News Release

Lewis and Clark Trail Junior Ranger Program at Nez Perce National Historical Park

News Release Date: December 22, 2022 News Release Date: December 22, 2022
Spalding, ID – Nez Perce National Historical Park hosts the Lewis and Clark Trail Junior Ranger Program, which was just recognized with the National Park Service’s Freeman Tilden Award. Designer of the program, Caitlin Campbell of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, was presented with the Tilden award, the highest award presented to a National Park Service individual to recognize outstanding contributions to the profession of interpretation.The award was created to inspire and reward creative thinking and original programs in the National Park Service that positively impact visitors and parks.The Lewis and Clark Trail Junior Ranger program, a free activity booklet that kids can pick up at Nez Perce National Historical Park and complete to earn a Junior Ranger badge. “Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail staff work closely with partners sites across 4,900 miles,” said award recipient Campbell. “For this project, we collaborated to create a Junior Ranger program that is inclusive, accessible, and relevant across the entire trail.” The 4,900-mile-long national historic trail follows the route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition across North America and passes through the territories of more than 60 Tribes. The program’s Junior Ranger booklet begins not with an uncharted wilderness, but with a continent bustling with Native trade, art, and technology. Activities highlight the diverse backgrounds and skills of the Corps of Discovery and the expedition’s reliance on Tribal nations. Accessible, innovative features—including audio described read along videos, a Native names online guide, and tactile maps—boost engagement for all. “The legislation that created Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail and many other trails clearly envisioned trails as being the products of partners, volunteers, and agency employees working together,” said Superintendent Mark Weekley. “This Junior Ranger program exemplifies what we can achieve through this unique collaboration.”Nez Perce National Historical Park is one of more than 30 partnering locations in 13 states where kids and the young at heart can find the Lewis and Clark Trail Junior Ranger program. The public is invited to visit Nez Perce National Historical Park which is open Tuesday thru Saturday 8:30 am - 4:00 pm. to participate in the program free of charge. The Spalding Visitor Center is 12 miles east of Lewiston at 39063 U.S. Highway 95. For more information, please contact Nez Perce National Historical Park at 208-843-7001, or visit www.nps.gov/nepe or www.facebook.com/NezPerceNationalHistoricalPark.

ABOUT THE LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL. The 4,900-mile-long Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail follows the route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition across North America and passes through the territories of more than sixty Tribes.

or additional information about the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, please call 402-661-1806 or visit www.nps.gov/lecl and join the conversation by following @LewisandClarkNHT.