News Releases for January 2002
January 23, 2002
For further information, please contact Donna Schouweiler, (701) 328-5357
New Lewis & Clark Video Sent To North Dakota Schools
BISMARCK, N.D. - Governor John Hoeven today announced that the ND Parks and Recreation Dept. will provide a free copy of a new educational video about the Lewis and Clark Expedition to all elementary schools across North Dakota.
The 23-minute video, “Experiences and Discovery - Plants and Animals from the Lewis & Clark Expedition of North Dakota,” provides students with an introduction to many of the plants and animals the expedition documented in their journey through North Dakota. Supplemental reference materials will accompany the video for use in additional study about the expedition.
“Two hundred years ago, the Lewis and Clark Expedition had all the elements of a successful partnership. This video project demonstrates how the public and private sector can also partner in a way that benefits North Dakota,” Hoeven said. “The Lewis and Clark Expedition combines elements of discovery, exploration and intrigue that we can use to promote North Dakota to the rest of the nation. At the same time, we can use the Expedition to educate our youth about our state’s rich natural history.”
The video was funded with grants from the National Park Service-Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bismarck Office; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Garrison Project; BNI Coal, BP Mandan Refinery; Great River Energy-Coal Creek and Stanton; and MDU Resources. The ND Game and Fish Department, State Historical Society of North Dakota, Indian Affairs Commission, Tourism Division and KAT Productions provided in-kind assistance.
“We are excited about the opportunity to expand the exposure of the Lewis and Clark story to the whole state,” said State Parks Director Doug Prchal. “The story extends beyond the historic trail corridor and, by distributing the video statewide, we link the whole of North Dakota to this exciting historic event,” he noted.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition discovered an estimated 178 plants and 122 different animals not then known to the scientific world, and collected specimens to send back east.
Two North Dakota residents played key roles in the filming of the video. Todd Hanson, a fifth grade teacher at Dorothy Moses Elementary School in Bismarck, plays expedition member Joseph Field, and tells about the humorous encounters the men had with grizzly bears, pelicans and black-tailed prairie dogs. Sakakawea, portrayed by Amy Mossett, New Town, talks about plants Native Americans had long used for food and medicine.
E-mail comments to the Governor
