Written by a model from the transcript; not yet reviewed.
To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States, scientists and citizen volunteers are resurveying the historic route of Lewis and Clark. Wildlife ecologist Bill McShay of the Smithsonian's Conservation Biology Institute organized the project to have regular people and researchers place motion-activated camera traps within a 50-mile buffer of the original trail. The host tags along with University of Montana researchers Andrei Dinu, Maddie Turani, and Smithsonian intern Catherine Garrett in western Montana to set up one of these camera traps, navigating steep terrain and California tortoiseshell butterflies along the way. While the project is not designed to be cutting-edge science due to seasonal timing differences from the original winter expedition, McShay explains that it serves to engage the public, track wildlife distribution near human populations, and highlight successful conservation efforts on Native American reservations.
The Southern Environmental Law Center introduces the episode and hosts greet listeners.
Hosts explain the historical context and purpose of Lewis and Clark’s journey.
Bill McShay proposes a modern resurvey of the Lewis and Clark Trail using citizen scientists and camera traps.
The hosts meet the research team and begin hiking toward a GPS point for camera placement.
The team sets up motion‑activated cameras and explains how AI will process the images.
Bill and hosts reflect on what the data could mean for wildlife management and Native American stewardship.
Discussion of how the resurvey will compare 200‑year‑old observations with current data and expected changes.
Hosts thank the team, invite listeners to follow the podcast, and close the episode.
Commemorating the US Semiquincentennialinsight
Institutions are brainstorming ways to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States, leading the Smithsonian to plan a scientific commemoration.
Retracing Lewis and Clarkstrategy
Researchers are running a systematic natural history survey along the historic Lewis and Clark trail 220-some years later.
Surrounded by Butterfliesstory
The field team encounters an unexpected and magical swarm of California tortoiseshell butterflies during their hike in western Montana.
Documenting 178 Plant Speciesdata
Lewis and Clark recorded over 178 plant species and more than 120 animals during their original expedition.
Camera Trap Placementstrategy
Catherine Garrett hangs a motion-activated camera trap at knee height on a tree near a game trail to capture passing wildlife.
Not Cutting-Edge Scienceinsight
Bill McShay admits that because modern surveys take place in summer while the historic journey was in winter, the project is not cutting-edge science, but rather a fun public engagement effort.
Reservation Conservation Successinsight
Bill McShay points out that Native American reservations often feature much better wildlife communities than the surrounding lands managed by Westerners.
“So Bill works for the Smithsonian's Conservation Biology Institute, which is part of the National Zoo, and he's a wildlife ecologist.”
“There were people there, but I'm guessing it was Lewis and Clark because, you know, I grew up in the Pacific Northwest.”
“Is this cutting-edge science? No, this is not cutting-edge science. This is a lot of fun, a lot of fun that has some value to it, you know, informing people of what's there, what they have, what's still left, what's come back.”
“Things are better today than you think, that there's more wildlife out there than you think. And, and it's distributed in a lot of places that include people.”
Ever wish you could have been part of the Lewis and Clark expedition? Us too. The Corps of Discovery came across scores of plants and animals that were new to Western science: Grizzly bears, ponderosa pines, a “barking squirrel” that William Clark would later call the prairie dog. A modern effort is underway to see how much the country’s wildlife has changed in the 220-some years since their journey. Host Nate Rott https://www.npr.org/people/348779465/nathan-rott tags along with some scientists re-surveying a part of the expedition’s route in western Montana. And he wishes he was in better shape. Interested in more science in the news? Email us your question at [email protected] mailto:[email protected]. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org http://plus.npr.org/. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy
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