the management chain in systems specifically 

 structMred for this purpose. Similarly, review and 

 evaluation of research progress are conducted 

 annually. Priorities for research effort are founded 

 on basic agency mission goals, and are tempered 

 by congressional mandates, executive directives, 

 cooperating agency needs, and feedback informa- 

 tion from various review groups. 



Most research supported by the Geological Sur- 

 vey is performed in-house, although some is con- 

 tracted out to other Federal agencies. State and 

 local agencies, private organizations, and academic 

 institutions. The primary mechanism for ensuring 

 the quality of contract research is the maintenance 

 of in-house technical expertise. 



Results of in-house research are subjected to 

 exhaustive peer review, both in-house and out-of- 

 house, to ensure the maintenance of high quality 

 standards. Those results are ultimately published 

 in one of the official book or map series of the 

 Geological Survey, or in various technical journals 

 worldwide. Authorship is attributed to individuals 

 for all published results of research. Those results 



reported in technical journals are, of course, sub- 

 ject to discussion and review by readers of those 

 journals. 



Most researchers in the Geological Survey view 

 the peer review system and the availability of high- 

 quality outlets for publishing the results of one's 

 research as an invaluable fringe benefit of employ- 

 ment with the Survey. The Geological Survey's 

 publication policies, along with an international 

 reputation for excellence in the earth sciences, are 

 critical factors in attracting and retaining consist- 

 ently high-quality researchers in the Geological 

 Survey. 



Various elements of Geological Survey research 

 programs (in geology, hydrology, photogrammetry, 

 land-use planning, and remote sensing of the 

 Earth's environment) are regularly reviewed by 

 standing or ad hoc committees composed of infor- 

 mation users, such as other Federal agencies. State 

 cooperators, educators, etc. Committee recom- 

 mendations are incorporated into ongoing and fu- 

 ture research efforts. 



NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 



Park Service Mission 



On August 25, 1916, the Congress passed an act 

 to establish a National Park Service; this act fur- 

 ther underlined the legal enjoinder to retain the 

 park system "in its natural condition." Specifical- 

 ly, the law provides that "the Service thus estab- 

 lished shall promote and regulate the use of the 

 Federal areas known as national parks, monu- 

 ments, and reservations hereinafter specified by 

 such means and measures as conform to the funda- 

 mental purpose of the said parks, monuments and 

 reservations, which purpose is to conserve the 

 scenery and the natural and historic objects and 

 the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoy- 

 ment of the same in such manner and by such 

 means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoy- 

 ment of future generations." 



Definition and Role of Basic Research 



Basic research in the National Park Service 

 (NPS) consists of those activities necessary to 

 understand fundamental ecosystem processes. 

 Such research relates almost exclusively to the 

 legal mandate from the Congress of the United 

 States, establishing the national parks and provid- 



ing for "care and management of the same" in a 

 manner that shall "provide for the preservation, 

 from injury or spoliation, of all timber, mineral 

 deposits, natural curiosities, or wonders within 

 said park (Yellowstone Act of March 1, 1872), and 

 their retention in their natural condition ." 



To our knowledge, the National Park Service 

 and park system injunctions to manage the natural 

 ecosystems in perpetuity are the only such man- 

 dates couched in law. To carry out these mandates 

 requires a thorough scientific knowledge of basic 

 ecosystem properties of the areas and of the fac- 

 tors that influence them. 



Examples of Basic Research 



Within the past 10 years, the most significant 

 projects involving basic research carried out by or 

 under the aegis of the National Park Service have 

 dealt with the wolves of Isle Royale, Yellowstone 

 elk, the bison of Yellowstone, grizzly bears, desert 

 pupfish, sooty terns and wood ibis in the Ever- 

 glades, Atlantic barrier islands, ecological diversity 

 and stability in cave systems and investigations of 

 cave radiation, urban ecology, social attitudes and 

 interaction of park visitors, and a 51 -part study of 

 the South Florida environment. 



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