Maureen McBrien (right), deputy director for recreation, lands, minerals, heritage, and wilderness for the FS Northern Region, who is based in Missoula, Mont., reviews with a visitor to the agency’s Lewis and Clark exhibit some of the locations where the westward journey of those two explorers crossed into what are now FS-administered national forests and grasslands. --Photo by Suzanne Pender

The legendary expedition of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark from 1803 to 1806 to explore lands west of the Mississippi River is one of our nation’s greatest stories.

It’s also a USDA story.

As Lewis and Clark journeyed forth to the Pacific Ocean, exploring the uncharted West in the process, their experiences yielded discovery, adventure, mapping the unknown, scientific exploration, establishing trade and cultural exchanges--and were marked by great courage and perseverance.

Both the Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service are participating in the 21-member federal consortium observing the nationwide Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commemoration from 2003 to 2006. According to Kristen Nelson, FS’s National Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Coordinator, specialists from those two agencies are working in cooperation with other federal departments, states, tribes, local communities, and the National Council of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial during the next four years to promote educational, cultural, and interpretive opportunities for citizens and visitors.

“We want to help people learn more about the natural, historical, and cultural resources that are part of the Lewis and Clark story,” she underscored.

Margaret Gorski, FS’s National Bicentennial Field Coordinator who is based in the agency’s Northern Regional Office in Missoula, Mont., pointed out that Lewis and Clark’s journey crossed through or passed by areas that would become 16 Forest Service-administered national forests and grasslands. In addition, nearly 1,000 miles of the 3,700-mile Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail either cross, or are in view of, lands managed by the Forest Service, especially in South Dakota, Montana, and Idaho. “So, as people visit these historic areas,” Gorski said, “we’ll be promoting stewardship of the land.”

NRCS public affairs specialist Suzanne Pender pointed out that Lewis and Clark had specific instructions from President Thomas Jefferson to report on factors of the land that would show its potential for agricultural uses.

“President Jefferson wanted the explorers to describe ‘…the soil & face of the country, its growth and vegetable productions, especially those not of the United States…’,” she said. “Essentially, Lewis and Clark conducted the first soil surveys of the American West--and NRCS soil scientists follow in their footsteps today, using some of the same descriptive terms.”

She added that the commemoration provides an opportunity for NRCS to reach new audiences and provide information on NRCS conservation activities throughout the ‘trail states.’ ”Many of NRCS’s Resource Conservation and Development Councils have developed local Lewis and Clark programs and activities, and our web site will be continuously updated with educational information,” Pender said.

The commemoration kicked off in mid-January at Monticello--Jefferson’s historic home--in Charlottesville, Va. Gorski noted that the Monticello event highlighted Jefferson’s Jan. 18, 1803 confidential letter to Congress in which he asked for $2,500 to fund an expedition to the Pacific Ocean.

She explained that Charlottesville is the first of 15 American communities selected by the National Council of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial as sites for national heritage “signature events” during the bicentennial.

FS employees unveiled an exhibit, on the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville, titled “The Legacy of Lewis & Clark: Enduring Stories and Dynamic Landscapes.” “Through our exhibit,” Nelson said, “we invite viewers to explore the dynamic landscapes of our national forests and grasslands, plus the unique plants and wildlife--and cultural traditions--as seen 200 years ago by Lewis and Clark.”

NRCS also unveiled an exhibit at that site titled “A Garden…Or A Desert?” “As our exhibit describes,” explained Stan Anderson, a soil survey editor at the NRCS Soil Survey Center in Lincoln, Neb., “at the time of Lewis and Clark’s exploration, there was concern that the farmland in this country might not be enough to sustain a growing America. In fact, French explorers from the Northwest had described this country as a garden, while Spanish adventurers in the Southwest had described a desert.”

“That’s why,” he added, “in 1805 Lewis and Clark sent to President Jefferson samples of soils, minerals, and plants they had collected along their journey thus far--to help him gauge the potential of these new lands for agricultural purposes.”

“The exhibit,” said NRCS graphic designer Bob Gresh, who designed it, “includes antique soil survey equipment identical to that used by Lewis and Clark, along with some of their notes, photographs documenting NRCS soil scientists examining the soil on the grounds of Monticello last summer, and reproductions of Lewis and Clark-themed paintings.”

Additional Lewis and Clark bicentennial events planned by FS employees can be found at http://www.lewisandclark200.gov; NRCS’s bicentennial events can be found at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/lewisandclark/index.html.

“Lewis and Clark’s epic journey increased our knowledge of our nation’s natural resources and helped us gain a better understanding of America’s native cultures,” observed Nelson. “In the Forest Service and NRCS, we’re looking forward to greeting visitors and sharing our missions with them--in the spirit of those two explorers.” •