MISSOURI VALLEY, Iowa (KMTV) — For America's 250th birthday, the Smithsonian Institution is taking a survey of the wildlife on the Lewis and Clark trail.
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Smithsonian biologist and program manager Brigit Rooney is traveling along the trail, meeting with neighbors and organizations participating in what the Smithsonian is calling a wildlife resurvey.
"So, we are looking at how wildlife populations have changed in the last — about 250 years," Rooney said.
The project uses trail cameras and relies on most participants providing their own. Carter Oliver, director of the Harrison County Iowa State Extension, is coordinating the placement of cameras at the DeSoto Wildlife Refuge.
"I am very excited to go to some of those spots that you just can’t get out of the car and walk to," Oliver said.
Rooney sent me maps where Meriwether Lewis recorded seeing bears and elk, including near the present-day metro area: "... and we have those maps now where we can say, in all these different places, Lewis and Clark saw a badger or a grizzly bear."
"So, a lot of the story of the change is negative, how a lot of the species have been lost..." Oliver said.
"...but really there are lots of positive stories here too," said Rooney.
Oliver points to conservation successes such as wild turkey, white tail deer and something rare just a few decades ago — Bald Eagles.
"It’s hard to drive down the Missouri River and not see a Bald Eagle," Oliver said.
Rooney’s next stop is Little Priest Tribal College in Winnebago, Nebraska.
"I’m excited to partner with our tribal partners and to be able to work with them and especially to work with their students," she said.
Oliver says there are great local resources for learning more about the expedition.
"So, just go out, educate the next generation . Tell them about this terrific exploration that happened in the early 1800s," he said.
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