Authorizations biological research on many of the factors affecting Klamath Basin water resources. These studies include water-quality and quantity issues, endangered species and other fishery issues, and decreased water supply to wetland areas in National Wildlife Refuges. P.L. 106-503 Earthquake Hazards Reduction Authorization Act of 2000. P.L. 106-514 Coastal Barrier Resources Reauthorization Act of 2000. Reauthorizes and amends the Coastal Barrier Resources Act of 1999. Section 6 authorizes cooperative efforts between the Secretary of the Interior and the Director of FEMA to provide existing digital spatial data, including digital orthophotos, and shoreline, elevation, and bathymetric data of the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resource System maps. If data do not exist to carry out this pilot project, the USGS, in cooperation with other Federal agencies, as appropriate, will obtain and provide the data required to the Secretary. In addition, all data used or created to carry out this section shall comply with the National Spatial Data Infrastructure established by Executive Order 12906 (59 Fed. Reg. 17671 (April 13, 1994)); and any other standards established by the Federal Geographic Data Committee established by Office of Management and Budget Circular A-16. P.L. 106-541 Water Resources Development Act of 2000. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of the Army for the conservation and development of water and related resources to construct various projects for improvements to rivers and harbors of the United States, and for other purposes. Sections of this Act that are of interest to the USGS are: Sec. 313, Missouri River Valley, Missouri (Missouri River Valley Improvement Act); Sec. 440, Upper Mississippi River Basin Sediment and Nutrient Study (see H.R. 4013 below); Sec. 502, CALFED Bay-Delta Program Assistance, California; Sec. 542, Lake Champlain Watershed, New York and Vermont, and Sec. 601, Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. P.L. 107-63 FY 2002 Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. Regional Activities Regional Activities WESTERN REGION CENTRAL REGION EASTERN REGION Introduction Complex, interrelated, natural resource use and conservation issues demand integrated science solutions focused on problem areas or ecosystems. For example, there are hundreds of factors responsible for changes in natural waterways. The factory upstream may be adding pollutants. A nearby town with golf courses, homes with pristine lawns, and an agricultural base may be adding nutrients and causing vegetation die-offs. The geology of that watershed may contribute minerals to the water, and patterns of growth and land-use might best be seen from a satellite image. The best way to use science to solve challenges that face natural systems is to approach them holistically. The USGS began to integrate science across disciplines 7 years ago as a holistic approach to ecosystem studies to assist managers in restoration activities. The choice of ecosystemsEverglades/South Florida, Chesapeake Bay, Platte River, Greater Yellowstone Area, Mojave Desert, and San Francisco Bay/Delta-was based on several factors: need for science-based restoration of complex natural systems, relevant ongoing work by USGS scientists, stakeholder interests and involvement in complementary activities, and Administration priorities. These same criteria apply equally to other areas on the landscape, whether they are called watersheds, basins, or ecosystems. A new emphasis on regional studies allows USGS to tap the best information across the bureau and engage scientists from a variety of disciplines to reach place-based solutions. This regional emphasis also focuses bureau leadership and programs in closer proximity to customers and their on-the-ground, place-based issues. This citizen-centered approach was supported by a recent National Research Council evaluation and endorsed by this Administration. While USGS had a regional structure (Eastern, Central, and Western) in place for several years, its full advantage was not being used in managing programs. USGS began implementing 35 Regional Activities While USGS had a regional structure (Eastern, Central, and Western) in place for several years, its full advantage was not being used in managing programs. USGS began implementing approved recommendations of Strategic Change Teams to bolster leadership by the regions in FY 2000 with full implementation to be achieved in FY 2003. Regional directors are selected on the basis of broad Earth or life sciences background; understanding of USGS mission, vision, strategies and goals; and strong senior executive qualifications (leading change, leading people, results-driven, business acumen, building coalitions). The regional executives for each discipline are chosen both for their strong science background and their leadership abilities. The people in those positions are responsible not only for understanding the science needs and priorities across disciplines in their regions but also the leadership and managerial needs of the regions and bureau. Regional directorates are being empowered with authority, resources, and tools to deliver services where they are needed and to evaluate performance. An advantage of regional directorates is the improved response to meeting the needs of DOI bureaus and other stakeholders. Regional directorates ensure that USGS provides more immediate consultation, cooperation, and communication. Examples of improved response can be found in the descriptions of regional activities such as CALFED in Western Region, meeting BLM's priority National Conservation Area needs in Central Region, and Tampa Bay Pilot Project in Eastern Region. Regional executives and management will be responsible for ensuring an integrated science approach to programs and activities and facilitating and encouraging lines of communication across disciplines. The bureau will use regional science programs and integrated science centers as tools to facilitate collaborative and integrated science. Implementation of bureauwide common business practices will further facilitate collaboration. bureauwide integrated program planning processes involving the Associate Directors for each discipline and the Regional Directors will ensure that science priorities are balanced and reflect local, regional, national, and international needs. Associate Directors will focus on broad science issues, strategic program planning, and visiting customers at the national level while Regional Directors will be responsible for meeting with customers at the local, State, and regional level and engaging in annual planning for implementation of programs. In FY 2001, program managers began jointly planning their research across disciplines for 27 projects to promote integration of science for complex problem solving and to pool resources for maximum benefit while reducing potential for duplication. This process continues in FY 2002 and FY 2003. 