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The Biological Services Program was established within the U,S, Fish and Wildlife Service to supply scientific information and methodologies on key environmental issues which have an impact fish and wildlife resources and their supportjng ecosystems. The mission of the Program is as follows: 1. To strengthen the Fish and Wildlife Service in its role as a primary source of information on natural fish and wildlife resources, par- ticularly with respect to environmental impact assessment. 2, To gather, analyze, and present information that will aid decision- makers in the identification and resolution of problems associated with major land and water use changes. 3. To provide better ecological information and evaluation for Depart- ment of the I nterior development programs, such as those relating to energy development. Information developed by the Biological Services Program is intended for use in the planning and decisionmaking process, to prevent or minimize the impact of development on fish and wildlife. Biological Services research activities and technical assistance services are based on an analysis of the issues, the decisionmakers involved and their information needs, and an evaluation of the state-of-the-art to identify information gaps and determine priorities. This is a strategy to assure that the products produced and dis- seminated will be timely and useful. Biological Services projects .have been initiated in the following areas: Coal extraction and conversion Power plants Geothermal, mineral, and oil shale development Water resource analysis, including stream alterations and western water allocation Coastal ecosystems and Outer Continental Shelf development. Systems and inventory, including National Wetlands Inventory, habi- tat classification and analysis, and information transfer The Program consists of the Office of Biological Services in Washington, D,C., which is responsible for overall planning and management; National Teams which provide the Program's central, scientific and technical expertise, and which arrange for contracting of Biological Services studies with States, universities, consulting firms, and others; Regional staff who provide a link to problems at the operating level; and staff at certain Fish and Wildlife Service research facilities who conduct inhouse research studies,