that they can enhance their satisfaction in visiting here, and visit here in another way.”

The Guide aims to help visitors find the treasures locals know about, and help locals identify and save their treasures. Greater Yellowstone Coalition Cody Representative Brian Sybert explained, “We see this as the Greater Yellowstone Coalition as an opportunity to talk about sustainability. How do we maintain the sense of place, character of place, whether it be wildlife, open spaces, the history of the area, how do we maintain that for future generations, and this is an opportunity to talk about that.”

The states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho are funding the map guide. The Director of Wyoming's Travel and Tourism, Diane Shober came to Cody for the unveiling. She said, “The great thing about this project is that it has so many partners, all the way from grass roots to a big national brand like National Geographic.”

The coordinators want people to submit their special places nominations from now until June 30. If you'd like to submit a nomination, click here.