36 Regional Activities Western Region USGS's Western Region is home to 口 Rapid urban growth and multiple USGS conducts scientific research and monitoring Regionalization fosters consultation, cooperation, and communication in the service of conservation - Regionalization has made it possible for USGS to participate effectively in implementation of CALFED, a long-term, multi-agency/stakeholder process to resolve California's ecological, water supply, and drinking water quality issues. By vesting in the Regional Director responsibility for all disciplines, there is one person in the Western Region who has ultimate authority for everything USGS does in the CALFED solution area (Central Valley and Bay-Delta estuary), and the USGS CALFED coordinator has a single focus for determining USGS approaches to CALFED issues so that USGS research can focus on the highest priority needs of DO! bureaus and the State. Integrated science centers facilitate collaborative and integrated science - USGS is planning to establish regional integrated science centers to better coordinate program activities and interact with customers. The first has been established in Alaska. The Alaska Science Center (ASC) integrates the science activities of the biological sciences, geology, mapping, and water programs of the USGS in Alaska to provide scientific information, research findings, and scientific leadership to DOI and other resource managers, policymakers, and the public to support sound management of natural resources and ecosystems in Alaska. By creating a single organization where there were four, the USGS anticipates reducing redundant administrative processes and establishing a national model for common business practices. The director of the Alaska Science Center has been designated as the Deputy Regional Director 37 Regional Activities for Alaska, meaning that, for the first time, there will be a single bureau spokesperson to interact with the external and internal communities in Alaska. Continued improvements in Integrating science activities demonstrate the effectiveness of USGS' regional focus - The USGS has been collecting high quality data in the Lake Tahoe Basin, California/Nevada, since the 1890s, mostly during stand-alone projects of the various operating Divisions. In 1997, USGS began a coordinated effort to integrate the work, initially in response to an Executive Order directing Federal agencies to coordinate their activities for the benefit of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Basic data collection is funded through the Cooperative Water Program and provides information about tributary stream flow and water quality conditions. These data are supplied to the Tahoe Clearinghouse, a Web-based geospatially indexed central data repository maintained by the USGS (http://tahoe.usgs.gov/) and used by other agencies in the Basin. Through the combined efforts of the Geologic, Mapping, and Water Resources disciplines, digital bathymetric data defining topography of the lake floor have been collected and published. Biological Resources and Water Resources disciplines have partnered in an effort to better understand what conditions would be necessary to reintroduce the extirpated Lahontan Cutthroat Trout to the Basin. The Mapping discipline leads an effort to develop a decision-support model for the Basin land management agencies that combines geologic, hydrologic, biologic, and economic data. Using funding provided by Western Region Innovative Partnership Funds, all four USGS disciplines have compiled a Lake Tahoe Basin Digital Atlas, a CD-based product that introduces the public to, and allows linkages to, the vast amount of USGS-generated information about the Lake Tahoe Basin. Recent Accomplishments Examples of integrated science accomplishments in the Western Region are presented by Environment and Natural Resources North Slope Alaska - Increasing demand for energy resources, diminishing domestic production, and a priority of the President's energy policy have turned the Nation's eyes to potential energy resources in Alaska. Having previously completed an oil and gas assessment of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) 1002 Area, USGS scientists presented many briefings on their findings during FY 2001 for a wide range of constituents, including the Minerals Management Service, Bureau of Land Management, State Division of Oil and Gas, State Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, State Division of Geologic and Geophysical Surveys, oil industry, and other members of the Alaskan geologic community. The National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska (NPRA) is currently an area of great interest because of three oil and gas discovenes announced by industry in May 2001 and proposed oil and gas lease sales in 2002 and 2003. The geographic focus of new research in FY 2001, and the coming years, was and will be in the NPRA region, building on the findings of the 1002-Area assessment. In FY 2001, USGS acquired and reprocessed seismic profiles, conducted stratigraphic and structural studies, and completed most fieldwork. The initial syntheses of these studies have resulted in preliminary models of geologic framework controlling potential energy-resource distribution. These studies will underpin the oil and gas assessment of the NPRA, scheduled for 2002-the first assessment of this area in 20 years. In addition, extensive cooperative U.S. and Canadian biological research has occurred on the ANWR Coastal Plain during the last decade. The biological information resulting from these cooperative efforts provides an excellent measure of the status and trends of key animals in a near-pristine Arctic ecosystem. The 38 |