9/11 and Lewis-and-Clark Sites Gain Protection

Ryan Mitchell
for National Geographic News

December 19, 2003

Two events in American history were the focus of land conservation
efforts announced last week. Separated by almost two centuries, both
events will go down in the history books as key points in the shaping of
the United States.

The 1804-1806 expedition of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark has been standard fare in classrooms for decades and is now the subject of countless exhibits, documentaries, and popular histories. The expedition was critical in the formation of the geographical boundaries of the nation we now know. Many people consider it to be equally important in shaping the national character.

Less certain is how exactly the events following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, will unfold in the history books. But the courage, resolve, and determination of the passengers and crew of Flight 93 over Pennsylvania are testimony to an enduring indomitable American spirit.

Last Friday, The Conservation Fund, an Arlington, Virginia-based nonprofit organization, announced the protection of lands that will forever memorialize this spirit:

• Neu's Point State Wildlife Management Area was designated at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers in North Dakota, where Lewis and Clark spent several days on their journey west.

• In Pennsylvania, The Conservation Fund announced the permanent protection of 29 acres (12 hectares) at the core of what will become the Flight 93 National Memorial.

The Corps of Discovery in the 21st Century

Neu's Point Wildlife Management Area was established after the purchase of the land from a local family. Open to the public in spring 2004, it will protect more than 400 acres (160 hectares) of historically significant land that is also critical fish and wildlife habitat.

Lewis and Clark were forced by high winds to stop at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers in April 1805. They spent several days exploring the area before continuing on their quest to find a water route to the Pacific Ocean.

"Much of the land at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers appears as it did when Lewis and Clark first arrived," said The Conservation Fund's president, Larry Selzer. "The establishment of the Neu's Point WMA will ensure that the natural, historic, and cultural values of the area are permanently protected for current and future generations."

The waters of the confluence are considered to be among the most biologically important in North Dakota, providing habitat for the paddlefish and the endangered pallid sturgeon. The riverbanks support important nesting and migration habitat for hundreds of species of birds, including the endangered piping plover and least tern.

"The creation of the Neu's Point WMA exemplifies a wonderful conservation outcome, but there is more work to do," said the National Geographic Society's chairman, Gilbert M. Grosvenor. "Today, we have an unprecedented opportunity to conserve important historic sites and significant fish and wildlife habitat along two of our nation's most threatened river corridors."

Gift to the Nation

In a ceremony in Windber, Pennsylvania, U.S. Congressman John Murtha joined The Conservation Fund and PBS Coals to announce the donation and permanent protection of 29 acres of land at the Flight 93 crash site—a gift to the nation, according to Congressman Murtha.

The Conservation Fund has been working with the National Park Service to preserve land for the Flight 93 National Memorial. This is the third donation of lands—Pittsburgh-based CONSOL Energy and a private landowner have also contributed—and the Fund is working to reach agreements with local landowners. The PBS parcel is particularly important because it is at the core of the proposed memorial area.

"We're grateful to PBS Coals for their generous donation. This is some of the land at the very core of the crash site, the land we most need to protect as a lasting tribute to the heroism of the passengers and crew of Flight 93. On behalf of our nation, let me say thank you," said Murtha, who was instrumental in passing legislation to create the national memorial.

The National Park Service will assist a federal advisory commission in designing a memorial to be placed at the crash site. President Bush has ordered that the design be completed and delivered to the Interior Department and Congress by 2005.

"Preserving the hallowed ground of Flight 93 is of profound national importance. This memorial provides a meaningful way to honor those who sacrificed their lives on September 11 and give a respectful setting for family members and other visitors to commemorate this critical moment in American history," said Fran Mainella, director of the National Park Service.

Joint Effort

The designation of Neu's Point WMA was a joint effort by the American Foundation for Wildlife, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, the North Dakota Natural Resources Trust, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and The Conservation Fund.

Initial funding for the project was provided by a grant from NRCS's Wetland Reserve Program, which offers landowners the opportunity to voluntarily protect, restore, and enhance wetlands on their property. The purchase was also part of The Conservation Fund's Lewis and Clark Land Conservation Initiative, an effort to raise money to protect habitat and historic lands along river corridors traveled by the expedition.

"The North Dakota Game and Fish Department and the general public benefit tremendously from the collaboration and leveraging of resources associated with this project," said Ken Sambor, the department's state coordinator for the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.

In Pennsylvania, The Conservation Fund accepted the donation of the Flight 93 lands on behalf of the Families of Flight 93, the Flight 93 Advisory Commission, the Flight 93 Memorial Task Force, and the local community.

"If we are to create a lasting tribute worthy of these fallen heroes, we must all come together as they did more than two years ago," said to Patrick F. Noonan, chairman emeritus of The Conservation Fund.