Ongoing Events

September 2003 - September 2006: Lewis and Clark College Educational Programming. Lewis and Clark College is designing educational programs for adults that emphasize the lasting legacy of the expedition in the context of the American Enlightenment that celebrated the primacy of reason over tradition, fostered the discovery of natural laws, encouraged the collection of objects, ideas, and information. These annual educational symposiums and exhibits will engage diverse audiences in exploring the expedition’s intellectual legacy. During each year of the Bicentennial observance, the College will mount programs around an annual theme.  Contact: Sherry Manning, Lewis & Clark College, (503) 768-7207.

Cargo Exhibit, May 22, 2004 - mid-2006: The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center in The Dalles, Oregon, brings to life the material goods, the science, and the technology of the Lewis & Clark expedition through replicas and period pieces representing the 30 tons of supplies that was required for their journey. For the first time, this inventory will transfer words from the journals to the actual objects transported and gathered by Lewis and Clark. It will open at the Discovery Center in the spring of 2004 and continue through the fall of 2006. Two small components of the Cargo exhibit went up in October, 2003: Indian Presents and Kids Corner. Contact: Renee Walasavage at 541-296-8600. www.gorgediscovery.org

Summer 2004: Cathlapotle Plankhouse Project. A cooperative volunteer group, spearheaded by the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Committee of Vancouver/Clark County, plans to construct an authentic replica of a Chinookan-style cedar plankhouse at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in Ridgefield, Washington. Archeologists have studied the remains of the six cedar plankhouses that once stood at Cathlapotle and this recreation and associated education programs will enable visitors to explore how the people of Cathlapotle used the natural resources around them for survival. Of special interest will be the actual construction overseen by the Chinook Tribe which will begin this summer. Contact: Arlene Johnson at (360) 906-7110, web site www.lewisriver.com/ridgefield/wildlife/cathlapotle/.

The Rivers Discovery Project will commemorate Lewis and Clark’s journey along the Columbia, Willamette, and Sandy Rivers through the installation of interpretive signs at 14 historically significant sites. Currently, these important sites either do not have signs explaining their importance, or the signs are damaged or inaccurate. The new interpretive signs will describe the Corps of Discovery’s activities at each site, as well as explain the site’s tribal and environmental importance, and they are constructed to last indefinitely. Signs will be installed at Rooster Rock, Lewis & Clark State Park, Dabney State Park, Cottonwood Beach, Portland International Airport, Government Island, Ryan’s Point, Kelley Point Park, Cathedral Park, University of Portland, Post Office Lake, Ridgefield Wildlife Reserve, and Sauvie Island. Contact Angela Sanders, LCBO Project Manager, (503) 234-7023, [email protected].

Sustainable Northwest is planning two “Corps of Discovery” field tours for 60 to 70 business and civic leaders, including elected officials and senior agency staff, representing a diverse range of communities, interests, and perspectives. These will be two- or three-day cruises on the Columbia River, with side trips to sites of interest, designed to provide firsthand experience of the river and the nexus of crucial economic and environmental issues. The objective of this project is to encourage intensive debate of issues by high-level decision makers in a “safe” setting, leading towards a vision-action consensus on sustainability and the future of the region. In addition to the field tours, Sustainable Northwest will host a media exercise geared to focus the public’s attention on sustaining our region’s rich environmental resources. Participating media will commit to assign a reporter to the identified issue, and to publish a specified number of stories over the course of a year—while retaining full editorial control over content. This initiative will involve newspapers, radio, and TV stations for a sustained campaign. These features will be jointly published as a report on the state of sustainability in the region and archived on a central web server. Thoughtful and collaborative treatment of the issues in the media will help move public debate beyond today’s hot button issues to our shared long-term goals for the river and region. Contact: John Harrington (503) 221-6911 ext. 105, web site www.sustainablenorthwest.com.

Lewis & Clark Landscapes Project: The Trust for Public Land, Friends of the Columbia Gorge and the Sierra Club will co-sponsor a project to build public support for protecting Gorge open spaces through federal land acquisition. Recent legislation has encouraged willing sellers in the Gorge to offer the Forest Service 187 parcels totaling 6,700 acres, including a Lewis & Clark campsite across from Memaloose Island. The Forest Service has three years to make offers to buy these lands or the land will convert to a zoning that will allow more development and increased logging and mining in the Gorge. The goal of the Landscapes Project is to see 3,000-4,000 acres of private lands move into public ownership by 2005. Contact: Kevin Gorman, Executive Director, Friends of the Columbia Gorge, at (503) 241-3762 x104, web site www.gorgefriends.org.

OMSI Presents New Large Format Film: LEWIS & CLARK: GREAT JOURNEY WEST. Currently showing at OMSI’s Omnimax Theater (Portland, Oregon) at noon, 2, and 4 daily with additional shows at 8 pm on Saturday and Sunday. OMSI’s fall hours begin September 7, during which time the film will show at 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, with additional showings at 7 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. "Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West" was produced by National Geographic Television and Film and is presented by Eddie Bauer, Inc. in association with the Suzanne and Walter Scott Foundation. The film is endorsed by the National Council of the Bicentennial. OMNIMAX Theater: (503) 797-4640.

“Sacagawea” Children’s Play: This original Oregon Children’s Theater production kicked off Oregon’s bicentennial commemoration in January, 2003, in Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Dignitaries, educators, parents and children all concluded it a complete hit. Accompanied by the Oregon Trail Band, this one-hour production tells of Sacagawea’s life along the trail to the Pacific Ocean. Plans are being discussed to downsize the production and run it during the north coast’s national signature event in mid-November, 2005. Contact: Stan Foote, Artistic Director, web site www.octc.org.

Educational Programming at Lewis & Clark College: Yearly symposia sponsored by the College at various venues in the Portland area. Contact: Sherry Manning at (503) 768-7207 or [email protected]. For a complete listing, go to: www.thejourneycontinues.org/.

Astoria Column Visitor’s Center: The Friends of Astoria Column have worked for several years to develop significant upgrades to the Astoria Column and its grounds, as well as constructing a visitor’s center on the site. Their goal is to have all the site upgrades completed in 2005. For more information, go to www.oregoncoast.com/Astorcol/Astorcol.htm.

Maya Lin’s ‘Confluence Project’: This bi-state project involves placing Maya Lin-designed pieces in the confluences of the rivers the original Corps of Discovery paddled two hundred years ago. Sites include the confluences of the Clearwater and Snake, Snake and Columbia, Columbia and Sandy, Columbia and Willamette, and Columbia and Pacific Ocean, to name a few of the seven sites. The first structure, a land bridge, will be located at Fort Vancouver and will connect the Fort property to the Columbia, crossing a major highway. All projects are scheduled for completion by 2006. Contact: Jane Jacobsen, Executive Director, at (360) 693-0123 or [email protected], web site www.confluenceproject.org.