Lewis and Clark Trail Updates 2025

About this article: This article was originally published in the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail 2025 Annual Report.

NPS

Indigenous Place Names

This summer, the trail executed financial funding agreements with two Tribal Nations, MHA Nation and the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, and one Tribal non-profit, the American Indigenous Tourism Association, Inc., to conduct Indigenous place names research along the trail corridor.

The project is funded with NPS Connect-Trails-To-Parks funding and seeks to support Tribal language revitalization programs, improve NPS stewardship of and awareness of places of cultural significance, and educate the public.

NPS

Wildland Fire Training

Park Guides Josh, Audra, and Ro spent the winter months training to fight wildland fires, culminating in real life practice with prescribed fire at Fontenelle Forest in February. Josh literally went the extra mile by completing an arduous level pack test, hiking 3 miles with a 45-pound pack in under 45 minutes, earning his Red Card.

NPS

Visual Resources Inventory

The trail continued its Visual Resource Inventory (VRI) program in 2025. This program collects data about scenic views along the Lewis and Clark NHT. Efforts included scenic quality and visual importance data collected about the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge in Omaha, Nebraska.

We collected data both from on the bridge looking towards Omaha, and from the LECL garden looking up at the bridge. Anticipating future VRI related work, our Art History interns also practiced VRI on a rainy November afternoon visit.

NPS

Rediscovery and Digitization of Paintings

After an extensive search, Visual Information Specialist Kevin McCarthy contacted 91-year-old artist Robert “Buffalo Bob” Rickards, who created a series of paintings depicting key moments in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. McCarthy met Rickards at his home in Thousand Oaks, California, where the artworks had been stored.

56 evocative paintings were inventoried and digitized, ensuring their long-term preservation and opening new opportunities for future educational and interpretive use.

NPS

VIP Dave Achieves 250 Volunteer Hours

Dave Evans (right) receives his annual park pass from Visitor Center Manager David Bulin (left). Dave has provided our visitors with a great experience through his enthusiasm of sharing the history of the trail. This year he has stepped in to assist with special programs and events that we participated in.

Volunteers are awarded an annual park pass after they have completed 250 hours of service. We appreciate Dave’s service to NPS and Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.

NPS

Naturalization Ceremony

In May, the National Park Service and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services hosted a Naturalization Ceremony at the Midwest Regional Building, where Lewis and Clark Trail Visitor Center Manager David Bulin opened the event and Park Guide Audra Pflug performed the National Anthem to welcome America’s newest citizens.