Highlights for March 19, 1999
USGS Center for Biological Informatics

Key Department News:

• Gap Analysis Cooperators Workshop in Hawaii. On March 17-19, Patrick Crist will present the initial workshop for new USGS Gap Analysis Program (GAP) state projects and their cooperators in Honolulu. Hawaii is the 49^th state to initiate a statewide GAP project. The project will be conducted by the Hawaii Ecosystem Data Group, a partnership of conservation organization, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, USGS's Biological Resources Division, the University of Hawaii's Center for Conservation Research and Training, the State of Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources, and the Hawaii Ecosystem at Risk program. Other cooperators include the National Park Service, National Resources Conservation Service, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and the Bishop Museum. The USGS Gap Analysis Program is a proactive geographic approach to protecting biodiversity. Satellite remote sensing and geographic information systems technologies are used to identify unprotected "gaps" that may be filled by applying alternative conservation strategies. The program is coordinated by the USGS and is managed by the USGS Center for Biological Informatics. (Patrick Crist, Moscow, ID, 208-885-3901).
  
• GAP Bulletin No. 7 to be Distributed. The long-awaited 1998 issue of the USGS Gap Analysis Program (GAP) Bulletin is now being printed and will be mailed out the week of March 22. The Bulletin features 17 articles and 9 notes on various aspects of GAP methods and results. Topics include decision support systems, vegetation mapping, aquatic GAP, analysis for plant and ant species, application to land use planning, vertebrate species distributions, establishing partnerships, and GAP in Mexico. Updates on the status of each GAP state project are also included. The Bulletin will be posted on the GAP home page (www.gap.uidaho.edu/gap/Bulletins/7/index.htm) within the next few weeks. The USGS Gap Analysis Program is a cooperative effort of more than 470 U.S. organizations. GAP maps terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity to show where "gaps" in present conservation efforts are, so that future conservation crises may be avoided. The program is coordinated by the USGS and is managed by the USGS Center for Biological Informatics. (Elisabeth Brackney, Moscow, ID, 208-885-3560).
  
• LUHNA Program Publication Available in April. Perspectives on the Land Use History of North America: A Context for Understanding Our Changing Environment (USGS/BRD/BSR-1998-0003) is expected to be available in April 1999. This publication is a product of the collaborative Land Use History of North America (LUHNA) program, whose goal is to understand the relationships between human land use and land cover change with respect to the natural rate of change and thereby to help assess implications for the future. This document strives to convey the importance of a historical context for understanding ongoing changes in land cover and land use. Maury Nyquist, Ralph Root, and Susan Stitt of the USGS Center for Biological Informatics (CBI) contributed to the publication and provided production assistance. CBI manages the LUHNA program and home page (http://biology.usgs.gov/luhna/index.html). (Susan Stitt, Denver, 303-202-4234).
  

II. Agency Works on Presidential Initiatives:

• NBII Hosts Workshop for NSF Grantees: On March 16-17, Anne Frondorf (NBII, Reston) and Gary Waggoner (NBII, Denver) hosted a small workshop at the USGS Center for Biological Informatics (CBI) in Denver for 11 scientists conducting research in biodiversity and biological informatics. The attendees were recipients of three-year grants funded by the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) and the National Science Foundation. The purpose of the workshop was to familiarize these university scientists with the NBII and selected activities that directly relate to their individual research interests. Waggoner provided a presentation on the Integrated Taxonomic Information System--ITIS--and the Taxonomic Resources and Expertise Directory--TRED. Susan Stitt (CBI) spoke on NBII metadata and Clearinghouse activities and Mike Frame (CBI) presented an overview and demonstration of selected NBII biological data discovery tools and approaches being developed at CBI. Each of the scientists also made presentations on their particular research projects and expressed interest in helping to further the development of the NBII. (Gary Waggoner, Denver, 303-202-4222)
  

III. Notable Congressional Activity: No report.

IV. Press/Media Inquiries: No report.

V. FOIA Requests: No report.