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Susan Saul, (503) 872-2728

Lewis and Clark: The Columbia River
Then and Now

New U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Website Debuts

In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson sent out an expedition to explore a water route across the continent to the Pacific Ocean. Led by Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, the journey took three years and covered territory that would later encompass 11 states. Their experiences, their scientific discoveries, and their interactions with native tribes are important milestones in American history.

Since January 2003, the nation has been commemorating the 200th anniversary of Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery Expedition. As the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial commemoration approaches the Pacific Coast this year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has developed and made available a web site to help people gain an understanding of the wildlife and habitats of the Lower Columbia River both at the time of the Corps of Discovery Expedition and today.

Beginning with an overview of the Lower Columbia River landscape at the time of the Corps of Discovery?s travels here in 1805 and 1806, the web site examines 200 years of change in terms of vegetation, wildlife, population and historical cartography. Users of the web site can explore each of these themes through an easy-to-use application designed to allow comparisons between historical and modern conditions. Text provides background for each theme, wildlife quotes from the Lewis and Clark journals, and an overview of the seven national wildlife refuges that now preserve and manage areas on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail along the Lower Columbia River and Pacific Coast.

The web site uses the latest technology in web-based interactive mapping and is found at: http://pacific.fws.gov

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. 

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