Highlights for June 25, 1999
USGS Center for Biological Informatics

• Multi-Partner GIS Camp for Colorado School District. On June 10, 1999, Karl Brown of the USGS Center for Biological Informatics participated in a project to implement geographic information systems technology and methods throughout the science, social studies, and mathematics curricula of primary and secondary schools in the Poudre School District, Fort Collins, Colorado. In 1998, the school district received a $250,000 Eisenhower grant to fund this effort-one of the largest grants of its kind that has ever been awarded. This project brought together people from the USGS, U.S. Forest Service, Larimer County, City of Fort Collins, and Colorado State University. After a tour of the USGS Rocky Mountain Mapping Center led by Joseph Kerski (NMD), students attended a Global Positioning System workshop, where they used USGS topographic maps. (Karl Brown, Denver, 303-202-4240)
• NTM Resources Benefit Endangered Salmon. During the week of June 21, Mike Parsley of the USGS Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC) and Ralph Root of the USGS Center for Biological Informatics (CBI) reviewed National Technical Means (NTM) resources for application to aquatic habitat assessment in the Snake River. Parsley and Root worked in the USGS Special Applications Facility in Denver with Earl Wilson of the NMD Central Region. The scientists explored potential ways to extract information on aquatic habitats. Application of this information is expected to benefit the restoration of threatened and endangered anadromous salmonids, a primary WFRC mission. CBI scientists assist BRD centers nationwide with access to NTM resources in the Denver facility. The NTM Program supports civilian agencies by providing national assets for resource management. (Ralph Root, Denver, 303-202-4232)

• NBII State Page Enhancements. The National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) provides users with access to biological information held by Federal, State, and local government agencies, tribal organizations, educational institutions, and non-government organizations. One way the NBII provides this information is through individual State Web pages. To date, this ongoing process to identify significant biological data and information Web sites and make them available to the public has resulted in the completion of 14 State pages in the Western, Pacific, and Great Lakes regions, providing information for Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. More information will soon be posted for Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. NBII State information can be found at http://www.nbii.gov/geographic/us/. (Janice Little, Denver, 303-202-4227)

III. Notable Congressional Activity: No report.

IV. Press/Media Inquiries: No report.

V. FOIA Requests: No report.