Lewis and Clark National Historical Park

Edward Warbass

John B. Thompson

Meriwether Lewis

Private Francois Labiche

Private George Gibson

Private Hugh Hall

Private Hugh McNeal

Private Jean-Baptiste Lepage

Wind-driven waves and abnormally high sea levels contributed to hundreds of millions of dollars in flood and storm damage in the San Francisco Bay region, including Point Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and Pinnacles National Monument. In addition to California, the 1997–1998 El Niño and the following 1998–1999 La Niña severely impacted the Pacific Northwest, including many National Park System units.

Many people confuse the American Coot with different species of ducks. In fact, Captain Lewis, when writing in March 1806 at Fort Clatsop, called the coot a “black duck.”

A badger was killed by Joseph Field north of today’s Omaha, Nebraska, on July 30, 1804. Captain Clark wrote a short journal entry about it, but Meriwether Lewis, during the long winter of 1805-06 at Fort Clatsop, wrote a lengthy description of the American badger, Taxidea taxus.

Eleven bat species occur in North Coast Cascades Network Parks. Each species is unique, except that they're all facing threats of some kind in their environments. Learn more about how scientists study bats and what you can do to help.

Bees are some of the most abundant and important pollinators in the world – especially in mountainous environments. Despite the importance of bees in our natural environments, many national parks do not know what species live within their boundaries. In 2016, to celebrate the Centennial of the National Park Service, North Coast and Cascades national parks focused on inventories of pollinators, including bees.

In 1840, Celiast Smith, a Clatsop woman, returned to her homeland at the mouth of the Columbia River after two decades. It was a moment of immense joy, as people rushed into the river to bring her ashore. Today, Celiast’s long and eventful life can be traced through three different objects: a shellfish basket speaks to her youth and homeland; a thimble represents her defiance against colonial structures; and a family plate captures her ongoing legacy among her descendants.

Chinookan people have built and paddled canoes on the Lower Columbia River for generations, and their skills as canoe-makers and canoeists reflect their deep knowledge of the river.

Chinookan people controlled the water highway of the Columbia River.