FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Sundlov
April 15, 2008
(701) 572-9034

HISTORY ALIVE! WITH THEODORE ROOSEVELT,
OTHER SPECIAL EVENTS TO CELEBRATE EARTH DAY AT THE CONFLUENCE APRIL 26

WILLISTON – The Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center near Williston will celebrate Earth Day on Saturday, April 26 with a number of special events.  These events are designed for both adults and children – children and teens are especially encouraged to attend this fun and educational day.  The special celebration will include an exciting History Alive! program featuring President Theodore Roosevelt, as portrayed by Arch Ellwein.  Experts will also be at the Center to teach about and help guests identify plants, birds, snakes, frogs and other creatures.

All of the events are free and open to the public.  Free refreshments will be served.

Beginning at 11:30 a.m. Central Time, Professor Susan Zimmerman of Williston State College will offer children the opportunity to engage nature through a number of activities, including plant collecting and identification.  Although this portion of the program will be targeted for the children, adults will find it equally enjoyable and educational.

Beginning at 12:30 p.m., long‑time birder and member of the Upper Missouri Birders’ Club, Bob Guderjohn, will provide an introduction to birding and discuss tools, techniques, and tips for successful birding.  Guderjohn’s experience, coupled with his engaging personality, will ensure this informational session is helpful for first‑time birders and those who have been birding longer.  Following the introductory lecture, visitors are invited to take to the Confluence’s walking trail with Guderjohn to practice what they have learned and identify many of the Confluence’s native birds.

Beginning at 1:30 p.m., Audrey Barnhart, local herpetology expert and Fort Union Trading Post curator, will provide an introduction to herpetology and discuss the critical role that these elusive creatures play in our sensitive ecosystem.  Following her introductory presentation Barnhart will lead guests in an adventure to locate the snakes, frogs, and other amphibians and reptiles.

Finally, at 2:30 p.m., history will spring to life at the Confluence Center with a special History Alive! program.  This program will feature a special lecture by President Theodore Roosevelt, as portrayed by Arch Ellwein of Sidney, Montana.  As the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt made conservation a central policy issue of his administration.  He created five national parks, four big game refuges, 51 national bird reservations, and the National Forest Service.  Roosevelt advocated for the sustainable use of the nation's natural resources, the protection and management of wild game, and the preservation of wild spaces.  Considering America's landscape to be the source of American wealth and the American character, Roosevelt believed conservation was a democratic movement necessary to maintain and to strengthen American democracy.

Located one-half mile east of Fort Buford, the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center tells the story of the confluence of these two mighty rivers, as well as provides the same magnificent view that Lewis and Clark Expedition members enjoyed when they visited in 1805 and 1806.  One of the facility’s unique features is a large replica of a compass that the explorers carried on their 1803-06 expedition.  Located in the center of the facility’s rotunda, it measures eight feet in diameter and faces true north, just as Lewis and Clark would have looked north when they were at the same site 200 years ago.  The rotunda area includes three large murals featuring quotes from the Lewis and Clark Journals, and paintings of the Missouri River landscape by Colonel Philippe Régis de Trobriand, commanding officer of Fort Stevenson near present-day Garrison, N.D. in the late 1860s.

The Confluence Center is open year-round.  Its winter hours are now in effect, and are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesdays through Saturdays, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays.  It is closed on New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Admission to the Center’s exhibits is $5 per adult, $2.50 per child, ages 6-15, and children 5 and under are admitted free.

Free admission to all sites administered by the State Historical Society of North Dakota (SHSND) is one of the many benefits for members of the SHSND Foundation. Others include a 15 percent discount on museum store purchases, and the quarterly publications North Dakota History and Plains Talk. To become a member, call the Foundation at (701) 222-1966 or visit the website at www.statehistoricalfoundation.com.

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