07.29.05

Cantwell: $1.6 Million Headed to Lewis and Clark National Historical Park

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate passed legislation Friday that contains $1.6 million for acquiring sites important to Lewis and Clark’s remarkable arrival at the Pacific Ocean, and will now be sent to the President to be signed into law. U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), who pushed legislation through the Senate last year to create the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, helped secure the funding. When complete, the park will encompass three Washington state sites significant to Lewis and Clark’s expedition, as well as Fort Clatsop National Memorial in Oregon and several state parks.

"The Lewis and Clark National Historical Park is about preserving and teaching about a vital piece of Northwest history," Cantwell said. "This new park will by a key part of upcoming bicentennial celebrations, which will be a big boost to the local economy."

The funding was included in the final version of the Fiscal Year 2006 Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, surviving negotiations between House and Senate Appropriations Committee leaders. Cantwell has made funding for the new park a priority, and urged other senators to support her request. The bill will become law once signed by the President, as is expected.

"Lewis and Clark funding is now just a pen stroke away," said Cantwell, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "Passing the Lewis and Clark legislation last year was the first step, but we needed to follow up with federal funds to permanently protect these historical sites. We have, and it’s happening."

Last November, President Bush signed legislation introduced by Cantwell (D-WA) and Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA-03) that created the park. Later that month, Cantwell and Baird joined local officials and Fran Mainella, the Director of the National Park Service, for a park dedication ceremony at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center near Ilwaco.

The legislation was passed in preparation for this year’s bicentennial celebration of Lewis and Clark’s historic expedition. The Lewis and Clark National Historical Park Designation Act will eventually protect three sites, totaling 560 acres, on the lower Columbia River that played crucial roles during the Corps of Discovery expedition’s dramatic arrival at the Pacific Ocean: Dismal Nitch, Station Camp, and Cape Disappointment.

The legislation designates those sites and Oregon’s Fort Clatsop National Memorial as the "Lewis and Clark National Historical Park." The bill also authorizes management partnerships with Oregon's Ecola State Park and Fort Stevens State Park, and Washington's Fort Columbia State Park and Cape Disappointment State Park.

Cantwell and Baird introduced their legislation after the National Park Service completed a yearlong public process, determining these three sites of "national significance, suitability, and feasibility" and recommended they be added to Fort Clatsop. That study was a result of legislation Cantwell co-sponsored in 2002, called the Fort Clatsop Expansion Act. The bill also expanded Fort Clatsop National Memorial from 125 acres to 1500 acres.