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
