Fort Clatsop Administrative History

Fort Clatsop National Memorial was designated by Congress to commemorate the Lewis and Clark Expedition, a significant event in the history of the United States. In considering resource management at Fort Clatsop National Memorial, there is no dividing line between cultural and natural resources, which are intrinsically linked. The entire memorial is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The natural environment encountered by the Expedition and recorded by Captains Lewis and Clark is very much a part of the memorial's main cultural resource: the story of the Expedition.

Resource management at the memorial has historically been the responsibility of the interpretation and maintenance staff, with no designated resource management position or formal program. The primary documents guiding resource management at the memorial have been the 1964 Master Plan and its Resources Management Plan, written in 1973 and revised in 1984 and 1986. These documents guided management in the memorial's reforestation efforts, forest maintenance, and in the maintenance of its cultural resources. With the creation of a resource management program in 1992, the management needs of memorial resources, for their future protection and maintenance, will be identified in a revised Resources Management Plan.