September 2020: GO on a Trail

September: GO on a Trail

Over 200 years ago, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and their Corps of Discovery traveled from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the Pacific Ocean and back again. The laborious process they used to map the region and collect data on nature can be greatly simplified by the use of current technology (i.e. smartphones) carried by thousands of visitors who walk and drive the same paths today.

This September, we encourage you to download the GLOBE Observer app and take Land Cover observations. By participating, modern-day visitors will enhance their experience by seeing their surroundings in a more purposeful way, as well as providing needed current data for scientists from the National Park Service and those connected to NASA.
  • Install and use the GLOBE Observer app (found for free in app store)
  • Share how-to guides for the GO on a Trail challenge with your visitors and social media audiences.
  • Post information on the GO on a Trail challenge in your visitor centers or museums.
  • Highlight GO on a Trail posts on your social media channels.
  • Encourage local businesses to submit nominations to the Lewis and Clark NHT tourism website, www.lewisandclark.travel. The site aggregates user-generated content showcasing things to do and places to visit that have been nominated by residents along the Trail. To get started, go to www.lewisandclark.travel/register.

Featured NPS.gov/lecl Webpages

GO on a Trail Information from the 2019 campaign. Will be updated as 2020 citizen science challenge information becomes available.

Looking for something ready-made to share?

What do you notice about the world around you? Do you document your observations? During the course of their expedition, Lewis and Clark knew they were nearing the Pacific Ocean through drawing conclusions from their observations. Read all about it: https://www.nps.gov/articles/clark-knew-they-were-near-pacific.htm

Be like Lewis and Clark and document your observations by using the @nasa.globeobserver app. By doing so, you will contribute #landcover observations to scientists interested in the @lewisandclarknht and help them monitor changes over time.

And don’t forget to take part in our #GOonaTrail #citizenscience challenge. Learn more: https://observer.globe.gov/go-on-a-trail
#NASAGO #LewisandClark #CitiSci #lewisandclarktrail #FindYourTrail #FindYourPark

William Clark (of Lewis and Clark) was considered a master cartographer. “Every few days, Clark would take the notes from all of his observations and measurements and compare them to Lewis’ notes to draw maps of the river and landmarks to scale. The accuracy of his maps is widely admired …” Keep reading: https://www.nps.gov/articles/william_clark_cartographer.htm
You can follow in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark and create your own map within the @nasa.globeobserver app along the @lewisandclarknht. Join the #citizenscience challenge today!

Learn more: https://observer.globe.gov/go-on-a-trail
#GOonaTrail #NASAGO #LewisandClark #CitiSci #lewisandclarktrail #FindYourTrail #FindYourPark

Lewis and Clark Events That Happened This Month

(ready made posts to share)
Bellefontaine Cemetery contains the grave site of William Clark, who died in St. Louis on September 1, 1838.
More on Bellefontaine Cemetery: https://www.nps.gov/places/bellefontaine-cemetery.htm

On September 19, 1804, the expedition camped downriver of the Big Bend, an expansive meander of the Missouri River that was already a well-known landmark. On September 20, they began the estimated 30- mile trip around the bend. #LewisandClarkTrail
More on the Big Bend of the Missouri: https://www.nps.gov/places/big-bend-of-the-missouri.htm

Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!
After two years, four months, and 10 days of hardships, challenges, joys, and adventures, the Corps of Discovery returned home at about 12 noon, September 23, 1806. #LewisandClarkTrail
More: https://www.nps.gov/articles/home-sept-23-1806.htm

After the men of the Expedition finished the brutal crossing of the Bitterroot Mountains and reached the home of the Nez Perce in September 1805, some warriors considered killing the exhausted and starving explorers. After all, they carried an ample supply of firearms, ammunition, and trade goods.

But Watkuweis, an elderly woman who had once lived among Canadian traders, heard about the plans and stopped the warriors, saying something to the effect, “These are the people who helped me. Do them no harm.”

More: https://www.nps.gov/articles/watkuweis-and-the-lewis-and-clark-expediton.htm

In mid-September 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition reached the historic Lolo Trail. The Corps knew the Lolo Trail would provide them a physical challenge, and they feared they would not survive the peaks without assistance. They were able to acquire as many horses as possible and enlist the help of a few guides who knew the route that lay ahead. Under the guidance of Old Toby (Shoshone), the Corps turned northward and began their ascent into the Bitterroot Mountains.
More on the Lolo Trail: https://www.nps.gov/places/lolo-trail-mt-id.htm

Last updated: January 28, 2020

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