In 1996, Lake Baikal and adjacent protected areas were enlisted on the UNESCO World Heritage List as areas of exceptional value for evolutionary sciences.
It was named after a British diplomat, Alleyne FitzHerbert, 1st Baron St. Helens.
He was a friend of British captain George Vancouver, who explored the northwestern parts of the Pacific Coast of North America, and spotted Mount St. Helens on May 19th, 1792.