The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Great Falls — the most-visited interpretive site along the entire Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail in Montana — is losing its entire full-time staff this year, raising questions about federal commitment to one of central Montana's most reliable tourism draws. Director Duane Buchi will retire in early September, and facilities manager Ray Tetrault, a longtime fixture at the center, is also retiring. A third full-time employee has already resigned.
The center draws roughly 50,000 visitors annually, serving as an economic anchor for the Great Falls tourism corridor and a significant stop for travelers heading through the region. For Helena residents, the center has long been a day-trip destination and a partner institution to local Lewis and Clark heritage sites, including the gates of the mountains and the nearby Missouri River corridor that both communities share as part of the expedition's route.
The departures come at a moment when federal support for public lands interpretive programs is already under scrutiny nationwide. Whether the center's federal operator — the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages the facility — will backfill the positions or restructure operations is not yet clear from available reports. The combination of retirements and a resignation, all arriving at once, puts the center's day-to-day programming in a precarious position heading into the fall shoulder season.
Helena-area residents who have visited or plan to visit the Great Falls center before the end of summer may want to call ahead. It is not yet known what operational changes, if any, will take effect once the remaining staff departs.