Clearwater Canoe Camp

The red trees in this forest have been killed by mountain pine beetles, whose population is no longer kept in check by cold winter weather.

USFS

After their long mountain crossing, Lewis and Clark arrived here on September 26, 1805, eager to return to water travel. With the help of local Nez Perce, they spent eleven days building five dugout canoes from large ponderosa pine logs. Lewis also added a ponderosa specimen from this site to his plant collection.33

Forest trees are vulnerable to climate-related threats like drought, fire, insects, disease. The trees that Lewis collected and that were so important to the expedition’s river travel to the coast have been affected by increasing mountain pine beetle populations. Across the western United States, winter temperatures have warmed by about seven degrees Fahrenheit since 1960. Recent winter lows have not been cold enough to reduce populations of pine beetles, causing beetle-caused tree mortality to increase.34

Citations:
33 NPS, “Canoe Camp,” Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail, last updated September 25, 2020, https://www.nps.gov/places/canoe-camp.htm; Joseph A. Mussulman, “The Clearwater Canoe Camp,” Discover Lewis & Clark, accessed August 26, 2024, https://lewis-clark.org/the-trail/clearwater-snake-rivers/clearwater-canoe-camp/; Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, “October 1, 1805: The Nez Perce Method,” Discover Lewis & Clark, accessed August 26, 2024, https://lewis-clark.org/day-by-day/1-oct-1805/; William W. Bevis, “The Canoes: Appendix,” The Dugout Canoes of Lewis and Clark, Discover Lewis & Clark, accessed August 26, 2024, https://lewis-clark.org/boats/the- dugout-canoes-of-lewis-and-clark/appendix/.
34 Aaron S. Weed, et al., “Geographically Variable Response of Dendroctonus ponderosae to Winter Warming in the Western United States,” Landscape Ecology 30 (2015): 1075–93, here 1075; Michelle C. Agne, et al., “Interactions of Predominant Insects and Diseases with Climate Change in Douglas-fir Forests of Western Oregon and Washington, U.S.A.,” Forest Ecology and Management 409 (February 1, 2018): 317–32, here 317.

Climate Change:Lewis and Clark Trail

Lewis and Clark NHT Visitor Centers and Museums

This map shows a range of features associated with the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, which commemorates the 1803-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition. The trail spans a large portion of the North American continent, from the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon. The trail is comprised of the historic route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, an auto tour route, high potential historic sites (shown in black), visitor centers (shown in orange), and pivotal places (shown in green). These features can be selected on the map to reveal additional information. Also shown is a base map displaying state boundaries, cities, rivers, and highways. The map conveys how a significant area of the North American continent was traversed by the Lewis and Clark Expedition and indicates the many places where visitors can learn about their journey and experience the landscape through which they traveled.