Highlights for July 31, 2002

I. Key Department/Bureau News

• USGS SPONSORED PROGRAM FEATURED TWICE IN NATURE MAGAZINE: The July 25, 2002 issue of Nature featured two articles on the advances taxonomy is making in tandem with informatics. The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), a USGS sponsored program and a vital NBII component, was prominently mentioned in both articles (“Taxonomy, at the click of a mouse” and “All living things, online”). Dr. Michael Ruggiero, USGS Scientist and ITIS Director, co-authored the second article with scientists from other international taxonomic information programs.

  ITIS is the first comprehensive, standardized reference for the scientific names – as well as synonyms and common names -- for flora and fauna of North America. The pieces included an examination of ITIS and its collaboration with Species 2000 to develop the Catalog of Life. Within 10 years, the Catalogue aims to create a federation of databases that will together include all of the species currently known to science. (Michael Ruggiero, Washington, D.C., 202/786-3117)

II. Management Reform
Nothing to report this week.

III. Notable Congressional Activity
Nothing to report this week.

III. Press/Media Inquiries
Nothing to report this week.

V. Key FOIA Requests
Nothing to report this week.