Control Act. BIO-STORET originated in the Methods Development Laboratory of 

 the EPA, Cincinnati, Ohio, in the early 1970s.' The system was developed as a 

 repository for field and laboratory biological data being collected by EPA and others 

 for water quality monitoring. The BIO-STORET program currently being operated 

 by EPA includes information about freshwater and marine organisms, including 

 phytoplankton, zooplankton, periphyton, macrophyton. microinvertebrates, macro- 

 invertebrates, and vertebrates. The system interfaces with the physical and chemical 

 water quality data storage and retrieval system (STORET), developed in the early 

 1960s to assist with implementation of the Federal Water Quality Act. 



BIO-STORET includes: a hierarchical classification of all freshwater and coastal 

 species; distribution categories such as watershed and Office of Water Data 

 Coordination hydrologic cataloging units; state and county information and 

 latitudinal and longitudinal data. A data base management system (System 2000) 

 manipulates the taxon, dates of collection, sampler type, location, standard biomass 

 units and many other environmental factors. BIO-STORET is operational and has 

 been tested in the Great Lakes, and the Ohio and Savannah Rivers. 



U.S. Forest Service (FS) 



The Forest Service, in response to the legislative requirements of the Forest and 

 Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act (RPA) of 1974 and the National 

 Forest Management Act (NFMA) of 1976, developed a national fish and wildlife 

 species data base to facilitate the periodic assessment of all fish and wildlife resources 

 on the Nation's forest? and rangelands. RPA NFMA assessments are to define 

 future demand for and prospective supplies of fish and wildlife resources and 

 opportunities to moderate or avoid imbalance. 



The 1975-80 FS national assessment offish and wildlife resources asked each state 

 for standardized information on the number of hunters and anglers as well as the 

 number of animals harvested. •*<•* Before this 1 980 assessment, data needed to support 

 a national assessment either did not exist or had not been compiled. For example, 

 there were no comprehensive state lists of either resident or common migrant 

 vertebrate species; no consistent definitions offish and wildlife habitat; no estimates 

 of the extent and distribution of wildlife habitat; and no demand or supply 

 information for more than 40 species inhabiting a state. The average was less than 1 5 

 species per state.' 



The 1980 RPA fish and wildlife data base contains the following information by 

 species: demand; supply; species-habitat relations including scientific names, legal 

 status, species associations with major vegetation and aquatic types within each of 

 the states. This data base includes information on approximately 3,000 vertebrate 

 species and is operational at the USDA Computer Center, Fort Collins, Colorado. 



As a result of the RPA national fish and wildlife data base, a series of regional or 

 statewide fish and wildlife data bases have been, or are being, developed by the FS.* 



U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 



The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976 specifically 

 directs BLM to ". . prepare and maintain on a continuing basis an inventory of all 

 public lands and their resources and other values . . ." FLPMA defines fish and 

 wildlife development and utilization as one of the six major uses on public lands. The 

 BLM is conducting resource inventories on approximately 20 million acres of 

 western rangelands. Fish and wildlife habitats on BLM administered land are being 

 mapped and measured in terms of homogeneous units of existing vegetation and 

 special habitat features such as caves, cliffs, and seeps. ' Vertebrate species data from 

 each inventory is being compiled as part of an overall BLM resource data base. Their 

 data base is maintained at the Service Center, Denver, Colorado. 



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