The Biological Services Program was established within 

 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to supply scientific informa- 

 tion and methodologies on key environmental issues that im- 

 pact fish and wildlife resources and their supporting 

 ecosystems. 



Projects have been initiated in the following areas: coal 

 extraction and conversion; power plants; mineral development; 

 water resource analysis, including stream alterations and 

 western water allocation; coastal ecosystems and Outer Con- 

 tinental Shelf development; National Wetland Inventory; 

 habitat classification and evaluation; inventory and data 

 management systems; and information management. 



The Biological Services 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 exper- 

 tise and arrange for development of information and 

 technology by contracting with States, universities, consulting 

 firms, and others; Regional Teams, which provide local exper- 

 tise and are an important link between the National Teams and 

 the problems at the operating level; and staff at certain Fish 

 and Wildlife Service research facilities, who conduct in-house 

 research studies. 



