Lewis and Clark NHT 2017 Highlights

Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation (LCTHF)
Lewis and Clark Trust, Inc. (LCT)

OUTREACH

  • Grants — LCTHF established the Burroughs-Holland/Bicentennial Education and Scholarship Grant Program, developed criteria and an application form, and gave grants from that fund in small amounts of $500 to $1,000; LCTHF granted over $40,000 in nine states for the Lewis and Clark Trail Stewardship Endowment and Montana Sign Fund for archaeology and public outreach interpretive and wayside signs, posters, brochures, and auto tours.
  • Logo — LCTHF developed a new logo commemorating its 50th anniversary.
  • Programs — LCTHF held a Lewis and Clark Study Group at headquarters; LCT provided educational resources to 32 teachers during the fourth Lewis and Clark Teachers Seminar; volunteers supported special events related to the solar eclipse on sites along the trail and assisted with crowd control, interpretation, distribution of viewing glasses, and maintenance.
  • Geotourism — NPS developed the Geotourism Program for the LCNHT, held meetings along the trail to gather local perspectives and provide project information to tourism leaders and communities, and intends to publicly launch the website in fall of 2018.
  • Interpretive Plan — NPS kicked off its first-ever Long Range Interpretive Plan, a multi-year effort that started with critical feedback from stakeholder meetings about the future of interpretation and visitor experience along the LCNHT, intended to be completed by fall of 2018.
  • Social Media — NPS created a successful summer social media campaign with different sites sharing common posts and using the hashtag #LewisandClarkTrail.

PROTECTION

  • Legislation — At the request of the LCTHF, Representative Luke Messer (R-IN) introduced H.R. 3045 Eastern Legacy legislation, which would extend the trail from 3,700 miles through 11 states to 4,900 miles along three segments recommended by the LCNHT Extension Study. (Adding the trail in Indiana would also result in having national trails in all 50 States.)
  • Management Plan — The High Potential Historic Sites Addendum to the LCNHT Comprehensive Management Plan is being finalized for publication in limited hard copies and a public electronic version following six years of collaboration.
  • Archaeology — NPS worked in collaboration with archaeologists from the BLM Missoula Field Office to map and document the route taken by Meriwether Lewis along the Blackfoot River in Montana, which will be used to refine maps of the LCNHT and complete a resource management plan to help protect sensitive resources.

CAPACITY

  • Staff — LCTHF hired a part-time Archives Tech to work on its NPS Cooperative Agreement.
  • Volunteers — Donated more than 138,000 hours supporting interpretive centers, interpretive programming, living history, maintenance, and administration.
  • Honoring Tribal Legacies — NPS supported partners along the trail in utilizing their “Honoring Tribal Legacies” program to advance the interpretation of indigenous perspectives, and collaborated with the Youth Programs Office at Yellowstone National Park to host a two-day regional workshop regarding interpretation of historical and contemporary indigenous perspectives.

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