“In Step with Lewis and Clark”

Radio series scheduled to air across the state and throughout the region.

When Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery explored the West 200 years ago, they couldn’t possibly have known the impact their journey would have on future generations. Yet, the trip this group embarked upon and the discoveries they made created a lasting impression and continues to captivate people today. In commemoration of the discoveries Lewis and Clark made in Idaho and in conjunction with the 200-year anniversary of their expedition, the Idaho Museum of Natural History and Idaho State University’s National Public Radio affiliate in Pocatello, KISU 91.1 FM, are co-producing a 12-part radio series titled, “In Step with Lewis & Clark.”

A number of NPR stations around the state and throughout the region have agreed to air “In Step with Lewis and Clark,” including KISU in Pocatello, KBSU in Boise, KBYI in Rexburg and KPBX in Spokane, Washington. The first program will run in early June and the series is scheduled to run approximately every two weeks through the summer and fall of 2006.

The series was the brainchild of IMNH Program Manager Kristin Fletcher. “Back when I worked for the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, in Central Idaho, I had the opportunity to produce a radio series called, ‘Naturalist Notes’ and I just loved it,” Fletcher explains. “I had been looking for a way to do something similar within the scope of my role here at the Museum.”

When Fletcher found out that grant funding was available from the Idaho Governor’s Lewis and Clark Trail Committee to develop projects in conjunction with the 200th anniversary of Lewis and Clark’s travels, she decided to request funding for a series of radio programs devoted to Lewis and Clark’s time in Idaho. She wrote and submitted a proposal to the Committee and they decided to fund it.

Having acquired funding, Fletcher moved forward with the project. “I formed a committee of experts – historians, educators and Lewis and Clark specialists – from around the state to identify themes that would illustrate both the legacy of Lewis and Clark’s time spent in Idaho and the significance of their explorations for each of us as Idaho residents today,” Fletcher explains.Fletcher’s committee compiled a thorough list of potential subjects and then narrowed it down to 12 that they felt would reach and affect the widest range of people – both in terms of where they live in the state and what their different lifestyles might be. The final list includes subjects ranging from the Syringa (Idaho’s official state flower) to beavers and from Native languages to Idaho’s unique, and often challenging, climate.

“Each segment has its own goals,” says Fletcher. “With some segments we’re hoping to educate or raise awareness on a particular subject. With others, like the segment on mosquitoes, we’re trying to show continuity in history – after all, Lewis and Clark found mosquitoes just as pesky and bothersome 200 years ago as we do today!”

Each segment will be three minutes long and incorporate live interviews, music and ambient sounds. Musical interludes are being performed on the Native American Indian flute by Hovia Edwards, who is from Fort Hall Indian Reservation. In 1998, Edwards was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Traditional Folk Album category.The Idaho Museum of Natural History is located at S. 5th Ave. and Dillon St., on the campus of Idaho State University. Visit the Museum’s website (http://imnh.isu.edu) for more information about the series and a list of subjects, or call Kristin Fletcher at 208-282-2262.