Lewis and Clark NHP celebrates the ongoing discovery of our rich natural history and invites you to continue in the grand tradition of Lewis and Clark by tracking plant species that they were the first to scientifically describe during their expedition.

The Lewis and Clark National Historical Park is located along the northwest coast of Oregon and even includes sites up into Washington state. The park's elevation ranges from sea level to 300 ft atop Clatsop Ridge. Changing climatic conditions as described above may bring with them sea level rise and coastal flooding due to more intense storms. These conditions may create some challenging management conditions for the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park as the park staff manages both the ecological systems and the historical artifacts in the park. Unique questions can also be asked at the Park in part because of the historical aspect of this park. During the winter of 1805-06, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark recorded their observations of the plants and animals they saw while staying at Fort Clatsop, which is now part of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. Some of the plants they recorded that winter were new to science and had never before been described, including Evergreen huckleberry and salal. Both of these species are included in the Top 10 for this park. How has the vegetation changed since Lewis and Clark's visit? How will the vegetation change in the park in the future with changing climatic conditions? You can help answer these questions by recording observations of the timing of phenophases for plants like salal and Sitka spruce. Your observations will also provide a better understanding of how these important species to the park might be affected by changing climatic conditions.