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r" LFL COLLECTION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES MANUAL 1 Mission of Larval Fish Laboratory The Larval Fish Laboratory (LFL) at Colorado State University was established in fall 1978 within the College of Natural Resources and Department of Fishery and Wildlife Biology as a largely self-supporting entity relying on contracts, service fees, and grants. It's mission is to advance knowledge of the taxonomy, life history, and ecology of fishes in North America's freshwaters through research, service, and education, with emphasis on the early life stages. Purpose of the LFL Collection The Larval Fish Laboratory Collection is a repository for the preserved eggs, larvae, small juveniles, and small adults of North American freshwater and anadromous fishes. It's purpose is to maintain and provide controlled public access to those specimens and associated collection and specimen data as a long-term taxonomic, biological, and natural- history resource. The collection is especially intended to further LFL' s own functions of research, service, and education and help safeguard potentially valuable voucher, study, or reference specimens that might otherwise be discarded and lost to science. Status of the LFL Collection, January 1996 The LFL Collection include over 200 species of fish from throughout the United States and portions of Canada with some material dating back to the early 1950s. However, the vast majority of LFL holdings, over 58,000 lots and an estimated 2.8 million specimens, have been deposited by various agencies associated with the effort to monitor and recover rare and endangered fishes of the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB). Most LFL holdings, including all specimens from outside the UCRB, remain Wlcataloged backlog. With support of the Recovery Implementation Program for Endangered Fishes of the Upper Colorado River Basin (RIP), a computer collection catalog and management system was established in 1992 and nearly half the UCRB collections (24,840 lots, 1.2 million specimens) have since been cataloged, upgraded as necessary with standardized containers and preservative, and reorganized for ready access on storage shelving. Most new UCRB material processed by LFL (e.g., identified, cOWlted, and measured) is cataloged as part of that process. Colorado State University, through the College of Natural Resources and Department of Fishery and Wildlife Biology, supports LFL and its collection in part by allocation and maintenance of space and facilities on main campus in the west-wing basement of the Wagar Building (room 33 complex). However, the university does not provide the materials and salary needed to maintain, catalog, management, or provide access to LFL' s rapidly growing collection. Until such long-term, baseline support can be secured, the LFL Collection will continue to be at least minimally maintained and managed as long as possible through overhead on LFL research and service activities and the volWltary contributions of time and effort by LFL staff. RIP funding for establishment of a computerized collection cataloging and management system, establishment and documentation of standard collection policies and procedures, and the upgrading and cataloging of nearly half of the UCRB holdings has been a major contribution towards