U.S. Department of the Interior

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Office of the Secretary
Contact: Joan Moody
202-208-6416
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 13, 2003
202-256-9301

Interagency B-Roll, Website, Map & Magazine Available

Federal Agency Partnerships Highlighted at Opening of Lewis and Clark Bicentennial; Corps of Discovery II Will Hit the Road

Charlottesville, Virginia -- The opening of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial here tomorrow will highlight cooperation among two dozen federal departments and agencies in the largest such effort since the nation's Bicentennial in 1976.

An interagency traveling exhibit will debut at the Monticello Visitor Center on January 14, launching a four-year odyssey that will travel the route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition from Virginia to the Oregon coast from 2003-2006. On January 18, Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton will represent President Bush at the official commencement of the Bicentennial on the West Lawn at Monticello.

"Corps of Discovery II: 200 Years to the Future," the centerpiece of interagency efforts, hopes to visit several hundred cities and educate millions about the importance of the expedition in our nation's history. It is a collective effort of federal and state agencies, private and nonprofit organizations, and American Indian tribes. Under the auspices of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, the National Park Service is providing funding, exhibit design and production, transportation, and support staff.

After January 19, the Corps of Discovery II tractor trailer with its spectacular graphics will travel across the country, unfolding into museum-quality interpretive exhibits as well as a "living history" performance tent. The Tent of Many Voices will provide a space for live demonstrations, lectures, cultural presentations and audiovisual showings. These live performances will vary along the route, with presentations made in partnership with Indian tribes, various federal agencies, state and local governments and the private sector.

In 2001, 21 agencies signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate in commemorating the Bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark exhibition. These agencies have developed an interagency map and brochure. Joined by other agencies, they have also set up a cooperative website, www.lewisandclark200.gov, from which each agency website can be accessed. In addition to providing historical and current documents, the web site features a map on which users can click to get information on all relevant sites in each state. A future issue of People Land and Water magazine will feature articles by many of the agencies on their Bicentennial activities as well as historical photographs published for the first time.

A list of the agencies follows.

For more information about the Corps of Discovery II exhibit and tour locations, contact the National Park Service at 402-514-9311. For more information about other interagency efforts, agency media contacts, and B-roll, call 202-208-3280.

Federal Partners for the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial

Department of Agriculture

Forest Service

Natural Resources Conservation Service

Department of the Army

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Department of Education

Department of Energy

Department of the Interior

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Bureau of Land Management

Bureau of Reclamation

National Park Service

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

U.S. Geological Survey

Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration

United States Coast Guard

Department of the Treasury

United States Mint

Environmental Protection Agency

Institute of Museum and Library Services

National Archives and Records Administration

National Endowment for the Arts

National Endowment for the Humanities

Smithsonian Institution

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